Transcript Highlights:

• Will this raise a fiscal note? I'm sure it will.
• Families have invested and use earnings to pay for other people's scholarships.
• It also modifies the fee that ELUFs must pay.
• an employee, and so I have to ask for a no. plan grants to pay an employee.
• And the reason that the social workers and the prosecutor, by the way, the Democrat prosecutor, directly

Bills: HB1073 , HB1128 , HB1316 , HB1408 , HB1591 , HB1592 , HB1634 , HB1906 , HB1960 , HB2073 , HB2145 , HB2248 , HB2266 , HB2301 , HB2333 , HB2365 , HB2401 , HB2416 , HB2421 , HB2438 , HB2474 , HB2475 , HB2515 , HB2517 , HB2523 , HB2548 , HB2597 , HB2637 , HB2640 , HB2660 , HB2675 , HB2685 , HB2720 , HB1742 , HB2104 , HB2186 , HB2405 , HB2557 , HB2593 , HB2636

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: national guard, military support, defense, state security, veteran services, child care, workforce standards, education, child development, training requirements, postsecondary education, homelessness, foster youth, education access, support programs, community preservation, development authorities, funding, local governance, state resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Users have to pay that no matter what; you don't get a choice.
• When it comes to our career technical educators, the private market pays a lot more.
• When it comes to our career technical educators, the private market pays a lot more.
• And I've actually ran into this problem when I was a prosecutor. I had a case.
• I've actually ran into this problem when I was a prosecutor.

Transcript Highlights:

• One is we created the specific intent that we have to prove as prosecutors.
• Then that comes to a prosecutor who then has to make a similar interpretive look at it.
• Uh, one is we created the specific intent that we have to prove as prosecutors.
• Then that comes to a prosecutor who then has to make a similar interpretive look at it.
• </c> they declined to pay it. they declined to pay it.

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• It's raised 25% in the last year just consumer fraud.
• It's raised 25% in the last year just consumer fraud.
• It's raised 25% in the last year just consumer fraud.
• It's raised 25% in the last year just consumer fraud.
• It's raised 25% in the last year just consumer fraud.

Transcript Highlights:

• paying in advance.
• Is that going to slow down the pay on authorization versus the pay on enrollment or pay on attendance
• States may adopt pay on authorized enrollment, and states may pay prospectively.
• There's language saying we shall pay; we're choosing not to pay.
• There's language saying we shall pay, we're choosing not to pay.

Committee: House Budget

Summary: The committee first heard the Office of the Governor’s FY 2027 budget request from Adam Gresham. He explained the office’s staffing and noted a $500,000 core reduction, along with a reallocation of three positions and about $168,000 from the governor’s office to the mansion operating fund to better reflect where those employees work. Members asked about the National Guard emergency line, which Gresham said had already spent about $63,457 in FY 2026 and could be used again for disaster activations, though he did not expect to use the full $4 million. He also said the agricultural resiliency transfer fund had not been used and had no current transfer plans. Several members commented on the size of the governor’s cut and whether the judiciary and other offices were also being asked to reduce budgets. No votes were taken. The committee then moved to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood and early childhood-related budget items. DESE staff described funding for the Office of Childhood, MoQPK child care provider grants, LEA pre-K grants, early childhood special education, Parents as Teachers, First Steps, preschool coordination, after-school programs, and child care subsidy. Members asked extensively about the MoQPK grants, including why Head Start providers were eligible, how curriculum approval works, and what safeguards exist against fraud or improper payments. DESE said it conducts physical inspections, desk reviews, payment-system checks, and investigations as needed, and that it had not had findings in this area. Some members questioned whether DESE or DSS was the right home for early childhood programs, while others defended the partnership and the role of early educators in identifying child needs. A major portion of the discussion focused on early childhood special education and the child care subsidy program. DESE explained that First Steps serves children birth to age three, while early childhood special education covers ages three to five and is driven by IEP eligibility; members asked for more data on diagnoses, trends, and how many children come off IEPs. The committee also discussed the child care subsidy budget and the governor’s proposed shift to paying providers based on authorization and at the beginning of the month. DESE said the change is being piloted, that a wait list is expected to begin around March 1, and that a May rollout is being considered, but only if software testing and fiscal projections show the system is sustainable. Members expressed frustration that promised changes had been delayed and that providers had been told different timelines, while DESE said the delay was driven by software issues, fiscal caution, and the need to avoid repeating prior payment problems. The hearing ended with the committee in recess before later resuming discussion of the subsidy program; no final votes or actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• suspend the sentence using their best judgment and instead returns the full total discretion to the prosecutors
• , the most powerful actors in the criminal legal system. ... to the prosecutors, the most powerful actors
• And we know that so often prosecutors here at the legislature have an outsized influence on the legislation
• It's worth paying somebody who will teach all the teachers how to incorporate the garden into their science
• I'm not going to be here next year, and I want everybody to keep this going in this way, where they pay

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a roll call showing 25 members present. The journal was approved, and several guests were introduced, including Pastor Caden Metcalf as Pastor of the Day and Dr. Jane Peterson as Doctor of the Day. The chamber also took up a motion to reconsider SB 1827, which passed on a division vote, and then resolved into Committee of the Whole to consider bills on the calendar. In Committee of the Whole, the Senate considered and advanced several bills, generally by adopting committee strike-everything amendments and then recommending each bill do pass. Measures included SB 1041 (Arizona Trail Fund), SB 1131 (cardiac emergency response plans in schools), SB 1140 (expungement of misdemeanor records), SB 1249 (Alzheimer’s disease/state brain appropriation), SB 1275 (sentencing and imprisonment), SB 1517 (Barbering and Cosmetology Board), and SB 1673 (Crime Victim Notification Fund). SB 1275 drew the most debate: Senator Ortiz argued a floor amendment would gut judicial discretion and preserve prosecutorial power, while Senator Gowan said the amendment preserved a veterans diversion program; the amendment was adopted on a 15-13 division vote. The Committee of the Whole then reported the bills back to the Senate, which adopted the report. The Senate then took up third-reading votes on multiple bills. SB 1161, SB 1209, SB 1598, SB 1118, SB 1399, SB 1563, SB 1564, SB 1629, SB 1754, SB 1041, SB 1131, SB 1140, SB 1249, SB 1517, and SB 1673 all passed, with recorded votes ranging from unanimous to more divided outcomes. Several members explained votes, especially on SB 1598 and SB 1754, which involved community garden funding and special education/parent complaint issues, respectively. The Senate then recessed, received a large batch of House bills for first reading and committee referral, announced upcoming committee meetings, and adjourned until Monday, March 9, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• suspend the sentence using their best judgment and instead returns the full total discretion to the prosecutors
• , the most powerful actors in the criminal legal system. ...to the prosecutors, the most powerful actors
• And we know that so often prosecutors here at the legislature have an outsized influence on the legislation
• It's worth paying somebody who will teach all the teachers how to incorporate the garden into their science
• I'm not going to be here next year, and I want everybody to keep this going in this way, where they pay

Transcript Highlights:

• .: Report to probation, pay your court fines, fees, and restitution. 1 p.m.: Report to work.
• And right now, only three people are allowed in that courtroom, which would be the prosecutors.
• Is it maybe that's the prosecutor, maybe that's why they're opposed to this bill?
• So it's only fair that the state should have to pay for the individual they allowed to escape.
• Representative, the sheriffs are asking that the state pay for this.

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• typically if the fraud is above $500, but the prosecutors are those that will take action first.
• in the county, they will prosecutors in the county, they will make<00:09:15.200><c> a</c><00:09:15.360
• And so, as these companies were paying to remove this, it's very expensive.
• And so, as these pay to remove that.
• And so, as these companies were paying to remove this, it's very expensive.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's exceptions for prosecutors, for judges. That's not changed at all.
• That still requires for us to go to a prosecutor to validate a probable cause statement.
• Raise your hand real high. I see two. How many in opposition? One.
• So they could give them lower co-pays and incentivize them through different tiers, right?
• So if you break a leg, tear a ligament, when you go in and get that MRI, you're paying for it.

Committee: House General Laws

Summary: The committee first met in executive session and approved HB 2468 and HB 2481. HB 2481 was amended to replace earlier federal-style language with the governor’s recommended definitions and executive-order language, then rolled into a committee substitute and passed out of committee on a 9-3 vote. The discussion on HB 2481 centered on SNAP-related definitions and whether the revised language would affect federal waivers or change food-stamp purchasing rules; the sponsor said it would not. The committee then moved to regular session. The main public hearing was on HB 3070, the Second Amendment Preservation Act. Representative Hardwick said the bill was revised to remove language the Eighth Circuit had found problematic, while keeping Missouri’s anti-commandeering approach and prohibitions on state or local participation in certain federal gun-control actions, such as firearm registries, tracking, and confiscation from law-abiding citizens. Members questioned whether the bill would interfere with task forces, federal cooperation, courthouses, FFL paperwork, or local officers sharing information with federal agents. Hardwick and supporters said it would not affect Missouri enforcement of state gun laws or cooperation on other crimes, and that the bill was intended to stop Missouri officers from being used to enforce specific federal gun-control measures. Supporters from the Missouri Firearms Coalition and a gun-rights advocate backed the bill and emphasized civil penalties and anti-commandeering protections, while an opponent from Moms Demand Action argued it would handcuff police, weaken interstate trafficking enforcement, and create a dangerous patchwork of enforcement. No vote was taken on HB 3070 in the hearing. The committee also heard HB 388, which would prohibit certain anti-competitive health-care contracting practices, including anti-steering, anti-tiering, gag clauses, and most-favored-nation clauses. The sponsor and supporting witnesses described the bill as an anti-consolidation measure intended to improve price transparency, preserve competition, and help consumers and insurers steer patients toward lower-cost providers. They said the bill would apply to both providers and insurers and would not be anti-hospital or anti-payer. Members asked about effects on rural access to care, 340B pricing, physician-owned referral arrangements, and whether the bill would actually lower consumer costs. Supporters said the goal was to give payers more negotiating leverage and ultimately benefit patients through more competitive pricing, but no action was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is our bill for a potential trooper pay raise.
• We'll get it to conference and see where we land if we're going to do a trooper pay raise or not.
• This is our bill for a potential trooper pay raise.
• We'll get it to conference and see where we land if we're going to do a trooper pay raise or not.
• "We haven't decided yet if there will be a raise. If there won't be a raise.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, income tax: whatever you make on your income, you pay a percentage of that.
• So there is a, if you're in Oklahoma and you pay taxes in Oklahoma, any of the fees that you pay on this
• Would these be people that are not Oklahomans or do not pay taxes in Oklahoma?
• And right now, if I read this right, would I also have to pay that fee?
• Again, if you live in Oklahoma and you pay taxes in Oklahoma... Thank you for the question.

Bills: SB1936 , SB1612 , SB1543 , SB1260 , SB1988 , SB1859 , SB2041 , SB1257

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Summary: The Public Safety Committee took up several criminal justice and public safety measures. Senate Bill 1936, as amended, increased penalties for impersonating law enforcement from a misdemeanor to a felony and expanded seizure provisions; amendments added federal law enforcement agents and state troopers to the covered officers, and the bill passed unanimously. Senate Bill 1612, requested by Tulsa police, would require limited reporting and sharing of certain injury-related information and hospital video/photo evidence with law enforcement to aid violent-crime investigations; members raised HIPAA, scope, and criminalization concerns, but the bill passed 5-2. Senate Bill 1543 would aggregate multiple DUI offenses within one year into a single felony case; after questions about sentencing, municipal charges, and deterrence, it passed 6-2. Senate Bill 1260 would require child sex traffickers and human traffickers to serve 100% of their sentences without parole or earned credits, and it passed 6-2. The committee also considered Senate Bill 1988, which would increase wire-transfer fees on funds sent outside the United States and restore an income-tax credit for Oklahoma filers; members questioned whether it functioned as a tax, its impact on lower-income senders and service members, and its connection to drug trafficking. The bill failed on a 4-4 vote. Senate Bill 1859, creating an OSBI cybercrime and fraud unit with an estimated $3 million fiscal impact, passed unanimously after testimony that cyber and cryptocurrency fraud are growing and often harm elderly victims. Senate Bill 2041 would make a third possession offense for methamphetamine, fentanyl, or cocaine a felony, with supporters saying it would push offenders toward drug court and opponents warning it would increase incarceration; it passed 6-2. Finally, Senate Bill 1257 would classify THC as a Schedule I drug to align with federal law and close trafficking loopholes, and it passed unanimously. Senate Bill 1584 was laid over at the author’s request.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this does potentially raise the impairment of those contracts.
• the strike-all amendment prohibits provisions in governing documents requiring association members to pay
• common area to include any area for which the developer or other owner requires association members to pay
• Yet when residents do not pay, it relies on Chapter 720 lien and foreclosure powers.
• that you referenced that said that these for-profit operators, it's not HOA property, and they've raised

Bills: S0936 , S1724 , S1014 , S1498

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries met with a quorum and took up four bills. First, it considered SB 1724 on municipal utility services. Senator Martin offered a late-filed delete-everything amendment that would require annual customer meetings for extraterritorial utility customers, cap use of gross utility revenues for general government at 10%, eliminate a 25% surcharge on customers outside city limits, reduce the rate differential cap from 50% to 25%, remove municipal natural gas utilities from the bill, and preserve certain existing bond-related surcharges until debt is retired or refinanced. The League of Cities raised implementation concerns about the July 1, 2026 effective date and the need for rate studies and budget adjustments. The amendment was adopted and the committee reported CS/SB 1724 favorably. The committee then heard SB 936 on temporary door locking devices from Senator McLean. The bill would define temporary door locking devices, allow them to be installed at any height, require the Florida Building Commission to add standards to the Florida Building Code, and require their use to be incorporated into safety plans, drills, and training. With no opposition or amendments, SB 936 was reported favorably. Next, the committee considered SB 1014 by Senator Mayfield, which would prohibit municipalities from refusing water or wastewater service solely because a property owner will not annex, and would require service expansion when a property is near a municipal main line, not served by another utility, and the utility has capacity. A committee amendment narrowed the bill to properties near a main line and reduced the distance threshold from 2,000 meters to one-half mile. The Florida League of Cities opposed the bill as amended, citing concerns about property size, annexation conflicts, enclave creation, and possible revenue impacts, but the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 1498 on community associations from Chair Bradley. A strike-all amendment revised technical provisions on video conference recordings, turnover inspection reports, SIRS references, and electronic voting, and added two major policy changes: requiring associations to provide records to law enforcement and prosecutors and creating a second-degree misdemeanor for willful refusal, and prohibiting mandatory club or amenity fee schemes controlled by developers or third parties that generate profit beyond proportional expenses. Testimony in support described homeowner disputes involving concentrated board control, lack of transparency, and mandatory fees in communities such as Rosedale. The amendment was adopted and CS/SB 1498 was reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, Senator Bracey Davis asked to be recorded voting in the affirmative on tabs 1, 2, and 3, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And with no ability to raise our own public dollars, we can't pay for it.
• Yes, it tries to raise money for prosecutors' offices, but it tries to do so on the backs of people who
• are the least able to pay.
• Yes, it tries to raise money for prosecutors' offices, but it tries to do so on the backs of people who
• By requiring employers to pay all guard license fees, the bill not only raises the per-hire cost for

Summary: The committee first heard Substitute House Bill 1128, which would create a Child Care Workforce Standards Board within the Department of Labor and Industries to study child care workforce conditions and make recommendations on employment standards. Staff explained that the proposed second substitute narrows the board’s role from setting enforceable standards to making recommendations, with estimated ongoing costs for L&I staffing and smaller costs for board member stipends and possible DCYF support. Supporters, including child care providers, SEIU 925, and labor representatives, said the bill would help address understaffing, low wages, and retention problems; opponents, including child care industry groups and private schools, argued it duplicates existing work, adds bureaucracy, and creates unfunded costs. No vote was taken in the hearing. The committee then heard Second Substitute House Bill 1634, which would direct OSPI and ESDs to develop a technical assistance and training framework to help schools coordinate student behavioral health supports. Staff said the bill aligns with the Washington Thriving Strategic Plan and could largely be implemented with existing work and limited additional costs, though DOH would need some support. Testifiers from behavioral health and school counseling fields described severe youth mental health needs and urged passage, and OSPI said the work is doable with current resources. The committee also heard Substitute House Bill 2636, which would create a public education review advisory council to recommend K-12 policies and funding provisions for JLARC review; staff described JLARC, OSPI, and State Board costs, and no public testimony was offered. The committee next heard House Bill 1316, which would expand the Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness program so additional university campuses can access funding. The sponsor said the program has strong retention outcomes, and student advocates testified that campuses such as UW Bothell need access to already appropriated funds for emergency aid, food pantries, and case management. Staff then briefed Substitute House Bill 2474, which would allow the Student Achievement Council Tuition Recovery Trust Fund to be used for refunds tied to broader consumer protection violations, with no expected fiscal impact; there was no testimony. The committee also heard Substitute House Bill 2365 on digital equity, which would expand the Broadband Office’s role, revise the digital equity forum, and rename the grant program; supporters emphasized rural access, affordability, and the loss of federal digital equity funding, while staff estimated significant Commerce staffing costs and some additional agency impacts. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2401, creating a Washington State Boys and Men Commission contingent on non-state funding, with staff outlining OFM startup and fundraising costs and an estimated operating budget if fully funded. Supporters said boys and men face mental health, education, and mentorship gaps and that the commission would improve coordination; the bill drew testimony from rural school leaders, nonprofit advocates, and community members. The committee then heard Substitute House Bill 2475 on language access, which would require the Office of Equity to develop uniform language-access guidelines and a report on interpreter and translator shortages; staff said the office could absorb the work but other agency and local government impacts were uncertain. Substitute House Bill 2517, on permitting for high-capacity transit, would let regional transit authorities apply for permits earlier and streamline land-use processes; Sound Transit and the sponsor said it would speed delivery of major projects, while staff estimated Commerce technical-assistance costs and possible local government impacts. The last bill heard was Substitute House Bill 2145 on the 340B drug pricing program, which would bar manufacturers from restricting contract-pharmacy access and require reporting to DOH; supporters said it protects safety-net providers and patient services, while opponents warned of higher costs for employers, state health plans, and litigation burdens. No final committee action or votes were recorded in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:40:29.440><c> really</c> judicial branch the prosecutors really judicial branch the prosecutors
• </c> not something they necessarily pay not something they necessarily pay attent<01:42:38.800><c> that
• the</c> someone to pay actually pay for the someone to pay actually pay for the damage<01:48:14.360>
• > I</c> about the th pay pay penalty right I about the th pay pay penalty right I just<01:51:06.079><
• </c><01:51:25.040><c> they</c> someone continues to fail to pay they someone continues to fail to pay

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• This also limits what local law enforcement and local prosecutors can do if they receive a matter that
• Every month, millions of Californians pay for dental insurance but still struggle to access the care
• Many families are forced to travel long distances for treatment or pay high out-of-pocket costs just
• Too often, patients must pay the full cost of treatment. Just to receive basic dental care.
• This bill closes a loophole and gives prosecutors and courts the discretion to match the legal response

Summary: The Assembly convened, initially lacked a quorum, then completed the roll call and prayer, adopted routine procedural motions, and moved through the daily file with many bills passed and retained or passed outright. Early measures included AB 2417 on community college faculty retirement information, AB 1579 expanding the Children’s Crisis Pilot Program, AB 2041 on emergency medical services reporting, AB 1547 on a UC medical school feasibility study in Kern County, and AB 1552 directing higher education segments to report on civic engagement and democracy education. The body also took up SB 73, an urgency elections-security bill, where supporters argued it would protect ballots, voting systems, and election workers from interference, while opponents said it could be unconstitutional, partisan, and overly restrictive of local and federal investigations. SB 73 passed with urgency and immediate transmittal to the Senate. The Assembly then approved a long series of policy bills, many with unanimous or near-unanimous votes, including AB 1554 on California Earthquake Authority transparency, AB 1584 on civil rights duties at the Air Resources Board, AB 1592 on the California Indian Cultural Center, AB 1629 on direct payment to dentists, AB 1645 on prison visitation physical-contact rules, AB 1688 on foster care notice and accountability, AB 1699 on prescribed and cultural burns, AB 1738 on virtual final inspections for single-family homes, AB 1741 on charging sexual battery during a residential break-in as a wobbler, AB 1802 on mitigation lands endowments, AB 1813 on community renewable energy program changes, AB 1899 creating a youth homelessness prevention office, AB 1904 on a credentialing apprenticeship program, AB 1941 on organized metal theft, AB 2043 on drone-attack prevention for mass gatherings and critical infrastructure, AB 2054 on paid family leave for military relatives, AB 2081 on home-based Medi-Cal care, AB 2116 on predatory lending, AB 2122 limiting bench warrants for vehicle-code infractions, AB 2176 on student housing coordination, AB 2187 on tribal public-contract exemptions, AB 2221 on charitable fundraising processing deadlines, AB 2232 on advance parole hearing reporting, AB 2235 on confidentiality of judges’ home addresses, AB 2250 on cannabis/hemp enforcement cleanup, and AB 2266 on electricity. Most measures were described as support or bipartisan bills and passed with little or no opposition. A few bills drew notable debate or recorded opposition, including AB 1813, AB 2122, and SB 73, though all ultimately passed. After finishing 35 items, the Assembly announced it would return the following week with a much larger file, noted upcoming floor amendment deadlines, and adjourned until Tuesday, May 26 at 1 p.m. A post-adjournment vote change was also recorded, changing Assembly Member Dixon’s vote on AB 2041 from aye to no.

Transcript Highlights:

• This also limits what local law enforcement and local prosecutors can do if they receive a matter that
• Every month, millions of Californians pay for dental insurance but still struggle to access the care
• Many families are forced to travel long distances for treatment or pay high out-of-pocket costs just
• Too often, patients must pay the full cost of treatment.
• This bill closes a loophole and gives prosecutors and courts the discretion to match the legal response

Transcript Highlights:

• And you're ratio that you're not paying. And you're ratio that you're not paying.
• The most our veterans pay for a private room at our veterans pay for a private room at our veterans pay
• And it is also a job that you could not pay me. could not pay me. could not pay me. not one not one not
• They don't pay income tax and it left out the don't pay income tax and it left out the don't pay income
• So they take out they pay income tax. So they take out they pay income tax.

Bills: HB 10 , HB 12 , HB 147 , HB 1522 , HB 422 , HB 675 , HB 204 , HB 748 , HB 912

Transcript Highlights:

• And with no ability to raise our own public dollars, we can't pay for it.
• pay LFOs unless the court finds after hearing that the failure to pay is willful, meaning the person
• Yes, it tries to raise money for prosecutors' offices, but it tries to do so on the backs of people who
• are the least able to pay.
• By requiring employers to pay all guard license fees, the bill not only raises the per-hire cost for

Bills: HB1316 , HB2401 , HB2557 , HB2720 , HB1073 , HB2685 , HB2640 , HB2403

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: postsecondary education, homelessness, foster youth, education access, support programs, commission, gender equity, boys, men, advocacy, state policy, special education, parental rights, educational access, evaluation reports, disability services, behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> on Raise the Age last session. on Raise the Age last session.
• And so we ask that with Raise the Age.
• Raising the age is a loophole used to facilitate criminal activity with impunity.
• It would take discretion away from prosecutors in certain instances.
• </c><00:52:47.320><c> in</c> discretion away from prosecutors in discretion away from prosecutors in