Transcript Highlights:

• SHARE A LOT OF DEEP PASSIONS IN THAT REGARD.
• THAT RESULTED IN THIS AGREEMENT WITH THE U.S.
• SO THAT AGREEMENT WILL TAKE PLACE.
• WAS A LANDMARK AGREEMENT.
• IT SOMETHING MORE PRIVATE ENTITY CAME TO US AND OFFERED US A PROJECT AND IF IT IS A PROJECT THAT WE CAN

Transcript Highlights:

• And did you do that by an agreement? Yes, we had a legal agreement beforehand.
• Even if there was an agreement between the two of us beforehand, if the child was conceived via intercourse
• Keenan, thank you very much for testifying and sharing your experience with us.
• not just one-time use, serious use of serious drugs, not marijuana.
• I used to...

Bills: HCR16, HB782, HB2159, HB2288, HB3281, HB3819, HB4656, HB4696, HB5494, HCR16

Keywords: fatherhood, family support, fatherlessness, community engagement, youth development, social policy, male role models, child development, policy reform, role models, mental health, parenting, single-parent homes, welfare reform, economic opportunity, mentorship, community initiatives, children, welfare programs, education

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:17:32.880> their Builders own use or for use by their Builders own use or for use by their
• We heard how the cash hasn't been used, but can you tell us about how the land dedication has been used
• It's just a slew of agreements over time. Their share has been in existence since 1831.
• It's just a slew of agreements over time. Their share has been in existence since 1831.
• It's just a slew of agreements over time. Their share has been in existence since 1831.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Housing held a public hearing on several bills. HB 576, relating to restrictions on the transfer of real property under chapter 201H, drew support from HHFDC and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which said the bill would waive transfer restrictions that conflict with DHHL’s program implementation. HB 421, relating to contractors, drew opposition from the Contractors License Board and DCCA/RICO, who said the measure would weaken owner-builder restrictions meant to prevent circumvention of contractor licensing laws; Hawaii Roter and the Grassroot Institute supported it. Members questioned whether the bill would still bar resale within a year and whether subcontractors would still need licenses. HB 367, relating to building permits, received support from the Hawaii Farm Bureau and Grassroot Institute, with comments from DLNR; testimony urged the bill to be expanded to include zoning permits as well as building permits to avoid confusion, especially on Kauaʻi. HB 826, relating to housing, received mixed testimony. HHFDC and several local and advocacy groups supported it, while the Sierra Club raised concerns about converting agricultural lands to residential use, possible impacts on food security, property values, taxes, and the need to account for public trust and traditional practices. HB 525 also drew support from HHFDC and three individuals, with no opposition noted. HB 252, relating to managing agents, was supported by the Hawaiʻi Council of Community Associations and opposed by the Community Associations Institute and several individuals, who argued that commercial management experience is not the same as condominium management and preferred language tied to industry certifications and a later effective date. HB 709, relating to trespassing, was opposed by the Honolulu Police Department, which said officers would have difficulty verifying ownership or tenancy in the field, that the bill could require a separate enforcement team, and that the sheriff’s division is better suited to handle evictions. Hawaiʻi Realtors and the Grassroot Institute supported the measure. Finally, HB 431 HD1, relating to housing, received broad support from the Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities, HHFDC, DHS, the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, OHA, county housing offices, and multiple nonprofit and political groups. Supporters emphasized the bill’s funding for housing and supportive services, with the homelessness office describing the measure as unprecedented and saying it could help the state cut homelessness in half over the next few years.

Transcript Highlights:

• They want to be partners with us, but what can they offer us?
• They want to be partners with us, but what can they offer us?
• They want to be partners with us, but what can they offer us?
• And, uh, in the room with us, signed up on Zoom but in the room with us, Mr.
• Use Commission. I've learned a lot. Use Commission. I've learned a lot.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several gubernatorial nominations for confirmation, beginning with GM 788 for Karen Knudsen to the Hawaii Sister State and International Partnerships Commission. DBEDT strongly supported her nomination, describing her decades of Asia-Pacific and East-West Center experience. Senators asked about the new commission structure, confirming that the old committee was abolished and replaced by a five-voting-member commission with two governor appointees before the Senate, other ex officio and legislative appointees, and one OHA vacancy still pending. Knudsen said the commission would help review new sister-state and international partnership proposals, while existing relationships would remain in place. Members also discussed the commission’s lack of a separate budget and its use of DBEDT international relations funding. The committee then moved to GM 789 for Wesley Fong to the same commission; DBEDT supported him based on his military, legal, and international trade background. A concern was raised that he also served on the State Ethics Commission, and Fong stated he had resigned from that post effective the 20th of the month to avoid a conflict. Senators questioned his reasons for leaving ethics, and he explained that his term was ending and he wanted to continue public service in a role aligned with his background in international agreements, education, and Indo-Pacific relations. No votes were taken in the portion provided. The committee next considered GM 769 for Patrick Branco to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. The foundation and the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters both testified in strong support. Branco appeared by Zoom and said he was currently on temporary military orders on the East Coast, but had prior experience in public diplomacy as cultural attaché in Caracas and had worked on Fulbright and cultural exchange efforts. The committee then took up GM 770 for Makanani Salā to the same board. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts supported her nomination, and Noe Wong-Wilson testified in person, citing Salā’s work at Windward Community College and her role in organizing the Best Fest festival, saying she would bring Hawaiian cultural perspective to the foundation. Salā said her county experience included arts, culture, and sister-city work, and that she would emphasize public-private partnerships and helping other agencies use the foundation’s expertise. Members briefly discussed FESTPAC and its rotating international location. Finally, the committee heard GM 767 for Miles Miyatso to the Land Use Commission. The Land Use Commission and the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters both supported the nomination, and Avalon Development Company was listed but did not appear on Zoom. The discussion in the provided transcript ended during this item, with no vote or final action shown for the nominations covered.

Transcript Highlights:

• But tell us how you would sell that to us.
• I can share my opinion and my opinion is I'm going to use Ford Motor Company many, many years ago as
• we're currently doing it within our local agreements and we do it with different cities around us when
• Ultimately, it is up to their choice whether to use us or not.
• Some of them may use Skyward.

Bills: HB10, HB 12, HB675, HB10, HB12

Keywords: regulatory reform, government efficiency, administrative law, rulemaking, agency deference, judicial review, de novo review, Texas Government Code, Administrative Procedure Act, state agencies, plain language, regulatory burden, regulatory reduction, cost-benefit analysis, fiscal note, public benefits and costs, contested case, rule challenge, Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, advisory panel

Transcript Highlights:

• So other agencies, individuals who are using that, they can use this data in their analysis.
• Private agreements and anchor tenants... Private agreements and anchor tenants.
• These are private agreements that decide what a property can be used for, even if it's vacant or even
• These are private agreements that decide what a property can be used for, even if it's vacant or even
• So you can create spaces that could be used for residential, could be used for commercial.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard a series of work-session presentations focused on transit-oriented development, commercial-to-residential redevelopment, building code implementation, housing market trends, and the Covenant Homeownership Program. The first presentation, from the Urban Institute, reviewed research on HB 1491 and TOD feasibility, arguing that Washington has made major progress but faces diverging conditions across transit areas. The presenter said rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and lower rents in some markets have made many projects less feasible, and recommended targeted infrastructure funding for lower-market communities, adjustments to MFTE and affordability requirements by local market conditions, more support for very low-income housing in high-market transit areas, minimum density standards near stations, expanded public land/joint development tools, and better tracking of TOD outcomes over time. Committee members asked about AMI calculations, immigration’s effect on construction labor, developer input, and whether a tracking mechanism had been removed from the bill. The Department of Commerce then outlined implementation of HB 1491 and demonstrated the new Washington Zoning Atlas, which is live and intended to help visualize zoning, overlays, and station-area conditions. Commerce said local governments will designate station areas, update zoning and MFTE policies, and handle anti-displacement measures, with Vancouver and Spokane first to implement and Puget Sound following later. Staff described a timeline for updated MFTE guidance, station-area implementation guidance, a TOD model ordinance, and later rulemaking on variances. The committee also heard from the Lieutenant Governor’s office on a report about converting commercial properties to housing, which found substantial potential for redevelopment on vacant or underused commercial land, especially near transit, but noted barriers such as ground-floor retail mandates, affordability requirements, infrastructure costs, private covenants, and slow implementation. The office urged by-right residential use on commercial land and faster rollout of new housing laws. The State Building Code Council updated the committee on its three-year code cycle and several legislatively directed actions, including minimum dwelling size, emergency shelters, and especially single-exit stairs and multiplex housing. Council staff said those code changes are nearing completion and will provide prescriptive solutions, while noting that elevator size and requirements were not changed and would require separate legislative direction if the committee wanted to revisit them. Members discussed the cost impacts of building and energy codes and the council said it is required to consider economic impacts and is increasingly looking at performance-based approaches. Later, the Washington Center for Real Estate Research presented its annual housing report, showing that higher mortgage rates have sharply reduced affordability, flattened house prices in many cities, and slowed single-family permitting and completions, while multifamily construction has recently cooled after a prior surge. Finally, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission reported strong first-year results for the Covenant Homeownership Program, which provides zero-interest down payment assistance to eligible first-time buyers with family ties to Washington before 1968; the program assisted 547 homebuyers in its first fiscal year, with more than $60 million loaned, and the agency said participation has continued to grow after income-limit changes enacted in 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yet it works to restructure us.
• It just gives us a bigger voice.
• used to pay the bonds.
• to benefit only the employers, not us.
• We can't do that; they have to be already working for us or working for us.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're able to share with us what needs to be done.
• They actually use the use a database.
• Schuler shared with us, Chair, that this would enable and allow local families that currently use these
• using to provide us with advanced tools. using to provide us with advanced tools.
• being used in crimes? being used in crimes?

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 83, which would require hotel keepers to give adequate notice of service disruptions to guests and third-party vendors. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection supported the bill but asked for amendments to restore remedies and add a nonwaiver provision, arguing that without penalties the measure would lack consequences and that consumers should not be able to waive the notice rights. Supporters, including Unite Here Local 5 and individual testifiers, said guests deserve transparency and meaningful recourse when disruptions occur, especially for labor disputes, construction, or other service interruptions that affect the experience they paid for. Hotel industry representatives, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, and hotel workers/testifiers, opposed the bill in its current form while offering amendments. They said the measure was too broad, difficult to implement, and could interfere with collective bargaining, third-party booking systems, and existing contracts. They also argued that some disruptions are not easily known in advance and that the bill unfairly singles out hotels compared with other industries. One testifier emphasized that notice should be required only for actual, known disruptions rather than potential events, and another raised concerns about applying the bill to properties not directly involved in a labor dispute. After the SB 83 testimony, the committee moved on to SB 2798, which would make permanent and expand statewide the agricultural enforcement pilot program created in 2025 and rename it the agricultural enforcement program. The chair introduced the measure and called on the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity as the first testifier, but the transcript excerpt ends before testimony or any vote on SB 2798.

Transcript Highlights:

• us.
• Brewing is not just a process to us.
• that have come to ask us if they can put our beer on tap.
• This bill would allow us to do that. It would allow us to build our customer base. Sorry.
• The Secretary told us last week he would get us travel information back to us.

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and took up one bill, House Bill 499, which would allow malt beverage manufacturers producing less than 31,000 gallons annually to sell and deliver directly to vendors. The sponsor and several craft brewery owners and industry advocates testified in support, arguing the measure would help small breweries reach local restaurants, improve quality control, create jobs, and serve as a bridge into the three-tier system for businesses too small to attract distributors. Opponents, including the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association, argued the bill would undermine the three-tier system, weaken accountability and tax collection, and create risks for consumer protection and market fairness. During debate, several members said they supported the bill as a small-business measure while noting they remained protective of the three-tier system. Some members raised concerns about tax tracking and long-term distributor contracts, but others said the bill appeared limited enough to preserve the existing system while giving small breweries a chance to grow. The committee then voted on the bill and it passed, with one recorded no vote. After the bill vote, the subcommittee revisited prior questions about Department of Lottery Secretary Davis’s travel reimbursements. Members reviewed updated documents showing more than $50,000 in travel reimbursements from January 2021 through November 2024, including about $27,840 tied to Orlando destinations, and expressed concern that some reimbursements may have covered commuting between Tallahassee and Orlando. The chair said the information would be sent to Secretary Davis for an explanation, and the meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• The best thing that I can share right now is that the amicable agreement to this point with the city
• That's basically it for us.
• But I want to tell you that we are very grateful to you for allowing us to come and share.
• And yes, part of a movement that he gave us is what he is going to teach us.
• Examples of everyday use, you probably see them in your everyday use.

Transcript Highlights:

• our shared advocacy.
• success for us. success for us.
• Um, which I suppose could be either, um, it would be used to support a lease-purchase agreement.
• Lee could help us. So Chair, maybe Mr. Lee could help us.
• to support a lease would be used to support a lease purchase<00:31:20.399> agreement.

Bills: HF4736, HF4737, HF3806, HF3352, HF4840, HF3748

Keywords: emergency shelter, grant program, homelessness, capital investment, Minnesota Statutes, appropriation bonds, public funding, housing, infrastructure bonds, funding, appropriation, Minnesota constitutional amendment, public debt, state bonds, general obligation bonds, information technology, IT infrastructure, software licenses, technology modernization, capital improvements

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, and expert, for sharing HB 296 with us today.
• And also all of these projects have land use restriction agreements that run on them depending on the
• And also all of these projects have land use restriction agreements that run on them depending on the
• And you say that that would be done through a lien on the property or a land use agreement? Mr.
• Chair and Representative Expert, those land use agreements, they still require, right, that someone go

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for joining us.
• traveling uh around the state, it trav, it requires us traveling.
• I think it's important for us to, in order for us as a state, as a whole, Madam Chair, to comply with
• do the language and they tell us it's good to go.
• to use the right language, uh, in our.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, yeah, I just want to take about 5 minutes to share with you, you know, you used to—you got the letter
• for us. for us.
• for us to use<00:41:02.160> it.
• use it. use it.
• help us get that done. help us get that done.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She didn't pick us first. >> Senator. >> I picked us first. And we appreciate that.
• >> give us a dollar figure for that 10%. >> give us a dollar figure for that 10%.
• cost us much more money in the long run. cost us much more money in the long run.
• And consent for us? Yeah. You Okay. And consent for us? Yeah.
• Senator Lang, thank you for joining us. Senator Lang, thank you for joining us.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting covered two committee of conference items. On HB 1260, the House and Senate debated a Senate amendment dealing with sealing certain divorce-related financial records. House members argued the amendment conflicted with the Keane Sentinel decision and would improperly flip the burden of proof on public access to court records, raising constitutional concerns under the state constitution’s open government and privacy provisions. Senate members responded that the privacy amendment and modern conditions support more protection for sensitive financial information, especially in limited uncontested divorces, but several members agreed the issue should be studied in a separate bill with a full hearing next year rather than resolved in conference. The committee ultimately voted unanimously to have the Senate recede and pass HB 1260 in the form originally passed by the House, preserving the underlying bill without the Senate amendment. The committee then took up HB 1574, which extends free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs and provides funding for SNAP administrative costs. The main dispute was the Senate’s addition of $4.4 million for SNAP administration. Senator Gray and DHHS officials said federal changes will shift more administrative costs to the state and that underfunding administration could raise the SNAP error rate, which could trigger future federal penalties and larger state costs; DHHS reported a current error rate of 7.57%, below the national average, and said a higher error rate could cost the state roughly $12 million in a partial fiscal year and nearly $16 million in a full year. Representative Papovich said he understood the department’s needs but was reluctant to support the bill as amended, noting the Senate language resembled a prior bill that had already failed in the House. The discussion ended with the committee still considering the Senate amendment, with members weighing the immediate appropriation against possible future costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• The cash part is different in my mind from the shared savings.
• The team came running to us and told us that Jeffrey was gone. Jeffrey was never going to speak.
• Jeffrey showed intelligence and memory; he recognized us, hugged us, and expressed emotions—basically
• to come to an agreement that works.
• It was never intended to be used as a gatekeeping tool.

Bills: HB345, HB721, HB2580, SB815, HB3057, HB4603, HB3233, SB495, HB3863, HB3914, HB4570, HB5099, HB5173, SB458

Keywords: insurance, appraisal process, disputed losses, residential property, policyholder rights, insurer obligations, natural disasters, appraisal expenses, umpire selection, policyholder, insurer, umpire, claims management, health care, cost disclosure, benefit plan, administrators, traumatic brain injury, health benefit plans, insurance coverage

Transcript Highlights:

• Half the people who left us, one in five attorneys left us and half the ones who left us left with just
• Half the people who left us, one in five attorneys left us and half the ones who left us left with just
• Half the people who left us, one in five attorneys left us, and half the ones who left us left with just
• Half the people who left us, one in five attorneys left us, and half the ones who left us left with just
• Using the example that I think our advocates shared, that's a great example.

Keywords: 0:00:04 Call to Order 0:00:50 Dept for Public Advocacy 0:51:31 Life Learning Center 1:21:06 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary heard testimony from the Department of Public Advocacy (DPA) on attorney compensation and alternatives to incarceration. Because the committee lacked a quorum, the chair skipped formal roll call and minutes approval, then invited DPA Public Advocate Damon Preston, Deputy Public Advocate Melanie Lowe, and alternative sentencing worker Cena/Tina Mills to present. Preston said DPA is fully state-funded, has 698 funded positions, and was near full staffing with 673 filled positions and 42 new law graduates expected to join in August. He argued that DPA’s resources lag behind those of prosecutors, noting that local prosecutorial offices receive substantially more total funding and have additional revenue sources beyond the state budget. Preston focused on salary disparities and turnover. He said DPA trial-office attorneys total about $26 million in salaries, compared with about $41.9 million for prosecutors on publicly listed state funding, and estimated that more than 100 additional prosecutors are paid through other sources, bringing total prosecutor compensation to a little over $50 million versus DPA’s $26 million. He said starting DPA attorney pay is $58,200, experienced attorney pay averages about $73,000, and that these levels are too low given law school debt and the state’s constitutional obligation to provide defense counsel. He also said DPA attorney turnover is about 20%, median service time before separation was 15 months in 2024, and exit interviews often cite salary as the main reason for leaving. He gave examples of former DPA attorneys moving to prosecutor offices for raises ranging from 12% to 50%. Committee members asked about how often defendants are represented by private counsel versus DPA and how that affects workload. Preston said a 2017 study found about 50% of misdemeanor cases and about 75% of circuit court cases were handled by DPA, with DPA handling most of the most labor-intensive cases. He said DPA will step aside when a defendant hires private counsel or is found ineligible, and he acknowledged the system historically erred by denying counsel in some cases, though he said the current concern is whether DPA is now appointed too broadly. Members requested updated trend data on appointments over the past decade. Preston also described DPA’s pay scale and said the agency’s compensation structure makes retention difficult. Mills then described DPA’s alternative sentencing worker program, which she said has operated for about 20 years and has received national recognition. She shared a case example involving a client named Patrick, who faced a prison sentence on a possession charge and was referred to a horse-based treatment and certification program in Shelbyville. She said the client wanted treatment and a fresh start, a bed became available, and she and the client’s attorney presented an alternative sentencing plan to the court. The presentation was interrupted briefly by a technical issue, but the testimony continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• used out there.
• And then, of course, we have a data sharing agreement with our partners as well.
• And so before the students use the tool, they will be signing a user agreement as well.
• I learned there's a software that instead of using a word it's actually us for use by the schools where
• So the for us to know the answer would be no, we're not using that.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we do expect to be addressing many of those issues, and they will help us to both get to an agreement
• I share your desire to address the impact.
• I share your desire to address the impact. I share your desire to address the impaction situation.
• years with us.
• So some of those concerns are very shared.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't have anything else to be able to share with you right now, but there does seem that there's a
• If you come to an agreement late tonight, tomorrow would that make the Supreme Court case on Thursday
• <00:02:10.599> late<00:02:10.879> tonight if you come to an agreement late tonight
• if you come to an agreement late tonight tomorrow<00:02:12.120> would<00:02:12.319> that
• us of when<00:02:33.720> we<00:02:33.879> would<00:02:34.080> like<00:02:34.239

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: A House Republican spokesperson gave an update on the ongoing Minnesota House standoff, saying Republicans continue to seek formal recognition from the Secretary of State and objecting to what they described as the executive branch blocking duly elected members from being recognized on the House floor. They said the Minnesota Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Thursday in a case filed against the Secretary of State over that issue, and they argued that motions had been placed at the desk for several days and that the Secretary’s court filings mischaracterized the parties’ communications. The spokesperson also said negotiations with Democratic colleagues over starting the session were continuing, describing Democrats as showing increased motivation to reach a deal and attributing that, in part, to public pressure. They said House Republicans have been present and working each day, while criticizing absent Democratic members and noting that more than $200,000 in taxpayer funds has been paid to members who have not shown up. They said another meeting was planned for that evening, with no meeting scheduled yet for the next day. Questions also touched on recall efforts and the status of Representative Brad Tab. The spokesperson said recall petitions are a separate process handled by the state party and, once initiated, cannot be stopped by House leaders. On seating Representative Brad Tab, they said the House retains authority to judge the eligibility of its own membership and that their position had not changed.