Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2095 relates to protections for vulnerable users of public ways.
• House Bill 2095 relates to protections for vulnerable users of public ways.
• That was supported by both Republicans and Democrats: the vulnerable road users law, which defines vulnerable
• That's not considered a facility for vulnerable road use.
• It's already criminal to negligently hit a vulnerable user victim.

Summary: The House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on HB 2095, which would create training requirements for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on negligent driving involving vulnerable users of public ways, and would establish a rebuttable presumption of negligence in certain civil claims when a vulnerable user is injured or killed in a protected area such as a sidewalk, crosswalk, bike lane, or similar designated space. Staff explained that the bill also allows recovery of actual damages, statutory damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and, in limited circumstances, punitive damages if the defendant has previously injured or killed three or more vulnerable road users. Members questioned the unusual nature of punitive damages, the burden-shifting presumption, the three-incident threshold, and whether the education component was tied to the bill’s purpose. The prime sponsor said the training is meant to improve reporting and understanding of existing vulnerable-road-user laws, and said the bill was intended to narrow liability to protected areas and could be amended further, including on the punitive-damages threshold. Supporters, including a widow whose husband was killed while bicycling, Washington Bikes, trial attorneys, a bicycle commuter advocate, and a physician, argued the bill would better protect pedestrians and cyclists, improve police reporting, and reduce the burden on injured people and families who currently must prove negligence after serious crashes. They said the presumption would encourage safer driving and align Washington with similar frameworks used elsewhere. Opponents, including defense lawyers, the Association of Washington Cities, the Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, the Washington Trucking Associations, and the Washington Liability Reform Coalition, said the bill would expand litigation, create uninsurable risks through fee shifting and punitive damages, and could draw cities, businesses, and taxpayers into lawsuits. Some opponents also urged narrowing the bill to individuals and clarifying the protected areas and training requirements. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing and encouraged follow-up and amendment requests before executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2095 relates to protections for vulnerable users of public ways.
• House Bill 2095 relates to protections for vulnerable users of public ways.
• That was supported by both Republicans and Democrats, the vulnerable road users law, which defines vulnerable
• That's not considered a facility for vulnerable road use.
• Road users are deemed to be vulnerable in many cases.

Bills: HB2095

Keywords: public safety, vulnerable users, pedestrians, protected classes, transportation, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill establishes consumer protections for Florida's most vulnerable citizens during their most vulnerable
• Don't we already have current protections for vulnerable people?
• You have multiple children; you have vulnerable youth. There's vulnerability in all ages.
• This bill provides protections for vulnerable adults.
• 977 Rather, it allows for elderly and vulnerable individuals to 978 Rather, it allows elderly and vulnerable

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard several insurance and banking bills. HB 1399, relating to property insurance affiliates, would increase Office of Insurance Regulation oversight of transactions between property insurers and affiliates, require fair-and-reasonable documentation, review of dividends and asset pledges, contract termination clauses, affiliate registration, and penalties for violations. Members from both parties generally supported the goal of transparency and accountability, though some raised concerns about costs and whether the bill would actually return money to insureds. The bill was reported favorably. HB 427, on public adjuster contracts, would allow vulnerable adults or their legal representatives to rescind public adjuster contracts without penalty, reflecting the sponsor’s personal concerns about protecting elderly and otherwise vulnerable family members from predatory contracting. Public testimony included support from several industry and elder-law groups, while the public adjuster association warned the bill could unfairly target one profession and urged broader language. Members debated whether the bill should be expanded to cover other solicitations and whether legal representatives should be treated differently, but the bill was ultimately reported favorably. The committee also approved HB 893, which aligns bank handling of law-firm trust accounts with Florida Supreme Court rules and supports legal aid funding, and HB 767, a transparency bill requiring insurers to provide consumers with plain-language explanations of rate increases and related factors. Members emphasized consumer education and clearer disclosures, and HB 767 passed 2-0. Later, HB 381, the Office of Financial Regulation agency bill, was amended and reported favorably; it updates financial regulation provisions including cybersecurity-related requirements, money services business rules, credit union and financial institution provisions, and fee timing. HB 777, a related public-records bill protecting nonpublic personal information submitted to OFR, was also heard and moved forward without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• The same ability that finds a vulnerability can be used to fix the vulnerability, but it can also be
• Finding vulnerabilities is no longer the hard part, but fixing them fast enough is.
• Finding vulnerabilities is no longer the hard part, but fixing them fast enough is.
• They're like, we can't patch the big vulnerabilities that we've got right now.
• Yes, we work very collaboratively with CDT and talk about the vulnerabilities.

Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity and the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection focused on how frontier AI is changing cybersecurity for both attackers and defenders. Members heard from representatives of OpenAI and Anthropic, who said AI is making cyberattacks faster, more scalable, and more accessible, while also giving defenders new tools for vulnerability discovery, incident response, and patching. They described recent incidents involving AI systems, including OpenAI’s Hugging Face sandbox escape during internal testing and Anthropic’s discovery of unauthorized internet access during evaluations, and emphasized layered safeguards, safer testing environments, monitoring, and independent review. They also discussed California’s new AI cyber defense efforts, including Governor Newsom’s announcement of a first-in-the-nation program and company programs offering credits, training, and verified access for state and local defenders. Committee members and witnesses also discussed California’s preparedness, SB 53, and the need for better information sharing and policy updates. Cal OES Deputy Director Jonathan Snow described Cal-CSIC, CalSecure 2.0, the state’s secure reporting portal under SB 53, and efforts to coordinate with CDT, CISA, the FBI, MS-ISAC, and critical infrastructure partners. He said the state is working on standard operating procedures for extreme AI incidents and on outreach to water systems and other local entities. Members raised concerns that SB 53’s thresholds may be too narrow and that the state may need more timely, actionable information to mitigate risks. Witnesses and members agreed that California should strengthen public-private collaboration, improve cyber hygiene, and support local governments and utilities. The final panel featured Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Dr. Nate Gleason, who focused on open-weight AI models and critical infrastructure. He argued that open-weight models present special risks because they can be downloaded, modified, and used without ongoing developer control, monitoring, or revocation, while also being useful for air-gapped and classified environments. He said Chinese labs currently lead the open-weight space and warned that U.S. utilities and other critical operators may increasingly rely on Chinese-made models if domestic options do not advance. He described LLNL’s work with DOE on AI-FORTS, including test beds for adversarial AI testing and OT-focused benchmarks. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and members repeatedly urged continued briefings, collaboration, and follow-up on policy and technical safeguards.

Transcript Highlights:

• user of a public way and, if so, the specific type of vulnerable user.
• defines the rights and responsibilities of vulnerable road users on our roadway.
• This bill is about safety and the lives of vulnerable users of our roadway.
• And it's why, you know, when a vulnerable patient falls in the hospital, we don't blame them.
• What this bill does is protect the vulnerable road users who do the right thing.

Summary: The committee began by waiving the five-day notice rule for engrossed substitute House Bill 2095 so it could be heard that day. It then took public testimony on House Bill 2248, a technical cleanup bill affecting Secretary of State corporate and nonprofit filings, trademarks, foreign entities, and apostille procedures. The prime sponsor said the bill makes no policy changes or fee increases, while the Secretary of State’s office supported it as a clarification measure. One testifier raised concerns about multiple LLCs and transparency in manufactured home communities, asking for stronger oversight and verification. The committee then heard engrossed substitute House Bill 2508, which expands the Office of Independent Investigations’ jurisdiction over deadly-force and related non-deadly-force incidents, broadens notification and records access requirements, and exempts certain records from disclosure. The sponsor and OII testified in support, emphasizing that the bill clarifies authority and procedures; members asked about how far back investigations could go, and staff confirmed there was no time limit for deadly-force cases under the bill. The committee also heard Substitute House Bill 2203, creating the offense of reckless interference with emergency operations for driving around closures on hazardous roadways. The sponsor described it as a response to flood and disaster rescues, and fire chiefs supported it as a safety and accountability measure. Defense attorneys opposed it as unnecessary and disproportionate, warning of criminal penalties, license suspensions, restitution, and fiscal costs for conduct they viewed as more appropriately handled civilly. Next, Second Substitute House Bill 1909 proposed a Court Unification Task Force to study inefficiencies and inequities in Washington’s fragmented court system; the sponsor and a legal aid attorney supported it as an access-to-justice reform, while the committee noted a large number of signed-in opponents. Finally, engrossed substitute House Bill 2095 would create a rebuttable presumption of negligence for drivers who injure or kill vulnerable road users in designated areas, along with education requirements and damages provisions. Supporters, including a widow, bicycling advocates, and a bike commuter, said it would improve accountability and help injured people who cannot easily prove fault; opponents from cities, trucking, and defense groups argued it would expand litigation, create liability and fee-shifting problems, and go beyond existing negligence law. After public hearings, the committee moved into executive session and advanced several bills. Substitute House Bill 2158 received a do pass recommendation. Substitute House Bill 2239, concerning family burial grounds on private property, was amended to increase a setback from public rights-of-way and easements and then received a do pass recommendation as amended. Substitute House Bill 2178 on court rules and procedures also received a do pass recommendation. House Bill 2543 on county clerk fees was advanced despite concerns about fee increases. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2165 on false identification as a peace officer was amended to clarify intent and then passed out of committee. The committee also adopted an amendment to Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2320 on firearm manufacturing, including a change allowing certain digital code and manufacturing activity for repair purposes, and discussed another amendment removing some possession prohibitions for personal use.

Transcript Highlights:

• user of a public way and, if so, the specific type of vulnerable user.
• of vulnerable road users on our roadways.
• The vulnerable road user statute reflected bipartisan agreement.
• This bill is about safety and the lives of vulnerable users of our roadway.
• Protecting vulnerable roadway users is a Protecting vulnerable roadway users is a shared priority, but

Bills: HB2543

Keywords: county clerk, fees, local government, administrative costs, revenue generation, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:05:17.039><c> adults,</c><00:05:17.520><c> and</c> seniors, vulnerable adults, and seniors, vulnerable
• </c><00:15:41.760><c> So,</c> to protect our vulnerable veterans.
• So, to protect our vulnerable veterans.
• They're vulnerable. We talk about mental health.
• They're vulnerable. We talk about mental health.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill does not have a definition of vulnerable adult.
• That's if the vulnerable adult doesn't petition.
• Yes, or the person who represents the vulnerable adult? Yes.
• It could be the vulnerable adult... You recognized?
• The petitioner can be the vulnerable adult themselves.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard five bills. HB 1097 would rename the Florida Catastrophic Storm Center at FSU as the Florida Center for Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management, transfer the public hurricane loss projection model from FIU to FSU, and provide recurring and nonrecurring appropriations to support independent insurance research and collaboration with OIR and other universities. Members discussed university roles, model oversight, independence from industry funding, and student/workforce benefits. The bill passed favorably on a roll call vote. HB 319 would create a regulatory framework for virtual currency kiosk businesses, requiring registration with the Office of Financial Regulation, consumer disclosures, and penalties for violations. Much of the discussion focused on fraud prevention, especially for seniors, and whether the bill should include transaction caps or stronger recovery tools; AARP supported the bill but urged additional protections. The bill passed favorably. CS/HB 385 made technical changes to the Florida Trust Code and Community Property Trust Act, including decanting, trustee claims, redemption by satisfaction, and homestead transfer treatment; an amendment conforming to the Senate version was adopted, and the bill passed favorably. CS/HB 97 would allow service of process for exploitation injunctions against unascertainable scammers through the same communication method used to contact the victim, such as text or social media, and would let courts freeze funds temporarily while the matter is heard. Testimony from elder law practitioners and AARP supported the bill as a tool against scams, while some members raised due process and overreach concerns; the bill passed favorably. HB 839 would shorten the overpayment recovery window for claims submitted to psychologists and HMOs to match other health providers, with the goal of improving parity and access to mental health care; an amendment was adopted, and the bill passed favorably. The meeting concluded with adjournment after the final roll call votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• , or the vulnerabilities across the board.
• And now you're talking about millions of vulnerabilities.
• In 2023, it received 2,729 vulnerability reports, including 236 identified as critical.
• quickly becomes a vulnerability in all of them.
• “Thank you.” a vulnerability, and one very quickly becomes a vulnerability in all of them.

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity and the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management held a joint informational hearing focused on maximizing the value of state cybersecurity investments, especially by fully using security features already included in existing vendor contracts. The first panel included representatives from Microsoft, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks, who described the products and services they provide to California and generally agreed that agencies often have strong adoption in some areas but still face challenges from tool overlap, limited staff, lack of awareness of available features, and the need for ongoing training and configuration support. They also discussed major threats such as ransomware, data loss, attack-surface exposure, IoT/OT vulnerabilities, and the growing role of AI in both attacks and defenses. Members pressed the vendors on whether state departments underuse purchased cybersecurity tools, how to improve utilization, and how to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage. The vendors said utilization is often constrained by staffing, procurement complexity, and the need to align tools with agency missions and maturity levels, but emphasized that training, leadership buy-in, and regular vendor-agency collaboration can improve results. They also discussed how AI can help with phishing triage, data-loss prevention, and security operations, while warning that agencies must manage AI safely and with human oversight. The second panel featured officials from the Department of Technology, Cal OES/CalSIC, and the California Military Department. They described statewide oversight efforts including audits, independent security assessments, continuous monitoring, advisory services, vulnerability disclosure programs, and workforce development initiatives such as the Information Security Leadership Academy and Cybersecurity Education Summit. Officials said some underutilization is real, but it is often tied to differing agency maturity, overlapping tools, and deliberate feature restrictions to reduce attack surface and complexity; they emphasized a balanced approach using people, process, and technology, with plans of action and milestones to hold departments accountable. They also noted federal uncertainty around MS-ISAC and the state and local cybersecurity grant program, saying California is advocating through federal partners and monitoring the impact. The hearing ended after public comment and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a vulnerable adult with a serious...
• And that essentially is the same definition of the 46-451 vulnerable adult.
• And so I'm here for justice for these type of people who are vulnerable.
• I think that there are several vulnerable adults out there.
• I appreciate what she's doing because I know she's looking after vulnerable adults.

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2931, which continues the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board for eight years. The sponsor and a Civil Rights Division representative testified that the board helps examine civil rights issues and supports transparency and justice. The bill received a due pass recommendation on a 5-3 vote. The committee then considered HB 2862, a strike-everything amendment creating a sentencing enhancement for crimes committed while wearing a mask to conceal identity, narrowed by amendment to Title 13 offenses. Opponents, including CAIR Arizona and the ACLU, argued it could burden religious expression and protest activity, while supporters said it targets criminal concealment and improves accountability. The committee adopted the striker and amendment and gave the bill as amended a due pass recommendation by a 7-2 vote. HB 4042 followed, requiring a potential father in a paternity action to serve the mother to avoid waiving certain rights and allowing failure to do so to support termination of the parent-child relationship. An adoption attorney said the change would close a loophole and align termination law with adoption statutes. The bill passed unanimously with a due pass recommendation. The committee also heard HB 4136, creating unlawful entry into a residence where a vulnerable adult lives as a felony, with an amendment removing immediate-arrest language and other provisions. The sponsor described a case involving repeated harassment of a vulnerable adult, while opponents said existing trespass, burglary, and aggravating-factor laws already cover the conduct. The amended bill received a due pass recommendation on a 6-3 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><03:56:10.000><c> reduction</c> cyber security vulnerability reduction cyber security vulnerability
• </c><03:57:13.399><c> disclosure</c> malign actors vulnerability disclosure malign actors vulnerability
• When you talk about vulnerabilities, I know about being vulnerable.
• When you talk about vulnerabilities, I know about being vulnerable.
• I know about being vulnerabilities I know about being vulnerable<04:02:15.840><c> when</c><04:02:15.960

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, March 3, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are they vulnerable persons?
• The bill is titled vulnerable persons, and it doesn't speak to the most vulnerable class of people in
• Supporting those vulnerable persons does Supporting those vulnerable persons doesn't mean giving them
• Our budget doesn't reflect that we support vulnerable persons or care about vulnerable persons in any
• We talk about vulnerable persons.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the House Journal by roll call vote, 123-0. Members then used points of personal privilege to recognize National Police Week, honor fallen officers, and offer extended tributes to departing colleagues and a departing representative, followed by numerous introductions of special guests, interns, students, and visiting groups from schools and universities. The chamber then received Senate messages and committee reports before taking up House Bill 1839, 2921, and 3015 together. The sponsor described the measure as a technical correction to online age-verification language related to pornography, and members noted the bill had already passed the House and Senate overwhelmingly. The House concurred in Senate Amendment 1 by a vote of 104-30, then adopted the conference/TAFP motion and finally passed the package 112-25. Members next considered House Bill 2596 in conference committee. The sponsor explained the bill as a small-business health plan measure that also included a negotiated amendment expanding private insurance coverage for contraception from a six-month to a 12-month supply, while removing Senate-added blood pressure cuff language and adding a severability clause. After debate about the process and policy, the House adopted the conference report 120-26 and then third-read and passed the bill 119-27. The final major item was Senate Bill 905, creating the Missouri Ranger training program to allow school districts, if they choose, to place specially trained personnel with narrow law-enforcement powers in schools. Debate focused heavily on school safety, local control, funding, training, and whether armed personnel in schools would help or harm students. Supporters argued it would provide an optional, low-cost safety tool, especially for districts without school resource officers; opponents argued it would escalate fear, resemble a prison environment, and fail to address mental health and other root causes. The House moved the previous question, adopted the amendment, and continued debate on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 2095 concerns vulnerable users. Sure.
• So House Bill 2095 concerns vulnerable users of a public way.
• way, and if so, the specific type of vulnerable user must also be listed.
• The amendment requires these reports to state whether the collision involved a vulnerable he used.
• They can just... ...check which kind of vulnerable user and be sure to put that on the report.

Summary: The Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee heard and acted on five bills. House Bill 2548, dealing with hospital and provider material change transactions, was presented with a proposed substitute that added disclosure requirements, quarterly AG website notices, filing fees, and nonprofit-related notice provisions while removing several original enforcement sections. Members debated the 25% ownership threshold and concerns about market effects, but the substitute passed 7-6 with a due pass recommendation. House Bill 2453 would allow board-certified psychiatric pharmacists to sign certain involuntary commitment and treatment-related petitions and opinions. Members said the bill was intended to expand access to treatment while preserving court decision-making authority, and it passed 8-5. House Bill 2640, addressing unauthorized UCC filings, would let the Department of Licensing refuse or terminate filings made to harass or defraud debtors; members described it as a Department of Licensing request bill, and it also passed 8-5. The committee then considered House Bill 2095 on vulnerable users of public ways. The proposed substitute created a rebuttable presumption of negligence against drivers, expanded protected areas, excluded motorcycles from the definition, and adjusted damages and education provisions. Members adopted several amendments, including an emergency-vehicle exemption and a reporting clarification, but rejected amendments that would have removed attorney fees, limited joint liability, or replaced the presumption with a direct civil action. The substitute passed 8-5. House Bill 2386, which removes statutory garnishment answer forms and directs the Washington Pattern Forms Committee to develop a form, passed 12-1. Finally, House Bill 2239, authorizing family burial grounds on private land, passed unanimously after a substitute added setbacks from water sources, local remediation procedures, burial reporting requirements, relocation permits, and seller disclosure language.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:24.439><c> households</c> lowincome and vulnerable households lowincome and vulnerable households
• </c><00:01:45.880><c> to</c> people particularly vulnerable to people particularly vulnerable to nitrate
• For low-income and vulnerable households, this can be a real problem.
• This gives our most vulnerable community members much-needed protection.
• </c><00:07:01.319><c> motans</c><00:07:01.960><c> and</c> most vulnerable motans and most vulnerable

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Are immigrants considered vulnerable? Are immigrants considered vulnerable persons under this bill?
• Are they vulnerable persons?
• The bill is titled 'vulnerable persons,' and it doesn't speak to the most vulnerable class of people
• Our budget doesn't reflect that we support vulnerable persons or care about vulnerable persons in any
• We talk about vulnerable persons.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the House Journal for the prior day by a 123-0 roll call vote. Members then used personal privilege remarks to recognize National Police Week and honor fallen officers, and several members offered farewell tributes to departing colleagues and interns. The chamber also introduced a number of special guests, including the Hallsville FFA Barbecue Contest Team, Mizzou wheelchair basketball players, school groups, interns, and a visiting alderwoman and former representative. The House received Senate messages and committee reports on several bills, then took up House Bill 1839, along with related bills 2921 and 3015, concerning online age verification for certain adult content and related matters. After a brief explanation that the Senate amendment was a technical fix, the House concurred in Senate Amendment 1 by 104-30 and then finally passed the combined bill package by 112-25. The chamber also adopted and then finally passed the conference committee report on House Bill 2596, which was described as a small-business health insurance measure that modernizes pooled plan language and includes a contraception coverage provision expanding private insurance coverage from a six-month to a 12-month supply; the report was adopted 120-26 and the bill was finally passed 119-27. The most extended debate centered on Senate Bill 905, which would create the Missouri Ranger training program and allow school districts, if they choose, to place specially trained armed rangers on campus with narrow arrest powers. Supporters argued it would give districts a voluntary, locally controlled, and potentially low-cost option to improve school safety, especially where school resource officers are unavailable or response times are long. Opponents said schools already have other options, warned about liability, funding, training, and the lack of child-development or mental-health components, and argued that more armed personnel would make schools feel more like prisons and would not address the root causes of school violence. The transcript ends during continued questioning and debate on SB 905, before any final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• There was a vulnerable adult with a serious There was a vulnerable adult with a serious mental illness
• Three things: she said, vulnerable adult.
• And so I'm here for justice for these type of people who are vulnerable.
• I think that there are several vulnerable adults out there.
• I think that there are several vulnerable adults out there.

Bills: HB2495, HB2557, HB2594, HB2615, HB2800, HB2861, HB2862, HB2931, HB2995, HB4042, HB4070, HB4117, HB4136

Keywords: vulnerable adults, sentencing, felonies, criminal justice, enhanced penalties, medical records, patient rights, healthcare access, privacy, healthcare providers, timeliness, address confidentiality, domestic violence, privacy protection, voter registration, court proceedings, parenting time, supervised visitation, family court, high-risk cases

Transcript Highlights:

• Together, those represent the most severe vulnerabilities and the largest threats to the agencies.
• Fortunately, we found a consistent drive across our auditees to address the critical vulnerabilities
• immediately and the high vulnerabilities rapidly as well.
• These audits not only identified vulnerabilities through penetration testing,...
• It kind of depends on what the vulnerability is.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee held a public hearing on the State Auditor’s Office cybersecurity performance audits for fiscal year 2025, covering both state agencies and local governments. SAO staff explained that the audits are conducted independently under Initiative 900 and are kept confidential at the entity level, with detailed findings shared directly with the audited organizations. They reported that state agency audits found nearly one-third of assessed safeguards fully implemented on all systems and 227 vulnerabilities across seven agencies, including three critical and 21 high-severity issues. For seven local government cybersecurity audits, nearly a quarter of safeguards were fully implemented on all systems, and auditors identified nearly 300 vulnerabilities, including nine critical and 47 high-severity issues. SAO also summarized its ransomware resiliency audits and critical infrastructure audits for local governments. In six ransomware audits, a little over 35% of assessed safeguards were not in place, while about 60% were at least partially in place. In 39 critical infrastructure audits, focused largely on water and sewer providers, auditors found over 260 vulnerabilities and said more than 10% were critical or high. Staff highlighted that these audits have led to improvements, including one vendor making security changes after SAO testing that were later echoed in a federal advisory. They also described related services such as cybersecurity checkups, policy guidance, and other cyber-related work by the office. Washington Technology Solutions’ state chief information security officer, Ralph Johnson, praised the audits and said they help protect essential public services. He cited a sharp national rise in ransomware incidents against governments and said Washington has used more than $11 million in federal and state cybersecurity grant funds for over 200 projects. In response to questions from Representative Scott, SAO and WOTEC discussed options for addressing urgent vulnerabilities, including compensating controls, grant funding, and low-cost mitigation steps. The committee also discussed how Washington’s program compares nationally, with Johnson saying Initiative 900 is unusually comprehensive and that local governments often seek audits voluntarily. No votes were taken, and the hearing adjourned after public testimony was offered but none was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill revises provisions governing crimes committed against older or vulnerable persons.
• individuals through enhanced criminal penalties. ...vulnerable individuals through enhanced criminal
• Section 1 of this bill expands the list of crimes against an older or vulnerable person that require
• It's hard to refer to what's the term I saw, vulnerable and, yeah," "...vulnerable persons when we're
• And they have, in their communities, seen elderly people who are vulnerable.

Bills: SB60, SB85, SB323

Keywords: elderly, vulnerable persons, criminal penalties, theft, civil penalties, criminal justice reform, traffic stops, law enforcement, data recording, public safety, racial profiling, SB323, Nevada, Department of Corrections, offenders, inmates, incarcerated people, prison phone calls, free phone calls, family communication

Transcript Highlights:

• adult and another vulnerable adult if one vulnerable adult is active in substance use that they would
• </c> services are considered vulnerable services are considered vulnerable adults.<00:48:47.920><c> And
• </c> vulnerable adult and another vulnerable vulnerable adult and another vulnerable adult<00:48:58.240
• Um and I vulnerable adults might be.
• </c> let's protect some kids and vulnerable let's protect some kids and vulnerable adults.<01:03:45.039

Bills: HF1918, HF2305, HF897, HF2191, HF2617, HF2551, HF2137

Keywords: HF1918, Department of Children Youth and Families, DCYF, child welfare, foster care, out-of-home placement, permanency planning, relative search, noncustodial parent, kinship care, family preservation, African American Child and Family Well-Being, racial disproportionality, maltreatment reporting, educational neglect, truancy, school attendance, Great Start compensation, child care provider payments, TEACH early childhood program

Transcript Highlights:

• The third step is how to adapt the infrastructure to better protect it from its vulnerabilities.
• Once climate risks are known, the second step is doing a vulnerability assessment.
• Once climate risks are known, the second step is doing a vulnerability assessment.
• sort of build strategies to address those vulnerabilities.
• Number one, within the scope of this, of your audit and examining vulnerability for climate vulnerability

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee I-900 Subcommittee heard JLARC’s annual update on the status of legislative implementation of State Auditor recommendations, followed by two State Auditor performance audits. JLARC staff reported that for the 2024 review period there were three new legislative recommendations and three unresolved older recommendations. They said the legislature did not convene a work group on civil asset forfeiture, and no formal action was taken on two water-use-efficiency recommendations. Two recommendations related to concurrent Medicaid enrollments were addressed in a bill introduced this session, but that bill was not adopted. The first audit examined how Washington can ensure climate-resilient electricity infrastructure. The State Auditor found the state has opportunities to better adapt new energy infrastructure by using more site-specific climate information, broader collaboration, and vulnerability assessments. The report recommended expanding climate analyses through the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group if funding is available, using forecasted information in DNR wildfire maps, designating a non-regulatory office to coordinate siting and conflict resolution, and expanding vulnerability assessments in Ecology and Commerce processes. Agency witnesses generally agreed resilience is important but emphasized existing efforts, the need to avoid duplicative requirements, the importance of affordability and efficiency, and the role of current forums such as the Clean Energy Siting Council and SEPA processes. The second audit reviewed fines for human trafficking and related sexual exploitation crimes. Auditors found courts assessed fines inconsistently, collection rates varied, some revenues were sent to the wrong local government, and some jurisdictions did not use the money as required for enforcement, prevention, or survivor services. The audit recommended courts work with prosecutors to improve awareness of mandatory fines, and that King and Pierce County improve coding, templates, and tracking so revenues are routed and used correctly. King County testified that it appreciated the audit and described its existing prevention and survivor-support work. The committee took no votes or formal actions and adjourned after the presentations and testimony.