Transcript Highlights:

• touches any public program associated with how we recover after wildfires must provide complete declarations
• They're going to argue about whether or not you really had those Civil War coins.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a hearing on the California Earthquake Authority’s SB 254 report and broader options for reforming California’s utility wildfire recovery system. The chair framed the discussion around the Palisades and Eaton fires, the scale of wildfire-related costs on utility bills, and the need to weigh trade-offs among survivors, ratepayers, utilities, insurers, and taxpayers. The first panel featured wildfire survivors William Abrams and Joy Chen, who described long delays in compensation, housing insecurity, and what they viewed as a system that protects utility shareholders more than victims. They urged greater transparency, clearer accountability for utility spending and safety performance, faster and fuller compensation for survivors, and reforms such as independent audits and better alignment of utility incentives with wildfire prevention and restitution. The second panel began with Tom Welsh of the California Earthquake Authority, who explained that the SB 254 report was intended as a broad inventory of policy pathways rather than recommendations. He described the report’s process, including stakeholder submissions, workstreams, and a convergence process, and outlined the current wildfire fund structure: utilities remain liable, the fund reimburses eligible claims after a covered wildfire, and the CPUC later determines prudency and possible reimbursement back to the fund. RAND’s Lloyd Dixon summarized compensation data, saying utilities paid about $38 billion between 2017 and 2024, with major shares going to injured parties, insurers, and public entities, while litigation costs and survivors’ own losses remain substantial. He noted that legal fees and delays reduce the amount survivors ultimately receive. Utility and public-interest witnesses offered differing views on the report’s pathways. PG&E’s Tyson Smith said the report shows inaction is the worst outcome and argued for community wildfire risk reduction, equitable allocation of catastrophe costs, and state-led resilience tools. LADWP’s Fernando Valero emphasized the vulnerability of municipal utilities and cities, and supported inverse condemnation reform, a state-sponsored liability insurance framework, damages and subrogation limits, and stronger insurance access. Consumer Attorneys of California’s John Fisk argued that IOU-caused fires are not natural disasters but the result of negligence and sometimes criminal conduct, and opposed reducing utility liability while supporting stronger oversight and audits. The Public Advocates Office’s Nathaniel Skinner focused on affordability, saying ratepayers already bear large and growing wildfire costs and warning against shifting more costs onto bills without measurable risk reduction and tighter accountability. Committee members then began questioning witnesses about what counts as measurable mitigation, how to define full and fair compensation, and how any fast-pay process should work.

Transcript Highlights:

• by Representative Coates, relative to outdoor burning, to authorize parishes and municipalities to declare
• The period following the Civil War represents one of the most remarkable democratic experiences in American

Bills: HR192, HR193, HR194, HCR80, HCR81, HCR82, HCR83, HCR84, HCR85, HR188, HR189, HR190, HR191, SB134, SB140, SB281, SB331, SB384, SB389, SB415, SB451, SB458, SB479, SB504, SB523, HR38, HR96, HR160, HCR31, HCR61, SCR19, HB316, HB549, HB578, HB646, HB748, HB798, HB824, HB988, HB989, HB1001, HB1032, HB1081, HB1108, HB1129, HB1140, HB1157, HB1186, HB1192, HB1195, HB1198, HB1222, HB1244, SB73, SB89, SB128, SB149, SB191, SB196, SB238, SB318, SB340, HB225, HR1, HR17, HCR5, HCR4, HCR47, HCR32, HB362, HB893, HB990, HB1007, HB1153, HB1243, HB12, HB42, HB205, HB222, HB267, HB324, HB325, HB350, HB478, HB610, HB617, HB745, HB749, HB752, HB797, HB807, HB821, HB896, HB979, HB992, HB1000, HB1024, HB1050, HB1166, HB1172, HB1173, HB1207, HB1218, HB1223, SB162, SB349, SB350, SB382, SB383, SB127, SB244, SB256, HB911, HB306, HB366, HB1161, HB1230, HB59, HB481, HB772, HB897, HB1003, HB1008, HB1112, HB1180, HB1189, HB181, HB1118, HB901, HR20, HR74, HB284, HB393, HB458, HB459, HB525, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB682, HB733, HB773, HB864, HB996, HB1035, HB1058, HB1082, HB1113, HB1234, HB1240

Keywords: ACOG, maternal health, healthcare professionals, patient-physician relationship, obstetrics, gynecology, condolences, military service, veteran, community, memorial, visual acuity, student health, de-identified data, longitudinal analysis, education policy, property rights, carbon dioxide sequestration, expropriation, Landowner Bill of Rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, other legitimate uses of these pills are not affected, but let the war go on. Go out.
• In SB8, that bill, the private right of action has been declared unconstitutional by Judge Peoples, appointed

Bills: SB10, SB16, SB6, SB 6, SB 10, SB 16

Keywords: trafficking, prostitution, affirmative defense, victims, criminal justice reform, victim rights, criminal justice, judicial reform, court procedures, mental health services, criminal penalties, court security, SB 6, Woman and Child Protection Act, abortion, abortion-inducing drugs, medication abortion, mifepristone, misoprostol, pro-life

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, Congress declared in the Naturalization and Nationality Act of 1940 that all persons born
• to be for all, especially those who were freed from the gross sin of slavery right after the Civil War

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills. AB 416 would allow emergency room physicians to initiate 5150 mental health holds, with supporters saying it would reduce emergency room bottlenecks and speed care for patients in crisis. County and behavioral health representatives opposed the bill, and some members raised broader concerns about the 5150 system and juvenile placements. The bill was ultimately approved on a do-pass as amended vote. AB 446, the Surveillance Pricing Act, drew extensive testimony. The author and supporters argued it would prohibit businesses from using personal data to charge different prices for the same product or service, describing the practice as discriminatory and exploitative. Business and industry groups opposed the bill, warning that its language was too broad, could affect discounts and loyalty programs, and would create litigation risk through a private right of action. After discussion about enforcement and possible amendments, the bill passed on a do-pass motion. AB 632 would give local governments a faster way to collect penalties for serious code violations, including unsafe housing, fire hazards, and illegal cannabis activity, by allowing certain fines to become money judgments and clarifying lien authority. It had support from county and city groups and no opposition was voiced in the hearing; the bill passed as amended. ACA 7, a constitutional amendment intended to clarify and limit misuse of Section 31A, also moved forward after brief support testimony. The committee then took up AB 649, which would extend protections for businesses that proactively obtain certified access specialist inspections and fix accessibility violations; the author, a small business owner, and others testified in support, while disability rights groups moved to neutral after amendments. Members discussed the balance between access enforcement and reducing predatory litigation, and the bill was still under consideration as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our board, to your point, is, is basically declared war on water loss for us and has put us, uh, saws

Transcript Highlights:

• Our board, to your point, has basically declared war on water loss.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then actually of war in our streets.
• And so in the absence of being able to pass serious gun legislation that would ban weapons of war from
• And so in the absence of being able to pass serious gun legislation that would ban weapons of war from
• I've not carried one of these in war. I've not seen one of these carried in war.
• I've not carried one of these in war. I've not seen one of these carried in war.

Bills: HF4446, HF4066, HF1082

Keywords: public safety officer, survivor benefits, line of duty death, occupational cancer, firefighter, police officer, paramedic, EMT, correctional officer, first responder, workers' compensation, death benefits, occupational exposure, carcinogen, cancer presumption, mesothelioma, leukemia, lung cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

Transcript Highlights:

• In May of '68, his unit mobilized for Vietnam, the height of the war.
• His, quote, Vietnam Views series depicting the air war stands as a testament to his experiences.
• And whereas he was appointed as assistant secretary of war and later secretary of war in the Hoover administration
• And whereas when the United States entered World War II, he was promoted to brigadier general and went
• I and World War II victory medals, and whereas after retirement from military service, Patrick Hurley

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a celebration of the 50-year anniversary since the end of the secret war in Laos, a theater of
• war in part of the larger Vietnam War.
• in La a theater of end of the secret war in La a theater of war<00:45:09.200> in<00:45:09.400
• war in part of the larger uh Vietnam War war in part of the larger uh Vietnam War the<00:45:12.720
• And then it goes to a flashback of the Secret War, how the Americans came, how the monk got involved,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Navy during World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters, including D-Day.
• After the war, he married the love of his life, Mary T. McNunner-Kennie.
• After the war, he married the love of his life, Mary T.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House took up several committee reports and routine legislative actions. It adopted a slate of resolutions honoring the Flint Memorial Library’s 150th anniversary, Newell Tillman’s volunteer service in Westford, the Ernestina Morrissey historic voyage to Newfoundland, and September 2025 as Cerebral and Cortical Visual Impairment Awareness Month. The House also suspended Joint Rule 12 on two local petitions: one to establish a regional fire district and department for Charlemont and Rowe, and another concerning the release or exclusion of land from conservation restrictions in Deerfield. The House then considered a group of bills scheduled by the Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee and ordered them to third reading, including a sick leave bank for Gregory Baker of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, support for student participation in 4-H programs, updates to Medford’s linkage exaction program, changes to elected terms and municipal years, and a Milford alcohol license conversion. House 4364, authorizing easements to the town of Bourne, was taken up separately and passed to be enacted. Later, the House observed a moment of silence in memory of Edward F. Kennedy, a Boston firefighter and Navy veteran. It then passed three bills to be engrossed: House 2259, allowing the Cotuit Fire District to raise money for the Historical Society of Santuit and Cotuit; House 4056, relating to the Lanesborough Select Board; and House 4057, increasing the membership of the Behavioral Board of Health from three to five members. The House adopted an order to meet the following Monday at 11 a.m. and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 427 has received the constitutional majority and is declared passed and ordered to the Assembly.
• SB 507 has received the constitutional majority and is declared passed and ordered to the Assembly.
• AB 52 has received the constitutional majority and is declared passed and ordered to the Assembly.
• AB 102 has received the constitutional majority and is declared passed and ordered to the Assembly.
• AB 117 has received a two-thirds vote and is declared passed and ordered to the Assembly.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• constitutional majority is declared constitutional majority is declared passed.<01:34:15.200>
• constitutional majority is declared constitutional majority is declared passed.<01:36:58.440>
• constitutional majority is declared constitutional majority is declared passed. passed. passed.
• constitutional majority, is declared constitutional majority, is declared passed.<01:39:50.320><
• constitutional majority, is declared constitutional majority, is declared passed.<01:40:27.960><

Keywords: House streaming session for Friday, April 3, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House convened with 113 members present and took up House Bill 774, a local enabling bill on residential landlord-tenant good-cause termination and eviction standards. The sponsor and floor leader described the bill as intended to create stability for families and communities by limiting nonrenewal of leases without good cause, while emphasizing that it would only take effect if adopted by local counties. The bill’s stated good-cause grounds include repeated late rent payment, lease violations, and other specified reasons. Several amendments were offered and debated. One amendment sought to require tenants to keep paying rent, late fees, and other lease obligations during any legal challenge to a nonrenewal; the floor leader argued this was redundant because existing law already requires payment during holdover proceedings, and the House rejected the amendment by roll call, 79 in the negative. Another amendment added a good-cause ground where housing is tied to employment on the property and the employment ends; the floor leader accepted it as a friendly amendment, and it was adopted. A further amendment exempted short-term rentals such as VRBOs from the bill; it was also accepted as friendly and adopted. The House then rejected another amendment that would have changed the late-rent good-cause standard from four notices in a 12-month period to three. The sponsor argued the change would reduce the time and financial burden on small landlords, while the floor leader responded that the bill did not alter existing eviction timelines for nonpayment and that the current four-instance standard was appropriate. Finally, an amendment to extend access to the state’s eviction counsel fund to low-income landlords was offered, with the sponsor arguing for fairness to small property owners; the floor leader opposed it, saying the fund was created to represent low-income tenants and that most landlords are already represented. The transcript cuts off before the final vote on that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• So 4860 it was the disaster declaration that was declared by the president.
• naturally uh disasters that declared naturally uh disasters that declared disasters,<00:07:42.080
• c> was<00:09:50.880> declared disaster declaration that was declared disaster declaration
• :51.199> we're<00:14:51.360> making of the declared disasters, we're making of the declared
• Uh, but declaration in place right now.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The first meeting of the Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force focused on the task force’s mission and on recent Kentucky flooding disasters. The co-chairs described the need to better prepare for increasingly frequent and costly natural disasters, including flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, and ice storms, and emphasized coordination among local, state, federal, and interstate partners. The discussion also stressed the importance of budgeting for mitigation, infrastructure resilience, housing, insurance, and recovery planning, with several members sharing personal experiences with disaster impacts in their districts. Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson gave the main presentation, responding to questions about the February and April flooding events. He said the February event affected the entire state, with 11,825 individuals registering for assistance and 1,194 public-assistance projects written so far; he also reported 134 households still sheltered, 190 households moved to permanent housing, and three disaster recovery centers still open after a regional consolidation. For the April event, he said 37 counties had individual assistance, 83 counties were still pending public assistance, and no hazard mitigation had yet been declared; 5,893 people had registered for individual assistance, and 144 households were sheltered, with 83 families already moved to permanent solutions. He noted that counties without public assistance would have to cover expenses locally unless state or federal aid is approved. Gibson also outlined Kentucky Emergency Management’s tools and resources, including a 24/7 state operations center and warning point, embedded National Weather Service meteorologists, five regional warehouses stocked with water, MREs, blankets, and kits, a statewide web-based damage reporting system, laundry trailers, generators, a disaster needs hotline that has received 6,972 calls, and a mutual aid system used to deploy resources such as water tankers. He highlighted ongoing work on urban search and rescue, qualification systems for emergency operations personnel, and aerial documentation of storm damage. No votes or formal actions were taken at this meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or World War I, World War II.
• And then there's the Cold War.
• Or World War I, World War II.
• And then there's the Cold War.
• And then there's the Cold War. And then there's the Cold War.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I declare Senate Bill or correction House Bill 39852 has passed.
• I declare House Bill 3463 has passed. Thank you, Madam Leader.
• I Declare House Bill 3919 to have passed. Right, bringing it into the home stretch.
• I declare House Bill 34162 has passed.
• I declare House Bill 3417 to have passed.

Bills: HB3002, HB3416, HB3417, HB3418, HB3419, HB3463, HB3919, HB3985, HB4303

Keywords: counties, county officers, education, training, sunset law, county purchasing, procurement practices, budget management, public accountability, emergency procurement, reverse auction, bidding process, competitive bidding, public procurement, city council regulations, public works, bidding procedures, construction contracts, transparency, public trust

Transcript Highlights:

• Having received y's and three nays, I declare Senate Bill 2014 to have passed.
• I declare Senate Bill 244 to have passed.
• I declare Senate Bill 2179 to have passed.
• That declares Senate Bill 1436 to have passed.
• Declare Senate Bill 1558 to have passed.

Bills: SB1328, SB1380, SB1436, SB1558, SB1572, SB1651, SB1805, SB1831, SB1836, SB2014, SB2023, SB2044, SB2179, SB933

Keywords: parents' rights, healthcare consent, minors, medical records, protection, legal guardianship, hospital, fetal death, miscarriage, healthcare, state health department, vital records, patient rights, child care, licensing, definitions, foster care, child welfare, mental health, substance abuse

Transcript Highlights:

• I declare Senate Bill 1332 to have passed. Thank you, Senator Yak.
• I declare Senate Bill 1297 to have passed. Thank you, Senator Brooks.
• I declare Senate Bill 1189 to have passed. Senator Pugugh, you're recognized.
• I declare Senate Bill 1338 to have passed.
• I declare the same to have passed. The chair goes back to Chairman Hall.

Bills: SB1189, SB1295, SB1297, SB1330, SB1333, SB1338, SB1341, SB1344, SB1355, SB1377, SB1378, SB1546, SB1859, SB1946, SB1990, SB1998

Keywords: school security, funding, public schools, security enhancements, resource officers, domestic violence, fatality review, revolving fund, database, public safety, Oklahoma, census accuracy, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, federal census, grassroots outreach, marketing campaign, water infrastructure, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, grants, environmental compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Bob Iosi, president of the Korean War Foundation Inc. and the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial Foundation
• held our 71st anniversary of the Korean War last year on July 27, 2024.
• <01:02:49.880> Foundation president of the Korean War Foundation president of the Korean War
• Inc and the Korean and Vietnam War Inc and the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial<01:02:55.520>
• War empowering participants to War empowering participants to become<02:29:32.800> International

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Finance informational briefing on grants and aids was held February 14 and was organized as a high-volume public testimony session with strict procedures: no Q&A, one representative per applicant, one minute per testimony, in-person testimony first, and then Zoom participants. The chairs also announced a recess at 11:00 a.m. for floor sessions and a reconvening at 1:00 p.m. Testimony was heard first from neighbor island applicants, then Oʻahu applicants, with members repeatedly directing speakers to line up and keep remarks brief. Neighbor island testimony focused on a wide range of capital and operating requests. Health and community projects included Hawaii Island Community Health Center’s workforce housing in Kau, Wuli Hawaiian Homestead Association’s learning center and predevelopment work, Rescue Tube Foundation’s beach rescue tube expansion, Puna Community Medical Center’s planned hospital/ER campus, Maui Humane Society’s free veterinary care after the wildfires, Hawaiʻi Care Choices’ palliative care readiness, and the Lyman Museum’s HVAC replacement. Other requests included the Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance’s Pāʻia Mill redevelopment, Laua 2020’s preschool and learning lab, Mālama Aina’s USDA-compliant meat processing facility, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association’s water safety programs, Kaha P Organization’s agriculture education support, Ohana Arts’ youth performance project, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center’s emergency closet, EOA Pacific’s Marshall Islands teacher training, and the Central Pacific Youth Athletic Club’s new facility. Oʻahu testimony included the YWCA Oʻahu/Pythink Center’s renovation of Juliet M. Atherton Hall and its community kitchen, West Oʻahu Community Health Center’s wildfire protection and security needs, the Early School’s playground improvements, Surfing the Nations’ food distribution center expansion, and Sounding Joy Music Therapy’s weekly services for people with disabilities. Speakers generally emphasized community benefit, workforce development, health access, food security, disaster recovery, and support for children, seniors, and underserved populations. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we did go to war.
• And if we look from the mid-60s when we started our war on poverty, we have spent more money on that
• war than every war... ...we have spent more money on that war than every war that we have had from the
• Revolution up until the Gulf War, every war.
• needs to be... ...and the war on poverty and nothing has changed.

Summary: The Senate began with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognitions, including the doctor of the day and a lighthearted “Cannoli Day” introduction. The chamber then held an extended farewell celebration for Senator Joe Gruters, with numerous senators, colleagues, and family members praising his loyalty, political skill, family focus, and service in the Legislature and Republican Party. Gruters was presented with a commemorative gift recognizing his work on a 2019 public-safety and immigration bill that prohibited sanctuary cities and required local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Senate adopted a motion to spread Gruters’s remarks upon the journal and then recessed briefly. After recess, the Senate returned to regular business and took up third-reading bills. Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 354, relating to blue ribbon projects, was temporarily postponed. The chamber then considered Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1758, relating to public assistance, with Senator Gates explaining that it contained five reforms to the public assistance system discussed earlier in session. During debate on SB 1758, Senator Berman opposed the bill, saying he could not support it in its current form because he believed the Medicaid-related provisions would create a coverage cliff after the one-year transition period and could leave people without care while increasing costs to hospitals and taxpayers. He also said SNAP error reduction should be a priority, but argued the state should focus on fixing administrative errors and fraud rather than imposing a work requirement whose costs and effects were uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we did go to war.
• war than every war...
• We have spent more money on that war than every war that we have had from the Revolution up until the
• Gulf War, every war.
• needs to be... ...and the war on poverty and nothing has changed.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions, then devoted most of the first part of the meeting to a farewell-style recognition of Senator Joe Gruters. Senators from both parties offered extended remarks praising his loyalty, political instincts, family involvement, and work as a legislator and as incoming Republican National Committee chair. Gruters responded with remarks about his background, including overcoming a childhood speech impediment, his service in the Legislature, and major policy efforts he highlighted such as alimony reform and the undergrounding of utilities. A ceremonial gift was presented to him recognizing his work on a 2019 public-safety/immigration bill, and the Senate adopted a motion to spread his remarks upon the journal before recessing briefly. After the recess, the Senate returned to regular business. No committee reports, governor’s messages, House messages, or reconsideration matters were reported. The chamber then moved to third reading and temporarily postponed CS/CS/CS/SB 354, relating to blue ribbon projects. The next bill, CS/CS/SB 1758, relating to public assistance, was taken up, and Senator Gaetz explained that it contained five reforms to the public assistance system previously discussed by the Senate. Debate was about to continue when the transcript ended.