Transcript Highlights:

• I did not look into what structures, from a budgetary standpoint, other states have.
• Changes to our property tax structure in Florida effective January 1st, 2027.
• Look, the reality is that we're making some real serious structural changes.
• Every structure and all of our infrastructure was devastated.
• It's going to be based on who hires the best lobbyist, whose team red and whose team blue.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• making sure that obviously the size of the county was taken into account as we're detailing the structure
• I think. ...making sure that the structure ends up fitting, again, the committee or the county and the
• Before I get into my general comments, what's the difference in structure between Merced County and what
• So I value the time you and your team took to share your experience and the knowledge with me and my
• team, and I think just me watching this committee this morning also educated me as well.

Summary: The committee heard a long agenda of elections-related bills. It first approved three consent items: AB 808, AB 1029, and AB 1072. The committee then took up AB 1249, which would require non-Voter’s Choice Act counties to offer at least one Saturday early-voting location before statewide elections and allow in-person return of vote-by-mail ballots at designated county offices or satellite locations. Supporters said it would expand access for working voters and those with transportation barriers; some members raised concerns about ballot verification and added workload for rural counties. The bill passed the committee on a divided vote and was placed on call for absent members. The committee next considered AB 25, a voter ID and election integrity measure that would require citizenship verification, government ID for voting, tighter voter-roll audits, and a 72-hour ballot-counting deadline. The author and supporters argued it would restore public trust and improve election integrity, while opponents from the League of Women Voters, ACLU California Action, labor groups, disability advocates, and others said it would restrict access, burden vulnerable voters, and amount to voter suppression. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out on a narrow split and kept it on call. Members also approved AB 1164, which clarifies when voters are entitled to a replacement ballot and updates the Voter Bill of Rights language; AB 1441, which would create an independent citizens redistricting commission in Merced County despite opposition from the county board over cost and local control; and AB 16, which would clarify county election officials’ authority to begin processing vote-by-mail ballots earlier and clean up outdated code. The committee also heard AB 1411, which would require non-VCA counties to prepare voter education and outreach plans and use a Secretary of State template, with the sponsor saying it would improve voter information statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• that. getting workforce data is actually fairly easy to do if we know who the person is and so our teams
• It's highly prized by both students and families. on the requirement that in order to be on the team,
• Sometimes they're counselors and that's the only structural option they have.
• There was no formal structure.
• No, I think APNs are part of the team, and they need to be utilized in the right situation.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a lot of discussion around how to structure the payments, particularly in the managed care
• So during this period, as the two operating agreements were released, LAUSD's legal team conducted an
• Our billing team then asked in November how they could submit a claim.
• The PACE fees that we are proposing are really structured.
• plan under DMHC, so we really modeled the structure based on the way that is currently structured for

Summary: The committee heard a budget oversight hearing on the Department of Health Care Services, focusing first on the overall Medi-Cal budget and a March General Fund loan to cover a current-year shortfall. DHCS said the 2025-26 budget proposal totals $193.4 billion, with Medi-Cal projected at $188.1 billion total funds and $42.1 billion General Fund, driven by higher enrollment, pharmacy costs, managed care growth, and costs tied to eligibility expansions and the COVID-era redetermination unwinding. The department said the $3.44 billion loan was needed to manage cash flow and ensure timely payments to providers and plans, while the LAO noted Medi-Cal’s cash-basis budgeting creates volatility and that more detailed estimates would come with the May Revision. Members discussed federal Medicaid threats, the need for transparency on cost drivers, and the impact of pharmacy spending, long-term care, and immigration-related coverage expansions. The second major topic was family health programs, including California Children’s Services, the continuous coverage unwinding, and opioid settlement fund spending. DHCS described CCS funding methodology changes, ongoing county stakeholder work, and a delayed rollout of CCS monitoring and oversight until July 1, 2025, while county representatives and advocates argued the program is underfunded and asked for more technical assistance and a delay in implementation. On the unwinding, the department explained that federal redetermination flexibilities helped maintain coverage after the pandemic, but the Governor’s budget proposes ending them at the end of June 2025; advocates urged making the flexibilities permanent to avoid coverage losses. For opioid settlement funds, DHCS and Finance said the budget increases funding for naloxone distribution while reducing other harm-reduction spending based on updated settlement revenues, prompting criticism from members and public commenters who argued the change would weaken effective harm-reduction programs. The hearing also included an update on Proposition 35 implementation. DHCS said the voter-approved measure continuously appropriates MCO tax revenues beginning in 2025, with up to $4.6 billion annually available for specified Medi-Cal and provider investments in 2025 and 2026, but implementation depends on consultation with the required stakeholder advisory committee. The department and LAO noted uncertainty about future federal rules affecting the MCO tax after 2026. Public testimony largely supported maintaining Medi-Cal expansions, protecting immigrant coverage, preserving harm-reduction funding, and increasing support for community health workers, pediatric dental care, and CCS county administration. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• fully their impact on the people that they are judging by just standing up and upholding those structures
• <00:16:57.519> It upholding those structures of power.
• It upholding those structures of power.
• I would encourage any senator who would like to plunge into the ice-cold water to join my team.
• And if you're not interested in joining my team, perhaps you could stop down to the office and see James

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• communities in which they operate, both via financial support and community hours donated by credit union team
• communities in which they operate both via financial support and community hours donated by credit union team
• And so that is why we are opposed to the new regulatory structure when the data is it.
• And so that is why we are opposed to the new regulatory structure when the data is it.
• capacity to bear maybe the additional cost that folks are speaking about, but just wondering if the structures

Summary: The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee met to hear several bills, beginning with a consent calendar that included AB 665 and AB 866, both adopted on a do pass basis and referred to Appropriations. The committee then took up AB 801, which would create a California Community Reinvestment Act to require covered financial institutions, including state-chartered banks, credit unions, residential mortgage lenders, and money transmitters, to meet the financial needs of low- and moderate-income communities and communities of color. The author and supporters argued the bill would close gaps left by the federal CRA, address redlining and discriminatory lending, and expand investment in housing, small business, and community development. Support came from community groups, CDFIs, labor, and housing advocates, while opposition from mortgage bankers and credit unions argued the bill would impose costly new reporting and regulatory burdens, especially on institutions they said already serve underserved borrowers well. Committee members discussed the scope of the bill, the experience of other states with state CRA laws, and possible carve-outs or tiered treatment for smaller credit unions. AB 801 was passed as amended and referred to Appropriations, with the roll left open and later completed; one member voted no and others were not voting or voted aye as the roll was finalized. The committee also heard AB 743, which would require licensing and surety bonds for commercial lawsuit financing and bring those transactions under DFPI oversight. The author said the bill was aimed at a largely unregulated, multi-billion-dollar industry and was intended to increase transparency and address concerns about foreign interests, fraud, and abusive litigation funding practices, while not affecting consumer legal funding. Supporters, including Unified Patents, the Civil Justice Association of California, the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Trucking Association, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, said the bill was an important first step toward disclosure and regulation. There was no opposition testimony. AB 743 passed unanimously as amended and was referred to Appropriations, with the roll held open briefly for absent members before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, regardless of how successful DOGE efforts may be, the fact remains that upending a tax structure
• They're structured in a similar fashion.
• And I don't know if they realize the massive amount of work that you and your team have been doing over
• Black, thank you for joining our team. Look forward to working with you.
• Black, thank you for joining our team. Look forward to working with you.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Finance and Tax met for its first meeting of the session, with a quorum present and several members excused. Chair Avila opened by framing the committee’s main focus as property tax relief and housing affordability, noting the complexity of any changes to Florida’s long-standing property tax structure and emphasizing the need to preserve funding for schools and local public safety. He also introduced new committee staff member Tamisha Black and thanked staff for summer work supporting analysis of potential proposals, including constitutional amendment concepts and other property tax relief ideas. Staff director Azar Khan then presented an update on the General Revenue forecast, explaining that collections remained above estimate but at a slower pace than the prior year, with recent economic indicators slightly weaker than earlier forecasts. He said the new forecast mostly reflected modest adjustments, with a notable share of the increase coming from earnings on investment rather than the usual drivers such as sales tax or corporate income tax. Khan also gave a detailed presentation on ad valorem millages, explaining the different millage types used by school districts, counties, municipalities, special districts, and water management districts; the rollback rate; TRIM notice and hearing timelines; voting thresholds for adopting higher millages; and long-term trends showing millage rates declining over time even as total taxes levied have increased. Members used the presentations to discuss property tax relief options and the relationship between local property taxes and state revenue. President Passidomo praised staff and Senator Bernard’s summer work on proposals. President Gaetz asked about converting homestead property tax revenue to sales tax and was told the rough equivalent could be around a 2.8-cent sales tax increase, though with important behavioral and distributional caveats. Senator Rouson asked about the decline in corporate income tax estimates, and Khan said it likely reflected changes in national corporate profit expectations and collection patterns, promising a follow-up. The Department of Revenue’s Lizette Kelly confirmed that TRIM data, including adopted millages, rollback rates, and maximum millage calculations, are collected by jurisdiction and can be provided to the committee. No bills were taken up and no votes occurred beyond adjournment, which was adopted by motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• opportunities to better structure opportunities to better structure funding<02:19:07.439> and
• , pillars, strategy, funding, structure, pillars, strategy, funding, structure, and<02:22:53.280>
• 02:25:10.560> the the structure keeps changing, the the structure keeps changing, the timeline
• That's a structural issue concern.
• structural reality built into the law. structural reality built into the law.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I don't know if the Direct Care and Treatment team can provide opportunity, you know, discussion
• Senate File 1918, thank you and your team for your flexibility last week.
• rate structure that ensures rates<01:18:58.159> reflect<01:18:58.520> the<01:18:58.679
• The second thing is it creates a Minnesota Choices team within DHS, providing the backup support for
• The second thing is it creates a Minnesota Choices team within DHS, providing the backup support for

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And something we did new this time is we established, for the first time, an insurance fraud strike team
• This team verifies contractor and adjuster licenses.
• This is putting much more demand on our team, and we have to be ready to move quickly and no longer just
• Yeah, and this is why I always push the insurance companies when they talk to me or our team and say
• they're ready to grow and come back to California... ...when they talk to me or our team and say they're

Summary: The committee first heard AB 597, a bill to strengthen consumer protections for disaster survivors who use public adjusters. The author and the Department of Insurance said the measure would cap public adjuster fees at 15% for claims tied to declared disasters, require clearer contracts, prohibit solicitation during emergency conditions, and allow consumers to rescind contracts that were solicited during prohibited periods. Insurance industry groups supported the bill, while public adjuster representatives opposed it as written but said they were willing to work on revisions. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to Appropriations; the roll call was ultimately recorded as 16-0. The committee then held its fourth oversight hearing on the Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, with Commissioner Ricardo Lara giving an extensive update on wildfire-related market reforms and consumer protections. He said the recent Southern California wildfires had not derailed the strategy and described actions including advance claim payments, a one-year moratorium on residential non-renewals in affected areas, a new fraud strike team, smoke-damage claim guidance, additional living expense protections, and a consumer claims tracker. He reported more than $12.1 billion in claims paid, over 37,000 claims filed, and more than 7,000 survivors assisted directly. He also discussed related bills and reforms, including AB 597, SB 495, SB 547, SB 429, SB 616, AB 888, and AB 2026. Members questioned the commissioner about the Fair Plan’s growing exposure, the $1 billion assessment, rate increases, non-renewals, underinsurance, and whether the reforms would actually stabilize the market. Lara said the assessment was already approved, that policyholders would not be hit with one large bill because insurers have two years to recover costs, and that the department was pushing insurers to use catastrophe modeling and reinsurance tools in exchange for commitments to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. He said the department expects to see market stabilization by 2026, though he emphasized the timeline depends on insurer participation, implementation of the new regulations, and future disaster activity. Members generally expressed support for the goals of the strategy while pressing for clearer expectations for consumers and faster action on mitigation and market reform.

Transcript Highlights:

• I wish it was structured in a different way so we could minimize our structural debt and our debt payment
• I wish it was structured in a different way so we could minimize our structural debt and our debt payments
• It cut the structural deficit in half.
• Now we're not creating a structural deficit here in the state of California.
• We're going to have a budget of revenues and budget, a structural deficit moving forward.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mike is the director of OSSI; he and his team you... ...know, again, it was legislatively established
• We did a teams meeting, and at the end of eight hours, what do you think we came up with?
• That dad's going to jail, but I will tell you this: if there had been a BTAM team...
• And you're right, we have 528 school districts, and we've Got 10 teams set up.
• My only question was just a little bit more on the behavioral assessment team and management.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on Oklahoma school safety from Commissioner Tipton, OSSI director Mike Fike, OACTIC director Alan Young, OSBI lieutenant Isiles Keene, and Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton. The main focus was a statewide school-safety framework built around response, prevention, and recovery. Witnesses described training law enforcement in the LASER active-shooter response model, adding A-TURK training for coordinated law enforcement/fire/EMS response, expanding run-hide-fight and Stop the Bleed instruction for educators and staff, conducting risk and vulnerability assessments, and using the Rave panic-button system and the ProtectOK tip app to speed reporting and dispatch. They also emphasized behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) teams as a prevention tool to identify and support at-risk students before violence occurs. Members asked about administrator and teacher training, school counselor involvement, how apps are deployed on personal versus school devices, and whether schools are actually using the programs. Witnesses said administrators, counselors, and SROs should be part of BTAM, that training is most effective when it is realistic and repeated, and that Rave is geofenced and typically invited onto devices by schools. Several members stressed that school leaders must buy in for safety plans to work, and one member raised concerns about traumatic training and the need for mental-health support as part of prevention. Witnesses said mental-health referral and monitoring are part of BTAM, but the school and local partners must manage the process. OSBI’s lieutenant added broader context, comparing school safety to fire safety and noting that Oklahoma still lacks some statutory requirements for intruder drills and stronger penalties for school threats. He also discussed possible future tools such as surveillance analytics, gunshot detection, ballistic-rated doors and walls, and better access controls, while warning that technology should supplement, not replace, basic safety systems and training. Sheriff Walton closed by describing rural response challenges and his foundation’s effort to place ballistic shields in schools and police cars, arguing that human resources and rapid communication remain the biggest gaps. No votes or formal actions were taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Throughout this process, my team and I have met extensively with youth sports organizations, cities,
• It not only shows you how to work together as a team.
• Beyond the patient burden already, prior authorizations exhaust our medical teams.
• CalOptima is unique because its governance structure has been codified into state statute.
• That is why the structure was changed to include two county supervisors.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are the regional capital assistance teams that came out of the 2014 reform legislation.
• We have a relatively small community assistance team that has had a huge impact.
• We have a relatively small community assistance team that has had huge impact.
• My team and I, as well as the team at MassINC Polling Group, are also ready and willing to dive deeper
• A team from our office, an attorney and a paralegal, immediately took on the case.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing opened its second hearing of the session with remarks from Chairs Haggerty and Cyr emphasizing that the hearing was a broad look at Massachusetts’ housing crisis rather than a single bill. They highlighted topics including zoning, permitting, rental assistance, public housing, homelessness prevention, and housing production. The first witness, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Augustus, reviewed implementation of the Affordable Homes Act and the state’s new housing plan, citing a 1.6% vacancy rate, a projected need for 222,000 new homes over 10 years, and ongoing efforts such as ADUs by right, fair housing enforcement, eviction record sealing, seasonal communities planning, and new funding for affordable housing, public housing, and the Momentum Fund. He also discussed infrastructure support for municipalities, technical assistance for ADUs, and concerns about possible federal funding cuts. Committee members questioned the secretary about ADU financing and technical assistance, the likely unit yield from the Affordable Homes Act, infrastructure barriers in suburban and rural communities, public housing waitlist management, supportive housing, and federal budget risks. MassNAHRO then testified that public housing authorities are facing rising operating and capital costs, a statewide waitlist nearing 300,000, and uncertainty over federal Section 8 and HUD funding. Witnesses described recent state support for operating subsidies, capital improvements, vacancy turnover teams, and resident service coordinators, while warning that proposed federal cuts could sharply affect voucher issuance and agency operations. CDAC’s executive director Roger Herzog described the agency’s role as a quasi-public source of early-stage financing and technical assistance for nonprofit housing developers, noting its loan capital, supportive housing bond programs, home modification loans, and preservation work under Chapter 40T. He said CDAC has helped produce or preserve more than 55,000 units and stressed the importance of patient capital and preservation tools. CHAPA CEO Rachel Heller urged the committee to focus on production, preservation, planning, and political will, supporting goals for affordability, supportive housing, and homeownership, and endorsing policy changes such as YIGBY, clearer site plan review rules, stronger fair housing funding, and more support for vouchers and public housing. MassHousing then outlined its financing role, including mortgage lending, down payment assistance, the Community Climate Bank, and the Momentum Fund, while noting that permitting delays, capital gaps, and possible federal changes could affect production. Members also asked about transparency, prevailing wage compliance, and a recent internal restructuring related to diversity and business engagement.

Transcript Highlights:

• And obviously, me and my team will be looking for them.
• There are other ways to structure GGRF.
• There are many different ways to structure it.
• There are other ways to structure GGRF.
• There are many different ways to structure it.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee heard the Department of Finance’s May Revision overview and the LAO’s budget assessment, then questioned administration officials on several natural resources and transportation proposals. Finance described the state’s improved near-term fiscal picture, but also highlighted continued budget balancing measures, including use of the temporary surplus holding account, climate bond spending, transportation and DMV/CHP augmentations, and changes affecting CEQA filing systems, water programs, CalRecycle, and food and agriculture. The LAO argued the budget still relies heavily on reserves and borrowing, recommended rejecting or delaying many new discretionary proposals, and urged caution about ongoing costs and future-year impacts, especially for the General Fund, Motor Vehicle Account, and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. A major portion of the hearing focused on the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes proposal for Bay-Delta water quality implementation. Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Finance officials said the $25 million request would support early implementation of an enforceable program combining environmental flows, habitat restoration, and scientific monitoring, with the State Water Board retaining regulatory authority. The LAO said the proposal was premature because the updated Bay-Delta plan had not yet been adopted and asked for more clarity on the state’s existing commitments and future funding expectations. Several members expressed support for the program as a way to reduce long-running conflict over water policy, while others echoed concerns about timing and fiscal exposure. The committee also examined the proposed $125 million Proposition 4 contribution toward acquisition of the Golden Gate Fields property for a shoreline park and habitat restoration. State agencies said the project had a completed appraisal, was moving through a rolling grant process, and would leverage philanthropic and local funding, while members questioned why it was being elevated ahead of other park and conservation requests and whether it was the best use of limited bond dollars. The hearing then turned to transportation items, including $40 million for Clean California litter abatement, $6.2 million for Caltrans homeless coordinators, $73.4 million in DMV/Motor Vehicle Account requests, and funding for the 2028 Games route network. The LAO generally recommended rejecting or delaying the Clean California and homeless coordinator proposals pending more information, while members debated the need to preserve essential CHP and DMV operations despite the Motor Vehicle Account’s structural imbalance.

Transcript Highlights:

• > asset Because of this structure, asset Because of this structure, asset preservation<00:05:13.280
• They are slightly different security structures.
• With revenue bonds, Madam structures.
• around structuring are not changing. changing. changing.
• Um, but we just not other day teams.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I oversee our habitat and restoration team as the VP of Natural Resources.
• of counties and created a whole new structure for the first time in 300 years.
• We are requesting long-overdue justice for a century of structural neglect.
• All of these things irrevocably destroy the actual structures of life.
• All of these things irrevocably destroy the actual structures of life.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing covered a broad set of environmental and water-related bills, with much of the testimony focused on blue economy and circular economy proposals, drought management, drinking water safety, flood resilience, and water infrastructure funding. Supporters of bills such as H. 987 and H. 988 described grant programs for blue economy workforce development, research, small businesses, and public education about a circular economy. Other speakers backed measures on coastal erosion research, recreational boating dredging, cranberry water-right transfers, sand mining oversight, and a voucher program for home water filtration in PFAS-impacted communities. Several elected officials and advocates also urged passage of bills to require private well testing, improve school drinking water safety, and address sand mining pollution and PFAS contamination. Water supply and drought issues drew extensive testimony. Senator Eldridge and others supported legislation to let the state, through DEP and the drought management task force, impose regional water-use restrictions during droughts and make the task force permanent in statute. Advocates from watershed groups, farms, and environmental organizations said the current town-by-town approach is inconsistent and ineffective, and they described drought impacts on rivers, farms, private wells, and wildfire risk. A related bill on private wells was supported as a way to help homeowners test and remediate contaminated wells, especially in rural areas without public water. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to allow the Lynnfield Water District to join the MWRA, with local officials saying the move would help address PFAS and other contamination and improve supply reliability. Another major panel supported a water infrastructure funding bill, arguing that aging drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems need major new investment, including support for PFAS treatment, sewer rate relief, biosolids research, and regional interconnections. Members asked about costs, funding sources, and the relationship to existing revolving loan funds; witnesses said the bill would need to be paired with future bond funding and new revenue ideas. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chairs repeatedly invited written testimony and noted the large number of speakers.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, I can certainly speak to that on my own officer team.
• The state officers is a a officer team.
• So I am joined by five that team.
• :54:00.800> including face structural barriers including face structural barriers including delays
• , structure, structure, the<01:45:01.600> beet<01:45:01.920> industry<01:45:02.239>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, uh, now Governor Walz is looking at a $6 billion structural deficit, sorry, structural deficit,
• And, uh, now Governor Walz is looking at a $6 billion structural deficit, sorry, structural deficit,
• And, uh, now Governor Walz is looking at a $6 billion structural deficit, sorry, structural deficit,
• And, uh, now Governor Walz is looking at a $6 billion structural deficit, sorry, structural deficit,
• And, uh, now Governor Walz is looking at a $6 billion structural deficit, sorry, structural deficit,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that moment is support, and often that support comes from non-profits like the Arc of Texas, Access, Team
• And that's exactly what Team Handley is doing, and exactly what HB 1188 does.
• We have a small team that answers information and referral requests and provides support and guidance
• Good teams, and we can work together with all the advocates.
• Structures and support that you've provided last session was the safety outside of the school.

Bills: HB1022, HB2856, HB3114, HJR5, HB6, HB120, HB210, HB1458, HB1188, HB3126

Keywords: HB 1022, Sul Ross State University, Rio Grande College, Texas State University System, Education Code, higher education, course levels, upper-level college, lower-division courses, community college-style courses, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Uvalde, Board of Regents, academic programs, university expansion, HB 2856, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, clinical training placements, clinical rotations