Transcript Highlights:

• Further, wages grew substantially, and there's evidence that, To lower immigration areas.
• Further, wages grew substantially, and there's evidence that U.S.
• They're losing their business altogether because they can't compete with the low wages.
• If we're talking about one hour's wage time to get the system set up and then five minutes after that
• About one hour's wage time to get the system set up and then five minutes after that.

Bills: HB3725, HB3260, HB3660, HB3369, HB3370

Keywords: labor, e-verification, immigration, employers, employment eligibility, Department of Labor, penalties, funeral licensing, continuing education, Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association, professional development, licensing requirements, HB3660, natural organic reduction, human composting, soil reduction, green burial, funeral services, cremation, burial permit

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 3725, as amended by a PCS, which would require employers statewide to use E-Verify or a federal equivalent when hiring new employees. The author argued the bill would help reduce illegal immigration, protect wages and jobs for lawful workers, and impose only minimal costs because E-Verify is free and quick to use. Members raised concerns about burdens on small businesses, farms, and ranches; state versus federal authority; enforcement by the Department of Labor; identity theft and false positives; possible litigation; and what would happen if the federal system went offline or changed. The author said the bill includes good-faith protections, a trigger repeal if the federal program expands, and that he would file additional language to address shutdown-related disruptions. No motion was made, and the bill remained in committee. The committee then heard and passed several other measures without opposition. House Bill 3260 would add the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association as an approved provider for continuing education credits for funeral director license renewals, and it passed 9-0. House Bill 3660 would authorize natural organic reduction, described as transforming human remains into soil, and it also passed 9-0. House Bill 3369 would revise food truck fire code requirements by allowing portable fire extinguishers instead of an automatic suppression system and by allowing licensed plumbers, not just Oklahoma LP Gas, to inspect or install certain gas plumbing; members discussed possible conflicts with another LP gas fix and agreed to work together, and the bill passed 9-0. Finally, House Bill 3370 would extend the effective date of the food truck fire code to November 1, 2028, creating a sunset to allow more time for a broader solution. The author said he preferred another option but wanted this bill available if needed. After brief clarification, the committee passed HB 3370 9-0. The meeting ended with the chair noting there would be three meetings left in the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• One article that is at impasse is Article 25 on wages.
• For a total of a 5% increase in wages for this year.
• One article that is at impasse is Article 25 on wages.
• Article 25 is at impasse: wages.
• Article 25, wages, is at impasse.

Summary: The Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining met for an informational public hearing on several state employee bargaining units at impasse. The Department of Management Services outlined negotiations for the FDLE special agents, security services/correctional officers, sworn law enforcement officers, Florida Highway Patrol troopers, and Florida State Fire Service units. Across the units, the state said most contract articles had been resolved, with remaining disputes centered mainly on wages, hours of work, grievance language, safety, grooming, travel, and other housekeeping items. The state repeatedly emphasized proposed 2% competitive pay increases plus specialty or special pay increases in some units, insurance held harmless with no added employee cost, and its desire to keep current scheduling practices and remove outdated grievance language referencing the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. No votes were taken. Representatives for the Florida State Fire Service Association argued that firefighters are being asked to perform work far outside their job descriptions, including major construction, and said the state’s work-schedule and on-call practices unfairly avoid overtime and underpay firefighters. They also sought higher on-call compensation, a stronger wage plan with incentives and certification-based increases, restoration of a pay differential for firefighter-EMTs, and added PPE, decontamination, and cancer-prevention protections. The PBA’s Florida Highway Patrol unit said troopers need a larger career development plan, veteran stipends, updated grooming/tattoo rules, safer and newer vehicles, and better pay to address turnover. The PBA’s law enforcement unit focused on vehicle safety, performance evaluation language to prevent case-presentation quotas, and a $7,000 across-the-board raise, while disputing whether certain articles were timely opened. The security services unit said correctional officers, probation officers, and ISS officers need an $8-per-hour starting pay increase, retention bonuses, special pay for death row and close-management assignments, and overtime pay for lieutenants and captains who currently receive comp time and sometimes work beyond their limits. The committee heard the presentations, asked a brief question about correctional officers’ overtime, accepted written materials from the FOP special agent unit, and adjourned without action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those which prepare students for those mid skill high wage careers, price from 122,515 students.
• Those tied to the highest wage occupations in. 25 26 1264 certifications were funded at $1000.
• Each tier one includes certifications tied to entry level wage occupations and 7,624 certifications were
• We've really targeted industries where we see high wage high income targeted industries where we see
• rapid re-entry into the workforce, offering flexible accelerate pathways that lead directly to high wage

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Those opposed, the motion prevails and the amendment is adopted.
• </c><00:04:39.040><c> and</c> &gt;&gt; Those opposed, the motion prevails and &gt;&gt; Those opposed,
• the motion prevails and the<00:04:39.360><c> amendment</c><00:04:39.680><c> is</c><00:04:39.840><c>
• &gt;&gt; The<00:12:10.079><c> motion</c><00:12:10.399><c> prevails</c><00:12:10.959><c> and</c><00:12
• and House File 4438 &gt;&gt; The motion prevails and House File 4438 is<00:12:12.959><c> amended</c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There'll be, there'll be 44 ayes, 4 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent, uh, motion prevails and this House Bill
• There being 3 ayes, 1 nay, and one absent, um, motion prevails and House Bill 437 will be returned to
• There being 4 ayes, 0 no's, and 1 absent, motion prevails and, uh, please, uh, note that, um, there's
• There being 3 ayes, 2 nays, motion prevails.
• There being 3 ayes, 2 nays, motion prevails. OK.

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion prevails. Members, if you would be so kind as to stand.
• The motion prevails.
• The motion prevails.
• All those opposed say no. prevails members remaining under motions prevails members remaining under motions
• The motion prevails. The Senate is now in recess to the call of the President. [Music]

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion prevails. &gt;&gt; Anyone opposed? The motion prevails.
• </c> &gt;&gt; The motion does not prevail. All right. &gt;&gt; The motion does not prevail.
• </c> does not prevail. does not prevail.
• The<01:31:38.239><c> motion</c><01:31:38.480><c> prevails.</c> The motion prevails.
• The motion prevails. prevails. prevails.

Bills: HF3418, HF3739, HF3791, HF3356, HF3695, HF3430

Keywords: pedestrian safety, traffic safety, roadway improvements, nonmotorized transportation, crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, complete streets, Vision Zero, Toward Zero Deaths, MnDOT, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, local road authority, county roads, city streets, tribal transportation, capital improvements, safety design solutions, grant program

Transcript Highlights:

• The state of Arizona uses the 60-times-minimum-wage threshold.
• We just adjusted that minimum wage threshold. The multiplier helps our low-wage workers, right?
• If you're a high-wage worker, the 80% is going to be...
• We just adjusted that minimum wage threshold. The multiplier helps our low-wage workers, right?
• In addition, writs of garnishment on a worker's wages last 60 days.

Summary: The committee began with Senate Bill 5962 on spring blade knives, first suspending the five-day notice requirement. Staff explained the bill would remove spring blade knives from the list of dangerous weapons while keeping restrictions on carrying them in schools, child care, and other protected locations. Proponents, including Knife Rights and the prime sponsor Sen. T’wina Nobles, described the measure as a modernization and cleanup bill that would reduce confusion and support lawful use and manufacturing; one testifier strongly objected to the bill’s added location-based restrictions. Public testimony was overwhelmingly in support, and the hearing then moved on without a vote. Senate Bill 6105 would raise the wage exemption from garnishment for medical debt judgments from 30 to 60 times the state minimum wage, while keeping the 80% disposable earnings exemption and adding notice requirements identifying the debt as medical. Sen. Marko Liias said the bill is intended to protect low-wage workers from severe financial hardship and reduce incentives to work off the books. Supporters from patient, consumer, AARP, and anti-poverty groups said medical debt is often unexpected and garnishment can destabilize families; opponents from collectors and trade groups argued the bill was too broad, lacked stakeholder input, could hurt providers, and should define medical debt more clearly. The hearing closed with no action taken. The committee then heard Senate Bill 6203, which would clarify that out-of-state convictions can include foreign-country convictions for offender scoring if obtained with sufficient due process safeguards. The sponsor, Sen. Matt Boehnke, said the bill closes a gap in sentencing law; prosecutors supported the concept and suggested simplifying the language, while the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, defense attorneys, and public defense opposed it, citing undefined standards, difficulty verifying foreign convictions, and due process concerns. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6296 on involuntary treatment, which would expand who may petition for detention, change rules for assisted outpatient treatment and police assistance, require firearm surrender compliance procedures, and make other ITA changes. The sponsor and several providers and family members supported the bill as a needed modernization, while DCRs, disability advocates, behavioral health organizations, hospitals, and others raised concerns about due process, implementation, rural transport, capacity, and unintended consequences. No votes were taken on either bill during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion prevails. The clerk will give the third reading as amended by conference.
• The<00:02:10.240><c> motion</c><00:02:11.000><c> prevails.</c> The motion prevails.
• The motion prevails.
• Motion prevails. speaker. All those in favor say I. speaker. All those in favor say I.
• </c><00:07:54.720><c> Motion</c><00:07:55.080><c> prevails.</c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There be 11 ayes and 0 nays, the motion prevails.
• There be 11 ayes, 0 nays, the motion prevails.
• There being 11 ayes, 0 nays, the motion prevails.
• The motion prevails.
• The motion prevails.

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion prevails. nay motion prevails Nisa moves at Senate nay motion prevails Nisa moves at Senate
• The motion prevails.
• The motion prevails.
• </c> I those oppose nay motion prevails I those oppose nay motion prevails bakeberg<02:21:13.760><c>
• The motion prevails.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I was very honored to indict the first ever criminal wage-fixing case.
• Um during my criminal wage fixing case.
• Then they rate, fairly low wages.
• </c> had to win her $4,000 in unpaid wages. had to win her $4,000 in unpaid wages.
• Without the training, it's too wages.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , with subminimum wage ending on January 1, 2025.
• to minimum wage or above.
• , goes back years, long before the law phasing out subminimum wage.
• We've ended minimum wage. No one's paid subminimum wage in California. This is a huge policy win.
• who were earning subminimum wage before.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services held a hearing on developmental services, rehabilitation, and related supports, with no votes taken. The first major topic was the Master Plan for Developmental Services. Administration officials described a year-long, community-driven process that included a steering committee, work groups, and statewide engagement sessions, and said the final draft would be released that Friday with about 170 recommendations. The Department of Developmental Services said the plan would inform future work, but did not offer a detailed implementation roadmap. The LAO said the plan contains significant policy and budget implications, may require statutory changes, and needs further analysis to turn recommendations into actionable proposals. Advocates and regional center representatives urged the Legislature and administration to avoid letting the plan sit on a shelf, called for prioritization and ongoing stakeholder oversight, and emphasized the need to address equity, workforce, service coordination, and cross-system collaboration. The chair said he wanted to work with the LAO on trailer bill language and future reporting to create a clearer path forward. The second topic was the Office of Employment First and competitive integrated employment. Administration witnesses said California has ended subminimum wage under SB 639, but that moving people into competitive integrated employment remains a major priority. They described existing efforts such as DDS’s coordinated career pathways pilot, paid internships, job development services, benefits counseling, and DOR’s career counseling and referral services, along with pilot projects in San Diego and Orange County. The State Council on Developmental Disabilities and advocates argued that employment outcomes have remained stuck at roughly 15% and that a dedicated Employment First Office is needed to coordinate across agencies, align goals, and improve outcomes. The LAO recommended regular legislative oversight on people transitioning out of subminimum wage and asked for technical assistance on coordinated career pathways. The chair criticized the administration’s decision to effectively eliminate funding for the office, requested a detailed implementation timeline and quarterly transition reports, and said the committee would continue pressing for the office to be implemented. The final issue was respite services, utilization trends, and access. DDS reported that in-home respite use and spending have risen sharply over several years, with about 150,000 people using respite in 2023-24 and expenditures reaching about $1 billion. Officials said access depends on families knowing the service exists, service coordinators identifying need, and having enough providers, especially in rural and linguistically diverse communities. The San Diego Regional Center said utilization generally mirrors statewide trends, but access is stronger in some areas, such as Imperial County, where families often prefer family-directed or agency-supported models that allow them to hire trusted workers. Committee members emphasized the importance of respite for family health and caregiver well-being, asked whether service coordinators are asking practical questions about sleep and stress, and discussed the need for better identification of complex behavioral and medical needs. DDS said a standardized family support tool and updated IPP process are intended to improve consistency, transparency, and person-centered assessment for respite and related services.

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion prevails. Now to the adoption of the calendar for the day as amended.
• those oppos nay<00:01:35.320><c> the</c><00:01:35.479><c> motion</c> nay the motion nay the motion prevails
• 38.600><c> the</c><00:01:38.960><c> adoption</c><00:01:39.360><c> of</c><00:01:39.479><c> the</c> prevails
• um now to the adoption of the prevails um now to the adoption of the calendar<00:01:39.920><c> for</
• The motion prevails. The calendar is adopted.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you guys do it, and how often do you end up prevailing? Deja Mahalo, thank you.
• Do you guys do it, and how often do you end up prevailing?
• If they prevail immediately, you’re not asking them to go in for a separate thing.
• </c> claim um even if the landlord prevails claim um even if the landlord prevails and<01:59:12.159><
• </c><02:00:07.639><c> and</c> is the ceiling when folks Prevail and is the ceiling when folks Prevail

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Housing held a public hearing on January 31 and heard testimony on a series of housing and building-code bills. The first major item, HB 1 relating to building codes, drew sharply divided testimony. Supporters, including BIA Hawaii, Grassroot Institute, Dr. Horton, and several builders and trade groups, argued the current code-adoption process is slow, fragmented, and costly, and that reform would help housing production. Opponents, including Sierra Club Hawaii, AIA Hawaii, ICC, and labor representative Kiko Bosi, said the bill would weaken public safety, reduce statewide consistency, and could leave tenants and first responders at greater risk. No vote was taken during the hearing, and members asked questions about the effect of a governor’s emergency proclamation suspending the Building Code Council and about county authority over code amendments. The committee then heard HB 745 and HB 1321, both also relating to building codes. Grassroot Institute supported both measures, saying the system is broken and needs streamlining, while BIA Hawaii and others emphasized the cost burden of repeated code updates. Opponents, especially Bosi and ICC, argued that the bills would undermine the State Building Code Council’s role, create confusion, and prioritize cost over safety; Bosi also said labor should be included in any code discussions. Members questioned whether counties can remove state code provisions and whether the state code already supersedes county codes, and one member noted the need for clarity and consistent enforcement rather than a wholesale overhaul. Later, the committee heard HB 284 on housing, HB 761 on county permitting and inspection, and HB 738 on historic preservation. HB 284 drew support from several housing and real estate groups, while DLNR opposed it. On HB 761, HHFDC supported the bill, DLNR warned that the proposed changes could jeopardize Hawaii’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, DAGS said it would likely need to duplicate county permitting staff, and the Department of Planning and Permitting opposed it; Grassroot Institute and NAIOP supported it. For HB 738, HHFDC, DLNR, Grassroot Institute, Hawaii YIMBY, NAIOP, and others supported the measure, with Grassroot and NAIOP suggesting clarifications so expedited review would also cover mixed-use projects and better define the scope of work. The transcript does not show any final votes or committee action on these bills during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• There being 10 ayes and zero nays, the motion prevails. Thank you.
• There being 10 ayes and zero nays, the motion prevails.
• There being 10 ayes and zero nays, the motion prevails.
• There being nine ayes and one nay, the motion prevails.
• The chair hears none, and the motion prevails.

Bills: HB3619, HB3652, HB4572, HB4891, HB4941, HB5103, HB5105, HB5106, HB5224, HB5600

Keywords: surface estate, well plugging, Railroad Commission, landowner rights, liability, strategic reserve, gas supply, petroleum products, disaster response, Railroad Commission of Texas, energy security, emergency planning, oil and gas waste, environmental regulation, waste management, mining pits, groundwater monitoring, regulation, commercial disposal facilities, environmental standards

Transcript Highlights:

• All civil penalties collected under the Wage Payment Act and the Minimum Wage Act will be deposited into
• Okay, so are these unpaid wages?
• So the bill doesn’t specify what kinds of wage complaints, so it could include wage complaints where
• So the bill doesn't specify what kinds of wage complaints, so it could include wage complaints where
• So if that employer is penalized or having violated the Wage Payment Act or the Minimum Wage Act, those

Bills: HB2675, HB2681, HB2714, HB2688, HB2481, HB2116, HB1408

Keywords: accounts, finance, business regulation, transparency, audits, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, HB 2714, caseload forecasting, food assistance, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, state food assistance, budget forecasting, caseload forecast council, caseload forecast supervisor, Washington State

Transcript Highlights:

• I think, you know, wage and benefits, you know, that is definitely up there.
• Related to wages, there continue to be wage challenges as policy drives wages up, while Medicaid reimbursement
• And this is despite having an annual wage increase in July.
• 73% said something around wages.
• Rector around where the wages are compared to competitive jobs and being about $3 behind there.

Summary: The committee began with an extended work session on the long-term care workforce. DSHS Assistant Secretary B. Rector described the new Home and Community Living Administration and outlined major workforce pressures: Washington had about 126,000 long-term care workers in 2022, with demand expected to outpace supply as the 85-plus population and dementia prevalence rise sharply. She emphasized that direct care workers are largely women, people of color, and immigrants, and that family caregivers are also a major part of the system. She highlighted recruitment and retention efforts funded through federal Money Follows the Person dollars, including high school training partnerships, a retention toolkit, transportation support, caregiver newsletters, tribal workforce navigators, and a remote caregiving pilot. Committee members asked about career pathways, technology use, and turnover drivers; Rector said wages, benefits, unstable hours, and workplace support are key issues and promised follow-up data. Aidan Swain of the Washington Health Care Association said skilled nursing and assisted living facilities face acute RN vacancies, wage pressures, and Medicaid reimbursement that does not cover costs, and urged modernization of training, better reimbursement, and continued support for facility-based care. Maddie Fouch of SEIU 775, representing about 55,000 caregivers, said low wages, weak benefits, lack of voice, and certification delays are driving turnover and shortages, and argued for higher compensation, better worker protections, and more transparent reimbursement. Catherine Smith of Behavioral Health Solutions described growing behavioral health needs in nursing homes, the role of expanded behavioral supports programs, and credentialing delays that slow hiring. No votes were taken; the panel was informational only. The second agenda item was an overview of the palliative care benefit work group report required by 2024 legislation. Nico Jansen of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner explained that the work group, convened with the Health Care Authority, studied a potential palliative care benefit for fully insured commercial plans and also Medicaid, PEBB, and SEBB. He said palliative care is a philosophy of care focused on symptom management, coordination, and support for serious illness, and is distinct from hospice because it can be provided alongside curative treatment. The actuarial analysis concluded that creating a new benefit would likely increase costs, estimating about a 28-cent per member per month increase overall and roughly $2.6 million to $4.5 million in annual state Medicaid costs if implemented in 2027. Jansen said the consultants did not find sufficient evidence to assume savings from avoided hospitalizations or long-term care, though several work group members disagreed and submitted response letters. Senators asked about other states, Medicare, health homes, and whether more research could clarify cost savings; OIC said some states, including Hawaii, are moving ahead with Medicaid palliative care benefits, Medicare covers some related services but not in the same way, and further evidence may emerge over time. OIC did not take a position on whether the Legislature should create the benefit. The final presentation covered health care price transparency tools in Washington and federally. Evan Klein and HCA Chief Data Officer Vishal Chaudry reviewed federal hospital and health plan transparency rules, the state all-payer claims database, prescription drug price transparency, the Health Care Cost Transparency Board, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and other reporting systems. They explained that the APCD contains claims from fully insured commercial plans, Medicaid, and public employee programs, but not self-insured employer data except for limited voluntary submissions. They also described how machine-readable files, consumer price tools, and aggregated dashboards are used, and noted that data limitations, delays, and complexity remain significant. Senators asked about voluntary self-insured participation, the role of AI in making data more usable, and whether transparency can really help consumers given access barriers and medical debt. HCA said AI is increasingly used by private entities to mine large transparency datasets, but state agencies still face limits in data access and analytic capacity. The committee did not take action; the session was informational and ended with a discussion of how transparency data might better inform policy and purchasing decisions in the future.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm talking about an employer paying workers below-standard wages, terrible benefits, and a workplace
• So if you are here, if this is your company and you hire remote workers in Florida, the minimum wage
• and not illegal sub-minimum wages or fake numbers made up by bad employers.
• The Mass Executive Office of Labor and Workforce reported the average weekly wage in 2024 at $1,96.
• I was harassed off the clock, my wages were tampered with, and then I was fired.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a lengthy hearing on June 18 focused on workers’ compensation, independent contractor and classification issues, workplace safety, warehouse worker protections, extreme temperature protections, retaliation against injured workers, and workplace bullying. Committee chairs outlined procedures for the hybrid hearing and noted that members would be leaving intermittently for floor votes. Testimony also touched on a bill to expand workers’ compensation disfigurement benefits by removing the current $15,000 cap and extending coverage beyond scars on the hands, neck, and face. A major theme was workplace safety in warehouses and in extreme heat or cold. Teamsters, warehouse workers, and labor advocates described high injury rates, strict quotas, lack of water, inadequate ventilation, frozen or missing safety equipment, and pressure to work through heat waves and snowstorms. Supporters urged favorable reports on bills protecting warehouse workers and requiring employers to adopt heat- and cold-safety plans, while the NFIB opposed the temperature bill as overly prescriptive and burdensome for small businesses. Sen. Edwards, Sen. Roche, Rep. O’Day, and others argued that the measures are needed to prevent heat illness, provide shade, water, rest breaks, training, and emergency plans, and to cover all workers regardless of immigration status. Another major subject was the “Act to Protect Injured Workers,” backed by labor groups, immigrant worker centers, legal services organizations, and individual workers. Witnesses said employers often retaliate after injuries by threatening deportation, lying about how injuries occurred, delaying care, or firing workers, and they supported stronger anti-retaliation enforcement, multilingual notices, and a rebuttable presumption of retaliation within 90 days of protected activity. The Mass AFL-CIO and immigrant advocacy groups supported the bill and opposed measures they said would weaken employee classification standards. Testimony also supported a funeral-benefits bill to raise workers’ compensation death-benefit reimbursement for burial and funeral costs, based on a family’s experience after a workplace fatality. The committee heard additional testimony on workplace bullying bills, with some witnesses urging a new legal duty for employers to prevent and respond to bullying, while others described the harms of toxic workplaces and the lack of effective remedies.

Transcript Highlights:

• There being eight ayes and eight nays, the motion does not prevail.
• The waiver prevails. Now the moment we've eagerly been waiting for.
• </c><00:09:05.600><c> The</c><00:09:05.760><c> waiver</c><00:09:06.279><c> prevails.</c> say I. I.
• The waiver prevails. say I. I. Opposed. The waiver prevails.
• The motion prevails and House File Okay.

Bills: HF3228, HF475

Keywords: workers' compensation, insurance programs, employee protection, Minnesota statutes, safety regulations, statue replacement, Hubert H. Humphrey, national commemoration, civil rights, Minnesota history, 1183, house