Transcript Highlights:

• centers.
• The residential habilitation centers are DSHS facilities that provide residential support in an institutional
• Residential habilitation centers are DSHS facilities that provide residential support in an institutional
• centers.
• centers.

Bills: HB2429, HB2171, HB2314, HB2364, HB2415

Keywords: behavioral health, youth support, mental health services, children's health, support services, foster youth, child welfare, education, mental health, dental care, habilitation centers, residential services, healthcare access, patient rights, poverty, task force, legislative, executive, social programs, fatalities

Summary: The committee began with a work session on the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group and the Washington Thriving Strategic Plan. Tisha Kirshbaum of the Health Care Authority described the work group’s recommendations, including making Washington Thriving a state initiative, restoring and funding behavioral health access points, strengthening school behavioral health guidance, supporting 988 operations, and improving coordination across agencies. Members asked about fragmentation among the seven agencies involved, duplication of effort, and examples of upstream prevention; Kirshbaum and Rep. Lisa Callan emphasized a system-of-care model, early intervention, community health workers, school-based services, and better coordination rather than adding more layers. The committee then heard House Bill 2429, which would direct the governor and state agencies to align with the strategic plan, create an executive coordination officer and leadership council, extend the work group, and require alignment by state, tribal, local, and nonprofit partners. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive from the governor’s office, parents, youth, providers, hospitals, and advocacy groups, though one witness opposed the bill on government-overreach grounds and another urged adding youth mentoring representation. No vote was taken. The committee next heard House Bill 2364, which renames and expands the Legislative Executive Work First Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force into the Economic Justice and Well-Being Task Force, adds state agencies to the voting membership, and aligns the body with the state’s 10-year plan to dismantle poverty. Rep. Mia Gregerson and DSHS testified that the bill updates the statute to match the evolved poverty-reduction alliance and has no fiscal impact. Support testimony from the Statewide Poverty Action Network emphasized bipartisan collaboration and the need for the law to reflect current work. No action was taken. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2171 on supporting foster youth. The bill would create an endangered foster youth alert system, require county rapid-response protocols, establish a foster youth empowerment account, create an oversight board, and expand training for foster parents and workers. The prime sponsor, Rep. Mike Steele, was represented by Rep. Brian Burnett, who described the bill as a response to a survivor’s experience of going missing from foster care. DCYF supported the intent but raised legal and cost concerns, noting it already has missing-from-care locators and coordination procedures. Child welfare advocates and the Mockingbird Society supported stronger protections but warned that public alerts could increase risk or trauma for some youth and urged guardrails. The hearing then moved to House Bill 2314 on dental care services at residential habilitation centers, with staff explaining a pilot allowing certain community-based developmental disabilities clients to access RHC dental clinics. Rep. Josh Penner said the bill would use existing, underused state dental capacity for people who cannot access community dentistry, while disability advocates argued it would pull people back into institutional settings and that community-based dental capacity should be strengthened instead. The hearing continued with testimony and no final vote reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• that establishes statutory guidelines for authorized periods of mixed-ratio time when child care centers
• House Bill 2319 removes references to schools in the names of the residential habilitation centers and
• officially renames them residential habilitation centers in statute.
• center is out of compliance with CMS requirements, to provide notice of the noncompliance and certain
• I love that this is a bipartisan effort to rename the residential habilitation centers to be what they

Bills: HB1544, HB2099, HB2185, HB2219, HB2253, HB2317, HB2318, HB2319, HB2350

Keywords: child welfare, risk assessment, investigation, child abuse, neglect, military families, early childhood education, access, assistance program, education equity, homelessness, youth programs, advisory committee, prevention, protection, HB 2219, child care licensing, early learning, DCYF, Department of Children Youth and Families

Summary: The House Early Learning and Human Services Committee took up possible executive session on nine bills, first briefing amendments and proposed substitutes before voting. House Bill 2099, expanding eCAP access and prioritization for children of military families, was amended to include NOAA and Public Health Service commissioned corps members and broader deployment criteria, then passed unanimously. House Bill 2185, which strengthens the advisory committee for homeless youth services, also passed unanimously without amendments. House Bill 2219, addressing mixed-ratio time in child care centers and waiving repeat pre-service orientation in limited cases, adopted an amendment adding conditions for the waiver and then passed unanimously. House Bill 2253, a broad licensure and regulatory bill affecting child care and residential programs, saw several amendments considered; one report amendment was rejected, and an amendment restoring state monitoring and health/safety reviews at the Washington School for the Deaf was adopted. The committee then passed the amended bill unanimously. House Bills 2317 and 2318, both expanding flexibility for ECEAP and Head Start providers, passed without amendments and with unanimous support. House Bill 2319, renaming residential habilitation centers in statute, adopted a technical correction amendment and passed unanimously. House Bill 2350, requiring notice when a residential habilitation center is out of compliance with CMS requirements, was amended to emphasize posted notices, email options, preferred-language notices, and plain-language summaries, then passed unanimously. The committee then returned to House Bill 1544, which directs DCYF to study and improve its risk, strengths, and needs assessment tool and certify its validation. Four amendments were considered: one requiring domestic violence to be included in the study was adopted; amendments on defining “safe,” auditing missing data on near-fatalities and safety-plan failures, and prohibiting use of an unvalidated tool to screen out referrals were rejected. The amended second substitute bill passed on a 9-0 vote, with Representatives Burnett and Penner voting “no without recommendation.” The committee adjourned after reporting all nine bills out of committee, most with do pass recommendations and several with adopted amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• center compliance with certain federal requirements.
• House Bill 2350 relates to notices of residential habilitation center noncompliance with federal requirements
• Notices of residential habilitation center noncompliance with federal requirements.
• The Department of Social and Health Services operates four residential habilitation centers.
• As part of my job, I monitor multiple residential habilitation centers around the state and track compliance

Bills: HB2099, HB2317, HB2318, HB2350

Keywords: military families, early childhood education, access, assistance program, education equity, HB2317, early learning, child care licensing, day care, preschool, Head Start, DCYF, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Washington State, RCW 43.216, child care center, family home provider, family child care, outdoor nature-based child care, school-age child care

Summary: The Early Learning and Human Services Committee held public hearings on several bills focused on early learning access and disability services. House Bill 2317 would exempt certain ECEAP and Head Start programs located in public school buildings or on public school property from DCYF child care licensing when they operate part-day or school-day. Staff explained the current licensing requirements, and the prime sponsor and testifiers from Head Start, ECEAP, and private school groups said the bill would reduce duplicative oversight, delays, and costs while helping expand preschool access. House Bill 2099 would expand ECEAP eligibility for military families and add prioritization factors for deployed and single custodial military parents; the sponsor and multiple advocates, including military and early learning organizations, said military families face unique child care, housing, and readiness challenges and need better access to preschool slots. House Bill 2350 would require DSHS to notify residents, guardians, and family members when a residential habilitation center is found out of compliance with federal CMS requirements; the sponsor and disability advocates said the bill would improve transparency and help families respond to safety and care concerns. The committee also heard House Bill 2318, which would allow ECEAP and Head Start children to count toward the 5% participation threshold needed for Early Achievers quality improvement awards. The sponsor said the change would provide modest additional funding to providers serving high-need children and help support child care programs with thin margins. Testifiers from a remote nonprofit child care center and the Head Start/ECEAP association said the current rule can discourage providers from enrolling ECEAP children because it can jeopardize award eligibility, and that the bill would remove an unintended barrier without changing the program’s purpose. No votes were taken; each bill was heard and then the committee moved on or closed the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under House Bill 2319, the residential habilitation centers are officially renamed residential habilitation
• relates to the official names of Washington's residential habilitation centers.
• Under House Bill 2319, the residential habilitation centers are officially renamed residential habilitation
• centers, and references to these facilities as schools are named residential habilitation centers and
• There are, of course, four residential habilitation centers that are operated by DSHS.

Bills: HB2185, HB2200, HB2230, HB2319

Keywords: homelessness, youth programs, advisory committee, prevention, protection, developmental disabilities, residential settings, data access, safety, stability, community oversight, residential services, regulation, service providers, monitoring, HB 2319, residential habilitation center, state school renaming, Rainier School, Firecrest School

Summary: The Early Learning and Human Services Committee held its first 2026 hearings and heard four bills. HB 2185 would expand the Homeless Youth Advisory Committee to include more members with lived experience of homelessness or involvement in publicly funded systems, including adults over 25 and youth or young adults under 25. The sponsor and testifiers from homeless youth advocacy organizations said the change would broaden representation, improve guidance to the Office of Homeless Youth, and better reflect the needs of disproportionately affected populations; the bill was well received and the hearing was closed without opposition. HB 2319 would rename Washington’s residential habilitation centers by removing the word “school” from their statutory names. Staff and the sponsor said the change is purely terminological and does not affect operations or funding, but would reduce confusion because the facilities do not provide schooling and are not children’s institutions. Testifiers from The Arc of Washington, Disability Rights Washington, and self-advocates supported the bill as a needed update to reflect current services and avoid misinformation. The committee then heard HB 2230, which would limit DSHS to one annual routine review per community residential service provider in specified areas and require better coordination and document sharing to reduce duplicative audits and site visits. The sponsor and provider witnesses described repeated overlapping inspections as burdensome and said streamlining would let staff focus more on client care; the bill drew support, though some members asked about oversight and the need to preserve safety monitoring. The final bill, HB 2200, would direct JLARC to review safety and stability outcomes across developmental disabilities residential settings from 2022-2025 and require DSHS to create a public dashboard comparing emergency calls, ER boarding, placement terminations, and staff retention across state-operated and contracted settings. The sponsor argued the system lacks comparable data for most people served in community settings and that the bill would create transparency and help identify what works. Supporters, including state employee representatives, disability rights advocates, and a professional guardian, said the data would help families, policymakers, and providers make informed decisions. Some provider testimony raised concerns that raw numbers could be misleading without adjusting for population size or acuity and that the bill could add cost or reporting burden, but the sponsor said the goal was to make existing information accessible and comparable. The committee closed the hearing on HB 2200 and adjourned after announcing caucus locations.

Bills: HB0003, HB0004

Keywords: pregnancy centers, abortion, pro-life, healthcare, women's rights, state regulation, civil rights, freedom of speech, medical assistance, birthing centers, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> fairly</c> center crisis pregnancy centers fairly center crisis pregnancy centers fairly well<00
• These centers have pregnancy centers.
• centers do.
• </c> pre pregnancy centers. pre pregnancy centers.
• Freestanding birth centers and centers.

Bills: HB0003, HB0004

Keywords: pregnancy centers, abortion, pro-life, healthcare, women's rights, state regulation, civil rights, freedom of speech, medical assistance, birthing centers, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Bills: HB0004

Keywords: medical assistance, birthing centers, healthcare, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Bills: HB0004

Keywords: medical assistance, birthing centers, healthcare, Medicaid, Wyoming, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Advocacy Centers.
• Okay, so the board is made up mainly of directors from those centers, and a few other members.
• So, the network is the body that oversees all 36 centers.
• When we started this years ago, there were 10 centers.
• The funding goes to the network and then it trickles down to the centers.

Bills: HB493

Keywords: child advocacy centers, certification, funding allocation, Alabama Network, forensic evaluation, children's welfare, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The child centers out there had concern.
• about may withhold communication that would be considered privileged is the counselor at the child center
• Well, whatever they do have protocols that would involve particular procedures with the child center.
• saying, "Well, we want to make sure that the parents cannot get that; that's confidential at the center
• If you have a child that's been taken to a child absentee center and done in... absentee center and done

Bills: HB493

Keywords: child advocacy centers, certification, funding allocation, Alabama Network, forensic evaluation, children's welfare, 1136, house, all

Bills: HCR206

Keywords: data centers, electric utilities, Hawaii State Energy Office, renewable energy, environmental impact, regulatory safeguards, ratepayers, grid reliability, 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs met in Room 016 for a scheduled decision-making session, but the chair announced that quorum was not present. As a result, no testimony was taken and no action was taken on the agenda items: HCR 43, HCR 154, HCR 165, and HCR 202 HD2. Because of the lack of quorum, decision-making on all listed measures was deferred. The chair announced the committee would reconvene on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in Room 225.

Transcript Highlights:

• this agenda: House Concurrent Resolution 2206 HD1 regarding the Hawaii State Energy Office and data centers
• this agenda: House Concurrent Resolution 2206 HD1 regarding the Hawaii State Energy Office and data centers
• House Concurrent Resolution 2206 HD1 regarding the Hawaii State Energy Office and data centers.

Bills: HCR206

Keywords: data centers, electric utilities, Hawaii State Energy Office, renewable energy, environmental impact, regulatory safeguards, ratepayers, grid reliability, 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees met on several concurrent resolutions focused on energy, agriculture, water, and food security. Testimony on HCR 206 HD1 concerned the Hawaii State Energy Office and data centers, with comments submitted by the PUC, the Energy Office, and others; the measure was recommended for passage without amendment, though one committee deferred formal action until a later meeting because of quorum issues. HCR 31, recognizing 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in Hawaii, received strong support from the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, which emphasized managed grazing, groundwater infiltration, and food production; it was recommended and adopted as passed unamended. HCR 33, on the Pua Kōloa sewage project, was amended to add UH Hilo as a stakeholder and resource for research, monitoring, and technical assistance, then recommended for passage with amendments. The committees also heard and advanced a series of resolutions on environmental and land-use issues. HCR 36 establishing a sister-state relationship with Okayama, HCR 19 designating March as March for Water Month, HCR 162 creating an arts and data mapping task force, HCR 61 on reforestation investment, HCR 106 endorsing Waikiki as a world surfing reserve, and HCR 178 urging a Maui water set-aside were all recommended for passage as is and adopted. HCR 14, authorizing a perpetual non-exclusive easement for drainage purposes, was recommended for passage with technical, non-substantive amendments. HCR 179, addressing the Aha Moku Advisory Committee, was amended to create a working group with legislative, Aha Moku, DLNR, and OHA representation to report back for the 2027 session, and was recommended for passage with amendments. In the agriculture and environment hearing, HCR 117 on statewide food security drew testimony from a high school student and others stressing Hawaii’s vulnerability to supply disruptions and the need for local food resilience; it was passed as is. HCR 103, supporting expanded tree canopy and shade trees to reduce urban heat islands, also passed as is after a member noted storm damage concerns and suggested careful plant selection. HCR 180, urging the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to explore co-locating renewable energy projects with agricultural reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure, received strong support from Molokai Clean Energy Hui and others describing the Kalaupapa Reservoir floating solar project and its community planning process; it was passed as is. HCR 144 HD2, calling for a comprehensive statewide food security strategy, was also recommended and adopted without amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• to include a new category of data centers termed large-scale data centers.
• data center.
• to include a new category of data centers termed large-scale data centers.
• data center.
• centers.

Bills: HF1277, HF1006

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

Bills: HB626, SB265

Keywords: tax increment district, economic development, manufacturing zone, local governance, ad valorem tax, data processing centers, tax abatements, construction related taxes, energy infrastructure, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So what this does is it's the companion bill to House Bill 399, which is a data center bill, and it's
• which</c><00:09:34.240><c> is</c><00:09:34.320><c> a</c><00:09:34.640><c> data</c><00:09:35.120><c> center
• </c><00:09:35.600><c> bill</c><00:09:35.839><c> and</c> uh 399 which is a data center bill and uh 399
• which is a data center bill and it's<00:09:36.240><c> the</c><00:09:36.480><c> incentives</c><00:09:

Bills: SB265, HB593

Keywords: data processing centers, tax abatements, economic development, construction related taxes, energy infrastructure, small craft distilleries, wineries, alcoholic beverages, licensing, craft beverage industry, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House File 3296 simply data centers.
• </c><00:17:55.200><c> that</c> based on what size of data center that based on what size of data center
• </c><00:25:35.760><c> or</c> I used to sell into data centers or I used to sell into data centers or
• And so I think that not data centers.
• ,</c><01:26:07.679><c> with</c> electric demand with data centers, with electric demand with data centers

Bills: HF3296, HF3802

Keywords: energy conservation, data centers, electric sales, energy optimization, utility regulations, energy regulation, certificate of need, renewable energy, power production, energy efficiency, Minnesota statutes, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The location and designation for land use must be sufficient for the development of data centers and
• data centers.
• Projects like data centers are specific types of uses that fit into these broader categories.
• We don't think it's appropriate to single out one or two specific uses in this bill—data centers and
• We understand that there's significant growing demand for data centers.

Bills: HB2452, HB2592

Keywords: comprehensive plans, county governance, data centers, zoning, state regulations, land use, energy production, infrastructure, environmental impact, artificial intelligence, government regulation, innovation, procurement, administrative burdens, 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are the national association for the data center industry, including leading data center owner-operators
• The data center industry is committed to being a collaborative stakeholder for sustainable data center
• In particular, varies very much by data center company. Data center companies are not monolithic.
• Data centers will actually come.
• Center of it all, the hive acts as a control center, coordinating the efforts of thousands of bees.

Bills: HF2928, HF2912, HF2297

Keywords: water appropriation, data centers, environmental review, energy conservation, permit application, carbon-free energy, geothermal energy, renewable energy, Macalester College, appropriation, sustainability, solar energy, pollinator programs, license plates, agrivoltaics, environmental sustainability

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 12 is a community culture center grant.
• Capital projects in human services centers and life skills and transition center.
• Southeast Human Service Center, Southeast Behavioral Health Clinic, and Life Skills and Transition Center
• No, I think this is more in regards to the Life Skills Training Center.
• Section 46, Life Skills and Transition Center.

Bills: SB2015

Keywords: corrections, rehabilitation, prison budget, department of corrections, adult services, youth services, correctional facilities, Heart River correctional center, Missouri River correctional center, James River correctional center, minimum security facility, county jails, regional jails, deferred maintenance, capital construction, strategic investment and improvements fund, Bank of North Dakota, line of credit, tasers, body cameras

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division met with all members present and took up several bills, focusing most of the discussion on SB 1577 and SB 1619, along with a detailed review of the HHS budget bill draft. On SB 1577, Senator Magrum explained that the bill was being revised to focus on wastewater rather than raw water, possibly shifting the Washburn project to the Department of Water Resources so it could access matching funds, and potentially converting the bill into a line of credit if federal money is restored later. Members discussed whether to keep an emergency clause or instead use a date-based approach, and agreed the bill would likely be handled through the full committee and possibly reconsidered later. On SB 1619, Senator Davison said amendments were still being worked on, including changes requested by the Bank of North Dakota, and the committee planned to hold it for possible amendment before full committee consideration. The bulk of the meeting was a section-by-section review of the HHS appropriations bill draft. Members discussed one-time funding items such as technology projects, child care programs, housing programs, behavioral health facility grants, infant and toddler care provider support, juvenile justice diversion, medical housing, and other public health and human services projects. Several adjustments were noted, including reductions or changes to IMD-related funding, incarcerated-person treatment funding, the child welfare technology project, and the provider rate increase. The committee also discussed the FTE block grant structure at length, with staff explaining that the apparent increase in positions reflected budgeting mechanics, zero-dollar “phantom” positions, and positions approved previously but not counted in the FTE total. Members raised concerns about transparency and whether the bill should list FTE numbers, but staff said the block grant was intended to give the department flexibility while quarterly reporting would provide oversight. Other topics included Medicaid expansion funding and provider reimbursement rules, the move toward certifying human service centers as certified community behavioral health clinics, a moratorium on new ICF beds, and studies or reports on Medicaid, obesity, disability services, truancy, and behavioral health facility grants. The committee also discussed removing or revising broad intent language in Section 31 so the department would report findings rather than implement changes without further legislative action. No final votes were taken in the transcript; instead, members agreed to make a few technical adjustments, continue reviewing the bill, and likely revisit it the next day before moving it to conference committee.

Bills: SB2015

Keywords: corrections, rehabilitation, prison budget, department of corrections, adult services, youth services, correctional facilities, Heart River correctional center, Missouri River correctional center, James River correctional center, minimum security facility, county jails, regional jails, deferred maintenance, capital construction, strategic investment and improvements fund, Bank of North Dakota, line of credit, tasers, body cameras

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division met to finalize changes to the human services budget bill and related amendments. Members discussed several items, including a proposed $5 million appropriation for the Altru Hospital project to address inflationary costs, with the rest of the funding question left for conference committee. They also agreed to keep the 10-year operating requirement language for the project and remove a matching-funds provision that was no longer needed. The committee spent considerable time on the OASIS child welfare IT system. Donna Auckland explained that the project is still in the RFP stage, with vendor selection and contract negotiation likely taking months, and that the system will require 50-50 federal matching authority. Based on that testimony, the committee agreed to reduce the general fund amount from $14 million to $6 million and use a line of credit for the remaining authority, while preserving the federal match authority so the contract can be signed and the project can proceed. Members also approved a technical fix to add governor’s designee language for the Children’s Cabinet, which had been missed in another bill already on the governor’s desk. Keith reviewed updated long sheets showing additional budget adjustments, including provider inflation changes, a $50,000 Family Voices grant, reductions to CARES Act COVID funds, and moving the $5-per-day basic care rate increase from ongoing to one-time funding. No formal votes were recorded in the transcript, and the committee adjourned with plans to reconvene Monday if the final bill version was ready.