Transcript Highlights:

• Saving lives is your ability to have insurance. Also, saving lives.
• Insurance companies, in particular, will bring legislation to this body.
• , extracting from malpractice insurance, where they can make justification based on legislation that's
• But at the end of the day, the results are a cold calculation: insurance companies are going to make
• It's going to drive up the cost of insurance, drive up the cost of medical care.

Bills: HB2894 , HB3418 , HB3415 , HB3413 , HB3414 , HB3416 , HB3417 , HB3419 , HB3420 , HB1739 , HB1752 , HB1979 , HB2941 , HB2992 , HB3075 , HB3086 , HB3177 , HB3269 , HB3278 , HB3279 , HB3497 , HB3644 , HB4432 , HB3720 , HB3849 , HB3882 , HB3919 , HB3941 , HB4118 , HB4141 , HB4268 , HB4342 , HB4428 , HB4429 , HB4434

Keywords: HB2894, Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act, rural jobs, rural investment, tax credit, capital investment tax credit, state tax credits, economic development, rural fund, rural investor, qualified investment, eligible business, Department of Commerce, rural business, investment certification, tax liability, credit cap, workforce development, small business finance, rural development

Bills: HB2894 , HB3418 , HB3415 , HB3413 , HB3414 , HB3416 , HB3417 , HB3419 , HB3420 , HB1739 , HB1752 , HB1979 , HB2941 , HB2992 , HB3075 , HB3086 , HB3177 , HB3269 , HB3278 , HB3279 , HB3497 , HB3644 , HB4432 , HB3720 , HB3849 , HB3882 , HB3919 , HB3941 , HB4118 , HB4141 , HB4268 , HB4342 , HB4428 , HB4429 , HB4434

Keywords: HB2894, Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act, rural jobs, rural investment, tax credit, capital investment tax credit, state tax credits, economic development, rural fund, rural investor, qualified investment, eligible business, Department of Commerce, rural business, investment certification, tax liability, credit cap, workforce development, small business finance, rural development

Summary: The Senate began with ceremonial recognitions for several student groups and community visitors, including Carl Albert High School’s boys and girls swim teams, the Lady Titans basketball team, and the Choctaw High School speech and debate team. Senators and coaches highlighted the teams’ state championships, academic achievements, and perseverance, and the chamber also welcomed visiting groups from Aline, Owasso, and Tulsa County. After the presentations, the Senate returned to general order and took up a series of House bills. Among the measures considered, House Bill 3720 expanded the Local Food Freedom Act by raising the gross annual sales threshold for local food establishments from under $75,000 to $250,000; it passed 39-4. House Bill 3849 updated the Oklahoma mentoring children of incarcerated parents program and passed 42-1. House Bill 3882 created a revolving fund for industrial and lake access improvement projects and passed 33-9, then also passed the emergency clause 39-4. House Bill 3919 reduced county free fair association boards from nine members to five to address quorum problems and passed 45-0. House Bill 3941 codified a pay raise for a court secretary and passed 45-0, including its emergency clause. House Bill 4118 updated the family caregiver tax credit and passed 44-1. House Bill 4141 removed the sunset on the statewide sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator position and passed 45-0. The chamber also debated several policy bills more extensively. House Bill 4268 created a growth-based teacher compensation program using Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Funds and restored a $5,000 stipend for national board-certified teachers; it passed 45-0 and its emergency clause also passed 45-0. House Bill 4342 allowed prior instances of domestic violence or abuse to be admitted as propensity evidence in court, with supporters saying it would help interrupt the cycle of abuse and opponents raising due process concerns; it passed after debate. House Bill 4428 required public pension plans to base proxy voting decisions solely on financial considerations, and House Bill 4429 required proxy advisors to disclose when recommendations were not based on financial analysis; both passed after debate, 35-8 and 37-7 respectively. Two Rule 7-9 motions to pull House Bills 4422 and 4423 from committee and place them on general order failed by recorded vote. The Senate then announced Denim Day for domestic violence and sexual assault awareness, noted a few final reminders, and adjourned until April 29, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 613 provides an avenue that reduces that liability.
• Then in the next section, it provides general liability coverage through the Secretary of State's self-insured
• , in essence, take on that liability by extending its insurance in case somebody is injured at the polling
• Would it be the private entity who's just got insurance coverage from the state?
• Simply being on location that day does not extend liability to the state.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• insurance for certain private facilities used as polling places; amending Section 63-602, Idaho Code
• insurance for certain private facilities designated as polling places, and declaring an emergency.
• insurance for certain private facilities used as polling places.
• I mean provide for state funding of commercial liability insurance for certain private facilities used
• insurance for certain private facilities designated as polling places and declaring emergency.

Summary: The House convened with roll call, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the journal. The Idaho State Historical Society then gave its annual presentation, highlighting artifacts tied to the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and Idaho statehood, along with remarks about the importance of civic history and public understanding. The House also received Senate messages transmitting Senate Concurrent Resolutions 115 and 116 and Senate Bills 1234 and 1239, and it reported several committee actions, including the enrollment of House Bill 559 to the governor and the printing and referral of House Bills 606 through 611. On the floor, the House considered and passed House Bill 551, which addresses urban renewal districts and fire and ambulance district budget authority, and House Bill 526, which expands a small-seller exemption for certain food sales. House Bill 544, increasing Guard and Reserve leave from 120 to 160 hours, also passed. House Joint Memorial 11, urging Congress to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, passed after debate over federal funding commitments and fiscal concerns. House Joint Resolution 7, which would have sent a constitutional question to voters on repealing Idaho’s sectarian appropriations ban, failed to reach the required two-thirds threshold. The House also advanced a large batch of new bills for first reading, including measures on solar energy, polling place liability insurance, mental health and developmental disability detention standards, disturbing the peace, architects, programmable money, fire insurer transparency, wildfire risk mitigation, county commissioner powers, concealed weapons, Idaho Digital Learning Academy funding, a daily moment of silence in schools, and aggregated student data on immigration status and nationality. Senate Bill 1225 was sent to third reading, and House Joint Memorial 12 was held one legislative day. The chamber then filed committee letters approving pending administrative rules, made a temporary change to the third reading calendar order, announced upcoming committee meetings, and adjourned until February 11, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• part down and uh the unfunded liability part down and uh the unfunded liability part as a result is
• to do that and you also need insurance to do that and you also need insurance to do that and that's
• the insurance you see liability the insurance you see liability the insurance you see that yes ma'am
• have insurance have insurance coverage and coverage and coverage and 44s then they are assuming liability
• and have that insurance in liability and have that insurance in liability and have that insurance in

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I had health insurance.
• them to be able to take that insurance.
• can afford to take the insurance.
• them to be able to take that insurance. and I hear too low for them to be able to take that insurance
• can afford to take the insurance.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a long agenda of health-related bills, beginning with AB 2651 by Bonta, which would require schools to notify parents when school vaccination rates fall below herd immunity thresholds. Supporters, including family physicians, PTA representatives, and medical groups, said the bill would improve transparency and help parents protect children and vulnerable family members. Opponents argued the data could be misleading, could identify medically exempt or conditional students, and might lead to stigma or discrimination. The bill was later moved out of committee on a due-pass-as-amended motion, with one no vote recorded on the roll call. The committee also heard AB 2123 by Aguirre-Curry on medical debt relief, AB 1570 by Wilson to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary breast diagnostic and supplemental imaging, AB 2201 by Berner to restore Medi-Cal eligibility and renewal flexibilities, AB 2448 by Berman to strengthen privacy protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care records, AB 2034 by Addis on food additive safety and transparency, and AB 2598 by Krell to require better notification of next of kin when a patient dies in a hospital. Each bill drew strong support from authors, advocates, and affected individuals, while some drew opposition from insurers, industry groups, or transparency critics who raised concerns about cost, duplication, implementation, or unintended harm. Several bills were moved forward on due-pass-as-amended motions, including AB 2123, AB 2201, AB 2448, AB 2034, and AB 2598. The committee also heard AB 2551 by Elhawary, which would require health plans to collect and publish data on how often enrollees must go out of network for behavioral health care and why. Supporters said the measure would expose access barriers and high out-of-pocket costs, especially for communities of color and people with language access needs; opponents said it would add another reporting mandate and might not solve provider shortage problems. Members generally expressed support for the bill’s goals and several described personal or district-level experiences with behavioral health access problems. The bill was then moved out of committee on a due-pass motion. The committee also took up consent items and other procedural motions, with multiple bills reported out and some placed on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• . only the UMUIM portion of the insurance of the many layers of overlapping insurance that protect both
• But also, we've seen insurance costs because we're insisting on insurance levels that are higher than
• Today, each trip is covered by multiple forms of insurance: a million dollars in liability insurance,
• pay to insurance for your automobile is for your liability coverage, which is...
• You pay to insurance for your automobile is for your liability coverage, which kicks in if you cause

Summary: The Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee heard three bills. SB 371 by Senator Cabaldon would reduce uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage requirements for transportation network companies from $1 million to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, with committee amendments adding findings and declarations, higher limits than originally proposed, and a joint study on UM/UIM impacts. Supporters, including Uber, Lyft, business groups, and some consumer advocates, argued the bill would lower fares and increase driver earnings by reducing insurance costs. Opponents, including consumer attorneys, labor groups, and consumer watchdog organizations, warned it would cut protections for riders and drivers and might not guarantee savings would be passed through. The committee approved SB 371 on a due-pass basis and re-referred it to Appropriations by a 9-0 vote. The committee then heard SB 716 by Senator Durazo, which would create a Home Internet Lifeline Program to let eligible low-income households apply Lifeline subsidies to home broadband service. Proponents said the bill addresses broadband affordability after the federal Affordable Connectivity Program expired, and that it would help students, workers, and families access reliable internet. Opponents from the wireless industry objected to the funding mechanism, arguing the surcharge would fall unfairly on wireless consumers, while one broadband group moved to neutral after amendments. The bill was approved on a due-pass basis and sent to Appropriations, but the roll was held open and later completed with the bill passing 7-1. The committee also took up SB 480 by Senator Archuleta relating to autonomous vehicles as a consent item, with no presentation or debate. It was approved on a due-pass basis and re-referred to Appropriations by a 9-0 vote. Throughout the hearing, members repeatedly focused on affordability, consumer protection, and whether savings from the bills would actually reach riders, drivers, or households.

Transcript Highlights:

• . $10 a month for commercial health insurance.
• And are any of these individuals, are they being insured through the high-risk insurance pool?
• other people with private insurance will get a surtax?
• It ups my insurance so that I can pay... ...get a surtax.
• But my insurance is higher. Mr.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 7, the Apprenticeship Assistance Act, which would keep apprenticeship trust fund distributions at $2.5 million rather than reducing them and remove a reference to the tobacco settlement permanent fund. Labor, construction, business, and environmental groups testified in support, emphasizing workforce development, retention of workers in New Mexico, and expansion of apprenticeship opportunities. The bill was moved and adopted without opposition. Members then considered House Bill 66, as amended, to increase funding for health professional loan repayment and related workforce supports. The amendment struck an appropriation because the funding was already included in House Bill 2. Testimony from health care providers, chambers of commerce, social workers, and physical therapy advocates supported the bill as a way to address provider shortages and improve recruitment and retention. After questions about eligibility, repayment terms, and overlap with similar Senate bills, the committee voted to do pass the bill as amended. House Bill 96, creating a working group to study a possible New Mexico Space Commission, was also amended to strike an appropriation. Support came from the chamber, Virgin Galactic, and aerospace advocates, who said a commission could help coordinate economic development and workforce efforts in the space sector. Members asked about other states’ commissions, workforce pathways, and the working group’s timeline, and the sponsor agreed to add clearer dissolution language later. The committee then passed the bill as amended. The committee then took up House Bill 80, a committee substitute to redirect more of the oil and gas conservation tax to the reclamation fund for orphan well plugging and site remediation. Supporters from industry, environmental groups, tribal advocates, and chambers said the bill would better align the tax with its original purpose and provide stable funding for cleanup, while an opponent argued the bill shifts costs from industry to the public and should instead raise the tax or bonding requirements. After discussion of backlog, phase-in timing, and procurement reforms, the committee voted do pass. The committee also heard House Bill 4, as amended, which phases in a larger share of premium surtax revenue to the Health Care Affordability Fund over three years. Supporters said it would sustain BeWell enrollment and affordability programs, while opponents questioned the burden on private payers and the size of the general fund impact. The committee adopted the substitute and then passed it on a 10-7 vote. Finally, the committee approved House Bill 65, as amended, creating a Foster Care Plus pilot project for children in CYFD custody, with testimony both supporting the need for better services and cautioning that implementation should respect tribal law, cultural practices, and family reunification. The committee also tabled House Bill 68 at the sponsor’s request. The transcript then began discussion of House Bill 88, which would make minor changes to the land grant assistance fund, including capturing reverted payments that currently go back to the general fund.

Transcript Highlights:

• , health insurance, property insurance, et cetera.
• This instrument provides relative to compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance, to provide relative
• This instrument provides relative to compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance, to provide relative
• This instrument provides relative to motor vehicle liability security, to provide for proof of insurance
• This instrument provides relative to motor vehicle liability security, to provide for proof of insurance

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're able to keep folks insured and healthy.
• We're able to keep folks insured and healthy.
• get their insurance.
• Share on their insurance, whether it's Blue Cross, Blue Shield, I don't care where they get their insurance
• Up to $5 million of liability can be offset at 100%.

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• professionals, and qualified autism service paraprofessionals from the Health and Safety Code and Insurance
• When SB 946, the autism insurance mandate, was passed in 2011, it required insurance coverage for behavioral
• SB 378 addresses this urgent problem by establishing strict liability for online platforms and websites
• SB 378 addresses this urgent problem by establishing strict liability for online platforms and websites
• And our bill is not; our bill is only adding strict liability to online marketplaces that are selling

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard several measures, including SB 402 by Senator Valadares, which would move existing qualification requirements for qualified autism service providers and related professionals from the Health and Safety Code and Insurance Code into the Business and Professions Code without changing the standards. Supporters said it was a technical cleanup that would improve consistency and legislative oversight, while an opponent argued the bill was unnecessary and could create access issues; another witness urged inclusion of the QABA credentialing board. The committee approved SB 402 on a due pass motion to the Committee on Health. The committee also heard SB 378 by Senator Wiener, aimed at online platforms that facilitate sales of illicit cannabis and intoxicating hemp products. Supporters, including labor, local government, and cannabis industry representatives, said the bill would help protect consumers, minors, legal businesses, and tax revenue by creating accountability for online marketplaces. Opponents from the hemp industry and TechNet argued the bill was overly broad, could sweep in legitimate platforms and payment services, and should better distinguish bad actors from compliant hemp businesses; members discussed implementation, enforcement through a private right of action, and coordination with AB 8. The committee passed SB 378 to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. Senator Arreguín presented SB 779, which would establish minimum enforcement fines for Contractors State License Board citations where minimums are currently very low or absent, and would raise the board’s reserve cap from six months to 12 months. The sponsor said the changes would better match penalties to violations and help support consumer protection and board operations during economic downturns. There was no opposition, and the committee approved SB 779 as amended to the Committee on Appropriations. The committee also approved the consent calendar, which included SB 344 and AB 652, both sent to Appropriations. SB 508 was not heard because it had been pulled by the author.

Transcript Highlights:

• The risk program consists of property, liability, and workers' compensation.
• Our unfunded liability is currently at 9.7 billion, and our actuarial Accrued liability, the promises
• I'm a liability. To the fund, Joey is not.
• So this is the operating expenses for all of the state's insurance programs.
• We also insure the same entities and we do construction. And transportation.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I have health insurance and unemployment insurance and retirement.
• I mean, I have health insurance and unemployment insurance and retirement.
• I've checked with Sharon Clark in the insurance commissioner. >> Okay. And a quick follow-up.
• ,</c><00:25:45.000><c> but</c> helps to pay off those liabilities, but helps to pay off those liabilities
• ,</c> this point per the liabilities, this point per the liabilities, what<00:26:07.440><c> this</c><

Committee: House Economic Development & Workforce Investment

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00 Roll Call: 00:36 HB 732 Discussion: 02:00 HB 732 Vote: 20:55 SB 343 Discussion: 23:39 SB 343 Vote: 28:54 SB 129 Discussion: 30:30 SB 129 Vote: 32:27, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 837 also made significant reforms to bad faith actions against insurers.
• The legislation provides a mechanism for insurers to limit their exposure to liability in such claims
• insured parties and claims to act in good faith.
• the legal fees of an insured if they prevailed in an action against the insurer.
• The greatest impact observed was in auto negligence and premises liability.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If we could look at that threshold, we hold a lot of insurance already: professional liability, umbrella
• insurance, employee dishonesty, cyber liability insurance.
• liability, umbrella<00:23:15.520><c> insurance,</c><00:23:16.000><c> employee</c><00:23:16.400><c> dishonesty
• ><c> liability</c><00:23:18.080><c> insurance,</c><00:23:19.039><c> insurance</c> cyber liability insurance
• , insurance cyber liability insurance, insurance costs<00:23:19.760><c> have</c><00:23:20.000><c> been

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we’re going to move on to H. 1836, an act to require liability insurance for gun ownership
• I come here today to testify in favor of life-saving legislation to require liability insurance for ownership
• Liability insurance for ownership of firearms within our state.
• Our commonwealth would do well to leverage liability insurance to promote gun safety and responsibly
• insurance with gun ownership.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy public hearing on a wide range of civil actions, labor, consumer protection, and animal welfare bills. Chair Lydia Edwards and Representative Michael Day opened with strict testimony rules and time limits, then heard from legislators and advocates on measures including animal-abuser pet ownership bans (S. 1207/H. 1914), a name-change privacy bill (S. 1045/H. 1973), tort claims reform (H. 1724), law enforcement council coverage under the Tort Claims Act (S. 1199), civil rights and qualified immunity-related proposals (H. 1641), employee free speech/captive audience restrictions (S. 1078/H. 1653), consumer protection and civil rights jurisdiction expansion (S. 1041), private right of action for wage theft (H. 1916), gun-owner liability insurance (H. 1836), pseudoephedrine sales tracking (S. 1243/H. 1581), prepaid legal services plans (H. 1612), structured settlement protections (H. 1863), third-party litigation financing disclosure (H. 1861), antitrust reform for small businesses and workers (S. 1038/H. 1982), legal notices in online-only newspapers (S. 1279/H. 1632), and several animal cruelty and protection bills including H. 1938, H. 1949, S. 1277/H. 1934, and H. 1764. Testimony was largely supportive from bill sponsors and advocacy groups, with repeated themes of protecting vulnerable people and animals, improving access to justice, and updating outdated laws. Supporters of the animal bills argued for stronger possession bans, broader cruelty citations, and civil removal tools to prevent repeat abuse; opponents or conditional supporters raised due process and enforcement concerns, especially around warrantless seizures and requiring retail or shelter staff to check registries. On the labor and consumer side, supporters said the antitrust bill would curb monopoly power and help small businesses and workers, while opponents warned it could destabilize competition and burden successful firms. The employee free speech bill was backed as a response to captive audience meetings, and the wage-theft bill was presented as a way to let workers or organizations pursue claims when individual employees are afraid to come forward. Several public officials and association representatives testified on the law enforcement and civil rights bills. Chiefs of police supported adding law enforcement councils to the Tort Claims Act, saying it would close a liability gap for regional mutual-aid collaborations. But police representatives opposed changes to the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act and qualified immunity-related provisions, arguing the federal system already provides a workable forum and that expanding liability could increase costs, reduce morale, and worsen recruitment and retention. On the consumer/civil rights bill, Senator Collins and a veteran described an out-of-state assault case that they said showed the need for Massachusetts to let residents seek redress at home when rights are violated elsewhere. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing itself; the committee mainly received testimony and questions. Several witnesses indicated they had submitted written testimony or proposed amendments, and some bills drew requests for favorable reports while others were explicitly opposed unless amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:36:50.480><c> insurance</c> professional liability insurance professional liability insurance
• There's no fiscal impact. liability insurance coverage is not liability insurance coverage is not maintained
• </c> does not maintain professional liability does not maintain professional liability insurance<00:37
• Clerk, read the next bill. performance bond and liability performance bond and liability insurance.<00
• </c><00:47:05.599><c> insurance,</c><00:47:06.079><c> which</c> or reasonable liability insurance, which

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 960, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><02:04:27.199><c> insurance</c> buildings, and our liability insurance buildings, and our liability
• And liability insurance in one lump sum?
• insurance is now there, the liability insurance is now $180,000<02:05:25.679><c> a</c><02:05:25.920>
• So liability insurance plus 10% of that.
• </c><02:07:30.880><c> upfront,</c> pay your liability insurance upfront, pay your liability insurance

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the corrected journal, and heard several announcements about upcoming committee meetings, events at the Capitol, and recognitions, including Music Therapy Day, Black History Month activities, adoptable puppies, and a Colorado Agricultural Forum. Members also celebrated Representative Story’s birthday and recognized the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) for its long-running support of arts, culture, science access, and economic impact in Colorado. The House adopted Senate Joint Resolution 12, designating February 20, 2026, as Colorado FFA Day, by a vote of 64-1 with one excused. The chamber then moved to special orders for several bills. The first major bill considered was House Bill 1017, which would prohibit insurers from receiving criminal restitution unless they are direct victims. Sponsors argued the bill prioritizes human victims, prevents restitution from becoming an unpayable burden on low-income defendants, and clarifies the law in response to court concerns and stakeholder feedback. Opponents argued it would shift costs to taxpayers and policyholders and could increase civil litigation and insurance premiums. An amendment, L005, was adopted to clarify the bill’s scope, and the bill then passed as amended. The House also took up House Bill 114, concerning minimum lot size and local land-use rules. An amendment, L002, was offered to prohibit certain local lot frontage, setback, open-space, or coverage requirements that would effectively prevent construction of a single-family home on a 2,000-square-foot residential lot. Supporters framed the measure as protecting housing access, while opponents argued it would override local land-use decision-making and public hearing processes. The transcript ends during debate on a substitute motion related to the amendment, before final action on House Bill 114 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• To raise income, we continue with a sustainable insurance strategy and allow the insurers to justify
• People buy flood insurance because they have to buy flood insurance.
• People buy flood insurance because they have to buy flood insurance.
• Very few people will buy flood insurance if they don't have a federally insured mortgage that forces
• I’ve been shopping around for insurance lately and discovering that when I try to buy insurance—both

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance held an information hearing on the impacts of climate change and catastrophic wildfire on California’s insurance market, with opening remarks focused on the state’s affordability, availability, and stability problems. Chair and members discussed the role of SB 254’s report, the Sustainable Insurance Strategy, the growth of the FAIR Plan, and the need to better align insurance regulation, mitigation, and land-use decisions. The Vice Chair noted the importance of hearing from industry as well as consumer and academic experts, and Senator Becker said the report would inform further committee work. Amy Bach of United Policyholders described how climate-driven wildfire and flood risk, combined with inflation, insurtech, and risk modeling, have reduced competition and pushed more homeowners into the FAIR Plan and non-admitted surplus lines coverage. She said availability is improving somewhat, but affordability will depend on mitigation, insurer competition, and fair rate regulation. In response to questions, she emphasized underinsurance as a long-running problem, supported stronger insurer responsibility for replacement-cost estimates, and suggested a public reinsurance backstop and more mitigation funding rather than removing wildfire coverage from basic policies. Nancy Watkins of Milliman and Michael Wara of Stanford argued that the market problem is fundamentally that expected claims and expenses now exceed premiums because too many homes are burning. They said California needs both risk reduction and actuarially sound pricing, along with a state mitigation framework that targets the highest-risk communities and prioritizes home hardening, defensible space, and community-scale mitigation over broad acreage-based spending. They also discussed the role of non-admitted carriers as a gap-filler, the need for better data on reconstruction costs and mitigation effectiveness, and the importance of sustained funding rather than one-time grants. A later panel with Frank Freebalt of Cal Poly and Michael Golnar of UC Berkeley focused on modeling and mitigation science. They said wildfire policy should treat the issue as a structure-ignition and urban conflagration problem, not just a wildland fire problem, and stressed integrated land-use, utility, and community mitigation. Members asked about zoning, building codes, utility hardening, and who should pay for mitigation; witnesses said older, denser neighborhoods are the highest priority, that utilities must improve operational safety measures, and that targeted mitigation in the highest-risk areas offers the best return. No votes or formal actions were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:31:29.120><c> That</c> not create an unfunded liability.
• And I'm talking about insurance system.
• </c> in the unfunded liability in the unfunded liability &gt;&gt; that<00:43:24.640><c> is</c><00:43:
• And health insurance has gone up a bunch.
• And health insurance has gone up a bunch.

Keywords: Reuploaded to restore a few minutes lost at the end of the meeting Representative Tackett-Lafferty: 00:22 • Line of Duty Disability Benefits Representative Grossberg: 26:32 • Loss of TRS Credit Due to Religious Holiday Observance Representative Blanton: 32:01 • Educational Contracts and Membership Dates in KERS Representative Tipton and Representative Blanton: 40:55 • Apply SB 10 Changes from 2025 to KERS/SPRS Senator Higdon: 46:08 • PPOB Reporting on Line of Duty Benefits • TRS Annual Leave Impact on TRS • PPOB Membership • Use of Sick Leave for Religious Holidays Adjournment: 56:03, 958, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty on a bill to extend minimum line-of-duty hazardous duty retirement benefits to certain CERS and KERS non-hazardous members who are injured in the line of duty and cannot return to that work. She used a video and examples from Eastern Kentucky first responders, including a deputy who lost a leg and an emergency management director who lost an eye, to argue that some injured officers and responders fall through the cracks because their employers did not elect hazardous-duty coverage. She said the proposal would provide 25% of pay to the disabled officer, plus 10% for dependent children and minimal health benefits, and noted estimated actuarial costs of about $2.9 million for CERS and $0.542 million for KERS, funded through small employer-rate increases. Members asked how far back the bill would reach, how many people might qualify, and whether the benefit would apply only to active employees or also to past injuries. Laferty said the bill would include a five-year window for recent situations and could potentially cover a total of 3,333 positions statewide that could be certified as hazardous, though benefits would only apply if the person was injured in the line of duty and disabled from returning to that work. Questions also focused on whether a non-hazardous employee could qualify if injured in a hazardous situation; Laferty said yes, if the position could be certified as hazardous, but only for the bill’s minimum benefits. Rep. Josh Calloway and others noted that local governments choose whether to pay the higher hazardous-duty contribution rates, which they said often drives the coverage decision. The committee then heard Rep. Daniel Gberg present a separate bill revising school leave rules so teachers and school employees may use accumulated sick leave to observe religious holidays not on the school calendar, with a required personal statement and advance notice. He said the change would address a longstanding inconsistency for teachers who observe non-Christian holidays and currently may have to choose between unpaid leave or improperly using sick days, and he said prior concerns about retirement service credit and maternity leave were reduced by other policy changes. The discussion ended without a vote, with members indicating they had the relevant materials and that the bill would be revisited later.