Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1960 creates property tax exemptions for renewable energy facilities and battery storage systems
• savings, and whether the Commission previously determined that the preference was critical to the tax structure
• we've got a set of preferences which the commission has previously labeled as critical to the tax structure
• The commission is permitted by statute to label certain tax preferences as critical to the tax structure

Summary: The Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences met on May 6, 2026, with quorum present and unanimously approved the October 21, 2025 minutes. The Attorney General’s Office then provided its annual open government refresher, covering key points of the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act, including broad disclosure requirements, records retention, response timelines for public records requests, and rules for meetings, special meetings, emergency meetings, and executive sessions. JLARC staff gave a 2026 legislative session update on tax preference bills. They highlighted 20 bills affecting tax preferences, including repeal of the coal-related sales and use tax exemption, changes to data center exemptions, new property tax exemptions for renewable energy facilities and land bank authorities, and a broad tax package in engrossed substitute Senate Bill 6346 that created multiple credits, deductions, and exemptions. Staff also presented the 2026 expedited tax preference review report covering 64 preferences, noting it is based on prior JLARC reviews and Department of Revenue studies and is now available in an interactive searchable format. The commission approved the 2026 public testimony questions without changes and then adopted the 2027–2036 tax preference review schedule, along with a new rolling 10-year schedule that will be updated each May. During discussion, commissioners raised concerns about how preferences are prioritized for full review versus expedited review, especially for older or high-revenue preferences without performance statements, and staff explained that legislative mandates, expiration dates, and workload constraints drive the schedule. The meeting also included a public and staff recognition of Commissioner Grant Forsyth’s 13 years of service and leadership, with remarks praising his collaborative approach and long tenure; the next meeting was set for August 4, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that new organizational structure is kind of being developed, and they've had some challenges with
• perform a certain function, but we're waiting on some sort of realignment of our organizational structure
• And it's not, you know, a giving us enough appropriation to adequately look at our overall salary structure
• We took some old conference rooms and converted them into cubicles Cubicles and took some old storage

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about school finance and battery storage.
• House Bill 5196 provides a practical, structural solution to this issue by requiring state agencies to
• It creates structure and accountability.
• of each compact member state to protect public health and safety through the existing regulatory structure

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, the January 2025. five LA County wildfires destroyed 18,000 structures and displaced over 150,000
• Capacity, stabilizing the financial structure of the Fair Plan helps all Californians.
• was exacerbated in January when devastating wildfires resulted in the destruction of over 10,000 structures
• By Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez, an act relating to self-service storage facilities.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• More than two million Californian households, and one in four residential structures in California, are
• Noncompliant parcels can contribute to structure-to-structure ignition, increase fire spread, and threaten
• Noncompliant parcels can contribute to structure-to-structure ignition, increase fire spread, and threaten
• However, currently we have three primary concerns with how the bill is structured.
• The first is on the risk assessments, and the second is on the litigation structure, the PRA that the

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• No concealment structure was employed.
• The current structure creates an inherent conflict of interest.
• Author of an audit comparing county audits of sheriff-coroner structural and operational shortcomings
• That's the law. ...but not limited to the safe handling and storage of those firearms.
• They are structured.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill is very carefully structured to create an initial warning period, 60 days before citations begin
• The bill is very<00:25:46.000> carefully<00:25:46.440> structured<00:25:47.440> to
• structured to create an initial<00:25:48.520> warning<00:25:48.840> period<00:25:49.679
• It sounds like it's on the bus itself or does it go into like a cloud-based storage?
• based storage? based storage? Ms.<00:46:19.040> Shikany. Ms. Shikany. Ms. Shikany.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The other thing to know is that when you look at accidents that have happened with battery storage and
• a plan for battery storage because it is critical.
• Solar during the day, wind at night, battery storage for all other times, right?
• SOLAR DURING THE DAY, WIND AT NIGHT, BATH BATTERY STORAGE FOR ALL OTHER TIMES, RIGHT?
• Residents in the historic community, and an entrepreneur is putting a battery energy storage facility

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with routine proceedings, approved the prior journal, and processed several messages from the Assembly, including motions to discharge and substitute identical Senate bills for Assembly bills on the calendars. The chamber also reconsidered and restored Senate Print 1788, an act amending the Real Property Tax Law, to the third reading calendar. The Rules Committee reported Senate Print 10324, the state budget appropriations bill, directly to third reading, and the Senate accepted the message of necessity and laid the bill aside before taking it up on the controversial calendar as a budget extender. A lengthy debate followed on the budget extender, with Senator O’Mara and others criticizing the continued delay in finalizing the state budget, the lack of public details, and the absence of a schedule for joint budget committee meetings. Senator Serrano responded that the extender was necessary to keep state government operating while final budget negotiations continued, but could not provide specifics on policy items such as Tier 6 pension changes, New York City aid, local government support, or school aid. The extender was ultimately passed 56-2, with Senators Rhoads and Weik voting no. The Senate then adopted several previously adopted resolutions, including a memorial resolution for former Congressman Eliot Engel and a resolution marking the fourth anniversary of the Tops Friendly Markets mass shooting in Buffalo. The Buffalo resolution prompted extensive remarks from multiple senators about racism, gun violence, community trauma, and the need for policy responses; it was adopted with broad support. The chamber also passed a series of bills on the third reading calendar covering highway, municipal, environmental, banking, veterans, education, public health, and public service matters, with most passing overwhelmingly and a few drawing minority opposition. Notable floor debate occurred on a study bill regarding battery energy storage systems, where senators raised concerns about fire safety and siting; the bill passed 45-13. The Senate adjourned to reconvene on Monday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 22 allows a retail gasoline station to have one storage tank for non-oxygenated motorsports racing
• <00:24:10.799> one retail gasoline station to have one retail gasoline station to have one storage
• 11.520> tank<00:24:12.080> for<00:24:12.400> non<00:24:12.720> oxygenated storage
• tank for non oxygenated storage tank for non oxygenated motorsports<00:24:14.320> racing<00:24
• these 1.2 million Minnesotans who live in HOAs and how they're organized and what their governance structure

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think one of the things that I want to finish on is that the storage of it creates a huge hazardous
• finish on is things that I want to um finish on is that<00:30:20.559> the<00:30:20.720> storage
• it<00:30:21.640> creates<00:30:22.039> a<00:30:22.279> huge that the storage
• of it creates a huge that the storage of it creates a huge hazardous<00:30:23.880> risk<00:30
• It was just the penalties that were amended, and some of the structures, I believe hotels, was expanded

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on three fireworks-related bills. On SB 1226, which would create a shipping container inspection program and require Department of Law Enforcement reporting, the Department of Law Enforcement supported the measure, while the Attorney General recommended deleting references to explosives to avoid a single-subject constitutional issue and noted possible federal limits on military involvement. Harbor users raised concerns about logistics, delays, and cost, and HPD supported the bill; members also discussed how inspections would work and whether DLE would coordinate with county and federal partners. No vote was taken during the testimony portion. On SB 32, which would sharply restrict consumer fireworks by requiring permits for cultural use, repealing the general holiday exceptions, and imposing a $25 permit fee, the State Fire Council supported the bill as a public safety measure but said it was willing to work on problematic language. The Office of the Public Defender opposed it, arguing the bill’s use of “culture” could create constitutional and discrimination problems because permit decisions would effectively define culture. Fireworks retailers and other opponents said the bill would push consumers toward illegal fireworks and hurt lawful sales, while supporters said it would reduce injuries, fires, and respiratory harm. Members questioned whether the permit fee was new, whether the bill would affect commercial display companies, and whether permit caps should be added. On SB 1324, which expands fireworks offenses, increases penalties for injuries or death, creates new criminal offenses and an infraction adjudication system, and appropriates funds, the Attorney General strongly supported the bill and said it would give law enforcement and prosecutors better tools, while DLE said the current weight-based definitions make prosecutions difficult and labor-intensive. DLE also said disposal of seized fireworks is expensive and hazardous, and suggested violators should bear more of that cost. HPD and the Maui County prosecutor supported the bill, but some opponents argued it would overcriminalize conduct and create constitutional issues; a commercial pyrotechnics company asked for amendments to preserve lawful display work. Members asked about the appropriation, enforcement challenges, and whether existing exceptions would still allow commercial shows. The hearing ended with no final decision reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we set our rates, we're not just paying for childcare slots; we're funding a compensation structure
• But this structure was designed to bring consistency and coherence to early childhood compensation.
• But with this structure, what we're requesting is funding to support us into implementation.
• You would hope that all boats would rise together.
• And what's not very easy for them is to have a very simple and structured way to get dignified wages.

Bills: SB2

Transcript Highlights:

• And just to go back to you as far as the base student allocation in the structure, Mateer, if there is
• It will allow you to kick us off and sort of follow the same structure as we did before.
• The services and structure of card is in section 1, 0, 0, 4, 0.5, 5 regional autism centers.
• I think we we struggle with trying to understand sometimes how to exist within the structures that we
• department would agree and carve a degree in we're all in this together and won a rising tide to lift all boats

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• August saw the lowest storage levels in 50 years. Next slide, please.
• The lowest storage levels in 50 years. Next slide, please.
• August saw the lowest storage levels in 50 years.
• Next slide, please. the lowest storage levels in 50 years. Next slide please.
• I think having water storage is going to be very important as we go into the future.

Summary: The committee heard first from Deputy State Climatologist Karen Bumbacco, who reviewed the weather and snowpack conditions that contributed to Washington’s 2025 drought. She said the state had a very warm and dry water year, with April through September ranking among the warmest and driest periods on record, and that three straight years of below-normal snowpack and precipitation had compounded drought impacts, especially in the Yakima Basin. She also explained that a weak La Niña could bring a wetter-than-normal winter, though temperature forecasts were less certain, and noted that long-term climate projections point to continued snowpack decline and earlier runoff timing. Department of Ecology staff Rea Burns and Caroline Melor then described the state’s drought declaration process and response. They said Washington’s statutory drought threshold is less than 75% of normal water supply plus a hardship finding, and that Ecology extended the Yakima drought declaration in April and expanded it statewide in June. They discussed reliance on federal monitoring data and staffing at NRCS, USGS, Reclamation, and NOAA, and said federal staffing and funding instability has created concerns for snowpack and water data. They also reviewed drought response funding, noting that grants have supported projects in the Yakima and Dungeness basins and that the drought emergency account still has a balance available for current needs. Burns gave a detailed update on the Yakima Basin, saying it experienced unprecedented conditions this year, including nearly empty reservoirs, curtailment orders sent to about 1,500 water users, and the first time even the most senior 1855 surface water rights were turned off. She said widespread compliance occurred, though the process exposed areas for improvement, especially coordination with federal partners. Committee members asked about the long-term basis for climate projections, the 75% drought threshold, federal impacts, drought insurance, reservoir storage, and whether the state should consider more drought funding or new storage projects. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• In your opinion, do we have the structure in place to implement pesticides if we need to for a new invasive
• In your opinion, do we have the structure in place to implement pesticides if we need to for a new invasive
• In your opinion, do we have the structure in place to implement pesticides if we need to for a new invasive
• In your opinion, do we have the structure in place to implement pesticides if we need to for a new invasive
• from floods, loss of crops, loss Of other things, animals from the power outages, so you had cold storage

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first considered three gubernatorial nominations. GM510, Faith Tui Pulotu to the Molokai Irrigation System Water Users Advisory Board, received strong support from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau, though the nominee was not present online. GM614, Mark Gordon to the Environmental Advisory Council, also drew unanimous support from state and private testifiers; Gordon described his environmental health and safety background and said he could commit the time needed. GM696, James Falconer to the Advisory Board on Pesticides, was supported by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Hawaii Farm Bureau; Falconer discussed his long experience in coffee and sugar, including work responding to coffee leaf rust and the need for timely pesticide tools. All three nominations were recommended for advise and consent and were adopted by four-member votes. The committee then heard several agriculture bills. HB 1603 HD1 would allow the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to extend agricultural park leases without the current county-population restriction; supporters called it an equity measure and asked that it apply to all ag park leases, while the department gave standard testimony. HB 1707 HD1 would create a local agricultural transportation cost reimbursement program; supporters said transportation is a major production cost and suggested amendments to define “necessary supplies” and explicitly include honey. HB 2155 HD1 would establish an agricultural statistics program, with supporters emphasizing the need for better data to guide planning. HB 2594 HD1 would direct a study on insurance coverage for small producers, which supporters linked to recent storm damage and the lack of tailored insurance products. HB 2595 HD1 would create a regional agricultural feasibility and food systems production working group; supporters said it should consider markets as well as crop suitability and regional conditions. Members asked questions about lease competition, transportation reimbursement amounts and anti-double-dipping safeguards, the usefulness of agricultural data, and whether state or federal insurance models could be used as templates. Testifiers generally said the bills would help reduce costs, improve planning, and support small and neighbor-island producers, while noting that implementation details and funding levels would need further work. The committee then voted to pass all five bills with amendments, generally including a deferred effective date of July 1, 2050, and in the case of HB 1707, the committee adopted the suggested amendments to define necessary supplies and add honey to the covered commodities.

Transcript Highlights:

• County wildfires destroyed 18,000 The January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires destroyed 18,000 structures
• Stabilizing the financial structure of the Fair Plan helps all Californians.
• Stabilizing the financial structure of the fair plan helps all Californians.
• was exacerbated in January when devastating wildfires resulted in the destruction of over 10,000 structures
• Assembly Bill 498 by Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez and appending the self-service storage facilities

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and pledge, then took up a series of procedural motions and a large third-reading file focused heavily on housing, wildfire recovery, insurance, and related regulatory changes. Early actions included a successful motion to place Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 on the third-reading file, followed by a unanimous vote on SB 26, a cleanup measure related to lemon-law civil discovery procedures and automaker opt-outs from the AB 1755 framework. The chamber then moved through a package of urgency bills tied to the January 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires and broader housing affordability concerns. Measures approved included AB 311 allowing displaced tenants to temporarily house wildfire victims and pets, AB 299 extending hotel/motel/short-term rental stays beyond 30 days for disaster-displaced families, AB 226 giving the California Fair Plan access to bond financing in catastrophic-loss scenarios, AB 253 allowing third-party plan checks when local review exceeds 30 days, AB 301 aligning state permitting timelines with local deadlines, AB 306 imposing a six-year pause on new residential building-code updates, AB 462 exempting certain ADUs in Los Angeles County coastal zones from coastal development permits, AB 493 requiring interest to be paid to homeowners on insurance proceeds held by lenders, and AB 597 tightening rules on public adjuster solicitation, fees, and contract transparency. Each of these urgency bills passed, generally with strong bipartisan support and mostly unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The Assembly also approved several non-urgency measures, including AB 293 on groundwater transparency and board disclosure, AB 251 on elder abuse litigation standards when evidence is intentionally destroyed, AB 59 removing a sunset on Reclamation District 108’s hydropower authority, AB 417 streamlining EIFD and CRIA financing tools, and AB 312 updating procedures for agricultural theft proceeds. In addition, ACR 6 was adopted by voice vote, recognizing Black April Memorial Month and the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, with extensive remarks from Assembly Member Ta and support from other members. The consent calendar was adopted, and the body later heard adjournment-in-memory tributes for David Myers and Olivia Guerrero before adjourning to April 3, 2025. Several vote changes were announced after adjournment, including changes on AB 251 and AB 417.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hey, I was on a boat. The weapon went overboard. Uh, somebody grabbed it, ran off with it.
• Hey, I was on a boat. The weapon went overboard. Uh, somebody grabbed it, ran off with it.
• Hey, I was on a boat. The weapon went overboard. Uh, somebody grabbed it, ran off with it.
• Hey, I was on a boat. The weapon went overboard. Uh, somebody grabbed it, ran off with it.
• Hey, I was on a boat. The weapon went overboard. Uh, somebody grabbed it, ran off with it.

Bills: SB309, HB192, SB178, SB179, SB237, HB10, HB107, HB189, HB37, HB226, SB309, HB192, SB178, SB179, SB237, HB10, HB107, HB189, HB37, HB226

Keywords: automated driving systems, oversized vehicles, transportation, regulations, permits, HB192, international wire transfer, wire transfer fee, remittance fee, money transmission business, Alabama Securities Commission, Department of Revenue, Education Trust Fund, ELL instructors, English Language Learner, ESL teachers, income tax credit, remittances, international money transfer, migrant families

Transcript Highlights:

• for what should be stored in a storage unit.
• But I say, for example, I have storage that's due on the fifth. I pay it on the first.
• What is the requirement on the owner of the storage to find... Mr. Chairman, Mr.
• and an agreement with a storage unit, those storage units have to go back and notify the current renters
• Well, I'm in the storage business, so where am I gonna store?

Transcript Highlights:

• a huge lift here, and one myth I want to expose right now is that this is not just a regulatory structure
• structure that provides a free. structure that provides a free.
• And when you're talking about things that are wind, solar, storage, there's always the production of
• And when you're talking about things that are wind, solar, storage, there's always the production of
• And when you're talking about things that are wind, solar, storage, there's always the production of

Bills: HB1986, HB1694, HB1695, HB2030, HB1673

Keywords: clean fuel standard, alternative fuels, carbon intensity, emission reduction, greenhouse gases, transportation, sustainable aviation fuel, tax credit, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, Hawaii, economic development, carbon footprint, aviation sector, renewable fuels, local production, energy resilience, agricultural innovation, job creation, clean vehicles

Summary: The committee on Energy and Environmental Protection heard testimony on three measures related to cleaner fuels. On HB 1986, which would require the Department of Transportation to adopt rules for a clean fuel standard by January 1, 2028 and include reporting and public informational sessions, testimony was largely supportive from state commissions, fuel companies, airlines, and other industry and advocacy groups. Supporters said the bill would create a long-term framework for reducing emissions and developing cleaner fuels in Hawaii. Opposition came from Energy Justice Network, which argued that so-called clean fuels are not carbon-free, would be costly, and could delay a needed transition to electrification. The department later said it was monitoring the bill and was concerned about costs. No vote or final action was taken in the hearing. The committee then heard HB 1694, a sustainable aviation fuel tax credit bill that would provide a per-gallon credit for SAF, cap annual credits at $20 million, require reporting, and sunset in 2035. The Department of Taxation testified on administration, while the Department of Transportation said it supported the measure as a short-term strategy to jump-start SAF until the clean fuel standard ramps up. Airlines, fuel companies, the Hawaii Food Industry Association, the Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition, and others supported the bill, saying it would send a market signal, help close the cost gap with conventional jet fuel, and encourage local production and investment. Opponents, including Energy Justice Network, Life of the Land, and Ted Metros, argued the bill would be expensive, could lock in a transitional fuel system, and would not produce enough fuel to meet demand. Committee members asked about the likely impact and the share of total fuel demand the credit could support; DOT said the supported gallons would be only a very small percentage of annual demand and that the credit was intended to work alongside the future clean fuel standard. Finally, the committee took up HB 1695 HD1 on renewable fuel, which expands the renewable fuels production tax credit. Testimony was again mixed but generally supportive from the Department of Transportation, Department of Taxation, Island Energy Services, airlines, the Tax Foundation, Pana Pacific, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau. Supporters said the measure would encourage local feedstock production, create agricultural opportunities, and help attract investment in renewable fuels. Pana Pacific requested an amendment to explicitly include camelina in the definition of renewable feedstocks. Opponents, including Energy Justice Network and Life of the Land, repeated concerns about cost, imported feedstocks, and the risk of undermining full electrification goals. The hearing transcript does not show any vote or final committee action on HB 1694 or HB 1695 HD1.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lake Erie supports billions of dollars of recreational boating and sports fishing.
• A boating industry second to none. We share it with Canada.
• We have no fleeing repression on boats.
• It's like Cortez when he got to Mexico, he burned the boats so nobody would go back.
• It's like Cortez when he got to Mexico, he burned the boats so nobody would go back.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Number 12 is a new method estimated at $520,000 using plant reserves for a new hazardous material storage
• Plant reserves for a new hazardous material storage building, and number 13 is a new method valued at
• I think there's more work that we can do to make sure we have a good structured process on that, because

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of appropriation, transfer, contract, and other review items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests in Sections B through F, including funding for prosecuting attorneys, education-related adjustments, school operating needs, labor licensing divisions, ARPA fund returns from Workforce Services, IIJA grants for state police CDL implementation and a forestry-related county grant, reserve fund transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic development, and a Commerce reallocation tied to organizational realignment. Cash fund requests in Section G and budget classification transfers in Section H were also reviewed, along with pay plan requests in Section I, overtime requests in Section J, and multiple methods of finance in Section K. The committee also reviewed discretionary grants in Section L, including agriculture promotion board grants and DHS aging/adult behavioral health grants, plus RFQs, construction contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and out-of-state contracts in Sections M1 through M5. Several items drew questions from members. Workforce Services explained that $225,000 in TANF-related funds would be returned to the federal government because the two-year hold period for uncashed or moved checks had expired. Commerce officials described the $25 million site infrastructure grant program, saying it supports site development, due diligence, and infrastructure build-out at eligible sites of 30 acres or more, including rural communities, with grant agreements and matching requirements providing accountability. DHS and Education officials answered questions about the Care Solace mental health referral contract, saying it is a statewide concierge/referral service that helps schools connect students to Arkansas providers and follow up so students do not fall through the cracks; members asked for more information on provider selection, school-day scheduling, and Arkansas vendor participation. The committee held one item over: the DHS discretionary grant item for the RSVP retired senior volunteer program in L2, after concerns were raised about whether state general revenue was being used effectively and how much administrative overhead the providers retain. Members also questioned several contracts, including a DHS sole-source contract with EMSLink for document management software and a DHS bridge contract with Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care for Medicaid inspections of care reviews; in both cases, agency staff explained the need to avoid service disruption and said follow-up information would be provided. A Department of Corrections reentry center contract was discussed for its recidivism results, and ARDOT retirement-system investment contracts were briefly explained. The meeting ended after a lengthy discussion of the Medicaid Trust Fund balance, with DFA and DHS officials saying the state is expected to finish the fiscal year without exhausting the fund, that a restricted reserve of $100 million is available as a backstop, and that the larger question is what minimum balance should be maintained going forward.