Transcript Highlights:

• So, we did the hard work. We did the hard budget work.
• not work for them.
• You do that work.
• It's been a pleasure to work on the committee and in the working group. Working group.
• So good to work with, so good to work with.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are very much committed to working within the resources that we have to do what we can and to working
• So I know the work, I've done the work, but I'm really excited about being able to invest in the team
• So I know the work, I've done the work, but I'm really excited about being able to invest in the team
• Don't take offense to this—I don't want the opportunity to work with you, because I have worked with
• Thank you for your work.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules met to consider a series of gubernatorial appointments, bill referrals, and two Senate Rule 26 authorship-change requests. The committee first approved, on 4-0 votes held open for absent members, a slate of appointments not required to appear, including J. Bradshaw to the Transportation Commission, Kylie Bolser to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and several appointments to the Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, as well as Monique Moyer to the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority Board. The committee also approved bill referrals and, after a clarification that only authorship changes were before the committee, approved the Rule 26 requests involving former Assembly Member James Gallagher’s bills AB 2676 and AB 2700. After absent members arrived, those earlier actions were confirmed by 5-0 votes. The main hearing was on Megan Hurdle’s appointment as Director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hurdle emphasized a science-based, collaborative approach balancing conservation with the needs of farmers, ranchers, local governments, tribes, and communities. Senators focused on human-wildlife conflict, including wolves and mountain lions, the Western Joshua tree program and its costs for homeowners and local projects, invasive golden mussels, staffing shortages among wildlife officers, marine protected areas and 30x30, tribal co-management and land return, and oil spill prevention and response. Hurdle said the department is using data sharing, less-lethal tools, task forces, public education, and partnerships to address these issues, while also trying to improve permitting and reduce burdens where possible. The committee then heard from Caroline Thomas Jacobs, nominated to lead the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Jacobs highlighted her prior leadership roles in wildfire safety and her earlier service at Cal OES, and said her priorities include statewide preparedness, next-generation 911, recovery from the Los Angeles fires, and planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics. Senators questioned her about disaster debris clearance, public safety power shutoffs, governance for the 911 rollout, earthquake preparedness, mutual-aid equipment, and how Cal OES coordinates with local and out-of-state law enforcement for major events. Jacobs said Cal OES should show up quickly, coordinate clearly, and use lessons from past disasters to reduce delays and improve response. Both nominees received broad support from public witnesses, and each was advanced to the Senate floor by committee vote; Hurdle’s appointment was later confirmed 5-0, and Jacobs’s appointment was confirmed 5-0 after the committee reconvened.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're committed to working with both parents to make the program sustainable and work for families.
• Our city has committed real resources to this work. $75,000. committed real resources to this work, $75,000
• for doing the work.
• I have seen firsthand how it works.
• EBT stopped working. Food banks ran out of supplies as lines... EBT stopped working.

Committee: House Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, so it works like that.
• So the meds I was on really didn't work for me. It wasn't working for me.
• And we did hear about a working group that has been working.
• So I think essentially, yes, the work group is working.
• I cannot do this work alone.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing focused on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s handling of mental health care in prisons and allegations of sexual abuse, retaliation, and excessive force in the state’s women’s facilities. CDCR officials described their PREA-based prevention and response efforts, including training, oversight, body-worn cameras, retaliation follow-up, and partnerships with outside groups. The Office of the Inspector General explained its monitoring role, noting increased authority under SB 1069, but also limited staffing and the ability to monitor only a portion of cases. The Legislative Analyst’s Office added that prison population trends could allow the state to close a prison and save over $100 million, with some savings potentially redirected to prevention or response efforts. Advocates and formerly incarcerated witnesses from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and the California Coalition of Women Prisoners testified that meaningful systemic change has not occurred and that retaliation, blocked programming, and unsafe reporting conditions remain widespread. They described alleged barriers to community-based services, forced or coercive treatment concerns involving Suboxone, and the need for survivor-centered reentry support, trauma-informed care, and more independent oversight. Sandra DeAnda gave detailed testimony about alleged staff abuse, retaliation, denial of mental health care, and a large use-of-force incident at Central California Women’s Facility, while Amika Mota and April Grayson urged release or resentencing for survivors housed with their abusers and greater investment in outside programs. Members of the committee pressed CDCR and OIG on accountability, use-of-force standards, criminal referrals, disciplinary outcomes, and whether investigations are completed within statutory timelines. CDCR acknowledged cultural problems at both women’s prisons and said it was retraining staff and working on reforms, while OIG said it had monitored 161 investigations and found most grievance routing appropriate, though some cases had lapsed due to time limits. Later exchanges revealed that CDCR has over 13,500 active cases and 109 investigators, and that some cases have exceeded deadlines, prompting concerns from members about whether the current system can adequately investigate misconduct and impose consequences. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Still working on it.
• I know, because I work a lot in smaller communities, I work with schools that often have to do a lot
• Now, can they work in these FQHCs? Can they work in these facilities?
• Are you guys working together?
• So I appreciate your work.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been a pleasure to be the chair and to work with Chair Vang. We worked very well together.
• Thank you, Chair McDonald, for working so hard in dedication and working with our great Chair Vang.
• Um, we had a clip we had to work with.
• And I just have to the specific work.
• That's the way it works.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was working here in DC in the 80s.
• So I would be happy to work with you though on kind of what we're thinking and happy to work with you
• Keep up the fantastic work.
• But then that means our department has to do the work of, truly the work is doing the grant agreements
• And so I am looking forward to working with you and working with this committee to craft bipartisan surface

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Keywords: surface transportation, infrastructure reauthorization, bipartisan collaboration, safety, federal programs, funding challenges, bureaucracy, transportation needs, critical projects, public testimony

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the development of the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. Discussions centered around key principles aimed at improving the safety and reliability of the transportation network, reforming federal programs for efficiency, and addressing the diverse transportation needs across various states. Members emphasized the importance of bipartisan collaboration to streamline processes, eliminate bureaucratic delays, and ensure timely funding for critical infrastructure projects. There were also notable conversations about specific projects and funding challenges, reflecting the urgency for action and commitment to modernizing America's infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• We know what works, we know what doesn't work.
• This is work Mark Levin started. This is work Bill Hammond started.
• These alternatives work.
• They are my life's work.
• My time before that was clinical work, mental health work.

Bills: HB31 , HB3360

Committee: House S/C on Juvenile Justice

Keywords: juvenile justice, community supervision, felony offenses, treatment of children, juvenile facilities, chemical dispensing device, solitary confinement, rehabilitation, criminal proceedings, delinquency

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you've done a lot of work.
• Anyway, thank you for all the hard work.
• for his work on it, and you, Chairwoman, did a lot of work on this bill, and we appreciate that very
• I just want to thank the majority leader for the work on this, the governor for his work on it, and I
• I see how hard you guys worked. It's a lot of work to do. So I want to thank you for that.

Committee: Assembly Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to highlight four large audits that are on that work plan that we have already begun work on
• So it can be a good source of information if you're curious what work we're working on.
• And so, really proud of the work, continue to want to grow the work.
• hard work paying off.
• And do you work solely with charter schools? We work with charter and traditional district.

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from the State Auditor’s Office on its current performance audit work plan. The auditor described how topics are selected from a large pool of ideas and coordinated with JLARC to avoid duplication. Four ongoing audits were highlighted: Liquor and Cannabis Board operations, oversight of authorized entities serving students with disabilities, the long-term care provisions of Initiative 1163, and Medicaid managed care versus fee-for-service costs. Other planned topics included housing commission tenant ownership follow-up, DSHS vendor payment growth, implementation of the Since Time Memorial curriculum, and Washington State Ferries operations. Members asked about coordination with JLARC, and the auditor said the office regularly exchanges work plans and monthly updates with JLARC staff. The committee then received the State Auditor’s report on how charter schools identify and support at-risk students. Auditors reviewed four schools—Catalyst Public Schools, Innovation High School, Pinnacles Prep, and Rainier Prep—and focused on English language learners, homeless students, and special education students. The audit found that the schools met nearly all legal requirements reviewed and used many leading practices, including small-group instruction, culturally responsive environments, family engagement, and multi-tiered systems of support. The main recommendations were to improve documentation and written procedures so staff can apply practices more consistently. One area of partial compliance involved language access planning, and MTSS implementation varied across schools. Committee members asked why those four schools were selected, how the sample compared with district and statewide student populations, and whether the audit examined K-2 MTSS requirements. The auditor explained the schools were chosen for student need, geographic diversity, and authorizer representation, and that K-2 MTSS was not evaluated because only one school served those grades. Representatives from the Charter School Commission and charter school advocates responded positively, saying the report reflected strong practices and could help spread effective approaches. Public testimony from the Washington State Charter Schools Association and Excellent Schools Washington also supported the report and urged continued sharing of best practices across schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• and gives my work meaning.
• We're working with locals. We're working with the feds.
• Our illicit market work is going to be intelligence-led investigative work to kind of deepen, get further
• My commitment to this work is also personal.
• And then our third BCP in this area is to continue the work of 34 positions that were working on the

Committee: Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the licensure work that they do. the licensure work that they do.
• </c> we're continuing to work on. we're continuing to work on.
• We need to work on that.
• We need to work on that.
• We need to work on that.

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• So once people are working With us, we then work with them continuously.
• but Yes, we're still working on it.
• We work really hard to ensure that.
• So we do work in Cathryn County.
• He's looking for work. He's kind of a history major, and this is kind of Interesting work.

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• What we're doing and how we go about that work.
• And then when you think about the work we're doing in engineering and how that works in the energy sector
• Now, again, we're working hard on it.
• They've been doing some work on this.
• They've been doing some work on this.

Summary: The committee met at NDSU and approved the April 9 minutes. The main purpose of the meeting was an informational presentation from NDSU President David Stewart and university leaders on the university’s priorities, including enrollment, student success, research, commercialization, and use of New Horizons funding. Stewart emphasized a “One NDSU” approach, thanked legislators for past support, and said the university will focus on recruitment and retention, a new strategic plan, and growing research and tech transfer while serving North Dakota’s workforce needs. University leaders said NDSU is using tuition waivers more strategically and will work to reduce them over time through scholarship optimization. Provost Sherry Vale described academic portfolio reviews, program closures or consolidations, strategic hiring, and workload policies aimed at aligning resources with demand. They also highlighted student outcomes, including high completion rates, strong employment placement, and NDSU’s role in producing a large share of the state’s engineers, nurses, and agriculture graduates. Several students testified about how NDSU’s mentoring, internships, research, and support services helped them succeed. The committee also heard from partners on New Horizons-related collaborations: Gateway to Science described K-12 STEM outreach in rural and tribal areas, and Sanford Research discussed joint research efforts, including COBRE-related work, obesity and GLP-1 studies, and a joint biostatistics hire. Later speakers highlighted Governor’s School and NDSU’s research and commercialization efforts, including growth in research expenditures and invention disclosures. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, members of the committee, these two bills are a work product that Senator Williams and I have worked
• </c> we can continue working on it? we can continue working on it?
• </c> that's doing some doing great work. that's doing some doing great work.
• ><c> partners</c> good work working with federal partners good work working with federal partners as<
• We are going to work on. I know that Senator Williams has some that he's working on as well.

Committee: Joint Government Structure

Transcript Highlights:

• I worked in Long Beach for some period of time and also in the Antelope Valley when I was working at
• We're working with Congress.
• And, I mean, I, in my work in the state libraries, we work with local libraries.
• How can you maintain your work?
• Back to work. Back to work. Yeah, thank you.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on how federal actions are affecting arts, culture, humanities, libraries, museums, and creative industries in California. Chair Ben Allen, Vice Chair Chris Ward, and other members described the moment as a crisis, citing proposed or implemented cuts to the NEA, NEH, and IMLS, grant terminations, leadership removals, and budget proposals to zero out major cultural agencies. Members emphasized that arts and humanities are both culturally essential and economically significant, and they framed the hearing as a chance to hear impacts on the ground and consider state and federal responses. Testimony from Aaron Harky of Americans for the Arts and Jolie Fisher of SAG-AFTRA highlighted the scale of the problem. Harky said federal rescissions and policy changes are causing immediate financial harm, forcing hiring freezes, program cancellations, and emergency fundraising, while disproportionately hurting rural, immigrant, elder, and small community organizations. She noted California’s creative economy generates hundreds of billions of dollars and urged support for restoring state arts funding, museum grants, and legislation such as SB 456 and AB 3149, along with federal measures like the Charitable Act and Performing Arts Tax Parity Act. Fisher focused on film and television production, saying runaway production, outdated tax rules, and weak federal IP protections are harming workers and local businesses; she urged federal production incentives, tax parity for performers, and stronger protections against AI misuse of artists’ voices and likenesses. State agency leaders Rick Noguchi of California Humanities, Greg Lucas of the State Library, and Danielle Purcell of the California Arts Council described direct impacts from federal funding disruptions. Noguchi said California Humanities lost NEH support immediately, putting grants and documentary projects at risk and prompting possible litigation and appeals. Lucas said the State Library initially faced a major IMLS funding loss but has since had part of the money restored, though still with a reduced amount that will limit local assistance. Purcell said the California Arts Council is assessing terminated grants and fielding urgent calls from grantees, while continuing to distribute state arts funds and track the damage. Members asked about bipartisan support, business coalition-building, economic measurement, AI threats to creative work, and the implications of federal leadership changes; no votes were taken, but the hearing ended with calls for continued advocacy, legal action, and possible state investment to stabilize the sector.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of you have worked with her already.
• Its work is incomplete, but the work group is, under the statute, finished with its meetings.
• Potential options available would include continuing the work group's work through a new work group established
• The work group? Yes, Ms. Crosmese.
• for employers, we need it to work for workers, we need it to work for the medical providers who are

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of the work coming out of our committee fits under LuPRO and the work that's been happening on poverty
• And so this body of work started with a partner from across the other chamber, and we've been working
• And thank you for the giant work group that does amazing work. We'll keep it going.
• lot of this work grow.
• lot of this work grow.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held an evening hearing on several bills. Senate Bill 6249, sponsored by Sen. Torres, would require all people convicted of stalking to be supervised by the Department of Corrections. Staff explained current community custody rules and said the bill would make stalking convictions subject to DOC supervision; the fiscal note had been requested but not yet received. The sponsor and several survivors and advocates testified in support, saying stalking is dangerous, victims need ongoing monitoring, and supervision could help prevent future harm. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6255, sponsored by Sen. Lovelett, which renames and updates the Legislative Executive Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force (LuPRO) as the Legislative Executive Economic Justice and Well-Being Task Force, expands membership, and revises duties to monitor and update the state’s 10-year plan to dismantle poverty. Staff said the bill has a partial fiscal note showing a $4,000 OSPI cost for a report, with no additional cost beyond that this biennium. Testimony from DSHS and a constituent supported the bill as a way to improve coordination and accountability in poverty reduction efforts. Senate Bill 6286, sponsored by Sen. Orwall, would authorize the Department of Health to fine private detention facilities that deny inspectors entry, with escalating daily fines and a new account to support people harmed by wrongful detention or ICE-related abuse. The sponsor and supporters framed the bill as a human rights and public health measure, citing complaints about food, sanitation, medical care, and mental health conditions in private detention facilities. The committee then heard Senate Bill 6224, sponsored by Chair Wilson, which would create a Children and Youth Behavioral Health Leadership Council to implement the Washington Thriving Strategic Plan and extend the existing work group. Supporters from state agencies, providers, parents, and advocates emphasized early intervention, cross-system coordination, and youth mental health needs; one witness opposed the bill, arguing it should focus more on non-psychiatric causes of distress. The hearing ended with no recorded votes or final action on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Gregerson, thank you for this good work. We worked a lot on this. I keep hearing that the budget...
• Where you see a lot of this work in here is really having our agencies work together more and collaborate
• and working with the Digital Equity Forum.
• trying to work with the legislature to standardize some of the stipend work, and the Office of Equity
• And so I really appreciate all of your work.

Bills: HB2357 , HB2365 , HB2446

Committee: House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans

Keywords: civil air patrol, military, Washington, emergency services, public safety, digital opportunities, accessibility, technology, economic growth, education, quantum technology, economic development, workforce development, innovation, technology industry

Transcript Highlights:

• But we are working.
• So thank you for all the collaboration and the work, and we must continue to work together.
• So that's why we have to work lockstep with the USDA. So... Work lockstep with the USDA.
• The math doesn't really work out.
• We are working with number two.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on preparedness for the New World screwworm threat and brought together the House Committees on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and Agriculture and Livestock. USDA officials, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and Texas Animal Health Commission leadership described the pest as a serious risk to livestock, wildlife, rural economies, and beef prices, and emphasized coordination among federal, state, industry, and Mexican partners. Witnesses repeatedly stressed that Texas is currently seeing no confirmed U.S. detections, but that recent confirmed cases in northern Mexico, including Nuevo León, remain a concern because of their proximity to the border. USDA testimony outlined current surveillance and response efforts, including more than 120 screw worm-specific traps along the Texas border and neighboring states, thousands of additional dual-purpose traps, wildlife inspections, weekly coordination with Mexico’s Senasica, and a new USDA New World Screwworm Directorate. Officials said the existing Panama sterile fly facility is maxed out at about 100 million flies per week, while a dispersal facility in Tampico is helping move flies farther north in Mexico. They also described plans for a retrofitted sterile fly facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to come online in 2026, and a new domestic production facility at Moore Air Base, with phase one targeted for late 2026 or early 2027 and phase two adding substantially more capacity later. Members pressed USDA on timelines, production capacity, the reliability of Mexican reporting, the risk from wildlife, and whether modular or mobile facilities could be deployed faster. USDA said it is also exploring innovative technologies, including a genetically engineered sterile male fly, but that such tools still require EPA review and field validation. Commissioner Miller highlighted Texas biosecurity efforts, five permanent inspection stations, cooperation with FDA and EPA on treatments such as Exzolt, and other pest issues affecting Texas agriculture. He also noted research into fly bait and private-sector efforts to speed sterile fly production. Texas Animal Health Commission officials described extensive state preparedness work, including weekly coordination calls, field response trainings, outreach to producers and veterinarians, and a Texas Screwworm Response Team. They said Texas has trained more than 100 inspectors and other personnel, with additional trainings planned, and that the state is expanding its cattle fever tick rider program. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing; the main action was the exchange of testimony and questions about readiness, surveillance, and facility timelines.