Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2216, Aguiar-Curry, Valley and Delta Conservancy, do pass as amended to cap advance payments at 25%
• AB 1808, Creo, Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, do pass out on an A roll call.
• AB 2566, Soria, Hury and Hawke Conservancy, held in committee.
• AB 1663, Wallace, Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, do pass. That's out on an A roll call.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee held a suspense-file hearing on May 14, 2026, reviewing hundreds of Assembly bills and a few committee bills. The chair opened by explaining the committee’s budget constraints and the factors used in suspense decisions, including fiscal impact, return on investment, effects on constituents, and protection of the state’s social safety net. The agenda was organized alphabetically by author, and the committee noted that results would be posted later that day online. The committee then acted on a very large number of measures, sending many bills to the Assembly floor on do pass or do pass as amended motions, while holding many others in committee. Topics covered a broad range of policy areas, including housing, health care, education, labor, public safety, wildfire mitigation, water, energy, transportation, cannabis, immigration, and state governance. Many bills were amended to narrow scope, make implementation contingent on appropriations or existing resources, remove provisions, or clarify agency responsibilities; several bills were held without further action. Among the notable actions, the committee advanced bills on items such as Medi-Cal services, child care, wildfire-related programs, housing financing, school and college issues, public safety and criminal justice, environmental and energy policy, and various consumer and business regulations. Some measures were sent out on A or B roll calls, with Republicans often not voting on amended bills. The hearing concluded after the committee reported that a large number of bills had been moved to the Assembly floor, either as do pass or do pass with amendments, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first measure is SB 2975, Senate Draft 1, relating to marine life conservation districts.
• <00:04:26.000> life Draft 1 relating to marine life Draft 1 relating to marine life conservation
• conservation districts. conservation districts.

Bills: SB2386, SB2804, SB2852

Keywords: employment, wage transparency, job listings, salary disclosure, labor rights, monopoly, health care access, insurance rates, competition, stock acquisition, digital accessibility, web accessibility, website accessibility, app accessibility, ADA, disability rights, civil rights, public accommodations, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, HCRC

Summary: The committees met in decision-making sessions on several bills and generally advanced them without opposition. Early actions included SB 2386, which clarifies job-posting pay disclosure requirements and lowers the small-employer exemption threshold, and SB 2804, both recommended to pass unamended. SB 2852, addressing accessibility of information and communications technology for people with disabilities in public accommodations, was also recommended to pass unamended. SB 2975 on marine life conservation districts was advanced unamended despite a noted defective effective date. The CPN committee then acted on SB 3019, a consumer protection bill, recommending passage with amendments to require refunds of certain fees upon cancellation and to defect the effective date to July 1, 2050. SB 3231 on agricultural districts, SB 2378 on housing, and SB 3062 on liquor were all recommended to pass with amendments and a defective effective date set to July 1, 2050. SB 3255, concerning cash payments and rounding guidance, was reconsidered after discussion with small business stakeholders and was also advanced with amendments. In the later regular CPN agenda, SB 2607 on landscape architect licensure drew support from the board and professional groups and was recommended to pass with board-requested amendments and a July 1, 2050 effective date. SB 2623 SD1 on pharmacy technician registration was recommended to pass with clarifying amendments from the Board of Pharmacy. SB 2396, which would create a registry for agents managing property for absentee owners and require on-island contact information for certain condo owners, received mixed testimony: supporters emphasized accountability and enforcement, while opponents from community associations raised implementation concerns and asked for further work. The committee ultimately recommended SB 2396 with amendments from the Hawaii Council of Community Associations and a July 1, 2050 effective date.

Transcript Highlights:

• Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and I'm Barbara Richter with the New Hampshire Association of Conservation
• appearance before you this morning is just to let the committee know about a report which the conservation
• commission's, for Society Nature Conservancy New Hampshire timberland owners... ...the land coalition
• Land conservation in the Piscataqua Salmon Falls watershed provided an estimated 40 million in avoided

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill 47 do pass, thence referred to the Judiciary Committee. 33 do not pass, but that the Senate Conservation
• Senate Bill 291, having been read twice by title, is ordered printed and referred to the Senate Conservation
• twice by title, is ordered printed and referred to the Senate Rules Committee, then to the Senate Conservation
• The Senate Conservation Committee meets tomorrow morning. 8:30 a.m. in room 311, and we will start with

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an analyst with the Department of Conservation and an SEIU member, and I agree to support the bill
• I work for the Department of Conservation as well as an IT specialist, and I'm here to support AB 1729
• My name is Elena Nikam, and I'm an MIT project manager for the Department of Conservation.
• I am a procurement analyst for the Department of Conservation, and I'm here in support of AB 1729, and
• I'm the statewide and Fubian Reptile Conservation Coordinator for the Department of Fish and Wildlife

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• straightforward measure to ensure that financial institutions are responsive to public guardians and public conservators
• Thank you. to public guardians and public conservators that California relies on.
• Tim Edwards is the president of both Cal Fire Local 2881 and the Wildland Conservancy. Dr.
• Matt Rom is the research director of the Wildfire Conservancy.
• Morgan Gray is the Strategic Communication Director for Wildland Conservancy.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then approved a procedural motion by a 41-17 roll call to re-refer AB 2690 and AB 1863 to Appropriations and to allow guests for the Latino Spirit Awards ceremony. House Resolution 92, recognizing Cinco de Mayo Week, was adopted after supportive remarks from members of several caucuses, and the chamber then held the 2026 Latino Spirit Awards ceremony honoring 11 individuals and organizations in higher education, human rights, philanthropy, health and science, advocacy, business, environmental justice, journalism and media, culinary arts, and a legacy award for Los Tigres del Norte. After the ceremony, the Assembly resumed business with guest introductions and moved through the daily file, passing or retaining a number of bills and resolutions. Among the measures taken up, the Assembly passed AB 1657 on domestic violence restraining order procedures (64-0), AB 2042 on civil procedure and service of process (66-0), AB 1660 on probate and public guardians (45-10), AB 1917 on criminal procedure and reinstatement of dismissed charges (43-15), AB 2148 clarifying that public school employees are human beings in the context of AI (69-0), AB 1647 protecting juvenile statements at transfer hearings (63-0), AB 1555 expanding community college access in Siskiyou County (66-0), AB 1608 on High-Speed Rail Inspector General oversight and reporting (45-18), AB 1803 requiring anti-hate speech training in workplace harassment prevention (50-9), AB 2128 protecting tenants in subsidized housing from certain federal work requirements and time limits (44-16), AB 2576 as a land-use cleanup bill protecting historic resources (61-0), AB 2601 allowing concurrent review for certain housing projects, and AB 2764 on extended foster care eligibility (60-0). Several items were passed and retained on file, and AB 2601 was interrupted by a call of the house before later business continued. The chamber also adopted ACR 159 on indigent defense after adding 59 coauthors, then heard guest introductions from chief public defenders from multiple counties. ACR 179, designating Wildland Urban Interface Preparedness and Resilience Day, was adopted with 65 coauthors after remarks on wildfire risk and forest management. Later, ACR 183 establishing Black Health Equity Advocacy Week was presented with extensive testimony from members of multiple caucuses emphasizing racial health disparities, maternal mortality, life expectancy gaps, and the need for systemic change; the debate continued beyond the excerpt provided. Throughout the session, members repeatedly used guest introductions to recognize visiting groups and individuals, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members, UAW President Shawn Fain, California Women in Agriculture, and others.

Transcript Highlights:

• depending on what they look like for the state and the new negotiated agreement, there would be a conservation
• depending on what they look like for the state and the new negotiated agreement there would be a conservation
• mitigation adaptation for agreement there would be a conservation mitigation adaptation for potential
• I would be— the conservative approach would be to spend the marketing money and then put revenue for
• I think that's a much, much more conservative approach of budgeting, but it doesn't do that.

Bills: HB2053, HB2116, HB2148

Keywords: stormwater, recharge mapping, water resources, groundwater, appropriation, Arizona, HB2116, Colorado River, litigation fund, water rights, Arizona water law, general fund appropriation, state budget, interstate water compact, Colorado River Compact, water litigation, A.R.S. 45-119, natural resources, water policy, river management

Summary: The committee first considered House Bill 2116, which would appropriate $1 million in fiscal year 2027 from the State General Fund to the Colorado River Litigation Fund. The sponsor said it was a repeat of last year’s request and was intended as a backup if the seven Colorado River basin states cannot reach a new agreement. Arizona Department of Water Resources staff testified in support, explaining the state’s role in ongoing Colorado River negotiations and distinguishing the litigation fund from the executive’s separate Colorado River Protection Fund. The bill received a due pass recommendation on a 17-1 vote. The committee then took up House Bill 2053, which appropriates $100,000 to ADWR for updated stormwater recharge mapping and expands the mapping effort beyond state trust lands to private lands. The committee adopted Chairman Livingston’s amendment, which extended the coordination timeline to one year, broadened the agencies involved, and revised language on site eligibility and the definition of stormwater. The sponsor said the bill would help identify more places to capture stormwater for recharge, while ADWR testified neutral, supporting the mapping work but raising a concern about language tied to appropriable surface water because that is a legal determination for the courts. The amended bill passed 11-7. House Bill 2148 was then heard, proposing to give the legislature authority to appropriate non-custodial federal monies, with requirements for specifying purposes and allowing agencies to spend such funds if the legislature does not act. An amendment excluded university and Board of Regents research grants from the bill’s scope, which the chair said was intended to avoid implementation problems. The sponsor framed the bill as a transparency measure, and members discussed the large amount of federal pass-through funding Arizona receives. The amended bill passed 11-7. After the bills, the committee received a lengthy JLBC presentation comparing the executive budget with the JLBC baseline. Discussion focused on revenue forecasts, the impact of federal tax conformity, state employee health insurance costs, SNAP administrative and error-rate costs under H.R. 1, developmental disabilities and AHCCCS growth, and K-12/ESA funding trends. Members repeatedly criticized the executive budget for funding some ongoing costs on a one-year basis and expressed concern about rising caseloads and supplemental needs. No formal action was taken on the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• So rest, the funding stream that we could get for restoration could include options, um, uh, conservation
• So, again, conservation, both historically at ONRT and during my term in this job, um, we have focused
• on funding conservation measures that either that protect the resources um into the future.
• Um, so, um, We need the funds, the settlement to be able to conserve the water that we're not going to
• Energy conservation and management, and I oversee the hazardous Waste Planning Bureau.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Andes Mountains in Peru, and they aren't a species that they... sorry, um, there's a lot of conservation
• the Andes Mountains in Peru, and they aren't a species that they... sorry, um, there's a lot of conservation
• the Andes Mountains in Peru, and they aren't a species that they... sorry, um, there's a lot of conservation
• there's<00:04:57.800> a<00:04:57.919> lot<00:04:58.039> of<00:04:58.199> conservation
• sorry um there's a lot of conservation sorry um there's a lot of conservation programs<00:04:59.360

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• , land acquisition, and now conservation, land acquisition, and now more<00:10:34.760> large-scale
• In contrast, land enrolled in conservation programs such as CRP is still considered agricultural.
• In contrast, land enrolled in conservation programs such as CRP is still considered agricultural.
• You know, solar is a voluntary thing often, typically for we see a 25- to 30-year crop conservation rest
• Just as they choose the right mix of crops, grazing, or conservation practices, leasing a portion of

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, in one case with Soil and Water Conservation Districts day to day and the other with many local road
• Uh in one case with Soil and<00:19:38.080> Water<00:19:38.240> Conservation<00:19:38.800
• > Districts and Water Conservation Districts and Water Conservation Districts day-to-day<00:19
• easement to as permanent conservation easement to as you<00:23:56.120> see<00:23:56.320> here
• Reinvest in Minnesota is a statutory program that we use to secure this conservation reserve, or CREP

Bills: HF3599, HF3761, HF3523, HF3515, HF573

Keywords: water treatment, infrastructure, municipal funding, bond issuance, Becker, sewer improvements, sanitation, Hibbing, state bonds, infrastructure funding, capital investment, safety improvements, mobility, U.S. Highway 12, bonds, transportation funding, trails, Prior Lake, bond funding, recreational improvements

Transcript Highlights:

• Can either a conservation officer or sheriff's department personnel do that as well as a federal officer
• Wildlife Service, basically is the hub of dealing with the response, and then it may be a conservation
• Can either a conservation<00:58:15.599> officer<00:58:16.160> or<00:58:17.200> sheriff's
• conservation officer or sheriff's conservation officer or sheriff's department<00:58:18.319>
• It may be a conservation officer.

Bills: HF3580, HF3566

Keywords: agriculture, livestock, depredation, crop damage, wolf compensation, elk damage, state funding, agricultural protection, trespass, criminal penalties, farm equipment, agricultural land, 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the previous meeting and then heard from Minnesota FFA officers, who described FFA as a student-led agricultural education organization focused on leadership, personal growth, and career success. The students explained the three-part model of agricultural education, the size and reach of FFA in Minnesota, and upcoming events at the Capitol, including an agricultural policy experience conference and FFA Day at the Capitol. Members asked about FFA’s role in encouraging the next generation of farmers, the organization’s broader focus beyond farming to include wildlife and other natural resources careers, and the mix of rural, metro, and urban chapters. The students emphasized that FFA and agricultural educators help students discover career paths and that urban chapters are active and thriving alongside rural ones. The committee then received a presentation from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on the Agri program. The department described Agri as a legislature-created program that uses producer-payment funds to support roughly 15 grant and cost-share programs, including newer efforts such as Protect and Prepare. Testimony stressed transparency and fraud prevention: Agri is reimbursement-based, requires detailed documentation, conducts site visits on grants over $25,000, and has identified and stopped more than a dozen fraudulent applications in the past year. The department also noted a prior legislative auditor review of two larger Agri programs and said only about one-tenth of 1% of reviewed expenditures were recommended for recovery. The department highlighted the Make It Minnesota cost-share program, which helps Minnesota food and agriculture companies attend national trade shows such as Natural Products Expo West. Testifiers then described how Agri has supported their businesses: Mark Schiller of Lon Liquor in Northfield said the program helped his microdistillery expand into milling organic flour and adding food service, while Pete Gangler of Snowpack Foods in Caledonia said Agri grants supported food safety improvements, processing capacity, and a new freezer warehouse project. The department said additional grantees would testify as well, and members asked whether the department’s fraud-prevention practices could be shared with other state agencies; staff said they already are being shared through interagency best-practice efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• It clearly establishes the requirements to appoint a temporary or emergency guardian or conservator,
• Permit the court to appoint a temporary guardian or conservator or grant other temporary relief for a
• or grant other guardian or conservator or grant other temporary<00:25:20.640> relief<00:25:21.440
• A provision was added to make it clear that the bonding requirement applicable to a permanent conservator
• is applicable to a temporary or emergency conservator as well.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as a condition guardian or conservator as a condition of<00:16:38.040> admission.
• It prohibits residents from requiring a guardian or conservator for the resident.
• , conservator cuz, you know, many<01:14:55.640> of<01:14:55.720> these<01:14:55.920>
• , but the nursing home have a conservator, but the nursing home can't<01:21:06.840> make<01:21
• <01:21:22.040> or because they don't have a conservator or because they don't have a conservator

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Conservation Achievement Award.
• Conservation Achievement Award.
• Conservation Achievement Award.
• He was a family He was a conservative.
• He was a conservative and, above all, a man of integrity.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, June 8, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As I understand, he's a conservative and shares conservative values, and so wanted to get a check.
• , to two conservative House members.
• , uh, conservative, uh, conservative, two<02:57:28.640> conservative<02:57:29.200> House
• two conservative House members. two conservative House members.
• conservative candidates. conservative candidates. That's<03:20:00.319> it.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:24:49.520> viewpoints bill censoring conservative viewpoints bill censoring conservative
• <04:32:34.800> streak find your fiscal conservative streak find your fiscal conservative streak
• The state's leading conservation organizations, including New Hampshire Audubon, the Lone Pine?
• DES permitting is a cakewalk compared to a federal habitat conservation plan.
• to a federal habitat conservation plan. to a federal habitat conservation plan.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Fisheries, study the feasibility of incorporating age- and grade-appropriate hunting education, conservation
• Age- and grade-appropriate hunting education, conservation education, and shooting sports courses, inter-curricular
• and Fisheries to study the feasibility of creating age- and grade-appropriate hunting education, conservation
• and Fisheries to study the feasibility of creating age- and grade-appropriate hunting education, conservation
• proficient in wildlife identification and management, outdoor survival skills, hunting ethics, and conservation

Summary: The House Education Committee met on May 12, 2026, and first approved SB 518, which gives LSU limited authority to buy and sell certain real estate within one mile of campus as a two-year pilot program. Supporters said the bill would let LSU respond more quickly to deteriorating properties near campus and improve the student experience, while keeping protections such as appraisals and fair-market-value requirements. Members asked about whether the authority would affect residential property or be expanded to other universities, and the bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee then advanced SCR 33, creating a one-year Work-Based Learning Coordination Task Force to study and better align apprenticeships, internships, job shadowing, and related programs across state agencies and employers. Testimony emphasized the need to reduce duplication and improve coordination so students and employers can more easily connect. HR 168 also passed, directing the Board of Regents to study collegiate athletic program funding after concerns raised by athletic directors about deficits and accounting practices. Members next approved SB 488, establishing a school safety drone response pilot program to supplement school crisis plans. The bill drew detailed testimony from a vendor describing drone deployment, response times, and coordination with law enforcement; an amendment was adopted to require coordination with the Department of Education, State Police, and the Sheriffs’ Association. The committee also favorably reported HCR 97, asking BESE and Wildlife and Fisheries to study adding age-appropriate hunting, conservation, and shooting sports education in grades 5-12, with members clarifying that no live firearms would be used on campus. Finally, the committee approved SB 112, allowing local school boards to adopt parental-consent release-time policies for religious instruction, with amendments adding instructor qualifications, reporting requirements, electronic delivery flexibility, and constitutional safeguards. It also reported SB 504, expanding individual graduation plans to include vocational options and apply to charter schools, with an amendment for standalone elementary charters. The committee then passed SB 346 and SB 347, both dealing with deepfakes—one prohibiting their use against K-12 students and the other adding unlawful deepfakes to campus power-based violence rules—and SB 353, authorizing postsecondary systems to digitize student IDs for use in LA Wallet. Several members raised concerns about naming LA Wallet specifically, but the bill was still reported favorably. The meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• engage with tribes on that work, to identify what we would do with the funding that was from the conservation
• engage with tribes on that work, to identify what we would do with the funding that was from the conservation
• So we're going live to the travel dinars and visiting with about one of their parties regarding conservation
• ensure Minnesota farmers have access to innovation that helps them adapt to emerging challenges, conserve
• That helps them adapt to emerging challenges, conserve natural resources and remain globally competitive

Bills: HF3692

Keywords: Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, mediation, agriculture finance, debt relief, civil law, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So, Joel's Law allows for immediate family, guardian, conservator, or tribe to file a petition for the
• So, Joel's Law allows for immediate family, guardian, conservator, or tribe to file a petition for the
• Joel's Law creates a pathway for family, guardians, conservators, or a tribe to petition the court for
• So the process for how to utilize Joel's Law: immediate families, guardians, conservators, or a tribe
• For cities statewide, conservatively, we are paying today together about $40 million per year to pay

Summary: The committee received agency updates on several behavioral health and justice programs. The Health Care Authority reported that assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) has expanded from two counties to eight, with a ninth expected in December, and described AOT as a court-ordered, least-restrictive treatment model that depends on close coordination among courts, treatment providers, and local officials. The agency also reviewed Joel’s Law, which lets family members, guardians, conservators, or tribes petition for an initial involuntary detention when they disagree with a designated crisis responder’s decision. Judges Ferreira and Larson said petition use has increased significantly statewide and in Snohomish County, but many cases do not proceed beyond the initial detention stage; they also noted family frustration, disjointed processes, and bed shortages as ongoing issues. Committee members asked about expansion criteria, the law’s effectiveness, and how the system fits together with other mental health interventions. The Attorney General’s Office presented on the hate crimes and bias incidents hotline created by SB 5427. The hotline began a pilot in King, Clark, and Spokane counties on July 1, 2025, with a statewide launch planned for 2027. Officials said the advisory committee helped shape the referral process, intake questions, outreach materials, and public branding. In the first five months, the hotline received 301 reports, with roughly 45% from King County and about 38% from outside the pilot counties; 42% requested follow-up, and only about a quarter of those wanted law enforcement referral. Testimony emphasized that the hotline is non-emergency, anonymous if desired, and focused on referrals rather than investigation. Members asked about why callers do not seek law enforcement involvement, how the hotline compares with Oregon’s launch, and what kinds of incidents are being reported. The Office of Independent Investigations reported progress on its work investigating police deadly force fatalities. Director Roger Rogoff said the agency has grown to 66 employees, including 31 investigators, and has completed six fatality investigations, with two public final reports posted. He said the office now operates in Region 1 and plans to expand statewide as staffing allows, with a future east-side expansion dependent on additional investigators. He also said the office has 29 requests to review prior cases, but those reviews are time-intensive and limited to cases with new evidence. Committee members asked about staffing needs, local cooperation, and whether the office conducts parallel investigations; Rogoff said OII performs the criminal investigation, while agencies may still do administrative reviews. The committee then heard a lengthy panel on public defense caseload standards and funding. The Washington State Bar Association, Washington Defender Association, county representatives, and city representatives all discussed the new caseload standards and the implementation timeline. Speakers said the standards reflect modern public defense realities but warned that funding, attorney recruitment and retention, office space, and data collection remain major barriers. Survey results from county offices showed wide variation in readiness, with many counties uncertain about timelines and most citing lack of funding as the biggest obstacle; attorney attrition was also described as high. County and city representatives argued that the new standards will require far more attorneys and support staff, and that local governments cannot absorb the cost without substantial state funding. They urged the Legislature to increase state support, improve workforce pipelines, and address structural issues in the public defense system.