Transcript Highlights:

• questioning if they'll still have a job by the end of the year or be able to keep their business or farm

Keywords: nominations, William Kimmett, Kenneth Keyes, Commerce Department, Tax Policy, economic agenda, trade, tax cuts, public testimony

Summary: This meeting of the committee was centered around the consideration of nominations for two key positions: William Kimmett as Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and Kenneth Keyes as Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the Treasury Department. Members were given the opportunity to provide remarks on the nominees, with discussions revealing contrasting views on their potential impact on U.S. economic policy. While some members expressed support for the nominees, highlighting their qualifications and expertise, others voiced strong opposition, arguing that their confirmation would further a harmful economic agenda that favors billionaires over average Americans. Senator Wyden, the ranking member, emphasized concerns about trade chaos and the detrimental effects on workers and businesses across the country.

Transcript Highlights:

• Fruits and vegetables that he had grown on our family farm in Fowler.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have young people that are returning to the farm and the ranch.
• And that is a huge thing when you’re in a farm-ranch community because that’s off-farm income that can
• returning to the farm and the ranch. returning to the farm and the ranch.
• ranch community because that's in a farm ranch community because that's off<01:32:23.679> farm
• And also off farm income that can help.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was before this committee many times myself and my partner in crime, Rob Johnson from the Farm Bureau
• You have some houses on it, and then you have a bunch of backland, timberland, farm fields, whatever.
• <00:27:48.720> We timberland, farm fields, whatever.
• We timberland, farm fields, whatever.
• bureau who have landowner the farm bureau who have landowner interest.<00:34:28.159> Thank<00

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a better bill now and also pretty close to the Congressional Farm Bill provisions.
• :24:17.200> to<01:24:17.320> the<01:24:17.400> Congressional<01:24:18.000> Farm
• <01:24:18.360> Bill close to the Congressional Farm Bill close to the Congressional Farm Bill
• 24:20.680> on-form<01:24:21.640> I'm<01:24:21.880> sorry,<01:24:22.360> on-farm
• It allows for on-form I'm sorry, on-farm It allows for on-form I'm sorry, on-farm slaughter<01:24

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that um suicide in farming and agriculture is on a rise, and um so this is something that we're
• going to help not only our youngest uh community members but all the way through um, you know, into farms
• <01:17:39.120> and know that um suicide in farming and know that um suicide in farming and
• <01:17:55.760> you<01:17:56.000> know<01:17:56.480> into<01:17:56.800> farms
• <01:17:57.120> and through um you know into farms and through um you know into farms and agriculture

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pedleani Farm in support. Kauawaii Women's Caucus in support. Green Party of Hawaii in support.
• Pedleani Farm<00:35:20.000> in<00:35:20.320> support.
• Kauawaii Women's Caucus Farm in support. Kauawaii Women's Caucus in<00:35:22.320> support.
• The South Point wind farm is the only renewable energy system tied to the grid that is still tied to
• is the only renewable energy wind farm is the only renewable energy system<02:12:14.320> tied

Bills: HB2284

Keywords: energy assistance, low-income households, electricity costs, Hawaii home energy assistance program, energy efficiency, 910, house, all

Summary: The hearing covered House Bill 2284, which would create the Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program in the Department of Human Services to help qualifying households pay energy bills and direct the Public Utilities Commission’s public benefits fee administrator to provide information and assistance to recipients. Testimony from the Division of Consumer Advocacy, DHS, and the Public Utilities Commission was in support. A committee member asked about how the program would interact with existing TANF-related energy assistance and whether rules could be adjusted to avoid duplicative benefits; DHS said logistics would need to be worked out and that the agencies would make the rules. The committees noted the bill’s $1.5 million appropriation and moved it forward with amendments, including blanking out amounts and noting them in the committee report. Both committees voted to pass HB 2284 with amendments, with the recommendation adopted. The committee then heard House Bill 2486, relating to plug-in or balcony solar. DCCA, the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, and the Public Utilities Commission stood on prior testimony in support of the bill’s intent. Multiple advocates and organizations, including Carbon Cashback Hawaii, 350 Hawaii, Bright Saver, Sierra Club of Hawaii, and others, testified in support, arguing that plug-in solar would lower electricity bills, expand access for renters and condo residents, and reduce emissions. Several speakers urged the committee to remove or avoid registration, reporting, feed-in tariff, interconnection fee, and other requirements they said would create barriers. Bright Saver testified that the systems are safe and would not back-feed during outages. No vote was taken on HB 2486 during the excerpt. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 1568, which would prohibit the importation or storage of LNG in the state and the construction of related infrastructure. State agencies including the Consumer Advocate, Hawaii State Energy Office, Public Utilities Commission, and Hawaiian Electric opposed the bill, with the Energy Office arguing LNG would perpetuate oil use on Oahu and expose the state to price volatility. Supporters included Life of the Land, Sierra Club of Hawaii, Greenpeace Hawaii, 350 Hawaii, Earthjustice, Our Hawaii, and others, who argued LNG would lock Hawaii into another fossil fuel dependency, create major infrastructure costs and safety risks, and undermine the state’s renewable energy goals. Several testifiers cited climate and affordability concerns and urged the committee to reject LNG. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1568, before any committee action or vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• resources division standard budget by $5,000, leaving $5,000 general fund for the Wyoming Centennial Farm
• Centennial general fund for the Wyoming Centennial general fund for the Wyoming Centennial Farm
• and Ranch Program and added Farm and Ranch Program and added footnote<00:43:52.319> number<00
• The JAC did discuss this is the Centennial Farm and Ranch and the sign and potential recognition that
• those programs or farms and ranches receive.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it is something that is farmed.
• I just read a research study that said the amount of water that they use to farm that wild rice creates
• And it is um something<02:30:17.439> that<02:30:17.760> is<02:30:18.560> farmed.
• And I just something that is farmed.
• amount of water that they use to farm amount of water that they use to farm that<02:30:25.600>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Creating Windhill Farm, uh, the Ecquin, the estate, the short-term rental, and the Ecquin facility has
• Creating Windhill Farm,<01:32:27.440> uh<01:32:27.600> the<01:32:27.840> Ecquin,
• <01:32:28.960> the<01:32:29.280> estate,<01:32:29.760> the Farm, uh the Ecquin,
• It is a space for comprise the farm.
• from sharing the fate that so many farms from sharing the fate that so many farms have<02:04:29.599

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :26:20.080> the what they're after, ensuring that the what they're after, ensuring that the farm
• 22.080> in<00:26:22.400> keeping<00:26:22.640> with<00:26:22.880> what farm
• <00:26:54.559> and we're more concerned with the farm and we're more concerned with the farm
• for people that I serve in the farming for people that I serve in the farming industry<04:42:08.878
• And so, in closing, I'm for um farms.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The task force held its first meeting, beginning with roll call and introductions of members and participants in the room and on Zoom. The chair emphasized Sunshine Law transparency, noted the meeting was on September 11, and opened public testimony on the orientation report. No one testified in person or on Zoom, and the chair observed a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11 before moving into the agenda. The chair then reported on several orientation presentations given statewide between July 18 and September 5, including meetings with transit-oriented development, the Maui Chamber of Commerce, the Kona-Kohala Chamber, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce on Hawaiʻi Island, the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce, the Hawaiʻi Island Native Hawaiian Chamber, and the Capo Chamber of Commerce. The main presentation item was a detailed overview from Kauaʻi County on its permitting process. County staff explained that zoning and building permits are handled separately on the outer islands, with zoning focused on form, character, and compatibility, and building permits focused on health and safety. They described a two-tier zoning system: ministerial permits that are automatically approved if not acted on within 30 days, and discretionary permits that go to the planning commission and can become lengthy contested cases if there is intervention. They also discussed special management area review in coastal areas, which can add time, and explained that building permits must conform to what was approved in zoning. Kauaʻi County staff also outlined the building permit process, including online and in-person submission, coordination with planning, engineering, water, wastewater, health, and fire agencies, and the county’s fully electronic review system using ProjectDox and related software. They noted that applicants are encouraged to check zoning, water, wastewater, and floodplain issues before hiring someone to prepare plans, especially for homeowners. The county shared permit and utility statistics and said the public can check permit history through Click2Gov. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided; after the Kauaʻi presentation, the chair opened a question period for members.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, I have a farm at home.
• Brown Family Farms was established in 1865 and is a family-run operation rooted in rich tradition and
• During the tour, we discussed the challenges farmers are facing and the importance of passing a farm
• We don't want to go after dairy farm workers. We don't want to go after the hospitality.
• Workers in farms, picking our crops. That's part of the American economic strength.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, June 26, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you guys would like to come to the farm, I'm more than welcome all you guys to the farm so you guys
• > I'm more than welcome all you guys to I'm more than welcome all you guys to the<00:45:41.160> farm
• so you guys can get grounded the farm so you guys can get grounded once<00:45:43.400> again<00
• We also have Hawaii Farm Bureau in support.
• Hawaii Farm Bureau will stand on its written testimony in support. Thank you.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• habitat and water supply projects that are already helping with drought resiliency for the environment, farms

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• H.R. 188 by Representative Butler, to memorialize Congress to oppose any provision in the federal farm

Bills: HR192, HR193, HR194, HCR80, HCR81, HCR82, HCR83, HCR84, HCR85, HR188, HR189, HR190, HR191, SB134, SB140, SB281, SB331, SB384, SB389, SB415, SB451, SB458, SB479, SB504, SB523, HR38, HR96, HR160, HCR31, HCR61, SCR19, HB316, HB549, HB578, HB646, HB748, HB798, HB824, HB988, HB989, HB1001, HB1032, HB1081, HB1108, HB1129, HB1140, HB1157, HB1186, HB1192, HB1195, HB1198, HB1222, HB1244, SB73, SB89, SB128, SB149, SB191, SB196, SB238, SB318, SB340, HB225, HR1, HR17, HCR5, HCR4, HCR47, HCR32, HB362, HB893, HB990, HB1007, HB1153, HB1243, HB12, HB42, HB205, HB222, HB267, HB324, HB325, HB350, HB478, HB610, HB617, HB745, HB749, HB752, HB797, HB807, HB821, HB896, HB979, HB992, HB1000, HB1024, HB1050, HB1166, HB1172, HB1173, HB1207, HB1218, HB1223, SB162, SB349, SB350, SB382, SB383, SB127, SB244, SB256, HB911, HB306, HB366, HB1161, HB1230, HB59, HB481, HB772, HB897, HB1003, HB1008, HB1112, HB1180, HB1189, HB181, HB1118, HB901, HR20, HR74, HB284, HB393, HB458, HB459, HB525, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB682, HB733, HB773, HB864, HB996, HB1035, HB1058, HB1082, HB1113, HB1234, HB1240

Keywords: ACOG, maternal health, healthcare professionals, patient-physician relationship, obstetrics, gynecology, condolences, military service, veteran, community, memorial, visual acuity, student health, de-identified data, longitudinal analysis, education policy, property rights, carbon dioxide sequestration, expropriation, Landowner Bill of Rights

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, opened in prayer, and adopted the journal. Members received messages from the Senate on several House bills and Senate bills, and a number of House resolutions were introduced or laid over. The chamber also suspended rules to allow committees to continue meeting while the House was in session. Several local and ceremonial resolutions were taken up, including measures on public health data, carbon sequestration property rights, declining school enrollment, and commendations and condolences. The floor then considered a series of local bills and Senate bills, many of which passed with little or no opposition. Among the House bills approved were measures creating or adjusting local districts and utility-related authorities in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, including bills on the Regency Park Town Home Crime Prevention Security District, Sewage and Water Board procurement and lien authority, the Foulberg-New neighborhood improvement district, and temporary parish burn bans. The House also passed bills on broadband cable price notices, state finance limits, toll exemptions for school board-owned leased vehicles, prestige license plates, and a brain injury designation on driver’s licenses. Senate bills passed included measures on workers’ compensation evidence rules, recreation of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, a soybean grain research board name change, incumbent worker training, interdict estate planning, and recreational alligator hunting. The most extensive debate centered on Senate Bill 256, which would consolidate Orleans Parish’s separate civil and criminal clerk of court offices into a single Orleans clerk. Supporters argued the change would align Orleans with the rest of the state, improve efficiency, and reduce costs, while preserving employees and services. Opponents raised concerns about the timing, the lack of broader legislative and public involvement, the impact on the recently elected criminal clerk, and possible disruption to court operations and constitutional rights. After lengthy questioning, the bill passed 89-8. The House also heard a personal privilege statement recognizing a school choir visiting the Capitol and later continued with additional Senate bills, including one on workers’ compensation medical review evidence and another on the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, today on the second floor of the Farm City Festival, they'll serve lunch starting at 11.

Bills: HB3880, HB3263, HB2970, HB3043, HB3044, HB3078, HB3940, HB4117, HB3428, HB4275, HB3257, HB3901, HB4298, HB4260, HB2981, HB3695, HB2960, HB3967, HB3968, HB4339, HB4341, HB4342, HB2940, HB4295, HB4196, HB3134, HB1016

Keywords: Oklahoma Today Magazine, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, tourism promotion, advertising sales, commission pay, employee bonus, sales commission, digital publication, print publication, sponsorships, bulk subscriptions, newsstand sales, ancillary products, public records, procurement exemption, administrative procedures exemption, tourism magazine, revenue sharing, executive director, state agency compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• He grew up on their ranch in Robbins, California and it was there that his love of farming began.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• County Commissioner, and he was kind of complaining to me that down there, when he first started farming
• importantly creating good-paying jobs to keep young people in their home area and providing good off-farm
• income jobs for one of the spouses that is still actively farming or ranching.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yuma County commissioner, and he was kind of complaining to me that down there when he first started farming
• importantly creating good-paying jobs to keep young people in their home area and providing good off-farm
• income jobs for one of the spouses that is still actively farming or ranching.

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of Minnkota Power Cooperative before hearing presentations on large energy consumers and related infrastructure issues. The first presentation, from the North Dakota Transmission Authority, focused on the need for better local decision-making tools for counties, townships, and planning and zoning boards facing major projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, data centers, wind, solar, and large-scale agriculture. The speaker urged more objective, data-driven analysis, noted that local officials often have limited time and resources, and said the state should support training and tools through groups like the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. Members asked about proactive outreach, data center ordinances, and how to avoid subsidizing large loads or causing reliability problems. The Division of Air Quality then discussed environmental oversight of data centers, emphasizing that North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the country and that the agency’s role is limited to air, water discharge, stormwater, and waste—not zoning or water use. The presentation explained that data centers generally have low direct emissions but may rely on diesel backup generators when the grid is unavailable, which creates air-quality concerns; the department said it is requiring air monitors at some projects to collect real-world data and guide future decisions. Members asked about generator emissions, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession, and the agency said permit applicants pay for the monitors while the state handles some QA work. The Department of Water Resources followed with an overview of North Dakota water law and data center water use. The director explained the state’s prior-appropriation system, the public-interest review for permits, and the large overall water supply available from groundwater and the Missouri River. He said most proposed data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and generally request relatively small amounts of water compared with other uses such as power plants, irrigation, and oilfield operations, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use only a tiny fraction of Missouri River flow. Questions focused on downstream impacts and comparisons to fracking water use, and the director said the state’s use is too small to materially affect downstream users. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd-Erickson testified online about data center zoning and permitting. He asked the committee to have Legislative Council gather information on how other states handle data center permitting and to keep the topic on the interim agenda. He argued that local zoning should remain local, but said counties lack the technical and legal resources to manage complex reclamation or bonding requirements and that state-level enabling legislation may be more appropriate. He also recommended eliminating tax incentives for data centers. The committee chair said staff would prepare a document on other states’ zoning and permitting approaches. After a lunch recess, the committee reconvened at the EERC, where CEO Charles Gorecki gave an overview of the center’s 75 years of work and its role in oil and gas, carbon management, and other energy technologies, highlighting enhanced oil recovery and carbon dioxide utilization as major opportunities for future production and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good afternoon, Richard Filgus, with the California Farm Bureau, in support. Thank you.
• Richard Filgus, California Farm Bureau, in support. Madeline LaVois in support.
• One more time, Richard Filgus, California Farm Bureau, in support. Thank you.

Summary: The committee heard SB 1393, an omnibus update to the Fish and Game Code covering steelhead trout and Dungeness crab management. The author and supporters said the bill would strengthen the steelhead trout report card program, extend and refine Dungeness crab management, and clarify vessel transit rules in closed crab fishing areas. The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, and other supporters said the measure implements long-standing task force recommendations and supports both conservation and coastal fishing communities. There was no opposition, and the bill was moved forward on a 4-0 vote to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 1250, which would require Caltrans to incorporate wildlife connectivity into transportation planning and asset management, set performance targets, and coordinate with wildlife agencies. Supporters from conservation, animal welfare, land trust, and local government groups said the bill would reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, improve public safety, and better integrate crossings, culverts, and fencing into routine highway projects. The California Building Industry Association moved to a neutral position after amendments clarified the bill would apply to transportation right-of-way planning and not create exactions on private property. Members discussed the bill’s relationship to Caltrans planning authority and existing funding, and it was passed to Appropriations on a 4-0 vote. Senator Gonzalez’s SB 1268, which would codify the state’s Outdoors for All initiative, also received broad support from environmental justice, conservation, parks, and recreation groups. Testimony emphasized inequitable access to parks and nature, especially for low-income communities and communities of color, and said the bill would make the initiative more durable by placing it in statute. The chair and members spoke in favor of expanding outdoor access, and the bill was approved on a 3-0 vote with some members not yet voting. The committee then heard three Western Joshua tree bills from Senator Ochoa Bogh. SB 1061 would streamline relocation of limited numbers of trees without fees in certain cases; SB 1062 would require proportionate or tiered mitigation fees for public utilities and agencies; and SB 1063 would create an expedited, fee-free permitting path for basic residential utility and wildfire-hardening projects. Supporters, including local water agencies, counties, and farm and business groups, said the current law imposes heavy costs on desert residents and ratepayers. Opponents, including wildlife and conservation organizations, argued the bills would weaken protections for a species they said is threatened by climate change and habitat loss, and noted that existing administrative processes are already addressing fees and permitting. After amendments, opposition was withdrawn on SB 1061 and SB 1062, and both bills advanced on 3-0 votes to Appropriations; SB 1063 remained under discussion in the portion provided.