Transcript Highlights:

• to go in front of our kids, and we want to make sure they're ready to teach them reading, writing, math
• to go in front of our kids, and we want to make sure they're ready to teach them reading, writing, math
• <01:05:43.680> only English only and or they teach math only English only and or they teach
• math only where<01:05:44.720> here<01:05:44.960> in<01:05:45.319> Hawaii<01:05:
• Everyone takes reading, writing, and math, and we want to make sure that they can, in fact, understand

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection met on February 20, 2025, and heard testimony on several measures. HB 850, relating to condominiums, drew support from the Community Associations Institute and the Hawaii State Association of Parliamentarians, who said it would improve owner participation, clarify voting rules, and preserve the use of proxies as a personal choice. A Zoom testifier supported the bill’s intent but warned that special meetings can be abused and suggested further amendments to address board president authority. Members asked about proxies versus electronic voting and whether the bill would reduce proxy use; no vote was taken. The committee also heard HB 48 on coffee labeling, with the Department of Agriculture in support, and HB 1370 on taxation, where a local brewery representative supported equal tax treatment for beer served from 5-gallon kegs and larger kegs when dispensed from a faucet, arguing the bill would clarify draft beer treatment and encourage sustainability. HB 1422 on motor carriers received comments from the Public Utilities Commission and the Department of State Parks, while representatives from a community-based shuttle initiative supported the bill and said nonprofit, community-led transportation solutions should not be regulated like traditional carriers. HB 874, relating to child performers, received support from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and individual performers, who emphasized protecting minors’ earnings, safety, and schooling. Testimony also discussed whether to include social media influencers and whether to add annual income limits or trust-account protections; the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said the issue was outside its wheelhouse. Later, HB 799 on healthcare drew support from health plans and HMSA, with the Department of Health requesting amendments such as a sunset date, a Maui-only pilot, and a report back before changing its position. HB 1379 on health received support from Hawaii Pacific Health, but the Hawaii Medical Board raised concerns about vague language and public-safety implications for internationally trained physicians, asking for more time to study national licensing recommendations. Finally, HB 439 on education was heard, with the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board opposing the bill as drafted and warning about licensing standards and predatory third-party loans affecting J-1 teachers; the transcript ends before any action or vote on these measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and Senator Green, I hesitate to do all the math in my head, but I see that my colleague Patty
• here has been doing the math on the paper. bill Le follow up s yes uh but can you bill Le follow up s
• 47.600> um<00:12:47.720> but<00:12:47.839> I<00:12:47.959> see all the math
• in my head um but I see all the math in my head um but I see that<00:12:48.320> my<00:12:48.639
• They have helped teachers address specific math benchmark learning standards and computational literacy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you would, Chris, if you could provide the math to me, I would appreciate that, and how you arrived
• Representative Fay, just to follow up with your question, I do look forward to getting the, quote, math
• I'm not an engineer, so my math skills are not that close. But those are the numbers.
• So I can do the math on the side, but those are the specific numbers if you were to divide 1.5 by 5.68
• So somebody did the math.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Interstate 5 Bridge met remotely with Washington legislative members to receive updates on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, including environmental review, cost and funding, tolling, and procurement for construction. Program staff said the final supplemental environmental impact statement was published in April 2026, with a federal record of decision expected in early summer. They described the recommended design as a single-level fixed-span bridge, centered I-5 alignment, C Street ramps, one auxiliary lane in each direction, and dispersed park-and-ride parking. Members raised concerns about transparency, the closed chat function, and the decision not to include two auxiliary lanes; staff said the one-lane option was recommended through consultation with partner agencies and analysis, but the final decision would come with the record of decision. Staff also said the diversion analysis projected less than 3% traffic diversion to I-205 in 2045, though members from Oregon and Washington expressed concern about impacts to their communities and asked for more detail on mitigation and decision-making. The committee also reviewed a major cost update. Staff said the full five-mile program is now estimated at $13.5 billion to $15.2 billion, with a likely cost of $14.4 billion, up from a 2022 estimate of $5 billion to $7.5 billion, citing inflation, schedule delays, scope changes, and more detailed risk modeling. They said the first funded phase has been reduced to a $5.68 billion package focused on the Columbia River bridge replacement, connections to I-5, Hayden Island and SR-14, bridge demolition, tolling infrastructure, and advancing light rail design. Funding for that phase was described as $5.69 billion, including $2.1 billion federal funds, $1 billion from each state, and $1.5 billion in projected toll revenue. Members asked what would happen if costs rise further; staff said the estimate includes substantial contingency, the project will use progressive design-build to manage risk, and the team will continue updating the finance plan annually. A separate tolling and traffic-revenue presentation explained that four toll scenarios were analyzed using regional travel demand modeling, a toll diversion model, and a post-processing review. All scenarios assume pre-completion tolling beginning July 1, 2028, a 50% low-income discount for eligible users, and exemptions for tribal preemptions, emergency vehicles, maintenance vehicles, and organized militia. Staff said the low-income discount would affect about 4% to 6% of annual transactions and reduce annual revenues by roughly 2% to 3%. They said Scenario 2 was used for the financial analysis and is sufficient to support the $1.5 billion toll contribution in the funded phase. Members asked about toll collection costs, revenue impacts of the discount, and how the scenarios differed; staff said collection costs are expected to be in line with other WSDOT toll facilities, but exact costs are not yet set because toll rates are not final. Finally, WSDOT staff outlined procurement and delivery steps for construction. They said WSDOT will be the lead contracting agency, using progressive design-build, with a request for qualifications targeted for early July 2026, a request for proposals in October, contractor selection in April 2027, construction starting in 2028, and tolling beginning in 2028. Staff said the approach is intended to consolidate scope, reduce interface risk, and allow transparent negotiation with an independent cost estimator, while preserving an off-ramp if a fair price cannot be reached. Members asked for more detail on timing, cost allocation, and the share of the first phase funded by tolls; staff estimated tolls account for about 26% of the first phase cost.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then overall to do your math, $45 million plus that $73,886,306 will fill in that $118,186,306 that
• Tell me if my math is wrong, but if my math is wrong.
• Tell me if my math is wrong, but if we went with the Senate position on the items that the Senate is
• But I don't support fuzzy math. I understand what you're saying. I appreciate the sentence.
• My total was $3,985,3805,000, is what our math was. 470, safety operation, low-volume roads.

Summary: The meeting was a lengthy conference committee review of multiple budget bills, with most of the discussion focused on House Bill 2 and related education funding. Members walked through numerous fund switches and appropriations tied to the foundation formula, blind pension, Capital Commission, Lottery Proceeds, and Classroom Trust funds. Several members urged fully funding the foundation formula or getting as close as possible, while others defended the compromise approach as a way to close the gap with available revenue. The committee also settled a number of education-related items, including child care grants, career ladder, school safety training, assessment pilots, Title I reallocation, parents as teachers language, child care subsidy language, and flex percentages on selected lines. The committee agreed to sign the House Bill 2 conference report after resolving the listed positions and language compromises. The committee then moved through House Bill 3 on higher education, agreeing to most Senate positions and a conference proposal directing the department to develop a new higher education funding model by December 1, 2026. Several members raised concerns about the timeline and whether the model would preserve separate funding buckets for two-year and four-year institutions, but the proposal was retained. House Bill 2004, covering transportation, was also reviewed, with compromises on items such as safety operations, low-volume roads, port funding, and several flex percentages. Members discussed the use of Capital Commission dollars and the status of road and port projects, and the bill was advanced with the agreed positions. House Bill 5, dealing with information technology and administration, generated substantial debate over a new Senate-added language proposal for OA/ITSD. Several members objected that the language was overly prescriptive, resembled a resolution, and could steer the state toward a specific cloud-computing direction or vendor; others said it was intended to create accountability and a plan for better oversight of IT spending. The committee left some items open briefly, then returned with a shorter conference proposal and agreed to distribute it. House Bill 7, House Bill 8, House Bill 9, and House Bill 2010 were also handled, with a mix of Senate, House, and compromise positions on public safety, veterans, agriculture, economic development, and behavioral health items. The committee recessed several times and repeatedly instructed members to sign the conference reports after the agreed changes were read into the record.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, it's quite frightening to see the difference in math.
• So, it's quite frightening to see the difference in math.
• So, it's quite frightening to see the difference in math.
• see the So, it's quite frightening to see the difference<00:31:59.200> in<00:31:59.440> math
• So, we need to just difference in math.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I do believe that would be the math.
• If we eliminate Medicaid expansion or fundamentally adjust it, have you done the math to see how many
• in residential values, I mean across the board, because they're increasing so much and so fast, the math
• I mean, even if we had anybody sat down and done the math at what a slower valuation at 3% was versus
• I did the back-of-the-napkin math for a property that is $100,000 in value, which is fairly common in

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And for those who may be trying to do the quick math, we have $53 billion as a portion of our GRR. budget
• And for those who may be trying to do the quick math, we have $53 billion as a portion of our GRR.
• Those of you who may be trying to do the quick math, we have $53 billion as a portion of our GR budget
• My questions are looking at page 8, and if I'm doing the math, on the areas of salaries that you've increased
• From a sheer mathematical perspective, respectfully, I won't try and do that math off the cuff there,

Bills: S7010

Keywords: Roth contributions, deferred compensation, retirement savings, Florida Statutes, tax benefits

Summary: The Senate Committee on Appropriations met to take up SB 7010 by Senator Mayfield, which would authorize Roth post-tax contribution options in state and local deferred compensation plans. The bill was briefly explained, received one appearance in support, had no debate, and was reported favorably by roll call vote. The committee then heard a lengthy presentation from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget on the governor’s recommended $117.4 billion “Floridians’ First Budget.” The presentation highlighted major spending areas including education, health care, public safety, transportation, environmental restoration, and economic development. Key proposals included increased FEFP funding for K-12 schools, teacher salary funding, higher education support, Everglades and water quality funding, emergency preparedness reserves, corrections staffing and pay increases, law enforcement recruitment bonuses, cybersecurity, and affordable housing and infrastructure investments. Members asked extensive questions about property tax reserve planning, litigation funding, emergency response fund balances and expenditures, the use of federal reimbursement for the Everglades detention facilities, the animal abuse hotline, Hope Florida, corrections staffing, and the proposed reduction in ADAP eligibility for HIV/AIDS medication assistance. A member of the public also testified at length about concerns that the ADAP changes would harm access to life-saving medications and alleged improper shifting of program funds. Committee members and the presenter acknowledged follow-up questions on several items, but no additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond the favorable report on SB 7010 and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think you're doing something similar with math. And so that might be a suggestion.
• I think you're doing something similar with math. And so that might be a suggestion.
• Because math touches art, touches science, touches reading, touches everything.
• You can explain the entire world with math. Science touches reading, touches everything.
• You can explain the entire world with math.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education Pre-K through 12 met to hear a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in K-12 education. Dr. Maya Israel of the University of Florida gave an overview of AI literacy, the benefits of AI for personalized learning and teacher support, and the risks involving data privacy, overreliance, hallucinations, and misuse. She described the Florida K-12 AI Task Force, which published statewide guidance in March and is now providing professional development, case studies, surveys, and resources for teachers and families. She also noted that teacher preparation programs and microcredentials are being developed, but there is not yet a statewide baseline standard for teacher AI training. Superintendents Van Ayers of Hillsborough County and Kevin Hendrick of Pinellas County described district policies and implementation efforts. Hillsborough adopted an AI governance policy, created an implementation guide, and set rules barring generative AI use for students in pre-K through 7th grade while allowing limited, teacher-approved use for older students with district-vetted tools. Pinellas emphasized digital responsibility, parent transparency, data-use agreements, and a governance process for approving tools. Both districts said AI is being used for lesson planning, tutoring, reading-level adjustments, scheduling, and other administrative tasks, but they do not yet have reliable evidence that AI is improving academic performance. They also discussed teacher training, stipends, and certification efforts, including partnerships with universities and vendors such as Microsoft, Google, Magic School, and Gemini. Drew Allen of FSU Inspire offered an industry-focused perspective, arguing that AI is not new but that education must adapt more quickly to industry needs. He described Inspire’s workforce and research mission, its AI and robotics training for teachers, and the need to build teacher comfort and confidence through incentives and applied training. Committee members raised concerns about student dependence on AI, academic integrity, mental health, moral decision-making, data privacy, and whether schools should return to more paper-based testing. The panel generally agreed that AI should be used with strong guardrails, human oversight, and a balance between technology use and traditional learning. No legislation was considered, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which was adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• I bet he could run the math to figure out how much it costs.
• got some other people from Houston and the county here, that would be helpful. to run that kind of math
• I mean in each area of the state, and the math came out pretty close to the same as the first.
• So my math—I mean, you talked about the officers that are there, and that was probably what those funds
• The $20 million is my really rough math.

Bills: SB39, SB2129, SB2141, SB2246, SB2323, SB2439, SB2722, SB 39

Keywords: commercial motor vehicle, truck liability, motor carrier, trucking, civil liability, respondeat superior, negligent entrustment, negligent maintenance, negligent loading, negligent repair, bifurcated trial, exemplary damages, punitive damages, personal injury, collision, employer liability, vicarious liability, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Texas tort reform, commercial truck accident

Transcript Highlights:

• Better data allows for better prevention, education, and targeted interventions.
• Better data allows for better prevention, education, and targeted interventions.
• So it shows that employer support and intervention are necessary.
• So it shows that employer support and intervention are necessary.
• So it shows that employer support and intervention are necessary.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard testimony on HB 1875, which would expand Hawaii’s existing protections to include gender-affirming health care, clarify permitted disclosures of protected health information, and bar certain adverse actions by malpractice insurers and health carriers against providers of lawful reproductive or gender-affirming care. The Insurance Division of DCCA supported the bill with a technical amendment, suggesting language tied to actuarial analysis rather than the phrase “actuarially sound.” The Office of Information Practices also provided comments. Most testimony was strongly in support. State agencies and advocacy groups, including the Hawaii State Youth Commission, State Health Planning and Development Agency, Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Stonewall Caucus, ACLU of Hawaii, PFLAG Oahu, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the bill would protect patient privacy, reduce chilling effects from out-of-state litigation, and help retain providers in a state already facing shortages. Several testifiers said gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based, and life-saving, and emphasized that Hawaii should protect its own health care decisions from outside political pressure. A few individuals testified in opposition, arguing the bill was unnecessary or that it protected providers more than opponents of the bill, but these views were not echoed by most of the testimony. The chair repeatedly reminded testifiers to keep comments brief and maintain decorum. The transcript provided does not include a final committee vote or disposition on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Eleven of those years were spent teaching elementary and middle school math.
• spent teaching elementary and middle was spent teaching elementary and middle school<00:12:37.120> math
• 38.000> has<00:12:38.160> served<00:12:38.480> as<00:12:38.720> vice school math
• He has served as vice school math.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I’m glad I got my math right. I did.
• glad<00:02:40.840> I<00:02:41.040> got<00:02:41.239> my<00:02:41.400> math
• <00:02:41.760> right<00:02:42.640> um 5 is 22 I'm glad I got my math right um 5 is
• 22 I'm glad I got my math right um so<00:02:45.319> I<00:02:45.440> did<00:02:46.400>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• that students in 4 day school week scored 6 to 8% points lower in reading and 5 to 8% points lower in math
• it's 5 to 8% points lower, um, for students in 4-day school weeks compared to 5-day school weeks in math
• uh, a significant impact on those campuses and those same metrics on student achievement in RLA and math

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'd like to provide a disclaimer: I went to law school because math is not my forte.
• However, I had a great Algebra I teacher, and so... ...I know the math of X over 100 to get a percentage
• overall, for all of the categories that fall under this specific topic, and if you don’t have that math

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met for its first meeting of the 2025 session and received an overview of add-on weights in the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), followed by a Department of Education presentation on a legislatively required study of add-on weight funding and expenditures. The chair explained that add-on weights apply to acceleration and career programs such as AP, IB, ACE, CAPE, dual enrollment, early graduation, and certain small-district needs, and noted that add-on funding has grown substantially as the base student allocation increased. The chair also raised concerns that the department’s report did not clearly show whether districts’ reported costs included the full costs required by the proviso, and asked for more specificity on any recommended adjustment to the weights. Deputy Commissioner Suzanne Pridgen said the department surveyed districts on how they spent add-on revenue for fiscal years 2021-22 through 2023-24, with categories including teacher compensation, materials, equipment, professional development, exam fees, counseling, apprenticeship costs, and other expenditures. She said most add-on funds were spent on teacher bonuses and compensation, with AP, ACE, CAPE, and dual enrollment showing the largest increases in spending in 2023-24 due to higher FEFP funding; IB and early graduation were relatively flat. The department reported that add-on revenue covered between 41.8% and 79.2% of total program expenditures in 2023-24 and recommended adjusting add-on weights to better align with pre-2023-24 funding relationships, though no specific percentage was given during the meeting. Members asked about how “other” expenditures were categorized, whether teacher compensation included only statutory bonuses, how dual enrollment tuition and fees were counted, the small district factor, and whether the weights incentivize districts to offer advanced programs. The department clarified that teacher compensation in the study referred only to bonuses, that some “other” costs included charter school payments and dual enrollment tuition/fees, and that the small district factor is 1.0277, increasing base funding by 2.77% for fiscally constrained counties. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• in part recommending that, notwithstanding the actions of the Governor, item 4513-1020, Early Intervention
• Item 4513-1020, Early Intervention Services, stand.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House first took up several procedural orders extending reporting deadlines for the Committees on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity; Health Care Financing; and Public Health. All three orders were adopted after suspension of the rules. The chamber also concurred in Senate petitions referred under Joint Rule 12, including proposals on cosmetology license reciprocity, judicial and clerical matters, retirement pension notarizations, and automated curb enforcement. The House then suspended Joint Rule 12 for additional petitions on Medicaid coverage for autism treatment and assistive technologies and on a gubernatorial proclamation for Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The House passed to be enacted two local bills: House 2320, establishing an appointed treasurer-collector in Berkeley, and House 4136, further regulating stabilization funds in Leicester. It also ordered several bills to a third reading, including measures on employment discrimination based on legal cannabis use, the role of the governor’s council on the ballot, absentee voting, ballot uniformity and election ballots, changing Chicopee’s mayoral term from two years to four, and regulating employer use of credit reports. Later, the House accepted and adopted a gubernatorial amendment to the FY2026 appropriations bill related to vital statistics. The bulk of the session focused on FY2026 budget veto overrides. The House considered and approved multiple Ways and Means recommendations to let appropriations stand notwithstanding the Governor’s vetoes, including items for administrative staff in the trial courts, state parks and recreation, nursing facility rate add-ons, community services for the blind, substance addiction services, early intervention services, Korea Technical Institutes, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, shelter workforce assistance, housing services and counseling, regional economic development grants, charter school reimbursement, and the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine program. Roll call votes on these items generally passed by wide margins. The House also observed moments of silence for Bolton Police Chief Amos Luke Hamburger and former Senator Edward J. Kennedy Jr., and then adopted an order to adjourn to meet the next day at 11 a.m. before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• health support, timely and guided access to appropriate services is critical to promote early intervention
• And so we need the intervention.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:46.879> and<00:03:47.080> science<00:03:47.400> problems through math
• Let's get these reading levels and math levels up.
• Let's get these reading levels and math levels up.
• Let's get these reading levels and math levels up.
• These reading levels and math levels up.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't want to do that math on the fly. $17.9 billion. We have been able to be—we have...
• Chair, have mentioned there could be a whole lot of things the way the math doesn't math in this budget
• That kind of math does not work.
• This Sheriff of Nottingham budget uses fairy tale math.
• I think they're doubling up the math there, counting it twice.

Bills: HB4138, HB4139, HB4140, HB4141, HB4142, HB4143, HB4144, HB4145, HB4146, HB4147, HB4148, HB4149, HB4150, HB4151, HB4152, HB4153, SB1831, SB1832, SB1833, SB1834, SB1835, SB1836, SB1837, SB1838, SB1839, SB1840, SB1841, SB1842, SB1843, SB1844, SB1845, SB1846

Keywords: appropriations, education funding, health care, general fund, state budget, local funding, gaming, pari-mutuel, horse racing, regulatory assessment, first-time starters, budget implementation, federal funds, government services, budget stabilization, financial reporting, capital outlay, infrastructure, veterans services, highway construction

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, I've done a little bit of<00:32:12.720> math<00:32:13.039> here<00:32:13.200>
• 13.519> side<00:32:13.840> and<00:32:14.720> I'll<00:32:15.039> try of math
• here on the side and I'll try of math here on the side and I'll try answering<00:32:16.799> um
• Um, and also, Senator Pratt, I mean, my rough math from what Mr.
• Senator Pratt, I mean, my rough math Senator Pratt, I mean, my rough math from<00:37:44.720>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So these are the kinds of options that we're looking at that I hope DOE is looking at as far as math,
• positions, and, you know, three math coaches is not going to solve what we need to. >> Not at all. >
• can even do that in the ma area of math can even do that in the ma area of math >> because
• >> because I know we have a bill for math >> because I know we have a bill for math
• physicians and you know three math physicians and you know three math coaches<00:26:45.360> is

Bills: HB1559, HB2012, HB2297, HB2122, HB2345, HB2398, HB2534, HB2621

Keywords: telecommunication devices, student use, public schools, student engagement, educational outcomes, confiscation policy, mental health, statewide policy, community literacy, education, Title I funding, reading proficiency, underserved communities, family engagement, tutoring, literacy support, adult education, community education, literacy programs, workforce development