Transcript Highlights:

• The bill limits these programs from exceeding 110% of the Medicare rates for non-expansion states and
• really had a significant change to the state directed payment provision specific tab either both expansion
• and non-expansion states.
• one big beautiful bill reduces the the cap on state directed payments to 110% of Medicare for non-expansion
• So this bill reduces the from an average commercial rate to 110% of Medicare for not expansion states

Transcript Highlights:

• taking some breaks, moving, you know, building houses; you actually have to go through a much more expansive
• You know, lane expansion, we have to do water utility improvements.
• It could be something with power and gas expansion, sewer expansion.
• where we had to build a fire station, but really what we're talking about is going to be the lane expansions

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• , if a freeway undergoes a new alignment or, in the case of the 405 freeway in Orange County, an expansion
• Currently, if a freeway undergoes a new alignment or in case of the 4 or 5 freeway in Orange County and expansion
• The 405 freeway alignment and expansion were relatively small.
• To be clear, the freeway expansion is complete and fully functional.
• Its measured and temporary expansion of licenses, with geographic restrictions, affordability, and sunset

Summary: The Committee on Governmental Organization heard several bills related to outdoor advertising, open meetings, and San Francisco economic development. SB 364 by Senator Strickland would speed up processing of outdoor advertising permits by allowing Caltrans to act on applications as freeway projects are completed in segments, and clarifies customary maintenance of signs. Supporters said the bill would reduce permit backlogs and help local governments and the billboard industry; there was no opposition. The committee passed SB 364 to Appropriations, with the roll left open for additional votes. SB 470 by Senator Laird would extend until January 1, 2030 the sunset on the alternative Bagley-Keene open meeting rules adopted in SB 544, allowing state boards and commissions to continue using remote participation under specified conditions. Supporters from the Little Hoover Commission and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities said the current law has increased public participation, saved money, and improved access for people with disabilities and caregivers. Opponents, including ACA of California Action, the California News Publishers Association, and media and transparency groups, argued the bill weakens in-person public access and accountability. The committee approved SB 470 to Appropriations, with some no votes and the roll held open. SB 395 by Senator Wiener would let San Francisco create a hospitality zone in Union Square/Yerba Buena with up to 20 additional non-transferable liquor licenses for restaurants to support downtown recovery. City and business representatives said the measure would help fill vacancies, attract restaurants, and boost foot traffic, while remaining temporary and geographically limited. The bill passed to Appropriations with broad support and no opposition. SB 783 by Senator Rubio would extend until January 1, 2029 the special outdoor advertising rules for signs in former redevelopment areas; supporters said it would give affected communities time to find a permanent solution, while billboard industry opponents warned about compliance and federal highway funding risks. The committee passed SB 783 to Appropriations as amended, and then adjourned at 2:45 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to touch on the expansion of mandatory removals to DAEPs and mandatory expulsions for off-campus
• In the state address, Governor Abbott identified the expansion of career training programs.
• This expansion will include a new UT Austin hospital and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
• Many of the capital corridors could be impacted by this expansion.
• Reference landmarks that no longer exist or will be significantly altered due to the ongoing expansion

Bills: HB 1022 , HB2856 , HB3114 , HJR5 , HB6 , HB 120 , HB210 , HB1458 , HB 1188 , HB3126 , HB6 , HB120 , HB210

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• the life cycle costs, the health impacts, environmental impacts, risks of accidents, transmission expansion
• of impacts, risks of acts risk of accidents,<00:05:55.280><c> transmission</c><00:05:56.000><c> expansion
• ,</c><00:05:57.480><c> and</c> accidents, transmission expansion, and accidents, transmission expansion

Transcript Highlights:

• the design funding that you just provided this year, we're already laying the groundwork for that expansion
• I will turn to our EVP, Mike Richards, who, as part of this discussion on workforce expansion, actually
• Our last major expansion of the UNM health system occurred in 2007 with the building of the pavilion.
• As you look out and drive here today, you can see that we have significant expansion occurring with our
• Richards, how can the School of Medicine and its expansion help with that particular aspect?

Transcript Highlights:

• greenfield expansion.
• Number one, expansions<00:27:56.080><c> where</c><00:27:56.799><c> expansions</c><00:27:57.760><c> are
• </c> expansions where expansions are expansions where expansions are possible,<00:27:59.919><c> right
• </c> expansion of that landfill after 2035. expansion of that landfill after 2035.
• expansion gets preference.

Committee: House Environment and Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you look at the red lines on the graph, you will see that that is every time that an expansion
• And so while I cannot causally say that expansion is what caused this, what I can say is that there is
• So, the pilot program would allow us to do an expansion.
• Near universal expansion again occurred in 2022.
• Estimated 80% of families with dependents already income eligible after that 2022 expansion.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• So think about someone on Medicaid expansion having radiation every day for six weeks.
• </c> law for Medicaid expansion enrolles. law for Medicaid expansion enrolles.
• </c> for Medicaid expansion enrolles. for Medicaid expansion enrolles.
• </c><01:21:34.960><c> having</c> who's on Medicaid expansion having who's on Medicaid expansion having
• And then HR1 says you can't have premiums for Medicaid expansion, but you must have cost share.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> office and laboratory expans expansion office and laboratory expans expansion and<00:18:43.799><
• Moving on to the second of the Department's requests, there is a critical expansion of rehabilitative
• We can cover 50% of the cost of the public infrastructure needed to support business expansion.
• typically that's uh water expansion typically that's uh water sewer sewer sewer lines<01:18:13.440><
• They needed a couple of wells, obviously, to help with their brewery and their expansion.

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• Legislature has sent constitutional amendments to the voters to exclude income from this expansive definition
• The average income of the seniors and young adults who would be impacted by this expansion is around
• Please support this bill and Working Families Tax Credit expansion. Thank you. Thank you.
• It means that the money used for company growth and expansion, debt payoff, and federal tax payments,
• The persistent introduction, expansion, and talk of more tax tools is Consistent introduction, expansion

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation would be a top priority instead of a nuclear power expansion
• to make this program even more expensive. ...have foregone it because of the latest expansion to make
• The expansion of sales tax to temporary services, professional learning, and other essential support.
• Marissa Rathbone continued: “The expansion of sales tax to temporary services, professional learning,
• It is a wide expansion of sales tax to billboards, broadcasts, Scott, do you want to go ahead and do

Bills: HB2175 , HB2227 , HB2528 , HB2292 , HB2257 , HB2608

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: durable medical equipment, sales tax exemption, healthcare accessibility, cost reduction, nonprofit providers, affordable housing, real estate tax, exemption, housing policy, tax incentives, real estate excise tax, REET, growth management act, GMA, local government finance, capital facilities plan, comprehensive plan, county tax, city tax, voter approval

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, we would ask the committee to consider the governor's recommendation, which includes the expansion
• Finally, we would ask the committee to consider the governor's recommendation, which includes the expansion
• Finally, we would ask the committee to consider the governor's recommendation, which includes the expansion
• :16:01.040><c> which</c><00:16:01.440><c> includes</c><00:16:01.759><c> the</c><00:16:02.000><c> expansion
• </c><00:16:02.320><c> of</c> uh which includes the expansion of uh which includes the expansion of agency

Bills: HF2783

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• . ...many, many years to do maintenance and preservation of existing assets before we do any new expansion
• and we fund the resurfacing, the repair, the replacement of bridges, etc., before we do any new expansion
• So there are opportunities, and we have partnered on many capital expansions in the past.
• It is for new expansions, and so passenger rail is one of those.
• Because the roads are fully built out for the most part down there, now we have a few major expansion

Summary: The committee heard introductory remarks from Chair LaMarca and members, then received presentations on electric utility planning, transportation infrastructure, and broadband deployment. Public Service Commission staff explained how Florida’s utilities plan for reliability and cost through 10-year site plans, demand forecasting, and economic dispatch. The presentation emphasized Florida’s residential-heavy load, growing EV demand, expanding solar and battery storage, continued reliance on natural gas combined-cycle plants, and the role of nuclear power. Members asked about energy efficiency, rates, renewable options beyond solar, cybersecurity, grid resilience, data centers, and small modular nuclear reactors; the witness said efficiency programs are reviewed every five years, utilities must balance reliability and affordability, and large new loads like data centers generally must pay for their own infrastructure needs. Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue described FDOT’s five-year work program, decentralized district structure, and funding mix, noting that the agency is predominantly state-funded and prioritizes maintenance and preservation before expansion. He highlighted record investment levels, major congestion-relief projects, toll-road revenues, seaport and airport partnerships, spaceport investments, workforce and equipment needs, and emerging technology such as advanced air mobility. Members asked about project timing, MPO planning, rail and ferry funding, airport governance, winter storm preparedness, and flooding/sea-level rise; Perdue said faster delivery depends on resources, local governments lead transit operations with FDOT as a capital partner, and coastal and drainage projects are designed around storm surge and resiliency. The Office of Broadband reported on six grant programs supporting infrastructure, community facilities, digital connectivity, and future digital capacity and broadband expansion. Director Leo Garcia said the office has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars across most counties, leveraged significant private investment, and focused heavily on rural areas. He noted that broadband efforts are intended to support telehealth, education, workforce development, and economic growth, and said the state has reduced the number of unserved locations from more than 400,000 to a projected 170,000 after current awards are completed. He also said the office needs additional budget authority for the upcoming digital capacity program and that the larger federal/state broadband deployment program will be used to reach remaining unserved and underserved areas.

Transcript Highlights:

• We<00:24:53.200><c> believe</c><00:24:53.600><c> expansion</c><00:24:54.080><c> of</c><00:24:54.240><
• c> the</c><00:24:54.480><c> taxing</c> We believe expansion of the taxing We believe expansion of the
• within the zone if the city determines that that expansion is necessary to prevent relocation outside
• within the zone for businesses expansion within the zone if<01:44:22.239><c> the</c><01:44:22.400><c
• is necessary to prevent expansion is necessary to prevent relocation<01:44:26.000><c> outside</c><01

Bills: HF4094 , HF3390 , HF3813 , HF3583 , HF3751 , HF4324 , HF4789 , HF3596 , HF4033 , HF4424 , HF4053

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: Crosby, local sales tax, bonding authority, community projects, voter approval, Owatonna, use tax, special law, community center, municipal finance, capital project, sales and use tax, local option tax, city tax, public facility, general election, bond referendum, debt limit, levy limit, Minnesota local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Charles County rejected the vote, so they don't have MetroLink expansion to St. Charles County.
• It was an expansion of MetroLink.
• It was an expansion of MetroLink.
• It was an expansion of MetroLink.
• Representative Smith: Are the Citizens for Modern Transit interested in expansion into the St.

Committee: House Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

Summary: The House Transportation Committee first announced that House Bill 1873 had been pulled at the sponsors’ request and would not be heard. The committee then took up House Bill 2759, which would require MoDOT to publish engineer’s estimates after a project is awarded or rejected, with the sponsor and supporters framing it as a transparency and accountability measure that would help taxpayers and contractors understand why bids are accepted or rejected. Supporters, including the Missouri Asphalt Paving Association and a state public advocate, said the bill would not affect bidding because the estimate would be released only after award, and argued that other states already do this without higher costs. MoDOT opposed the bill, saying its estimates are meant to reflect fair market value at the time of letting and that releasing them could let contractors pattern bids around MoDOT’s numbers, potentially setting an artificial floor or otherwise distorting competition. Committee members questioned both sides closely about whether publishing the estimate after award would still influence future bids, whether rejected bids are already explained, and whether the bill would help identify problems with project scope or estimating. The sponsor said the bill had been refined and referenced an amendment to make clear the disclosure would occur at award or rejection, not before bidding. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee then heard House Bill 2837, which would change how vacancies on the Bi-State Development Agency board are filled by returning to a system where the governor appoints from within the district rather than from lists submitted by the St. Louis city mayor and county executive. The sponsor argued the current process gives too much control to St. Louis City and County and does not adequately represent growing areas such as St. Charles County. Opponents from the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Citizens for Modern Transit, and a state public advocate argued the change would weaken local control for the jurisdictions that actually fund and use the transit system, noting that St. Charles, Jefferson, and Monroe counties do not pay the same transit taxes and in some cases do not receive service. The hearing ended after testimony in opposition, with no vote taken and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we plan for grid expansion, we have really three main factors: what are the loads going to be, what
• So there's a substantial way to go in order to implement all of this expansion. Final slide here.
• really, one way to put it, table stakes, I think, for what the region needs for transmission and expansion
• This is enough to maintain the system, but not enough to support any major clean energy expansion.
• If we look in green there, that is when we get into our energy Energy expansion.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Energy Supply, Energy Conservation, and Energy Resilience

Summary: The Joint Committee on Energy Supply, Energy Conservation, and Energy Resilience opened by electing Senator Shewmake as chair and Representative Alex Ybarra as vice chair. Members then turned to a work session on data centers, transmission, and workforce issues, with the committee noting the statutory rotation of leadership and the urgency of these topics for 2026 and beyond. Kate Bruns and Glenn Blackman presented preliminary findings from the governor’s Data Center work group, which met from May through November and received more than 1,000 public comments. They said the group did not reach full consensus, but agreed Washington’s grid has limited excess capacity, data centers are expected to be a major source of future load growth, ratepayer protections and better load forecasting are important, and the state should preserve its energy and climate laws while seeking more clean power and transmission. They also described tribal consultation underway through the Department of Revenue, and noted that a proposed expansion of the data center sales tax exemption tied to new clean electricity narrowly failed and was left for the legislature to consider. The committee then heard from West Tech consultant Keegan Moyer on regional transmission planning. He described a broad Western transmission portfolio developed through interconnection-wide studies, including roughly 70-plus planned projects and additional upgrades totaling about 12,000 line miles and an estimated $56 billion. He said the West faces rapid load growth, reliability stress, and major transmission constraints, and that the portfolio is intended to support reliability, economic efficiency, and public policy goals. Members asked about crossing utility and market “seams,” state ownership or pre-permitting of corridors, and whether the process could speed interconnection delays; he said the main barriers are permitting, rights-of-way, and interconnection queues, not construction itself. Stephanie Scott then summarized the electrical transmission workforce needs study. She said the study focuses on substation technicians, line workers, and line clearance tree trimmers, and found that meeting Washington’s clean energy goals will require far more workers than current training pipelines produce. She emphasized that apprenticeship depends on active projects, that retirements are reducing experienced mentors, and that barriers such as costly CDL training, limited pre-apprenticeship access, and wraparound support needs must be addressed. The committee also heard from Brant Johnson of Grid United on barriers to new transmission, using the North Plains Connector as a case study. He described a long development process centered on early stakeholder engagement, tribal consultation, route changes, and coordinated federal and state permitting, and said the project has largely relied on private capital with a federal GRIP grant covering a portion of costs. Members discussed eminent domain, landowner compensation, financing, and whether similar approaches could help speed other transmission projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• Expanse trolls across the public-facing internet, and it looks at vulnerabilities and weaknesses that
• One, our attack surface management tool is called Expanse.
• We often will go into different organizations and we'll do an Expanse scan, or run, and say, “Hey, how
• We often will go into different organizations and we'll do an Expanse scan or run and say, “Hey, how
• And we went in and did an Expanse run, and it was 300 million.

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity and the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management held a joint informational hearing focused on maximizing the value of state cybersecurity investments, especially by fully using security features already included in existing vendor contracts. The first panel included representatives from Microsoft, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks, who described the products and services they provide to California and generally agreed that agencies often have strong adoption in some areas but still face challenges from tool overlap, limited staff, lack of awareness of available features, and the need for ongoing training and configuration support. They also discussed major threats such as ransomware, data loss, attack-surface exposure, IoT/OT vulnerabilities, and the growing role of AI in both attacks and defenses. Members pressed the vendors on whether state departments underuse purchased cybersecurity tools, how to improve utilization, and how to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage. The vendors said utilization is often constrained by staffing, procurement complexity, and the need to align tools with agency missions and maturity levels, but emphasized that training, leadership buy-in, and regular vendor-agency collaboration can improve results. They also discussed how AI can help with phishing triage, data-loss prevention, and security operations, while warning that agencies must manage AI safely and with human oversight. The second panel featured officials from the Department of Technology, Cal OES/CalSIC, and the California Military Department. They described statewide oversight efforts including audits, independent security assessments, continuous monitoring, advisory services, vulnerability disclosure programs, and workforce development initiatives such as the Information Security Leadership Academy and Cybersecurity Education Summit. Officials said some underutilization is real, but it is often tied to differing agency maturity, overlapping tools, and deliberate feature restrictions to reduce attack surface and complexity; they emphasized a balanced approach using people, process, and technology, with plans of action and milestones to hold departments accountable. They also noted federal uncertainty around MS-ISAC and the state and local cybersecurity grant program, saying California is advocating through federal partners and monitoring the impact. The hearing ended after public comment and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we can also support the expansion of tourism and infrastructure with airports, roads, and hotels.
• And right now we're seeing aggressive territorial expansion efforts from Russia, obviously through force
• And so if we put territorial expansion sort of at one end of the spectrum here, and then we can think
• It is critical for the expansion of good paying jobs for Greenlanders and for a strong economy.
• We're also seeing the expansion of wildland fires and other novel challenges.

Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Keywords: Greenland, acquisition, national security, Arctic, geopolitical, China, Russia, icebreakers, trade routes

Summary: The meeting convened by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation focused on the potential acquisition of Greenland by the United States. This issue, first raised by President Trump in 2019, has gained renewed significance amidst shifting global dynamics and the strategic importance of Greenland in relation to transatlantic trade routes and national security. The members discussed the geopolitical implications of Greenland's position, especially given the increasing influence of China and Russia in the Arctic region. Notably, the urgency to address military presence and icebreaker capabilities in the Arctic was a major point of contention, with a call for a new fleet to counter foreign dominance in the area.

Transcript Highlights:

• Central Alabama, where we are right here, has expansive clays and expansive soils that... expansive clays
• and expansive soils that have foundation considerations.

Bills: SB186 , SB212 , HB566 , SB186 , SB212

Committee: House Commerce and Small Business

Keywords: internet filtering, child protection, obscene content, civil liability, manufacturers, real estate, licensing, brokerage agreements, team structure, penalties, consumer protection, residential construction, architect approval, building regulations, engineering, single family homes, invisible disability, distinctive license plate, specialty plate, motor vehicle registration