Transcript Highlights:

• whatever, and I can't afford to get a birth certificate to prove my citizenship and I don't have a passport
• whatever, and I can't afford to get a birth certificate to prove my citizenship and I don't have a passport
• whatever, and I can't afford to get a birth certificate to prove my citizenship and I don't have a passport
• whatever, and I can't afford to get a birth certificate to prove my citizenship and I don't have a passport
• I don't have a passport. Um, and I, uh, you know, what do I do?

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the smaller programs are Passport to Careers, which includes Passport to College and Passport
• Recent policy changes in 2024 included changes for Washington College Grant, College Bound, and Passport

Bills: HB2148 , HB2132

Committee: House Postsecondary Education & Workforce

Keywords: education, pay it forward program, tuition, student loans, financial aid, state financial aid, financial aid application, postsecondary education, higher education, student aid, Washington Student Achievement Council, public records exemption, privacy, student records, personally identifying information, financial information, data sharing agreement, enrollment assistance, institutional records, FERPA

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the smaller programs are Passport to Careers, which includes Passport to College and Passport
• Recent policy changes in 2024 included changes for the Washington College Grant, College Bound, and Passport

Summary: The Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee held a work session on higher education funding and then public hearings on House Bill 2148 and House Bill 2132. In the work session, OPR staff Kate Henry reviewed enrollment trends, tuition policy, financial aid programs, and funding sources for Washington’s public colleges and universities. Members asked about FTE versus headcount, tuition growth, the Washington College Grant, College Bound, and the Workforce Education Investment Account. Henry explained how state appropriations, tuition, and financial aid interact, and noted that higher education makes up a significant share of the state budget. No votes were taken during the work session. House Bill 2148 would create a “pay-it-forward” graduate student aid program administered by the Student Achievement Council, allowing students to receive tuition support and later make income-based contributions for up to 15 years to fund future students. Sponsor Rep. Reid said the bill is intended to offset the loss of federal graduate loan options and support workforce needs in fields like nursing, teaching, and research. Committee questions focused on repayment terms, possible caps, interest, and program capitalization. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, with students and advocates arguing the bill would expand access to graduate education and avoid predatory private debt. House Bill 2132 would limit disclosure and retention of personally identifying and financial information from WASFA applications, generally requiring the Student Achievement Council and institutions to stop retaining that information after one year following the award year unless needed for an audit or appeal. Rep. Leavitt said the bill is meant to reduce unnecessary long-term retention of sensitive student data and improve privacy and security. Supporters, including student leaders and immigrant-advocacy groups, said the bill would protect vulnerable students and increase trust in the aid process. Some members raised concerns about whether shorter retention could affect future record needs, including immigration-related documentation, but the sponsor said students can keep their own records and that the bill preserves audit authority. The hearing ended without a vote, and the chair noted an upcoming busy schedule and cutoff deadlines.

Transcript Highlights:

• So e-Transcript California, as well as the Career Passport RFP that I'll discuss in a little bit, are
• Yeah, the 2025-26 budget provided $25 million to support the development of a career passport approach
• . $25 million to support the development of a career passport approach.
• What are career passports?
• as well as data that flows from the common cloud data platform and other sources into the career passports

Summary: The committee heard an update on the administration’s Career Education Master Plan and the new California Education Interagency Council. Administration and agency staff described efforts to better connect K-12, higher education, workforce, and data systems, including the California Cradle to Career Data System, e-Transcript California, and a proposed career passport. They emphasized regional coordination with workforce boards and community colleges, and said the new council’s immediate tasks are to hold its first meeting by the end of June, enter into a data-sharing MOU, and complete a strategic plan by the end of November. Members asked about the council’s authority, reporting requirements, and how it would relate to the broader Master Plan for Higher Education; staff said the council will make recommendations but does not have implementation authority. The committee then took up the Governor’s proposed $100 million one-time expansion of dual enrollment grants and related changes to instructional minute requirements. Finance and the Department of Education said the proposal would support middle college, early college, and CCAP programs, add technical assistance, prioritize high-need LEAs, and reduce the minimum instructional day for certain dual enrollment students from 240 to 180 minutes to ease scheduling barriers. The Chancellor’s Office strongly supported the investment, citing access, acceleration, and equity benefits, while the LAO recommended rejecting the funding, arguing the state already provides ongoing support and that the proposal does not address major barriers. Members raised questions about adult learners, A-G alignment, reporting on outcomes and expenditures, rural access, transportation, staffing, and whether the funding would create lasting program capacity. The item was left open after discussion. The committee also considered trailer bill language to align the definition of long-term English learners across data systems. Finance and CDE said the change would simplify identification by defining LTELs as students who have not attained English proficiency within seven years and RTELs as students not proficient within six years, matching the dashboard and research-based timelines. CDE said the current mismatch between dashboard and assessment definitions creates confusion and delays, while some members and advocates worried the change could reduce earlier intervention or should be handled through policy committees rather than the budget process. The committee voted to reject the proposal and refer it to policy, though the administration said it still supports the budget language. Finally, the committee heard a proposal to extend the Supporting Inclusive Practices project by one year, through June 30, 2027. CDE said the project is promising but raised concerns about the contract structure and fiscal management, while Marysville Joint Unified School District testified that SIP had helped expand inclusive preschool and district-wide practices and reduce reliance on more restrictive placements. Members questioned why funds had not been fully encumbered and whether the remaining money should be redirected to areas with greater implementation need. The item was discussed but no final action was described in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• A passport can prove your age, identity, and citizenship, but not your domicile.
• A passport can prove your age, identity, and citizenship, but not your domicile.
• A passport can prove your age, identity, and citizenship, but not your domicile.
• </c><01:20:42.480><c> and</c><01:20:42.639><c> that</c> one and doesn't have a passport and that one
• And I got my birth certificate when I got my passport.

Committee: House Election Law

Transcript Highlights:

• So even if I was reading your passport, the technology can get that wrong.
• So even if I was reading your passport, the technology can get that wrong.
• Again, using a passport—okay, if somebody’s going to forge a passport, they’ve gone through a lot of
• trouble to forge a passport, or a driver’s license, or whatever...

Bills: HB2112

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Business

Keywords: age restrictions, online content, digital media, youth protection, cyber safety

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill makes students eligible for the Passport to Careers program automatically income-eligible for
• the Washington College Grant and aligns the Passport to Careers formula for determining financial need
• 5963 also requires the Office of Student Financial Assistance to deposit all funds received for the Passport

Summary: The House Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6258, which would authorize the Washington Medical Commission to adopt rules allowing physicians and certain other licensees to voluntarily relinquish their licenses outside of a disciplinary process. Staff and the bill sponsor explained that the current system only allows relinquishment through a disciplinary or quasi-disciplinary path, which can trigger reporting to national databases even when there is no misconduct. Testimony from the Medical Commission and the Washington Physicians Health Program supported the bill as a non-disciplinary, permanent, and more dignified way for providers to exit practice while preserving patient safety by excluding those under investigation or discipline. The chair said the committee would executive the bill the next day and asked that amendments be submitted by 6 p.m. that day. The committee then held a work session on part-time/adjunct faculty in the community and technical college system. State Board of Community and Technical Colleges staff described the system’s 34 colleges, the role of local bargaining, and the differences in duties and pay between full-time and part-time faculty. They noted that adjunct pay has historically lagged and cited a 2024 report estimating it would cost about $75.1 million to raise average adjunct compensation to 85% of full-time faculty pay. American Federation of Teachers Washington representatives and contingent faculty testified in support of HB 2538, arguing that contingent faculty are underpaid, often lack stable employment and compensation for work outside class time, and that higher pay would improve retention, student support, and equity. Members asked about bargaining structures, health benefits, workload, and comparisons to other faculty roles. In executive session, the committee considered Substitute Senate Bill 5931, which makes administrative changes to the Workforce Education, Investment, Accountability, and Oversight Board, including removing a public dashboard requirement and adjusting election timing. The bill passed 14-1 and was reported out with a do-pass recommendation. The committee also approved Senate Bill 5963, which automatically makes Passport to Careers participants income-eligible for the Washington College Grant and aligns need calculations with the federal formula; it also directs Passport funds into the state financial aid account. That bill passed unanimously, 15-0, and was likewise reported out with a do-pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there's already a backlog right there of over 300 people waiting for an attorney.
• Then... ...already a backlog right there of over 300 people waiting for an attorney.
• So that is definitely creating the backlog.
• Because the backlog in the Massachusetts Immigration Court is 250,000 cases.
• Yes, and so that's why when you're saying no backlog, you don't want to waitlist—you want to use backlog

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• giving</c><00:08:20.000><c> you</c><00:08:20.160><c> a</c> passport or they're giving you a passport
• ,</c> the security features in the passport, the security features in the passport, but<00:08:59.120>
• or, um... that you have the passport or, um, birth certificate. >> Correct.
• passport passport um<00:10:57.600><c> or</c><00:10:57.920><c> a</c> um or a um or a or<00:11:00.480>
• So, it could be U.S. passport, it could be naturalization with date.

Committee: House Election Law

Transcript Highlights:

• Louis Park, have to walk down in the same body or came as a day old with my passport and my daughter's
• same body or came as a day old<00:18:36.559><c> with</c><00:18:36.799><c> my</c><00:18:37.039><c> passport
• /c><00:18:37.600><c> and</c><00:18:37.840><c> my</c><00:18:38.160><c> daughter's</c> old with my passport
• and my daughter's old with my passport and my daughter's birth<00:18:38.960><c> certificate</c><00:18

Transcript Highlights:

• registering a vehicle will be required to provide either a REAL ID-compliant credential, a U.S. passport
• or passport card, or a foreign passport with a stamp or mark by the federal government on the passport

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The committee held a panel discussion on micro-mobility device regulation and enforcement, focusing on e-bikes and e-scooters. Sheriff Robert Hardwick and Chief Jamie Cruz described serious injuries involving children, including crashes at high speeds, and argued that current law is outdated because it folds e-bikes into the bicycle statute. They urged a separate statewide framework with clearer age limits, licensing or training requirements, helmet rules, and penalties for modifying devices to go faster. Both also emphasized that parents should bear responsibility and that enforcement should include education, progressive discipline, and, if needed, civil citations. FDOT District 6 Secretary Daniel Iglesias and DHSMV representative Lonnie Groner said their agencies are prioritizing education, outreach, and better data collection. They noted that micromobility devices are increasingly common, create safety and accessibility issues on sidewalks and shared-use paths, and are difficult to track because crash reports often do not identify them consistently. Members discussed whether motorized devices should be barred from sidewalks, whether riders should be licensed and insured, and how enforcement could be made uniform statewide. The panel also said manufacturers have not been meaningfully engaged and that local approaches vary widely. The committee then heard 2026 legislative priorities from FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue and DHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner. Perdue outlined FDOT’s large five-year work program, ongoing congestion-relief projects, investments in ports, airports, rail, workforce, heavy equipment, facilities, and cybersecurity, and the need to do more with flat revenues. Kerner summarized DHSMV’s agency bill priorities, including requiring a Florida address and proof of residence for vehicle registration, updating identification requirements, aligning tank vehicle and motor carrier rules with federal standards, improving IFTA administration, raising the crash-report damage threshold, and allowing electronic notices. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Mung staff and students carry their passports.
• An 8-year-old who keeps their passport tucked inside their backpack just in case.
• </c><00:33:01.440><c> inside</c><00:33:01.679><c> their</c> keeps their passport tucked inside their
• keeps their passport tucked inside their backpack<00:33:02.399><c> just</c><00:33:02.640><c> in</c><00
• with her she has to carry her passport with her at<01:13:13.199><c> all</c><01:13:13.360><c> times.

Transcript Highlights:

• top of page 3, you give other things, you know, Social Security card, a birth certificate, valid passport
• page two, one of the documents it's talking about is Social Security card, and it talks about valid passport
• , but would that mean if someone has a passport from some other country, you know, Zimbabwe, and it wasn't
• a U.S. passport, that it would count as valid identification?
• identification, but it is an actual item on an I-9 that you can use as a verification form, as well as passports

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• So if I'm understanding this correctly, there's a proposal to reduce both the Career Passport proposal
• of what the proposed cuts are being made to community college programs, specifically the Career Passport
• Network is being augmented at a level this correctly there's a proposal to reduce both the career passport
• Career Passport is being proposed for a one-time investment of $25 million instead of $50 million as
• master plan for career education the may revision proposes reducing the investment for the career passport

Summary: The committee heard the May Revision presentation for the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, with public comment focused heavily on K-12 priorities such as universal school meals, kitchen infrastructure, food service and custodial support, youth leadership grants, Special Olympics funding, English learner support, universal pre-K, literacy investments, and concerns about community college funding shifts. Speakers also urged support for expanded learning, teacher recruitment and training, and maintaining or increasing funding for community colleges and student support programs. Finance and the LAO then reviewed the Proposition 98 outlook. Finance said the May Revision lowers the 2025-26 Prop. 98 guarantee to $114.6 billion, about $4.3 billion below January, due mainly to lower revenue estimates, with smaller effects from attendance and property tax changes. The administration also described rebenching for universal transitional kindergarten and a one-time rebench tied to Los Angeles fire-related property tax losses, along with changes to the Public School System Stabilization Account, deferrals, and updated COLA assumptions. The LAO said the budget relies too much on deferrals and one-time funds, creates a structural shortfall, and should instead align ongoing spending with the guarantee and preserve a reserve buffer. Members questioned the TK rebench and the shift of funding from community colleges to K-12, asking why it was being applied retroactively and how colleges would be held harmless. Finance said the changes align funding with where TK costs are being incurred and that reappropriation funding and other adjustments would offset impacts on community colleges. The LAO argued the historical split formula is outdated and should be abandoned in favor of budgeting around current priorities rather than fixed percentages. Members also raised concerns about draining the rainy day reserve and using deferrals, while the LAO said preserving reserves would better protect against future volatility. The committee then moved to specific K-12 and education proposals. Finance outlined May Revision changes including state operations adjustments for the Department of Education, technical trailer bill changes, a $100 million student teacher stipend program administered by Kern County, and updates to the charter school facility grant program. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposed increases for expanded learning, literacy coaches, and the student teacher stipend as currently structured, while supporting the minimum grant increase for expanded learning. Members expressed support for teacher recruitment efforts but questioned whether one-time funding can sustain ongoing programs and whether the student teacher stipend should be targeted to shortage areas or low-income communities.

Bills: HB95 , HB111 , HJR1 , HB32 , HB33 , HB61 , HJM2 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26 , HM3 , HM11 , HM14 , HM15 , HM21 , HM34 , HM50 , HB8 , HB30 , HB43 , HB156 , HM2 , HM16

Keywords: HB95, additional judgeship, district court, judicial district, First Judicial District, Second Judicial District, district judges, court administration, judicial staffing, caseload, access to justice, New Mexico courts, judiciary, judge vacancy, court backlog, state courts, water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order

Transcript Highlights:

• same privilege and democratic privilege like other consulates, and so we can issue visas, issue passports
• So my fear with this is that if someone doesn't have their passport or their birth certificate on them—which
• Show me what line you're talking about that says you have to have a passport.
• proof of citizenship, which could include a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or valid passport
• I'm assuming, based on how I read this, A birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or valid passport

Summary: The House first established a quorum, then heard a presentation from Debbie Huang of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver. Huang thanked Missouri lawmakers for their annual Taiwan resolutions and described Taiwan as a democratic and economic partner of the United States, emphasizing cooperation with Missouri in agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, semiconductors, and AI, while also warning about pressure from China and the need for stronger Taiwan-U.S. ties. The chamber then took up House Bill 311, which would move oversight of bail bondsmen under the existing board for private investigators and fire investigators, add bail bondsmen to that board, and increase training and oversight. Members said the bill was industry-requested, had unanimous committee support, and carried no fiscal note. The House adopted the committee substitute and perfected and printed the bill. Lawmakers also debated and adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 3009, a pharmacy bill aimed at clarifying rules for pharmacies serving low-income and underserved patients, emergency medication dispensing, and out-of-state pharmacy accreditation. Amendments were adopted to update the title and align Missouri law with national pharmacy board accreditation standards. The bill was described as a response to access problems during the 2025 St. Louis tornado and was said to have no state cost. A large block of floor action followed on a combined package of bills and amendments covering public safety, criminal law, health, and licensing. Measures discussed and adopted included changes to the sex offender registry and related corrections, an offense for impeding first responders, Mason’s Law to flag drivers with disabilities in law enforcement databases, a hands-free cell phone law update, Highway Patrol equipment purchasing authority, psilocybin language for first responders and veterans, AI-generated explicit material and child pornography provisions, gift card fraud penalties, stronger fentanyl trafficking penalties, Melanie’s Law on ignition interlock/DUI penalties, a domestic violence registry, boiler inspection and Missouri fire/life safety standards, Kansas City police retirement age corrections, and a commercial driver English proficiency bill with stronger penalties for drivers and carriers. One amendment on the sex offender registry was withdrawn after debate, and the House ultimately adopted the remaining amendments and referred the combined House Bills 368 and 3049 substitute to the Committee on Legislative Review.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um what would passports on on as a card?
• >> No. >> So, right now, when you apply for a passport, you have the option of getting the passport book
• , you have the option of getting passport, you have the option of getting the<00:25:03.600><c> passport
• The ID is the passport book or the ID.
• Is there is there passport ID and this?

Committee: House Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• I would get home late and I would find that I was carrying my passport in my pocket.
• I'm like, man, why do I keep carrying my passport? I'll lose this thing. I gotta stop doing it.
• I am carrying my passport with me.
• Until this time in our country's history, I have only carried my passport with me when I've been out
• I am a first-generation American, and I carry my passport card, so these enforcement actions are not

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on several public safety bills, with testimony first on S.2681, Colby’s Law, which would establish safety standards for BMX and motocross tracks. Supporters, including the family of a child killed at a track, argued the bill is needed because some tracks lack basic protections such as barriers, emergency plans, on-site medical staff, and adequate track maintenance. A motocross track representative opposed the bill as overregulation that could impose major costs and argued existing safety efforts and voluntary safety committees are preferable. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee also heard testimony on S.2680, which would expand emergency preparedness requirements around aging nuclear power plants and nuclear waste sites from a 10-mile to a 50-mile radius. Supporters from Cape Cod Downwinders, Massachusetts Peace Action, physicians, and other advocates said current law is outdated and insufficient, citing risks from radioactive waste storage, limited federal oversight, and the need for broader evacuation and emergency planning. Testifiers urged the bill’s passage, and no action was taken. A major portion of the hearing focused on the Protect Act, H.5158, dealing with limits on cooperation between state/local agencies and federal civil immigration enforcement. Sheriffs testified about how ICE detainers and notification requests work in practice, emphasizing discretion, public safety, and the difference between sentenced prisoners and pretrial detainees. Supporters from labor, education, and health care groups said immigrant communities are living in fear and asked for stronger protections, including bans on 287(g) agreements and clearer limits on ICE activity in schools, hospitals, and other sensitive locations. The hearing also included testimony on H.4697 regarding training and certification of constables and civil deputy sheriffs, with the Hampshire County sheriff saying sheriffs are already working with POST and MPTC on training standards and that the bill may be duplicative.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would get home late and I would find that I was carrying my passport in my pocket.
• I'm like, man, why do I keep carrying my passport? I'll lose this thing. I got to stop doing it.
• And she was telling me how she carries her passport. And I was like, hey, don't do that.
• I am carrying my passport with me.
• Until this time in our country's history, I have only carried my passport with me when I've been out

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The hearing covered several public safety bills and related testimony. On S. 2681, “Colby’s Law,” which would establish safety standards for BMX/motocross tracks, the committee heard emotional testimony from the family of a teen killed at a track and from advocates who said minimum standards are needed for barriers, medical staff, emergency planning, insurance, and oversight. A track owner and rider also testified that safety is important but argued the bill was incomplete and should better distinguish between BMX and motocross and include more specific equipment and weather-related rules. On S. 2680, a bill to expand emergency planning around aging nuclear plants and high-level nuclear waste sites, supporters from Cape Cod, medical groups, and anti-nuclear organizations urged a 50-mile emergency planning radius and stronger state preparedness, citing risks from long-term waste storage and inadequate federal oversight. The committee also heard testimony on a Barnstable home rule petition to allow certain emergency response vehicles to use red lights, with the town supporting the change to improve response times on the water. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on H. 5158, the Protect Act, which would limit state and local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. County sheriffs testified about how ICE notifications and detainers work in practice, distinguishing between criminal warrants and civil immigration requests to notify, and describing their discretion when people are released on bail or at the end of a sentence. Sheriffs said they generally notify ICE when requested, especially in cases involving serious charges, but emphasized the need to balance public safety, victim notification, and due process. Committee members pressed them on the impact of ICE pickups at courthouses and jails, and several lawmakers and witnesses argued that pretrial detainees taken by ICE can disrupt prosecutions and deny victims their day in court. Supporters of the Protect Act included labor, education, health care, and immigrant advocacy groups. They said immigrants and mixed-status families are living in fear of routine interactions with police, schools, courts, and hospitals, and urged the committee to ban 287(g) agreements, prohibit law enforcement from asking about immigration status or providing operational assistance to ICE, and add stronger protections for sensitive locations such as schools and health care facilities. Medical witnesses described patients and families avoiding care because of ICE presence, and educators said students are missing school out of fear. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony and indicated it would continue receiving written testimony before taking action later.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would get home late and I would find that I was carrying my passport in my pocket.
• I'm like, man, why do I keep carrying my passport? I'll lose this thing. I got to stop doing it.
• And she was telling me how she carries her passport. And I was like, hey, don't do that.
• I am carrying my passport with me.
• Until this time in our country's history, I have only carried my passport with me when I've been out

Bills: H4697 , S2635 , S2680 , S2681 , H5158

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Keywords: constables, civil deputy sheriffs, law enforcement, training, certification, public safety, emergency response, red lights, Barnstable, town management, public health, safety standards, nuclear power, waste management, community protection, BMX, motocross, safety, regulation, insurance