Transcript Highlights:

• that he has to... ...things, prevailing wages, a whole host of costs that he has to carry in this environment
• Another contributing factor was that all of these issues created an environment where you had labor shortages
• All of those changes have led to a different environment in 2024.
• the things that we had heard, to Scott's earlier points, is that in 2021 it wasn't a really great environment
• They are concerned about the environment around the dock, the neighborhood character, and whatnot.

Summary: The committee met to hear an update from Washington State Ferries on capital projects and workforce issues, beginning with a briefing on the agency’s long-term fleet and terminal needs. WSF officials described the history of underinvestment after the late 1990s, the current fleet reduction from 25 to 21 vessels, and the need to keep older boats in service while moving toward a 26-vessel long-range fleet and hybrid-electric operations. They said the agency is transitioning to a new vessel procurement strategy, with Eastern Shipbuilding selected to build up to three 160-car hybrid-electric ferries, and outlined a schedule that includes contract execution, about a year of design work, steel cutting in fall 2026, and several years of construction. Members raised concerns about the higher cost of electrified vessels, the length of the schedule, the adequacy of liquidated damages and incentives, the risks of building in Florida and transporting vessels to Washington, and whether the contract sufficiently protects the state from cost overruns and design problems. The committee also received an update on the Wenatchee conversion, which officials said is days away from entering service as the first large hybrid-electric ferry conversion. WSF explained that the conversion combined required midlife preservation work with propulsion upgrades and battery installation, and that the project took longer and cost more than originally expected because it was a prototype with significant lessons learned. Officials said the Tacoma and Puyallup conversions would follow later, but those decisions were being delayed until after the World Cup to avoid service disruptions. Members asked about the cost-effectiveness of the conversion, the expected fuel and emissions reductions, and what happens to engine crews during long conversion periods; WSF said crews were embedded in the project and that the conversions should reduce diesel use substantially once terminal charging is available. The meeting then shifted to workforce development, with Siegel consultants reviewing their 2021 and 2024 studies of ferry staffing, overtime, recruitment, and workplace culture. They said the earlier problems stemmed from seasonal staffing practices, low winter hours, limited career progression, a narrow maritime recruiting pipeline, and a culture that made retention difficult. Since then, they reported major improvements: staffing has increased from about 1,500 to 1,900, turnover has fallen, captain and engineer shortages have eased, and recruitment has broadened beyond the traditional maritime pool, including more women and other underrepresented workers. They credited new programs such as guaranteed hours, paid pilotage, AB-to-mate pathways, and the “Turning of the Tide” culture campaign, while noting remaining issues with communication, HR access, accountability, and quality of life. Members generally acknowledged the progress but asked whether staffing levels are now sufficient and how interchangeable crews are across vessels and routes. Finally, terminal engineering staff began a presentation on capital terminal work, starting with the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. They described the terminal’s age, low elevation, vulnerability to sea level rise and earthquakes, and the need for replacement piles, beams, and improved vehicle circulation. The agency said it has completed a planning and environmental linkage study, is moving into NEPA/state environmental review, and has been working with the community to balance the needs of Southworth and Vashon riders with neighborhood concerns in Fauntleroy. The preferred alternative is a larger offshore dock footprint that would improve capacity and reliability while reducing impacts to eelgrass habitat. The meeting ended before the terminal discussion was complete.

Transcript Highlights:

• excited that major organizations that have typically weighed in in the charter versus non-charter environment
• staff on the ground in our communities and will help our schools remain secure and supportive environments
• imperative for schools to be able to prevent panic, promote a sense of security, and maintain an environment
• SB 848, the Safe Learning Environments Act, strengthens student safety in California schools by requiring
• and how students can respond in such instances, which will create a safer and healthier school environment

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a series of bills focused largely on school safety, immigrant student protections, Holocaust and genocide education, civic engagement, and workforce pathways. SB 631 would expand the charter school revolving loan fund by increasing loan amounts and broadening eligibility, including for charter schools affected by natural disasters; it drew support from the Treasurer’s Office and the California Charter Schools Association and was advanced on a 4-0 vote, with the bill held on call. SB 472 would reinforce Holocaust, slavery, and genocide education requirements and create or expand teacher training and grants; it received strong support from survivors, educators, and Jewish organizations and passed 6-0, with several members asking to be added as coauthors. The committee also took up a package of immigration-related school bills. SB 48 would bar school officials from allowing immigration enforcement access to campuses without a judicial warrant and protect student records; it was backed by Superintendent Tony Thurmond, teachers, school districts, and many advocacy groups, and passed 5-0 to the Judiciary Committee. SB 98 would require K-12 schools and higher education institutions to notify campus communities when immigration enforcement is present; it also drew broad support from student groups, colleges, and education organizations and passed 3-0 to Higher Education, with the bill held on call. Both measures were presented as responses to recent immigration enforcement activity near schools and the chilling effect on attendance and student well-being. Other measures advanced included SB 848, which would strengthen protections against employee sexual misconduct in schools by updating safety plans, training, reporting, and misconduct tracking; it was supported by education groups and a survivor who described grooming at her high school, and passed 6-0 to Public Safety. SB 638 would create a statewide coordinating entity for education and workforce programs and support career pathways, with testimony emphasizing the need to align fragmented funding and improve access for underserved communities; it passed 7-0 to Higher Education. SB 316, on high school voter registration and pre-registration, passed 8-0 to Elections after testimony from students and civic engagement advocates, and SB 334, which would add sexual harassment prevention content and a Sexual Harassment Safety Week to school curriculum, was presented with support from student advocates and AAUW, with no opposition noted in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was heartbreaking this year to learn that my daughter is actually in the most restrictive environment
• These settings are as much a therapeutic environment as they are an educational setting.
• we can't provide, so they look to these facilities to determine if this is the least restrictive environment
• There's not been space available in either the education environment or a home.
• No, an educational environment just identical to what we have here with Dr. Coffey.

Bills: SB205, SB582, SB625, SB1884, SB1903, SB2600, SB2617, SB2751, SB111, SB3061, SB1908

Keywords: fetal development, health curriculum, public schools, middle school health education, grade 7, grade 8, State Board of Education, school health advisory council, Texas Education Code, pregnancy, reproductive health, infertility, birth defects, prenatal development, unborn child, trimester, medically accurate instruction, age-appropriate instruction, drug and alcohol effects, lead exposure

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...all our other value propositions, low regulatory environment, great infrastructure, a safe place
• a workforce pipeline, absolutely, number one. all our other value propositions, low regulatory environment
• processes all require a level of commitment that is not easy or cheap, and a favorable regulatory environment
• The project could have been done much sooner, but for the regulatory environment in place, it was only
• Been done much sooner, but for the regulatory environment in place, it was only about a third of the

Bills: HB1523, HB2109, HB2694, HB3525, HB3898, HB4646, HB5188, HB5219, HB5320, HB5651, HB5655, HB5659, HB5662, HB5672

Keywords: aquifer conservation, Class V injection well, environmental regulation, groundwater protection, municipal water supply, temporary prohibition, water management, reservoir construction, state water plan, Texas Water Code, environmental impact, Brazoria Drainage District, commissioners, elections, vacancies, resignation, HB 3525, North Texas Groundwater Conservation District, groundwater permit, permit amendment

Summary: The Committee on Natural Resources heard House Bill 2109, which would remove certain long-proposed reservoir projects from the state water plan after 50 years without progress. Chairman Van Deaver and many landowners, local officials, timber interests, and conservation advocates testified in support, arguing that the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has burdened Northeast Texas landowners for decades with the threat of eminent domain, depressed property values, and uncertainty over homes, farms, ranches, schools, churches, and cemeteries. Supporters also said the project would flood tens of thousands of acres, require extensive mitigation, harm timber and agriculture, and that Texas now has better alternatives such as conservation, reuse, aquifer storage and recovery, and desalination. Several members expressed sympathy for the affected families and questioned whether a project could remain in the plan indefinitely without progress. Opposition came from North Texas water interests, including the North Texas Commission, Tarrant Regional Water District, and the Texas Water Association, who argued that the bill would interfere with the state’s long-term water planning process and remove needed future supply options for a fast-growing region. They said Region C faces major projected shortages by 2070, that conservation and reuse have already delayed the need for new supplies, and that reservoirs remain one tool in the state’s water-planning toolbox. TWDB staff explained the existing inter-regional conflict process and noted that the substitute would affect several unique reservoir sites, not just Marvin Nichols. After testimony, Chairman Van Deaver closed by urging passage of the bill, but the committee withdrew the substitute and left HB 2109 pending. The committee then took up House Bill 5188, a brackish groundwater bill. The author said the bill would reduce permitting burdens for wells in designated brackish groundwater production zones, and the committee substitute added requirements on monitoring, groundwater-rights ownership, and allocation of pumpage limits while removing some exclusions and export-fee provisions. Texas Wildlife Association testified against the bill, warning that the exemptions could weaken groundwater conservation districts’ ability to protect freshwater resources and surface-owner rights. San Antonio Water System testified in favor, saying brackish groundwater is a key future supply and that the substitute would help speed development of desalination and brackish projects. The Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts testified neutrally but raised concerns about reduced district oversight, especially around injection-well exclusions and the loss of export fees, and said discussions on the bill were ongoing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last but certainly not least, we are going to hear from Senator Brodeur to report on agriculture, environment
• Our funding decisions are going to do great things for our environment and ensure that nature departments
• This concludes the highlights of the agriculture, environment, and general government budget, while making
• The FEFP, as designed in the 70s and 80s, doesn’t work in today’s environment.
• We will go to Tab 23, and take up SB 7002, water management districts by Environment and Natural Resources

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is way more important right environment is way more important right the<00:37:54.960> that<00
• Thank you. in this environment uh without in in this environment uh without in instituting<00:49:29.920
• New Hampshire don't business environment New Hampshire don't draw<02:35:09.840> businesses<02
• , because of the business environment, because of the business environment, which<02:35:14.720>
• So, um I think that environment here.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, our legislature is the last line of defense for our environment.
• defense for our environment. defense for our environment.
• <05:03:23.600> are protecting our environment are protecting our environment are responsibilities
• <05:35:16.840> and and of the coral reef environment and and of the coral reef environment
• words of the chair of the environment words of the chair of the environment EEP<05:43:36.200>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And there are many environment.
• anything extra to help the environment anything extra to help the environment or<01:21:39.760>
• <01:57:50.320> undergo<01:57:50.800> an on the environment undergo an on the environment
• <01:58:32.239> to significant effect on the environment to significant effect on the environment
• Who here really of the environment.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, December 18, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our employees and our business rely on a stable, fair tax environment to protect their livelihoods.
• , regardless of zip code, has access to a well-rounded education and a safe and proper learning environment
• and well-rounded education and a safe and proper<00:53:35.240> learning<00:53:35.560> environment
• <00:53:36.720> Budgets<00:53:37.120> for proper learning environment.
• Budgets for proper learning environment.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• President, I do feel in the Senate we have a very family-friendly environment.
• President, I do feel in the Senate we have a very family-friendly environment.
• <00:53:21.560> Um family-friendly environment. Um family-friendly environment.
• We experienced the family-friendly environment in his first four years, and that was fantastic.
• And so, I think it just kind of had to be the right time, right place, right environment.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened under call, established a quorum, and received routine executive communications and House messages, including the House’s passage of Senate File 3623 on school bus stopping requirements and transmittal of House Files 3241, 3731, 3741, and 3802. The chamber also adopted committee reports and gave second readings to several Senate files and House File 3379, while referring Senate File 4854 to the Capital Investments Committee and Senate Resolution 68 to Rules and Administration. The main floor action involved a series of motions to re-refer bills to different committees. The Senate adopted motions to move Senate File 1671 from Judiciary and Public Safety to Housing and Homelessness Prevention, Senate File 2373 from Finance to Labor, Senate File 4452 from Capital Investment to Human Services, Senate File 4580 from Human Services to State and Local Government, Senate File 4589 from Judiciary and Public Safety to Higher Education, Senate File 4630 from Education Policy to Education Finance, and Senate File 4662 from Capital Investment to State and Local Government. The chamber also adopted a motion to give House File 3378 a second reading and place it on general orders after a roll call vote of 46-21. The Senate then took up Senate Resolution 69, which would amend the temporary rules to allow certain accommodations for members who are new parents. Senators Murphy and Coleman spoke in support, arguing the rules should better reflect modern family life and make the chamber more welcoming to parents, especially mothers. Senator Nelson offered the A4 amendment to allow caucus leaders to permit a member’s child under age one on the floor, with the member responsible for supervision and the child exempt from Rule 17.6. Opponents, including Senator Boldon, argued the age limit was too restrictive and that parents should have more flexibility. After roll call, the Nelson A4 amendment failed 32-35, and the resolution remained pending with additional amendments possible.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:31:49.200> And environment of fear and uncertainty.
• And environment of fear and uncertainty.
• We're currently working on a statewide program on environment that deals with clean water and hackin
• that deals with clean water environment that deals with clean water and<00:41:34.240> hackin<
• The environment where I'm hearing overwhelmingly my hospitality friends, they can't do it anymore in

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Maintaining an environment<00:24:43.120> that<00:24:43.440> allows<00:24:43.840> for
• <00:24:44.159> accurate environment that allows for accurate environment that allows for accurate
• market environment other than for<00:44:18.560> a<00:44:18.800> specific<00:44:19.200>
• we get the lowest there's an environment we get the lowest cost<00:46:20.880> resources<00:46
• <01:00:32.160> which public health and the environment which public health and the environment

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because the current environment that we're in, uh, and I'll give you an example, just so everybody's
• Because the current<00:17:38.360> environment<00:17:39.000> that<00:17:39.160> we're
• <00:17:39.360> in,<00:17:40.240> uh current environment that we're in, uh current environment
• And again, this was put together in a 30-day session in a very short-term environment.
• Our goal going forward is environment.

Keywords: 00:00:00 Call to Order/Roll Call 00:01:10 Discussion of 25RS HB 414 00:44:26 Roll Call Vote on 25RS HB 414 00:50:25 Discussion of 25RS SB 27 00:53:44 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 27 00:55:49 Discussion of 25RS SB 93 00:57:57 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 93 00:59:29 Discussion of 25RS SB 132 01:37:39 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 132 01:40:55 Discussion of 25RS SB 153 01:42:05 Roll Call Vote on 25RS SB 153 01:43:46 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Health Services Committee met with a quorum and took up House Bill 414 with a committee substitute. The bill, described by sponsors and supporters as a continuation of prior maternal-health legislation, was framed as a clarification of medical standards and an effort to improve care for women and families facing complicated pregnancies. Representative Tate, Representative Nemes, Adair Wushar of Kentucky Right to Life, and Dr. Jeff Goldberg of ACOG Kentucky all testified in support, saying the substitute was developed collaboratively to reduce confusion in the law and help physicians provide evidence-based care without fear of criminal penalties. Supporters said the committee substitute was intended to define what is not an abortion under Kentucky law and to spell out medical treatments for conditions such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, sepsis, hemorrhage, preeclampsia, premature rupture of membranes, and fetal demise. Dr. Goldberg said current statutes contain significant ambiguity and have created unintended barriers to treating pregnancy complications, including emergency situations, and he gave examples of patients who were delayed or harmed because physicians were uncertain about what the law allowed. Representative Nemes said the measure was the result of unusual cooperation among groups that do not usually agree and described it as a first step toward fixing a discrete problem. Representative Wilner raised concerns that the language could effectively require a patient to be in severe distress before treatment is clearly permitted and that it was too prescriptive about how physicians should manage miscarriages. In response, Dr. Goldberg and the sponsors said the substitute was not perfect, was meant as a short-term solution, and was designed to give doctors more confidence in providing routine, medically necessary care for pregnancy complications. The transcript indicates the committee substitute was adopted, but no final vote on the bill itself is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:36.959> that this in the political environment that this in the political environment
• So I think I agree Representative Hudson said it's a toxic environment.
• So I think I agree Representative Hudson said it's a toxic environment.
• or tolerate environments where people feel quite literally unsafe to say what they believe.
• or tolerate environments where people feel quite literally unsafe to say what they believe.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a joint informational briefing with the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment.
• be restricted for a variety of reasons, including acute toxicity or unreasonable effects on the environment
• be restricted for a variety of reasons, including acute toxicity or unreasonable effects on the environment
• be restricted for a variety of reasons, including acute toxicity or unreasonable effects on the environment
• be restricted for a variety of reasons, including acute toxicity or unreasonable effects on the environment

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint informational briefing focused on restricted use pesticides in Hawaiʻi, with Senate and House members opening the meeting and explaining that the session was intended to hear expert presentations and community concerns. Fern Holland outlined the background for the briefing, describing how restricted use pesticides differ from general-use products, why state-level regulation matters, and how community advocates have sought disclosure and protections for years. She summarized 2019 reporting data, saying a small number of users accounted for most reported use, with especially heavy application in North Central Oʻahu and on the west side of Kauaʻi. She highlighted concerns about applications near schools, homes, and coastlines, and identified 1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium as among the heaviest-used fumigants. She also noted concerns about highly hazardous pesticides, some banned in other countries, and the lack of research on long-term combined exposure to multiple pesticides. Greg Takashima of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture described the department’s pesticide program and regulatory authority under FIFRA and state law. He explained the distinction between general-use and restricted use pesticides, the certification requirements for applicators, and the department’s role in tracking RUPs from sale through use. He reviewed the branch’s functions in enforcement, education and certification, registration and technical review, and laboratory analysis, including inspections, complaint response, market surveillance, product registration, groundwater review, and outreach on drift reduction and integrated pest management. He also noted staffing and funding limitations, saying the branch lacks a toxicologist and long-term monitoring capacity, and compared Hawaiʻi’s resources to California’s much larger pesticide regulatory program. Takashima thanked the legislature for passing Act 231 the prior year and said the department supports the measure as it moves forward this session. Dr. Lee, speaking for the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and as a former member of the Kauaʻi Joint Fact-Finding Task Force, said pediatric guidance has shifted from focusing on acute poisoning to recognizing chronic low-level pesticide exposure as a concern. He cited AAP publications linking pesticide exposure to cancer, brain tumors, leukemia, birth outcomes, neurobehavioral effects, and asthma, and said pediatricians are now encouraged to advise families on reducing exposure and to support right-to-know measures and buffer zones around schools and public gathering places. He also described the Kauaʻi task force’s work, saying it found the west side of the island to be an unhealthy community but could not prove causation because of missing drift, geospatial, and biomarker data. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, questions were held until after presentations, and the department expressed support for Act 231.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are all here for kids and want to have an excellent work environment.
• We are all here for kids and want to have an excellent work environment.
• We are all here for kids and want to have an excellent work environment.
• We are all here for kids and want to have an excellent work environment.
• consistent uh educational environment consistent uh educational environment for<01:31:23.960>

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee opened by approving the January 16 and January 21 minutes. Members then heard testimony focused on the impact of Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) and the proposed paid family and medical leave program on Minnesota school districts, with the chair framing the hearing as an opportunity to hear from major employers and school leaders about costs and operational effects. Kimberly Lewis, speaking for the Minnesota School Boards Association and related school administrator groups, said districts generally already provide generous, locally negotiated sick leave and had initially adapted to ESST by separating vacation, sick time, and ESST into different buckets. She argued that a 2024 law effectively converted previously bargained sick leave into ESST, which she said undermines contracts, creates large unfunded costs, and may raise constitutional contract-clause concerns. Lewis cited large accumulated leave banks in some districts, increased sick leave use, and estimated significant costs from paid leave, including a reported $2.5 million impact for one large district. She urged flexibility such as prorating ESST for midyear hires and part-time staff and exempting coaches, short-term substitutes, and similar employees from ESST. Superintendent Anarie Fuco of St. Michael-Albertville said her district expects about $400,000 in added fiscal 2026 costs from ESST and paid leave, plus indirect costs from substitute coverage and increased absenteeism. She said schools already have generous bargaining agreements, but the new laws reduce verification and require districts to track leave for temporary staff, creating what she described as a need for “substitutes for our substitutes.” Fuco said the district would face more than $211,000 in direct payroll costs from paid leave alone and asked for flexibility or exceptions for districts already offering comparable benefits. Members asked follow-up questions about how substitute teachers accrue leave and how many districts may be cutting budgets; Lewis and Fuco said many districts are making cuts and that substitute and staffing burdens are growing. A third testifier began by Zoom, but the transcript cuts off before her full testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• that's going to support uh environment that's going to support uh public<01:09:07.839> private
• We also have GEMS, which is a huge data set around agricultural data, environment data, management data
• <01:31:42.239> in<01:31:42.400> which have to look at the environment in which have
• to look at the environment in which we<01:31:42.760> live<01:31:43.639> uh<01:31:43.840
• that can be really helpful environment that can be really helpful but<01:31:46.880> also<01:31

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One, you mentioned that one of the reasons why this is important is because of the work environment,
• be and kind of compares it to similar industries like farm workers or manufacturing or retail environments
• If they're in the environment and you're young, you're going to see it.
• If they're in the environment and you're young, you're going to see it. away from it.
• If they're in the environment and you're young, you're going to see it.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held its fourth hearing, with opening remarks from Senate Chair Adam Gómez and House Chair Dan Donahue emphasizing the committee’s broad agenda, including retail modernization, labor protections, advertising rules, sustainability, and financial resources. Testimony began with public health advocates supporting H.157/S.9 to ban cannabis billboard advertising, arguing that billboards normalize use for youth and are linked to cannabis-related harms such as psychosis, addiction, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Witnesses cited research, family stories, and court decisions in Mississippi and Virginia upholding similar restrictions, while committee members questioned the scope of the state’s authority to regulate billboards on private property and the relevance of federal highway funding and federal cannabis law. The committee also heard testimony on H.175, a proposal to allow cannabis drive-through sales. A dispensary operator argued drive-throughs would improve access, especially for disabled customers and veterans, and said security and ID checks could be handled with cameras and staff screening. Committee members pressed him on how employees would assess impairment, whether drive-throughs could increase access for minors, and whether the industry should be treated like alcohol, with the witness responding that staff already refuse service to intoxicated customers and that education, not prohibition, is the better approach. Another bill, H.3982, would apply the bottle deposit law to carbonated hemp- or THC-infused beverages; the sponsor said the measure would standardize recycling requirements for products already sold in dispensaries and other markets, and members asked about container types and recycling compatibility. A major portion of the hearing focused on labor peace agreements, with UFCW representatives, cannabis workers, and Sen. Lydia Edwards supporting S.77/H.161. They said the bill would require cannabis businesses to remain neutral when workers seek to organize, arguing that unions improve safety, wages, benefits, and job stability in an industry they described as underregulated and prone to retaliation. Witnesses cited workplace hazards, wage theft, and the death of a worker at a Holyoke facility as examples of why stronger worker protections are needed. Committee members asked how the proposal differs from existing labor law, whether tying LPAs to licensing and renewal could create legal or administrative problems, and how other states handle similar requirements. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• or justify the board's unwillingness to take on its most important duty, which is protecting the environment
• environmental standards that we have here in California: environmental, labor, the regulatory environments
• I just want to make the final point that when it comes to the environment, how we're processing it, as
• I just want to make the final point that when it comes to the environment, how we're processing it, as
• Environment California, strong support. And Jacob Evans, with Sierra Club California, in support.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee first handled several governor’s appointments not required to appear, approving Anthony Surich to lead the California Housing Finance Agency, Craig Snelling to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, Nicholas Mueller to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission, and the referral of bills to committees, each by 4-0 votes. It then heard testimony on the appointment of Jereen DiDamo to the State Water Resources Control Board. DiDamo highlighted priorities including water-use efficiency, SGMA implementation, groundwater recharge, ecosystem restoration, and expanding safe drinking water access, noting the number of Californians without safe drinking water had fallen from 1.6 million to 800,000 since 2019. Senators focused heavily on the safe drinking water program, consolidation of failing systems, funding, domestic wells, SGMA, and the Bay-Delta plan. Supporters praised her practical, collaborative approach and work on drinking water; opponents from environmental and tribal groups argued the board had favored agricultural and urban interests and had not acted quickly enough to protect the Delta and fisheries. The committee ultimately voted 4-0 to advance the appointment to the full Senate. After a brief recess, the committee took up the appointment of Siva Gunda to the California Energy Commission. Gunda said California is managing three major transitions at once—decarbonizing the grid, electrifying transportation and buildings, and winding down petroleum and natural gas—and emphasized planning, transparency, and coordination across agencies and the West. Senators questioned him about Kern Energy and the impact of refinery compliance burdens, the state’s transportation fuels plan, Diablo Canyon, fuel imports, and affordability. Gunda said the Energy Commission has supported exemptions or potential exemptions for small refineries, that current planning assumes Diablo Canyon retires in 2030 without creating reliability problems if new resources continue to come online, and that most new capacity has been storage and solar. He also said California still imports a significant share of crude and refined products, with costs affected by global markets and shipping. The committee approved his appointment 4-0 to move to the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• No more of that Styrofoam that pollutes our environment and brings on those forever chemicals as well
• SB 1837, an act appropriating monies related to the environment.
• House Bill 4144, appropriating monies relating to the environment.
• This one, because it deals with the environment, I do feel that I should uplift the sweeping of State
• And so I really do object to this particular, in the environment area, sweeping of those funds.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and several guest recognitions, including a student honored for a national Mandarin speech contest, a Ms. Black Arizona candidate, and a Madison Elementary School reusable-tray pilot program. The body also recognized interns and approved the prior journal. The chamber then moved through Committee of the Whole calendars and adopted committee reports recommending passage of a series of budget-related bills. The main legislative business centered on the 2026-27 budget package and related omnibus measures, including appropriations, budget implementation, capital outlay, commerce, criminal justice, environment, health care, higher education, human services, K-12 education, state property, revenue/taxation, and transportation bills. Most of these measures were advanced with do-pass recommendations, with repeated debate focused on the tax omnibus and the overall budget’s policy choices. Supporters argued the package provided affordability, tax relief, conformity with federal tax changes, reduced government spending, and reforms to entitlement and other programs; opponents argued it favored corporations and wealthy taxpayers, cut health care, food assistance, housing, tourism, wildfire response, and education, and would forfeit federal matching funds. Several members specifically criticized the failure to close the data center tax exemption and to raise sports betting taxes, while supporters defended those provisions as pro-business and pro-growth. There was also discussion of fund sweeps, including university research funds, housing trust funds, and other agency balances, with opponents saying the sweeps targeted encumbered or already-committed money. After debate, the Senate adopted Committee of the Whole reports and advanced the bills, and later took up House bills introduced and placed on third reading, with members explaining their votes on HB 4138, the General Appropriations Act, largely along party lines. At the end of the session, the Senate processed messages from the House requesting the return of SB 1160 and SB 1786 for reconsideration, and the Senate requested the House return HB 2415 for reconsideration. The chamber also introduced and placed several House budget bills on third reading, including HB 4138 through HB 4153, continuing the budget process.