Transcript Highlights:

• SB 597 Cortese, Labor Joint Liability, due pass is amended to make a clarifying change.
• SB 261 Wahab, Labor Commissioner Enforcement, do pass, as amended to strike the online posting requirement

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So is Employment Security and Labor and Industries part of the reporting requirement?
• I think Labor and Industries is a required reporter.

Summary: At the June 4, 2025 JLARC I-900 Subcommittee hearing, the State Auditor’s Office presented a performance audit on Washington’s child support insurance intercept law. The audit reviewed the mandatory reporting system for insurance claims tied to past-due child support, noting that collections increased after the law took effect in 2022, but that some eligible claims still are not being reported. Auditors said DCS learns about roughly 1 in 10 claims through other channels, and that insurers may miss reporting because they are unaware of the law, make administrative errors, or misunderstand the $500 threshold and timing requirements. The audit recommended that the Office of the Insurance Commissioner help educate insurers by adding information to its website and sharing insurer contact contacts with DCS, and also recommended that the Legislature amend the law to create monitoring and enforcement authority. The auditor said neither DCS nor OIC currently has authority to monitor compliance or take action against noncompliant insurers, though other states use insurance regulators or market conduct exams for this purpose. Committee members asked about possible coordinated enforcement between DSHS and OIC, which the auditor said was beyond the scope of the audit but could be considered by the Legislature. An OIC representative said the commissioner is willing to help educate insurers, post information on the OIC website, and share contact information with DSHS, and that the agency is open to further discussion. No public testimony was offered, and no votes or formal committee actions were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We I sat on the Department of Labor website redesign committee years ago, and at that point they put
• representing labor, and people from the industries that the Department of Labor deals with.
• <02:12:42.320> representing<02:12:42.960> labor Department of Labor representing labor
• Department of Labor representing labor and<02:12:45.040> people<02:12:45.360> from<02:
• <02:12:49.440> I Department of Labor deals with. I Department of Labor deals with.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee met to begin work on HB 742, which would require catastrophic special education aid to be drawn from the education trust fund, and more broadly to study special education aid/differentiated aid and related costing issues. The chair said the group was starting early because the issue has been debated for years without resolution, local districts are being forced to absorb prorated costs, and the committee wants to send the Department of Education and HHS Medicaid a clear request for data and recommendations before retained bills return in the fall. A committee clerk was also selected, with Representative Reverend volunteering to take notes for the meeting. Members reviewed background materials on special education enrollment, high-cost students, and possible funding formulas, including data on students in high-cost brackets and prior ideas such as category-based funding and caseload-based approaches. The chair also referenced research on other states, including Arkansas, which uses a different special education funding structure and audits IEPs. The committee emphasized that it was focused on the funding mechanics and costs, not on questioning whether services should be provided. Henry Lipman of HHS explained how Medicaid-to-schools currently works in New Hampshire. He said 172 school districts participate, but utilization dropped during the pandemic and remains below historical levels, in part because districts need the capacity to bill Medicaid. Under the current system, schools receive reimbursement based on half of the Medicaid fee schedule, with the school district effectively providing the state share. He said the federal government is requiring a shift by July 1, 2026, to a true certified public expenditure model based on actual costs, which should allow schools to recover 50% of their true costs and some administrative overhead. The department has received a roughly $2.5 million grant to hire a vendor and support districts through the transition, and an RFP and stakeholder meetings are underway. Committee members asked about how costs would be determined, whether the new system would use actual district-specific costs rather than averages, and how the department would support districts that do not currently participate. Lipman said the cost model would be based on each district’s own reasonable costs, subject to audit standards, and that the department expects to provide templates and technical assistance through the vendor because its staff is limited. He also said about one in four New Hampshire children are enrolled in Medicaid, that child enrollment has been relatively stable, and that continuous coverage rules should reduce churn. No votes or formal actions on HB 742 were taken during the meeting beyond organizing the subcommittee and beginning testimony and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• represent a rural community in central Minnesota, District 10B, and I sit on the Workforce and Jobs and Labor
• I am counsel to the jobs committee and the labor committee. Hi everyone. Uh, my name is Tom Melton.
• :02:49.040> the councel to the jobs committee and the councel to the jobs committee and the labor
• labor committee. labor committee. CA. CA. CA. >> Hi<00:02:53.440> everyone.
• But our indications are we're losing our edge with our workers, and the labor market is shrinking in

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I would point more towards labor health. >> I think that's a valid point.
• Um, we could always tweak who's on the advisory board to include a member of labor health, um, include
• board to include a member of labor board to include a member of labor health<00:19:07.440> um
• is obviously uh labor health and and<00:42:45.280> social<00:42:45.599> services.
• The speaker said they did intend to bring that as an interim topic through the Labor Health Committee

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am general counsel with the Department of Labor. Um, the department is neutral on the bill.
• Of Labor. Um, the department is neutral on the bill. We take no position.
• It takes you five minutes, but that's five minutes of labor.
• , describe all the costs both in labor, describe all the costs both in labor, materials,<01:08:44.560
• That's a lot of labor. Yeah. per label. That's a lot of labor. Yeah.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations in support.
• <01:29:26.159> and we have Department of Labor and we have Department of Labor and Industrial
• , and enforcing labor standards.
• is critical to um safeguarding labor is critical to um safeguarding labor protections<01:37:29.159
• <01:37:32.119> standards agreements and enforcing labor standards agreements and enforcing

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard SB 104, which would restrict the use of restrictive housing or solitary confinement in state-operated and state-contracted correctional facilities, with specified exceptions. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation strongly opposed the bill, saying its existing policy already meets or exceeds ACA and National Institute of Corrections standards, and objecting to language they said would give the oversight commission operational decision-making authority. The Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission supported the bill, but also said it was not intended to run operations and described concerns about restrictive housing practices, including CoreCivic’s SHIP program at Saguaro. Supporters included the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Office of the Public Defender, the Disability Rights Center, ACLU Hawaii, Easter Seals Hawaii, and individual testifiers. They argued that Native Hawaiians are disproportionately impacted by incarceration, that solitary confinement is harmful and linked to depression, anxiety, suicidality, and poor reentry outcomes, and that confinement beyond 15 days is widely condemned under international standards. Several testifiers cited suicides and deaths in custody as reasons to codify limits in statute rather than rely on policy alone. The department responded that it already has 24/7 medical care, though not 24/7 mental health coverage at one facility, and explained that it uses four custody categories: disciplinary segregation, administrative segregation, protective custody, and placements for inmates seeking separation for safety reasons. Members questioned the department and commission about the SHIP program, whether the bill was based on other states’ laws, and how current policies compare with national standards. The director said the bill was too ambiguous in places and that the department was willing to work with the commission on policy changes, but still opposed the measure as written. The committee took testimony and questions; no vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a four-year Navy veteran, 26 years as a union laborer, and proud resident of North Minneapolis.
• I'm a four-year Navy veteran, 26 years as a union laborer, and proud resident of North Minneapolis.
• , and proud resident of North laborer, and proud resident of North Minneapolis.<00:32:36.720> I'm<
• <00:38:04.320> So,<00:38:04.400> I because we have child labor laws.
• So, I because we have child labor laws.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know last session we established the Office of the Fire Marshal, which is in the Department of Labor
• so how is this funding tied in to Labor so how is this funding tied in to that<00:47:26.559> and<
• but you're you're looking at go to labor but you're you're looking at the<01:53:07.320> the<01
• This is to add a position for our Labor Relations EO, so it would be adding to HR.
• um to out a position for our Labor um to out a position for our Labor Relations EO<02:00:17.400>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Guard this place from cynicism dressed up as wisdom. whose labor keeps our world turning. whose labor
• <00:53:40.400> caucuses council's business and labor caucuses council's business and labor
• I've been privileged to sit and labor.
• Women went into labor at exponentially.
• Labor leaders organizing rides, schools.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill does not lower the cost of 2x4s or lower the cost of labor for new construction.
• This bill does not lower the cost of 2x4s or lower the cost of labor for new construction.
• This bill does not lower the cost of 2x4s or lower the cost of labor for new construction.
• This bill does not lower the cost of 2x4s or lower the cost of labor for new construction.
• This bill does not lower the cost of 2x4s or lower the cost of labor for new construction.

Bills: HF4319, HF3295, HF3589, HF3587, HF3588, HF4295, HF3571, HF3895

Keywords: public utilities commission, Lake City, port authority, Red Wing, terms of appointment, local government, elections, open meeting law, transparency, public engagement, social media, government accountability, voter access, polling place, ballot, unexpected needs, election judge, public information, political parties, HF4295

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, so I've been in active negotiations with hospitals when I did labor contracts, and it always seems
• So I have big concerns about this because uh we have to protect our labor force and the and I guess that
• of on the same page here because it's absorbed in operations, but I think it also comes out in our labor
• Please support nurses, patients, and labor by opposing HF1925. Thank you.
• Please support nurses, patients, and labor by opposing HF 1925.

Bills: HF1925

Keywords: nurse licensure, multistate license, healthcare, public safety, interstate compact, nursing regulation, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We also had written comments from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, written support from
• from the we also had written comments from the Department<00:42:26.480> of<00:42:26.720> Labor
• of Labor and Industrial Relations, Relations, Relations, uh,<00:42:29.680> written<00:42:30.079
• replacing assumptions with documentation because if the state allows its contractor to force unpaid labor
• Because if the state allows its contractor to force unpaid labor on people, that isn't caregiving.

Bills: HB2488, HB2456

Keywords: disability, communication access, deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, healthcare, sign language interpreters, auxiliary aids, weight loss, GLP-1 drugs, obesity, Medicaid, healthcare costs, 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HP 1972, which would create a nonrefundable family caregiver tax credit, and on a related tax measure to increase the existing dependent care tax credit. Supporters of HP 1972, including AARP, the Executive Office on Aging, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and others, said unpaid caregivers are essential to keeping kūpuna and other loved ones at home and described significant out-of-pocket costs. The Department of Taxation and the Tax Foundation raised technical concerns, including the need to avoid overlap with existing credits and to prevent double-dipping. The department said taxpayers can claim credits to the extent allowed, but recommended explicit language barring the same costs from being claimed under more than one credit. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the chair moved the bill along after questions. The committee then heard HP 1975, which would repeal the sunset on the state rent supplement program for kūpuna. AARP, Catholic Charities Hawaii, the Executive Office on Aging, and others supported making the program permanent, saying it helps low-income older adults avoid eviction and homelessness and allows them to remain in affordable housing. Catholic Charities described clients who were paying unsustainable shares of income for rent before receiving the supplement. Members also shared a constituent example of an elderly retiree who needed the subsidy to stay housed. Written support was noted from additional organizations and individuals. Next, the committee took up HB 1706, which would expand Medicaid prospective payment reimbursement to include mental health services furnished in federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics by mental health professionals under supervision. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, and DHS said it appreciated the intent to address workforce shortages and expand training, but cautioned that unlicensed professionals cannot currently bill Medicaid and that a state plan amendment would be needed, with limited precedent for approval. Members asked about the likelihood and timing of federal approval and whether the bill could help rural areas; DHS said approval is uncertain and the process can take time, though it saw possible alignment with the state’s rural health transformation efforts. The committee also discussed HB 546, a three-year health coverage continuity pilot program for people losing Medicaid coverage. DHS, the Attorney General’s office, DCCA, Catholic Charities, the University of Hawaii, and others testified, with DHS warning that federal changes could increase uninsured rates and that the state may need to act quickly. Catholic Charities and others emphasized the risk to Medicaid recipients, including homeless and near-elderly residents, while DHS explained the state’s existing premium assistance program for certain immigrants and compared it to the proposed pilot. The excerpt ends during discussion of that comparison, with no vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, members, Sarah Flock, California Federation of Labor Unions, in support. Thank you.
• I'm proud to represent this bill on behalf of SEIU because it's important for labor to be involved in
• expertise, to coordinate accountability measures when labor violations rise to an egregious level.
• Chair, Member, Sarah Flachs, California Federation of Labor Unions, in support. Mr.
• Chair, Member, Sarah Flock's, California Federation of Labor Unions, in support. Thank you.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills related to reproductive access, child safety online, immigration enforcement in schools, health privacy, location data, digital provenance, reparations, and age assurance. AB 54 would protect the medication abortion supply chain and shield providers and others from liability; AB 1137 would strengthen reporting and enforcement tools for child sexual abuse material on social media; AB 49 would limit ICE activity at California public schools; AB 82 would expand privacy and safety protections for gender-affirming care patients and providers; AB 1355 would restrict the collection, use, and sale of precise location data; AB 853 would expand provenance requirements for AI-generated and authentic content; AB 62 would create a pathway for restitution for racially biased eminent domain takings; and AB 1043 would create a device-based age assurance framework for online services. Supporters generally framed the bills as necessary responses to current harms: reproductive rights advocates emphasized California’s role as a safe haven; child safety witnesses described the persistence and re-victimization caused by CSAM online; immigrant rights and education advocates said schools should remain safe from immigration enforcement; health and LGBTQ+ advocates stressed privacy and safety risks tied to tracking and harassment; privacy and consumer groups backed limits on location data and stronger provenance tools; and reparations advocates said AB 62 would help address historic injustices. Opposition came from family policy, tech, business, law enforcement, and industry groups, who raised concerns about safety claims, constitutional issues, implementation burdens, transparency, law enforcement access, and the need to preserve existing privacy frameworks and voluntary standards. The committee members largely expressed support for the policy goals while noting implementation concerns on some measures. Several members asked for or were offered coauthor status on bills. AB 1137, AB 54, AB 49, AB 82, AB 1355, AB 853, and AB 62 all received do-pass votes to Appropriations, with some members voting no or not voting on certain bills. AB 1355 and AB 853 were advanced with amendments or ongoing work promised with opponents, and AB 1043 was presented with discussion of possible amendments on parental consent and age assurance details, though the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Beekeeper labor is double what it used to be.
• <01:27:20.960> Beekeeper<01:27:21.520> labor<01:27:21.920> is 50 pounds per
• Beekeeper labor is 50 pounds per hive.
• Beekeeper labor is double<01:27:22.560> what<01:27:22.800> it<01:27:23.040> used
• <01:29:44.159> number used to be. um and that labor number used to be. um and that labor number

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And last year it led to 74,000 jobs, $5.5 billion in labor income, $9.1 billion in GDP, and $24 billion
• And last year it led to 74,000 jobs, $5.5 billion in labor income, $9.1 billion in GDP, and $24 billion
• And last year it led to 74,000 jobs, $5.5 billion in labor income, $9.1 billion in GDP, and $24 billion
• And last year it led to 74,000 jobs, $5.5 billion in labor income, $9.1 billion in GDP, and $24 billion
• direct indirect and induced jobs and direct indirect and induced jobs and annual<00:10:54.880> labor

Bills: HF1277, HF1006

Keywords: data centers, tax exemption, Minnesota statutes, economic development, employment growth, property tax, abatement, land bank, redevelopment, political subdivision, 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• consolidation and competition from dominant national chains like Walmart and Amazon, steeply rising labor
• I know that there's some concerns from some labor organizations related to retail pricing technology
• Restrictions that slow responsiveness or increase labor costs ultimately put upward pressure on prices
• <00:43:08.600> costs responsiveness or increase labor costs responsiveness or increase labor
• ,<01:12:48.000> based which is just the price of labor, based which is just the price of labor

Bills: HF3794, HF3408

Keywords: surveillance, price discrimination, wage discrimination, automated decision systems, consumer protections, data privacy, biometrics, consumer protection, price setting, biometric data, retail, privacy, 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from March 3, 2026, and then received a presentation from the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General on the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act. Assistant Attorney General Caitlin Miko and Deputy Attorney General Jessica Whitney reviewed the law’s scope, consumer rights, business obligations, and enforcement history. They said the law took effect July 31, 2025, gives Minnesotans rights to access, delete, and opt out of sale, profiling, and targeted advertising, and is enforced by the Attorney General with penalties up to $7,500 per violation. They reported more than 200 complaints in the first six months, many warning letters, and a shift from education to active enforcement now that the initial warning-letter period has expired. Committee members asked about how the universal opt-out works, what happens when companies deny deletion or editing requests, how the office determines willful noncompliance, and whether the law could burden small businesses. The AG’s office said the opt-out can be set through privacy-protective browsers or extensions, companies must respond to consumer requests within 45 days, small businesses are exempt as defined by the SBA, and investigations look for patterns and evidence of willful conduct rather than minor technical violations. The office also said it needs additional funding to fully staff enforcement efforts and noted that it has already issued subpoenas and civil investigative demands. The committee then took up House File 3408, the Stop Grocery Surveillance Price Gouging Act. The author explained that the bill would prohibit retail grocers, physical and online, from setting individualized prices based on consumer information, would limit certain uses of facial recognition and electronic shelf labels, and would preserve narrow exceptions for discounts and loyalty programs. Public testimony followed from the Minnesota Farmers Union in support, arguing that grocery consolidation and surveillance pricing could worsen already high food costs and harm fair competition. The Minnesota Grocers Association opposed the premise that grocery stores use surveillance pricing, said shelf prices are generally uniform and set from a single storewide database, and argued electronic shelf labels are efficient and not nefarious. A technology company representative similarly said ESLs do not use personal data or facial recognition, prices are uniform, and a 2025 study found no meaningful price increases after ESL adoption. The bill was laid over for possible further discussion after the testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Here in Hawaii, 20% of the labor force are immigrants, and if every immigrant stayed home from some of
• Hawaii,<00:24:33.679> 20%<00:24:34.240> of<00:24:34.400> the<00:24:34.559> labor
• Uh, here in Hawaii, 20% of the labor Uh, here in Hawaii, 20% of the labor force force force uh<00
• uh, foreign labor. uh, foreign labor.
• So, by the way, we have national data about the impact of picking up laborers, farm-born laborers, and

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held an informational briefing on the impact and legality of federal immigration enforcement efforts in Hawaii, with Chair Carl Rhodes framing it as the sixth and final interim briefing in a series on the rule of law and local effects of federal actions. He said the discussion would focus on due process concerns, questioning and detention of citizens and lawful immigrants, free speech issues, and pressure on state and local law enforcement, and noted the issues may be revisited in the 2026 regular session. There was no public testimony or committee vote; only invited speakers presented. Dr. Amy Agayani opened by arguing that immigrants are integral to Hawaii’s history, economy, and communities, and contrasted that with what she described as harmful narratives portraying immigrants as criminals. She cited figures that one in five Hawaii residents is foreign-born, that immigrants make up about 20% of the labor force and over 27% of entrepreneurs, and that roughly 40,000 people in Hawaii are undocumented, many of whom may have pathways to legal status but face language, information, and court barriers. She also said federal enforcement has expanded beyond undocumented immigrants to include citizens and lawful residents, and warned that attacks on birthright citizenship and visa categories could affect many families. Matina Mock of the legal clinic emphasized the complexity of immigration law and the severe lack of legal representation, noting a nationwide backlog of 11.3 million immigration-related applications and 3.4 million court cases, plus about 1,400 pending immigration cases in Honolulu with only two immigration judges. She said Hawaii has only six or seven nonprofit immigration legal service providers, and that represented clients are far more likely to obtain relief. Mock described a recent case involving a lawful student visa holder who was transferred among multiple federal facilities before being brought to Honolulu without clear notice, which she said illustrated due process violations. She also said ICE activity in Hawaii has sharply increased, with about 150 arrests from January to July 2025, a 380% increase over the same period in 2024, and that many detainees have no criminal record. Stephanie Haro Sevilla and another clinic fellow described 2025 enforcement as a major shift driven by a January executive order, the end of prior limits on arrests in sensitive locations, and arrest quotas they said require 3,000 arrests per day nationwide. They said this has led to arrests without warrants or probable cause, broader targeting of people with minor offenses or no criminal history, and the use of resources from other federal agencies and local law enforcement for civilian immigration enforcement. They also said the federal detention center in Honolulu is holding roughly 40 to 80 civilian detainees on any given day, often in conditions they characterized as prison-like, and warned that the current escalation could eventually affect lawful permanent residents and naturalized citizens. The speakers urged the public to support immigrant-rights advocates and local protective policies and funding measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, this is a special skill and it is skilled labor just like many other types of skilled labor.
• , this is a special skill and it is So, this is a special skill and it is skilled<00:41:57.760> labor
• just like many other types skilled labor just like many other types of<00:42:00.319> skilled<
• 00:42:00.920> labor.
• Earlier this week, we of skilled labor.

Keywords: 1183, house