Yasmin Trudeau — Yasmin Trudeau is introduced to chair the capital and water portion of the agenda, opens the water discussion by thanking the committee for making time for the issue, and is then acknowledged by witnesses who thank her for the invitation and praise her leadership as the discussion continues.
Yasmin Trudeau — Addressed as vice chair of the committee.
Yasmin Trudeau — Acknowledged by the witness in opening remarks.
Yasmin Trudeau — Addressed by the witness as the committee member to whom he would answer questions or return later.
Robert D. Los Angeles — Robert D. Los Angeles introduced himself as a representative of the Aquambi Indian Tribe and thanked Vice Chair Trudeau for the invitation. He then delivered a unified message that justice, security, and tribal well-being depend on fair and secure water policies. He criticized current state water policy and the Department of Ecology for failing to protect water resources, causing ecological and economic harm, and argued that existing laws and regulations are not being followed, leaving the tribe unable to trust the water system.
Lonnie Greeninger — Lonnie Greeninger, Vice Chairwoman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, testified about water challenges facing the tribe and the Dungeness watershed. She outlined how climate change is worsening flooding, lowering seasonal flows, reducing soil moisture, and increasing water demand, with impacts on salmon, habitat, agriculture, and groundwater. She noted that the tribe is working with outdated watershed data and lacks current information on groundwater levels, aquifer characterization, and water quality. She also described how opposition from a small community group halted a proposed piping project, and then shifted toward discussing adaptive management, community engagement, partnerships, and other opportunities for success.
Dave Christensen — Dave Christensen is introduced and invited to present alongside Melissa Downs from the Department of Ecology. He is identified as the Deputy Program Manager with the Water Resources Program.
Dave Christensen — Introduced himself as deputy program manager for the Water Resources Program and began discussing Ecology's role.
Dave Christensen — Cited as having just spoken about the need for funding and long-term state commitment.
Melissa Downs — Melissa Downs is called to present alongside Dave Christensen from the Department of Ecology, and then introduces herself as the project section manager with the Office of Columbia River at the Department of Ecology.
Vice Chair of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe — Referenced as having spoken about challenges in the Dungeness Basin.
Derek Stanford — Credited with working hard on prior storage efforts, though no opportunities were found at the time.
Claudia Kauffman — Senator Kauffman is called on to ask a question, and shortly afterward her question about wastewater reuse and stream protection is referenced appreciatively as part of the ongoing discussion.
James Kraft — James Kraft of the Washington Water Trust is introduced, begins his testimony by thanking the committee and saying he will be brief, identifies himself as the executive director of the Washington Water Trust, and describes the organization’s mission. Later, the chair interrupts to note time constraints while acknowledging the presentation.
Dave — Referenced as having discussed the time required for water-conservation projects.
Mr. Kraft — Slides provided by Mr. Kraft were praised and identified as a resource for follow-up.
Amanda Cecil — Amanda Cecil, Ways and Means staff, is introduced and then introduces herself as the committee staff presenter, giving a brief background on LEOFF 1, specifically the surplus assets and related legislation.
Amanda Cecil — Amanda Cecil’s presentation and earlier analysis are cited as background support for the bill discussion, including the bill analysis and the merger bill’s funding estimate.
Aaron Gutierrez — Aaron Gutierrez, staff for the Select Committee on Pension Policy, was introduced and then began his testimony. He clarified his role with the Office of the State Actuary, noted he was appearing at the committee’s request in his capacity as select committee staff, and said he would skip the first few slides because they repeated information already covered by Amanda.
SB5085 — Senate Bill 5085 was discussed as the merger bill combining LEOFF 1 with the public employees and teacher retirement plans. The follow-up discussion noted that the bill would require COLA programming in a new IT system, but that it was not expected to affect the CTF because the funds would remain within the CTF.
HB2034 — House Bill 2034 was discussed as a measure to terminate and recreate LEOFF 1 while setting aside 120% of projected future benefits. The discussion also raised concern about the reversion of assets in 2034, tying the bill’s funding structure to the timing and handling of those assets.
Lisa Wellman — Raised a question about insurance affordability, emergency room use, and possible state impacts.
Jed Herman — Named as a presenter for the 2025 fire season update.
George Geisler — George Geisler is introduced as a presenter for the 2025 fire season update and then introduces himself as Washington State Forester at DNR, describing his deputy role overseeing wildfire response, forest resilience, and community resilience.
Judge Herman — Introduced the wildfire funding primer and ten-year history presentation.
Judy Warnick — Senator Warnick asks whether the 31 aircraft figure is down from last year or the previous year.
Judy Warnick — Asked why defense costs have increased and whether the Attorney General’s Office has enough attorneys to handle the work.
James — James is introduced to provide the session budget preview.
June Robinson — Addressed by the witness as chair of the committee.
June Robinson — Addressed as Chair Robinson.
June Robinson — Addressed as chair of the committee; likely Chair June Robinson, though the transcript says Robertson.
June Robinson — Addressed by the speaker in a procedural handoff.
James Kettle — Introduces himself as the operating budget coordinator and begins the budget preview.
James Kettle — Thanked for the presentation and asked if there were questions.
Eric Cornelia — Referenced as having presented earlier on related fiscal topics.
Jason Seams — Jason Seams is introduced as the next presenter on the fiscal impact of state tort payments, then identifies himself as the Washington State Risk Manager and begins testimony on the costs of tort claims and lawsuits against the state.
Drew Hansen — Senator Drew Hansen asks follow-up questions about DCYF cases, focusing on how many are legacy cases from years ago versus more recent cases, and specifically how much money is tied up in older claims compared with cases from the last year or two. Later remarks reference his question again as the discussion continues on old claims and settlement timing.
John Braun — Senator John Braun followed up on Senator Hanson’s question by asking for perspective on how many claims are truly old because of the statute-of-limitations change versus claims that were already delayed for other reasons related to recent state behavior.
Claire Wilson — Claire Wilson asked about the OIC report and how it relates to the recent budget proviso on insurance premiums and costs, particularly as it may inform work involving child-serving organizations and the child welfare system. She then followed up by asking whether the state is completely self-insured in this area.
Dave Reich — Dave Reich is introduced and welcomed as the director/executive director of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, then he begins his testimony by introducing himself for the record and opening his remarks.
Steve Conway — Steve Conway questioned whether personal income growth statistics adequately reflect income disparity, noting the contrast between very high earners and low-income residents. He argued that if the lower middle class is struggling, they will spend less, which can affect economic forecasting and tax revenue. He then connected this concern to the idea of a K-shaped recovery, suggesting that wealth concentration and uneven recovery patterns may be hurting lower-income households.
Steve Conway — The chair/speaker notes that Senator Conway has a question.
Steve Conway — Asked how Washington compares with other states and whether similar claims are accelerating elsewhere.
Bob Hasegawa — Bob Hasegawa questioned the housing permit forecast on slide 15 and asked how projected housing shortages are incorporated into long-term projections for the cost of housing.
Eric Cornelier — The committee transitions to Eric Cornelier for a caseload forecast update. Cornelier introduces himself as the executive director of the Caseload Forecast Council and says he will provide the committee with the November caseload forecast update.
SB5253 — Referenced as the bill that removed the funding index, which was incorporated back into the forecast in June.