Transcript Highlights:

• If it's someone who's deliberately not doing a job, yes, you need to shake a stick at them.
• "I did not ask questions on this bill because my colleagues were doing such a wonderful job of it.
• Senate Bill 2086 by Miles relates to job interview restrictions for releasees from the Texas Department
• Senate Bill 2106 by Creighton relates to the creation of the Texas Commission on Teacher Job Satisfaction
• coordination between teaching hospitals and medical schools regarding student field-based experience placements

Bills: SCR8 , SCR24 , SCR25 , SB1 , SB65 , SB315 , SB371 , SB372 , SB379 , SB400 , SB402 , SB406 , SB427 , SB487 , SB502 , SB509 , SB535 , SB610 , SB707 , SB740 , SB761 , SB840 , SB875 , SB893 , SB918 , SB925 , SB965 , SB987 , SB990 , SB995 , SB1006 , SB1018 , SB1073 , SB1106 , SB1121 , SB1194 , SB1253 , SB1300 , SB1343 , SB1362 , SB1379 , SB1447 , SB1532 , SB1555 , SJR36 , SJR12 , SJR57 , SCR25 , SCR22 , SCR12 , SCR24 , SCR8 , SB565 , SB372 , SB765 , SB62 , SB666 , SB707 , SB888 , SB687 , SB847 , SB1248 , SB740 , SB14 , SB1006 , SB504 , SB925 , SB1121 , SB995 , SB857 , SB305 , SB296 , SB284 , SB815 , SB1379 , SB1300 , SB1497 , SB1499 , SB1498 , SB65 , SB241 , SB304 , SB402 , SB621 , SB1023 , SB1024 , SB1106 , SB686 , SB112 , SB371 , SB204 , SB400 , SB609 , SB1447 , SB670 , SB502 , SB427 , SB850 , SB854 , SB413 , SB1555 , SB1362 , SB1346 , SB1033 , SB1220 , SB1073 , SB810 , SB987 , SB1539 , SB893 , SB447 , SB875 , SB406 , SB509 , SB985 , SB965 , SB1119 , SB1505 , SB24 , SB1194 , SB1253 , SB1215 , SB1532 , SB1302 , SB856 , SB650 , SB583 , SB673 , SB840 , SB213 , SB681 , SB1172 , SB1252 , SB378 , SB610 , SB918 , SB1343 , SB608 , SB487 , SB955 , SB957 , SB988 , SB990 , SB1019 , SB1021 , SB1120 , SB251 , SB958 , SB535 , SB761 , SB1 , SB541 , SB315 , SB379 , SB1018 , SB1737 , SB266 , SB1415 , SB1527 , SB125 , SB599 , SB1330 , SB53 , SB916 , SB896 , SB1352 , SB973 , SB785 , SB710 , SB472 , SB1450 , SB1502 , SB1566 , SB414 , SB1062 , SB1547 , SB961 , SB1038 , SB513 , SB578 , SB711 , SB746 , SB942 , SB1404 , SB1448 , SB1738 , SB108 , SB8 , SB318 , SB507 , SB533 , SB689 , SB1026 , SB1349 , SB1355 , SB1433 , SB1434 , SB1596 , SB1403 , SB1198 , SB1146 , SB763 , SB667

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> &gt;&gt; No, you did a nice job. &gt;&gt; No, you did a nice job.
• You're doing a great job, and we all appreciate you."
• That it's really their job to do, not DOE's.
• That it's really their job to do, &gt;&gt; Yeah.
• That it's really their job to do, not<01:13:23.040><c> DOE's.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• So we were job... We needed to be self-sustaining.
• “Well, our job was not to directly provide books for children.”
• “Well, our job was not to directly provide books for children.
• Our job was to ensure that we built an infrastructure that enabled that.
• Is that in your job profile or is it someone else's?

Summary: The follow-up informational hearing focused on the State Library’s oversight of the statewide Imagination Library and the Strong Reader Partnership (SRP), including how the original $68.2 million state investment was spent, why funds were not redirected sooner to the Dollywood Foundation, and whether spending complied with AB 157 and later SB 105. Committee members repeatedly raised concerns that SRP and the State Library had been slow to provide documents, that quarterly reporting and other contract requirements were not met on time, and that the State Library did not escalate issues earlier. State Librarian Greg Lucas said the library sent one demand letter, relied on counsel’s view that SRP could continue spending its $4.8 million so long as it furthered the program, and later redirected about $55 million to the Dollywood Foundation after paperwork was submitted. He also acknowledged the library should have shared SRP’s final report with the committee sooner and said the materials eventually received appeared satisfactory, though the chair and Senator Grove remained concerned that there was still no clear accounting of books delivered by SRP. A major portion of the hearing examined SRP’s expenditures and vendor contracts, including Shipyard for marketing and web services, SAGE Strategies for management consulting, Lotus Financial Solutions and other financial vendors, and United Way California Capital Region for a small marketing grant. Committee members questioned whether some spending, especially Changecraft’s work during the AB 157 period, amounted to lobbying or attempts to influence legislation, which the grant agreement prohibited. SRP representatives said the work was communications and stakeholder outreach, not lobbying, and that invoices reflected the board’s oversight and the nonprofit’s startup and closeout phases. They also said some work continued during the rescission and closeout period to unwind contracts and return funds, and that any reporting delays were due to transition, lack of a reporting mechanism from the State Library, and the need to collect records after vendors were canceled. Members of SRP said the nonprofit was created to build the infrastructure for a self-sustaining statewide program, expand local partnerships, and support multilingual outreach in underserved counties. They described a working board that met regularly, selected vendors collectively, and used multiple financial and administrative contractors to maintain checks and balances. However, committee members pressed them on the lack of detailed invoices, the absence of clear metrics showing how many books SRP actually delivered, and the limited apparent return on spending such as the $581,708 Shipyard contract, the $125,000 website work, and the $5,000 United Way grant. No formal vote or legislative action was taken during the hearing; it was an oversight session aimed at obtaining explanations and additional documentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• traceable bloodlines, provide veterinary oversight, and socialize birds for successful community placement
• USDA-regulated facilities are not meeting the standards is to say those facilities are not doing their job
• It can overwhelm rescues, reduce placement options for parrots, and create unnecessary enforcement and

Bills: H5432 , H5433 , S3093 , H5363 , H5137 , H5247

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a hybrid hearing on late-file bills, with testimony focused first on multiple home rule petitions seeking local authority to restrict anticoagulant rodenticides in towns including Andover, Topsfield, North Andover, Williamstown, Georgetown, Lexington, and others. Municipal officials, residents, wildlife advocates, and conservation groups described documented harm to hawks, owls, foxes, turtles, pets, and other wildlife, and argued that towns should be able to regulate these poisons locally. Several speakers said their towns had already voted to support restrictions and were using integrated pest management and other alternatives. Committee members noted that statewide rodenticide legislation had already advanced out of committee in both chambers and that the environmental bond bill was in conference committee, but no votes were taken during the hearing itself. The committee then heard testimony on H. 5137, a bill to prohibit the retail sale of parrots. Supporters, including animal welfare groups, veterinarians, rescue operators, and advocates, said parrots are often sourced from large breeding facilities with poor conditions, that many birds are surrendered because they are difficult long-term pets, and that rescues are overwhelmed. They argued the bill would encourage adoption, reduce demand for commercial breeding and trafficking, and improve bird welfare and public health. Opponents, including breeders, pet retailers, aviculture representatives, and rescue operators, said the bill would harm small businesses, reduce consumer access and transparency, and push sales to unregulated markets without improving welfare. Several speakers said the bill should instead focus on stronger standards and enforcement rather than banning sales. A separate bill, S. 310, designating the Marion Stoddard River Walk, was also briefly discussed in testimony supporting Marion Stoddard’s environmental work. The hearing ended after the committee finished taking testimony and adjourned; no roll-call votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• traceable bloodlines, provide veterinary oversight, and socialize birds for successful community placement
• USDA-regulated facilities are not meeting the standards is to say those facilities are not doing their job
• It can overwhelm rescues, reduce placement options for parrots, and create unnecessary enforcement and

Bills: H5432 , H5433 , S3093 , H5363 , H5137 , H5247

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• decisions for them, whether they... ...reunify with family, and whether they achieve another permanent placement
• about, update them on the last six months of my life, on how I was doing in school, how my foster placements
• supposed to argue that I have a right to confidential information about a child necessary to perform my job

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• Good job. Good afternoon.
• &gt;&gt; Okay.<03:26:23.600><c> Good</c><03:26:23.760><c> job.</c> &gt;&gt; Okay. Good job.
• Good job. Good<03:26:26.080><c> afternoon.
• </c><04:04:07.800><c> Good</c><04:04:08.000><c> job.</c> &gt;&gt; we're here for. Bingo. Good job.
• </c><05:07:45.000><c> to</c> and they will do a phenomenal job to and they will do a phenomenal job to

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:05:25.120><c> a</c><00:05:25.240><c> pretty</c><00:05:25.479><c> horrible</c><00:05:25.880><c> job
• </c><00:05:26.080><c> of</c> really doing a pretty horrible job of really doing a pretty horrible job
• So it's often our job as educators to convince families that their kids will be safe and cared for in
• </c><00:14:08.160><c> as</c> um it's often times um our job as um it's often times um our job as Educators
• , but it's also a very demanding job.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Staff are not changing their jobs.
• Staff are not changing their jobs.
• Staff are not changing their jobs.
• </c><00:40:39.359><c> uh</c><00:40:39.480><c> but</c> they do their specific job uh but they do their
• Now this is my job and I need to do these type of things now.

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• and into better jobs.
• and into better jobs.
• The Governor called for the master plan to ensure quality careers and jobs for students, whether their
• We have 600 employees that are now without jobs.
• We have 600 employees that are now without jobs.

Summary: The committee heard an update on the administration’s Career Education Master Plan and the new California Education Interagency Council. Administration and agency staff described efforts to better connect K-12, higher education, workforce, and data systems, including the California Cradle to Career Data System, e-Transcript California, and a proposed career passport. They emphasized regional coordination with workforce boards and community colleges, and said the new council’s immediate tasks are to hold its first meeting by the end of June, enter into a data-sharing MOU, and complete a strategic plan by the end of November. Members asked about the council’s authority, reporting requirements, and how it would relate to the broader Master Plan for Higher Education; staff said the council will make recommendations but does not have implementation authority. The committee then took up the Governor’s proposed $100 million one-time expansion of dual enrollment grants and related changes to instructional minute requirements. Finance and the Department of Education said the proposal would support middle college, early college, and CCAP programs, add technical assistance, prioritize high-need LEAs, and reduce the minimum instructional day for certain dual enrollment students from 240 to 180 minutes to ease scheduling barriers. The Chancellor’s Office strongly supported the investment, citing access, acceleration, and equity benefits, while the LAO recommended rejecting the funding, arguing the state already provides ongoing support and that the proposal does not address major barriers. Members raised questions about adult learners, A-G alignment, reporting on outcomes and expenditures, rural access, transportation, staffing, and whether the funding would create lasting program capacity. The item was left open after discussion. The committee also considered trailer bill language to align the definition of long-term English learners across data systems. Finance and CDE said the change would simplify identification by defining LTELs as students who have not attained English proficiency within seven years and RTELs as students not proficient within six years, matching the dashboard and research-based timelines. CDE said the current mismatch between dashboard and assessment definitions creates confusion and delays, while some members and advocates worried the change could reduce earlier intervention or should be handled through policy committees rather than the budget process. The committee voted to reject the proposal and refer it to policy, though the administration said it still supports the budget language. Finally, the committee heard a proposal to extend the Supporting Inclusive Practices project by one year, through June 30, 2027. CDE said the project is promising but raised concerns about the contract structure and fiscal management, while Marysville Joint Unified School District testified that SIP had helped expand inclusive preschool and district-wide practices and reduce reliance on more restrictive placements. Members questioned why funds had not been fully encumbered and whether the remaining money should be redirected to areas with greater implementation need. The item was discussed but no final action was described in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are job. We need to be self-sustaining.
• Well, our job was not to directly provide books for children.
• Well, our job was not to directly provide books for children.
• Our job was to ensure that we built an infrastructure that enabled that.
• Is that in your job profile, or is it someone else's?

Summary: The committee held a follow-up informational hearing on the State Library’s oversight of the statewide Imagination Library program, focusing on how state funds were used by the Strong Reader Partnership (SRP) and whether the program complied with statutory requirements. Chair and Senator Grove repeatedly questioned State Librarian Greg Lucas about delayed document production, the State Library’s decision to allow SRP to continue spending $4.8 million after the 2024 budget changes, and the lack of clear accounting for how many books were actually delivered to children. Lucas said the State Library had sent one demand letter, relied on counsel’s advice, and ultimately received bank statements, invoices, and narrative reports that he said were satisfactory, though he acknowledged the committee should have been given the documents sooner. A major issue was whether SRP and its vendors used state funds for lobbying or influence efforts related to AB 157/SB 157, despite contract language prohibiting lobbying. The committee highlighted invoices and emails involving ChangeCraft and SAGE Strategies that appeared to coincide with legislative activity, while SRP representatives said their work was communications, stakeholder outreach, and board-directed advocacy, not lobbying. Members of SRP also defended their vendor selections and invoicing practices, explaining that the organization was in startup and transition mode, had multiple financial vendors for checks and balances, and was working to build infrastructure, local partnerships, and multilingual outreach capacity rather than directly buying books. The hearing also scrutinized specific expenditures, including roughly $581,000 to Shipyard for marketing and web/digital work, $110,000 to Lotus Financial Solutions, and a $5,000 grant to United Way of the California Capital Region. Senators argued the invoices were vague and the deliverables were not evident, pointing to a simple website, limited social media presence, and no clear evidence that some advertised campaigns ever went live. SRP witnesses said the work was part of a phased plan to establish a statewide foundation and that some assets and documentation had not yet been provided to the committee. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended with the chair emphasizing the need for tighter oversight, clearer documentation, and better accountability for taxpayer funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• Government's job is to, is not to keep people from making dumb decisions, which is where I think you're
• There was a lot of a lack of clarity about how, if someone does a placement, exactly how they're to be

Summary: The committee took up a series of health-related bills, beginning with House Bill 4124 by Rep. Fetgatter, which would make human ivermectin available over the counter on a permissive basis for pharmacies. The bill drew extended debate over whether the legislature should decide over-the-counter status, safety concerns, dosage, adverse effects, and federal law issues, but the author argued the bill would reduce political controversy and allow pharmacies to choose whether to stock it. HB 4124 passed 5-1. Rep. Schreiber’s HB 4200, creating a public-private forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) team approach for people with severe mental illness involved in the criminal justice system, passed unanimously 6-0. Rep. Blancett’s HB 4410, which would tighten disclosures and consumer protections for referral agencies working with long-term care and assisted living placements, failed 3-4 after questions about whether the bill was still needed and how it would affect compensation and disclosures. Rep. Cantrell’s bill on assisted living facilities’ rights and responsibilities also failed, 2-3, after members questioned whether businesses need a statutory “bill of rights” and whether the material could simply be posted under existing law. Rep. Pay’s HB 1912, the Corn Mossa Nutrition Enhancement Act, passed 3-2 after amendments and discussion about folic acid fortification, neural tube defects, and whether consumers should still have access to unfortified products. Rep. Stark’s HB 3930, requiring sellers of dog-related service-animal gear to notify purchasers that the animal is not a service animal, passed 5-1, and HB 3931, extending the time to amend death certificates, passed 6-0. Rep. Newton’s HB 4457, barring PBMs from owning and operating licensed retail pharmacies in Oklahoma with a transition for specialty settings, passed 6-0, and HB 4473, creating an advisory council to assist the Oklahoma Health Care Authority on dental care, passed 5-0. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1821, DCS training, child placement management. SB 1822, property owners, adverse possession.
• just noticed the Senate proclamation was bigger than the House proclamation, so whoever did that, good job

Transcript Highlights:

• the individuals are bringing people in the state and then they're getting paid by the immigrant for job
• placement services.

Bills: HB1

Committee: Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development

Keywords: DUI, driving under the influence, ignition interlock, interlock device, driver license suspension, restricted license, motor vehicle, alcohol offense, first offense, repeat offender, blood alcohol concentration, BAC, license revocation, Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA, public safety, traffic safety, chemical dependency, substance abuse, court referral program

Transcript Highlights:

• The new mayor, Newton Mayor Mark Laredo, who, by the way, is doing a wonderful job, convened a committee
• I figured that as you were outlining the job description it was very close to a deputy chief's description
• Under the town charter, candidates seeking placement on the ballot must obtain 25 nomination signatures

Bills: H5426 , H5434 , S3084 , S3087 , S3088 , S3092

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Transcript Highlights:

• you, because we love our assistants and they make our days so much better, and we could not do this job
• Much better, and we could not do this job without them, especially Marisa and all of them.
• and the courts to identify, notify, and consider extended family members for kinship foster care placement

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large slate of House and Senate bills, with staff giving short descriptions and members flagging a few concerns. Topics included veterans’ services and courts, child care grants, midwife medication authority, home- and community-based services funding, EMS reciprocity, prescription monitoring, electronic monitoring in care facilities, pregnancy resource center funding, mental health transportation, Access coverage for mild obstructive sleep apnea, school spending requirements, mobile home park training, local government investment pools, task order contract posting, tourism improvement areas, child welfare and kinship placement, neglect standards, family court evidence, prostate cancer cost sharing, assisted living hearings, manufactured home installer licensing, supervised parenting time, vulnerable adult trespass penalties, uranium contamination monitoring, a gas and petroleum refinery study committee, and state park fee exemptions for veterans. Several bills were described as unanimous or on consent, while others drew objections or were noted as controversial. Members raised privacy concerns about electronic monitoring in nursing homes, due process and rural capacity concerns about restricting police transport for mental health patients, opposition to pregnancy resource center appropriations, concerns about environmental review for power plant replacement, and questions about the Access sleep apnea mandate as potentially favoring vendors. Some bills were noted as having committee amendments, including changes to appropriations, eligibility criteria, reporting requirements, and definitions. No floor votes were taken in the transcript itself; instead, the chair repeatedly noted whether bills were unanimous, on consent, or had split votes in committee. The caucus also heard brief announcements about an upcoming breakfast with the CAP director, a Latino Caucus meeting, and an Affordability Award presented to Representative Volk, after which the caucus adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it kind of goes from there to find an alternate placement to meet that resident's needs.
• getting folks together to problem-solve, and I think facilities in general have done a really nice job
• I think facilities in general have done a really nice job with that over the past couple of years to

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are job. We need to be self-sustaining.
• “Well, our job was not to directly provide books for children.”
• “Well, our job was not to directly provide books for children.
• Our job was to ensure that we built an infrastructure that enabled that.
• Is that in your job profile or is it someone else’s?”

Transcript Highlights:

• we're trying to address this physician shortage, but in order to do that we have to have adequate placements
• </c> order to do that we have to have order to do that we have to have adequate<00:15:11.600><c> placement
• s</c><00:15:12.440><c> for</c><00:15:12.680><c> these</c><00:15:12.880><c> students</c> adequate placement
• s for these students adequate placement s for these students to<00:15:13.639><c> train</c><00:15:14.639

Summary: The Committee on Higher Education heard Senate Bill 101, which would require University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine graduates who paid in-state tuition to serve as physicians in Hawaiʻi for at least two years after residency or fellowship, beginning with the class of 2029. The Deputy Attorney General said the bill addressed a matter of statewide concern. JABSOM Dean Sam Shoemaker testified in opposition, arguing the school already uses scholarships, loan repayment, and other incentives, and that the strongest predictor of where physicians practice is where they complete residency; he said the school is working to expand residency slots, neighbor-island training, and class size. Supporters argued the state faces a severe physician shortage and should do more to ensure publicly subsidized students remain in Hawaiʻi. The committee ultimately recommended passage with amendments, including a statewide concern statement, and deferred the measure to July 31, 2025; the vote was adopted. The committee then heard Senate Bill 19, which creates funds to establish a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program on Maui. University of Hawaiʻi and nursing workforce representatives testified in support, saying there is ample capacity on Maui and strong demand for higher nursing education. Members discussed the broader nursing pathway, including existing associate and bachelor’s programs at UH campuses and the need to improve access for Maui and nearby communities. The measure was moved to decision-making and adopted with amendments and a deferred date. Senate Bill 637, appropriating funds for various University of Hawaiʻi nursing programs, also received support from UH nursing leaders, who said the funding would support the final phase of the West Oʻahu-Manoa collaboration and an online RN-to-BS program. The Hawaiʻi State Center for Nursing said its research showed capacity and demand for these programs. The committee recommended amendments to blank out appropriation amounts for the committee report and deferred the measure, then adopted it. The committee also adopted Senate Bill 741, which establishes an external audit committee within the UH Board of Regents, and deferred or amended several other measures, including a wastewater technology pilot program, a coconut rhinoceros beetle response program, and a climate-resilient development appropriation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, ABLE is a great program, and the DD Council has done a great job trying to do outreach, but they
• </c> the DD council has done a great job the DD council has done a great job trying<00:16:34.720><c>
• in the home because it our placement in the home because it will will will also<00:21:02.159><c> not
• So I that's why I would strongly jobs.
• </c><00:28:00.640><c> right</c> in the stage of applying to jobs right in the stage of applying to jobs

Summary: The joint hearing opened with SB 1442, which would update the statute governing the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division and clarify its role as the state Medicaid provider of intensive mental health services for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance. The Department of Health testified in strong support, saying the current statute is outdated and warning against any unfunded mandate because the division relies on federal funding and faces uncertainty about future resources. Written testimony from several organizations also supported the bill. The committees took no immediate action and said they would hold decision-making until later. The hearing then moved to SB 479 on ABLE savings accounts. The Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Hawaii Disability Rights Center supported the measure, arguing that ABLE accounts help people with disabilities save money without losing benefits and that the state needs more outreach and staffing to expand participation. A testifier with a disability said the bill would help people keep Social Security and housing stability. The chair indicated an intention to move the bill forward, and asked about funding; the discussion settled on a requested appropriation of about $75,000 for incentives. Next, SB 1245 on reimbursement of pharmacists drew broad support from the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, rural pharmacies, the Hawaii Primary Care Association, and others, who said the bill would improve access to care, especially on neighbor islands and in rural communities, and help pharmacies participate in 340B-related services. The Insurance Division and HMSA raised concerns about bill language, saying it could be read to cover pharmacists outside an insurer’s network and that the scope of reimbursable services needed clarification; the pharmacists’ association said the bill is intended to apply only to in-network pharmacists and should continue to reference existing scope-of-practice law. The hearing also took up SB 1279, which would allow pharmacists to authorize medications via telehealth under certain circumstances. The State Board of Pharmacy opposed the bill, citing patient safety, a pilot project with reported errors, concerns about controlled substances and unregulated technicians, and the view that in-person pharmacist services are safer and already available on the affected islands. Several pharmacies and health care groups supported the measure as a way to preserve 340B access and improve service on Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, while some local pharmacies said they already provide in-person service and opposed remote dispensing. No votes were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.