Transcript Highlights:

• It builds on the framework established in the 2014 water infrastructure law by recommending new state-level
• Not so here, the Bay State, the education state; we're continuing to not have any mandatory standards
• And unfortunately for the Olin Chemical site, which is the site within my district in Wilmington, my
• In most sites that I have observed, the excavated ...in most sites that I have observed, the excavated
• But what they're doing is moving it from one of their dig sites to another dig site, which happens to

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Summary: The hearing covered a broad set of environmental and water-related bills, with much of the testimony focused on blue economy and circular economy proposals, drought management, drinking water safety, flood resilience, and water infrastructure funding. Supporters of bills such as H. 987 and H. 988 described grant programs for blue economy workforce development, research, small businesses, and public education about a circular economy. Other speakers backed measures on coastal erosion research, recreational boating dredging, cranberry water-right transfers, sand mining oversight, and a voucher program for home water filtration in PFAS-impacted communities. Several elected officials and advocates also urged passage of bills to require private well testing, improve school drinking water safety, and address sand mining pollution and PFAS contamination. Water supply and drought issues drew extensive testimony. Senator Eldridge and others supported legislation to let the state, through DEP and the drought management task force, impose regional water-use restrictions during droughts and make the task force permanent in statute. Advocates from watershed groups, farms, and environmental organizations said the current town-by-town approach is inconsistent and ineffective, and they described drought impacts on rivers, farms, private wells, and wildfire risk. A related bill on private wells was supported as a way to help homeowners test and remediate contaminated wells, especially in rural areas without public water. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to allow the Lynnfield Water District to join the MWRA, with local officials saying the move would help address PFAS and other contamination and improve supply reliability. Another major panel supported a water infrastructure funding bill, arguing that aging drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems need major new investment, including support for PFAS treatment, sewer rate relief, biosolids research, and regional interconnections. Members asked about costs, funding sources, and the relationship to existing revolving loan funds; witnesses said the bill would need to be paired with future bond funding and new revenue ideas. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chairs repeatedly invited written testimony and noted the large number of speakers.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> with facilities, the courouses we build with facilities, the courouses we build and<00:03:36.560
• But the remediation their building.
• Phase A site has been selected and option-to-purchase agreements have been executed for that site.
• As has been mentioned, Boyle County, the current state of that building, through a structural assessment
• You know, we want to build other.

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary met without a quorum and heard an update from the Administrative Office of the Courts on the judicial branch budget. AOC Director Zach Ramsey and budget director Carol Henderson outlined the branch’s current funding structure, noting that fiscal year 2026 general fund support is about 2.77% of the state general fund, below the National Center for State Courts’ typical 2% to 4% range. They emphasized Kentucky’s unusual responsibility for courthouse facilities, with the judicial branch directly involved in construction, maintenance, and operations across 229 facilities in all 120 counties. AOC said nearly 91% of its general fund is spent on personnel and other non-discretionary costs, and that the branch has long relied on agency revenue, restricted fund carryforwards, and vacancy credits to balance court operations. Members were told that Senate Bill 25 required a $34.5 million transfer into a reserve account, part of which was used to purchase the Chamberlain Avenue building in Frankfort. AOC reported that only $11.9 million remains in restricted funds, while it projects needing about $13.5 million to cover fiscal year 2026 obligations, not including roughly $9 million in flood-related remediation costs for Hardin and Franklin counties, much of which it expects to recover through insurance and FEMA. Looking ahead to the next biennium, AOC said it will seek full funding of court operations at $341 million annually, a $13.5 million increase to bring current services into the base appropriation rather than relying on reserves. It also previewed additional requests, including a 15% across-the-board pay parity plan for Kentucky Court of Justice personnel, replacement of declining master commissioner fee revenue tied to 141 deputy circuit court clerk positions, funding for technology subscription and case management system costs, JAV audiovisual system upgrades, AEDs and medical kits for courthouses, and other staffing and operational needs. Senator Funky Frommeyer asked whether the 15% salary proposal was included in the $13.5 million increase; AOC said it was not, and that it would be an additional request. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, the underground storage tanks need to go through site assessment and site investigation
• In addition, the underground storage tanks need to go through site assessment and site investigation
• </c> tanks needs to go through site tanks needs to go through site assessment We like, like we showed
• :20.320><c> and</c> These included buildings, homes, and These included buildings, homes, and other<00
• </c> and various homes and priority buildings and various homes and priority buildings in<00:26:42.720

Summary: The House Special Committee on Red Hill received an update from the Hawaii Department of Health and EPA Region 9 on regulatory oversight of the Red Hill facility, the Navy drinking water system, and ongoing environmental investigation and cleanup. The agencies reviewed the authorities governing the work, including DOH’s emergency orders, EPA’s 2023 administrative consent order, and the older 2015 agreement, and explained that the newer framework is being used for most current oversight because it includes closure, remediation, drinking water protections, and stronger community engagement requirements, even though some requirements overlap. EPA and DOH reported major milestones and current work. Defueling was completed in March 2024, with about 104 million gallons removed, and the agencies said this eliminated the risk of another catastrophic release. They described the current tank-closure phase, expected to finish in July 2029, along with site assessment, site investigation, remediation, and long-term monitoring that may continue through at least 2040. They also summarized drinking water actions: emergency response flushing and sampling after the 2021 spill, lifting of the public health advisory in 2022, completion of extended drinking water monitoring in 2025, and ongoing system improvements such as repairs, flushing plans, valve work, complaint-response protocols, and upgrades to storage tanks and pumps. Members asked several questions about monitoring results, the meaning of TPH, the status of the 2015 agreement, and the Navy’s groundwater model. EPA said its sampling and the Navy’s results were in alignment during extended monitoring, and that it plans to issue a summary report covering the full response period. On the groundwater model, EPA and DOH said they have not yet approved it for decision-making, are reviewing it iteratively with outside experts and University of Hawaii data, and may approve it for specific uses in the future. DOH said its latest comment letter states the model cannot yet be used for decision-making purposes, and noted that UH’s separate modeling work is contingent on funding and may not be completed until next spring. The agencies also said they continue community outreach through open houses, webinars, neighborhood boards, legislative hearings, and fuel tank advisory committee meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• state of Hawaii so state budget for the state of Hawaii so uh<00:13:02.480><c> chair</c><00:13:02.839
• build it the right way.
• build it the right way.
• So, as you're building it out, are you considering, um, right, it's very expensive for the state on the
• , the state builds it, so, but the county controls zoning and planning, but they don’t plan for those

Transcript Highlights:

• abandoned landfills in the state.
• For the first time in Missouri state history, we will empower DNR of the state of Missouri to be able
• The abandoned sites would be...
• So we know where these sites are. We have inspected these sites.
• Members of the committee, Dan Hutton, now the state ombudsman for the State Tax Commission.

Committee: House Government Efficiency

Summary: The Committee on Government Efficiency heard House Bill 2761, sponsored by Representative Banderman, which would shift solid waste grant administration from the 20 regional solid waste districts to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), preserve the grant program, clarify tipping fee increases, and give DNR authority and funding to assess, test, remediate, and manage 29 abandoned landfills. Banderman said the bill is intended to address abandoned landfill contamination, prevent problems with repeated tax sales of landfill property, and reduce administrative overhead so more tipping-fee revenue can be used for solid waste purposes. He emphasized that the bill would not eliminate current grants or change grant priorities, only the administering entity. Committee members raised concerns about the late distribution of the committee substitute, the effect on local control, the tipping fee language, and whether the bill would actually provide enough money to clean up abandoned sites. Several members questioned whether the fee increase mechanism could function like a tax increase without voter approval and whether DNR or the districts were better suited to manage the program. Supporters, including affected landowners Jim Roberts and Joe Van Lear, described contamination from an abandoned Franklin County landfill, including leachate, lead, arsenic, and PFAS, and said state agencies had told them the site could not be addressed without legislation. Opponents, including local officials and district representatives, argued that the districts provide local oversight, respond quickly to community needs, and already administer grants, recycling, household hazardous waste, and other programs efficiently. Additional testimony came from district and advisory board representatives who said the districts have issued hundreds of grants, maintain annual reporting and audits, and use local boards to tailor programs to community needs. They argued the bill would eliminate local control and could disrupt existing services, though some said they were open to reform and collaboration with DNR on abandoned sites. DNR Director Kurt Schaefer testified that the department currently lacks sufficient authority and funding to address abandoned landfills, said the districts receive more tipping-fee revenue than DNR while spending up to 50% on overhead, and argued the bill would improve efficiency and allow the state to begin addressing the abandoned landfill problem. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• into the state.
• 4.2 million square foot building in 600 acres in an amazing community in a wonderful state," I'd be
• 4.2 million square foot state-of-the-art 4.2 million square foot state-of-the-art<00:24:53.360><c> building
• </c><00:24:53.600><c> in</c><00:24:53.840><c> 600</c><00:24:54.240><c> acres</c> state-of-the-art building
• in 600 acres state-of-the-art building in 600 acres in<00:24:55.039><c> an</c><00:24:55.200><c> amazing

Summary: The committee met with a quorum to hear a recap of the 2021 special session legislation, Senate Bill 5, and then receive testimony from the Secretary of Economic Development on the Blue Oval SK project and related economic development issues. Staff explained that Senate Bill 5 appropriated five amounts from the budget reserve trust fund for a project tied to a minimum $2 billion investment: $350 million for forgivable loans through the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, $10,639,600 to pay off a Hardin County loan tied to 47 tracts of property, $20 million for Bluegrass State Skills Corporation training grants, $5 million for KCTCS training grants, and $25 million for a KCTCS on-site training center. Staff also noted there were no job-related requirements in the bill itself. The secretary said the Blue Oval SK incentive was structured as a $250 million forgivable loan rather than the state’s usual pay-as-you-go incentives, with clawback provisions tied to jobs, wages, investment, and changes in ownership or operations. He said the project had already exceeded the $2 billion investment threshold, that corporate guarantees were required from SK On and Ford, and that the agreement’s compliance period begins in December 2026 with payments starting in March 2027 and running through 2038. He said the state’s goal after the joint venture dissolution was to protect taxpayers, support affected workers, and preserve future job creation, while also ensuring the money would be repaid if performance targets are not met. Members asked about the workforce impact, the training programs, and whether the jobs targets would be revised. The secretary said the project had about 1,850 workers at the site, with both production and salaried employees affected, and described state-led job fairs, a job portal, and other rapid-response efforts to help displaced workers find new jobs or training. He said Ford had agreed to continue discussions, invest an additional $2 billion in the site for energy storage solutions, and pursue roughly 2,100 new jobs, while the state sought to keep the company accountable for the full repayment obligation if jobs are not created. One senator raised broader concerns about mega-projects displacing small businesses and creating infrastructure burdens in surrounding communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not just to be a pure testing and development state, but to be an in-manufacturing state for the
• Before we started receiving appropriations, we had done nine terminal buildings across the state of Oklahoma
• National Guard UAS test site.
• We were in the running with several other states. What other states were we in the running with?
• So the aircraft that Don is building today is something that they planned to build.

Committee: House A&B Transportation Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• We stand in support with the state building trades and operating engineers. Thank you.
• Keith Dunn, here on behalf of the District Council of Ironworkers, as well as the State Building Construction
• the state.
• Mike West, on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, also in support
• Madam Chair and members, Mike West on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, also

Summary: The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee heard several workplace-related bills. AB 1803 would require anti-hate speech training as part of existing harassment prevention training for employers with five or more employees; supporters said it would help workers recognize and report workplace hate, while opponents raised First Amendment and definitional concerns. The bill passed on a do pass motion and was re-referred to Judiciary, with the roll left open for absent members. AB 1940 would add perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause to FEHA’s sex protections and clarify related workplace protections; supporters emphasized workplace equity and retention, while business groups said existing accommodation laws already cover many issues and raised concerns about expanding protected classifications. It also passed and was re-referred to Judiciary with the roll open. AB 1838 would require bidders on public works projects to disclose recent wage-and-hour violations and how they were addressed; labor groups supported the transparency measure, while contractors and business groups questioned definitions and disclosure scope. It passed and was re-referred to Judiciary. AB 1859 would give joint labor-management committees access to public works job sites to help identify labor-law violations; supporters said it would improve enforcement of wage theft laws, while opponents raised due process, property access, and constitutional concerns. It passed and was re-referred to Judiciary. The committee also considered two workplace AI and surveillance bills. AB 1883 would prohibit certain invasive surveillance technologies in the workplace, including facial, gait, and emotion recognition, while placing limits on some facial recognition uses; supporters argued these tools are discriminatory and unreliable, and opponents said a ban was too broad and could eliminate useful safety and operational tools. The bill passed and was re-referred to Privacy and Consumer Protection. AB 1898 would require employers to give workers advance notice before using AI tools to surveil or manage workers, including disclosure of the tool’s purpose, data collected, and affected decisions; supporters framed it as a basic transparency measure, while opponents objected to the breadth of notice requirements, possible veto power over deployment, and enforcement language. It also passed and was re-referred to Privacy and Consumer Protection. The committee additionally took up AB 1707, which passed and was re-referred to Appropriations with a consent-calendar recommendation, though the transcript does not provide the bill’s subject matter.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can say confidently that no state consistently builds homes that working-class families can afford
• On average, it takes four years to build housing in this state, and much longer for larger projects or
• It's not about building on hazardous waste sites.
• It's not about building on hazardous waste sites.
• Some of our members do build in other states, and California takes the longest.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development heard a long agenda focused mainly on housing production, higher education facilities, homelessness, and permitting reform. Early items included AB 6, which would direct HCD to convene a working group on allowing three- to ten-unit “missing middle” housing to be built under the Residential Code rather than the Building Code; AB 48, a higher education bond proposal that would fund campus repairs, modernization, disaster recovery, and student/employee housing; and AB 76, which would clarify a Chula Vista university innovation district exemption so the project can include academic buildings and housing without conflicting with surplus land rules. Supporters emphasized affordability, cost savings, student housing needs, and access to education, while members raised questions about implementation, affordability requirements, and project scope. The committee later took votes on these items, with AB 6, AB 48, and AB 76 all moving forward on unanimous or near-unanimous votes to Appropriations. Members also heard AB 595, which would create a state homeownership tax credit pilot to support affordable for-sale housing. The author and supporters argued that California’s homeownership rate is at historic lows and that the bill would help close racial wealth gaps by financing homes working families can buy. The committee approved AB 595 and sent it to Appropriations. The consent calendar, including several other housing-related bills, was also approved unanimously. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to AB 1165, the California Housing Justice Act of 2025, which would require ongoing state investment and a financing plan to address homelessness and housing affordability. The author and witnesses described the scale of homelessness, the limits of one-time funding, and the need for sustained, accountable funding streams. After testimony from housing advocates and people with lived experience, the committee passed AB 1165 on a 10-0 vote to Appropriations. Finally, the committee heard AB 609, a CEQA reform bill that would create a simplified exemption for qualifying infill housing projects in already developed areas. Supporters framed it as a targeted way to reduce delays and costs for housing near jobs and transit, while opponents from environmental justice, labor, and tribal groups warned it could reduce public participation, weaken protections for disadvantaged communities, and create consultation concerns for tribal cultural resources. The author said the bill would not change zoning or affordability tools and would continue to work with opponents on amendments. The bill was moved forward after extensive discussion, with members noting ongoing negotiations on tribal consultation and labor concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:55.280><c> affordable</c> viable solution to building affordable viable solution to building
• building a tool in the box, per se.
• U as of counties here in the state.
• </c> property. again to ensure that the state property. again to ensure that the state and<00:07:06.639
• out a community land trust at to build out a community land trust at the<00:09:40.959><c> site</c><00

Bills: HF3600 , HF3809 , HF3608

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Keywords: housing, community land trusts, competitive development, development programs, Minnesota, HF3809, Minnesota eviction law, landlord-tenant, residential lease, minor child, children in eviction, eviction complaint, defendant prohibition, expedited eviction, expedited hearing, summary eviction, tenant protections, housing policy, civil penalty, nonwaivable lease terms

Transcript Highlights:

• parks and state park units.
• We had State Parks law enforcement personnel from across the state assist with their work.
• site, and that is a prehistoric site that was literally a tool-making site. up on the top of the mountains
• The state park sites are being used for that right now, but we work closely with them to make sure that
• in state parks.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we build the original bill, the only other source of funds that we have access to state funds is
• non-state.
• Within that commitment, the state committed to building out the road structure in and around what we
• in the state.
• in the state.

Committee: House Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• The point being that when we look at our historic sites and the state being really the keeper of those
• We manage 30 historical sites across the state.
• Thank you. completed an economic impact study of the various sites across the state.
• These buildings continue to be important for heritage tourism in the state.
• Now, a critical area of need since we have these sites around the state is information technology modernization

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• We're at about 3% across the state now.
• framework across the state to achieve it.
• The initiative will really help us sort of build out that organizational framework across the state to
• and Permitting, on site suitability for energy infrastructure and for ensuring that siting decisions
• I'd like to also applaud the state, as Dr. Mooma did.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming

Summary: The committee held a hearing on natural and working lands, carbon sequestration, and related provisions in Governor Healey’s $3 billion Mass Ready Act. EEA officials described the bill’s investments in flooding, land protection, tree planting, wetlands restoration, biodiversity, dams, seawalls, and coastal resilience, along with permitting reforms intended to speed ecological restoration projects. They also outlined current programs on resilient lands, healthy soils, forest climate solutions, forest reserves, and urban tree planting, and said the administration expects natural and working lands to offset up to 7 million metric tons of residual emissions by 2050, while acknowledging that additional strategies will be needed to close the gap to the state’s 10-million-ton offset target. Committee members pressed EEA on the cost of reaching the 30% conservation-by-2030 goal, the loss of a federal USDA grant of about $22 million, the adequacy of current sequestration estimates, and whether the state should consider regional approaches or statutory changes. EEA said current state conservation spending has been about $35 million to $40 million annually, that the Mass Ready Act is intended to help double the pace of conservation, and that federal funding remains uncertain. Senators also raised concerns about PILOT payments for state-owned land, the management of state forests, and the proposed Chapter 91 general license for restoration projects. EEA said the bill’s forest reserve language is meant to create a more durable designation process while still allowing limited active management. Advocates from The Nature Conservancy and Mass Audubon supported stronger investment in land conservation and restoration, saying natural and working lands are a cost-effective climate strategy that also provides biodiversity, water quality, and public health benefits. They urged passage of legislation to increase funding, improve PILOT equity, and strengthen land-use planning and mitigation requirements. They also backed removing Chapter 91 licensing requirements for ecological restoration, arguing that the current process adds cost and delay. In a later panel, a forest scientist and an urban forestry advocate emphasized the carbon and cooling benefits of mature trees, called for greater protection of older forests, and supported bills to expand municipal reforestation and modernize public shade tree law. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• areas of the state.
• These are state facilities. These are state programs.
• state facilities.
• But I mean we have so many buildings that we already own as a state, like the Department of Cultural
• And I mean I could go on a tirade about how the state shouldn't be renting buildings.

Transcript Highlights:

• Transmission authorities, as Maya mentioned, have been successful in other states at building much-needed
• We need a number of complementary solutions to build more transmission, including on siting.
• We've got this problem in the state that we can't build anything.
• What they're hung up on is the inability of the state to remove the barriers for them to site and build
• The state already created a work group in 2019 to look at siting the next commercial aviation facility

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on three bills. SB 5652 would require the University of Washington, Commerce, the King County Department of Public Health, and the Port of Seattle to study and mitigate aviation-related air quality and noise impacts around Sea-Tac, create a work group and grant program, address failed noise insulation “port packages,” and require a state auditor review. The sponsor and supporters from affected cities and community groups described serious health and quality-of-life harms from airport noise and pollution, while the Port of Seattle, Washington Public Ports Association, and AWB opposed the bill, arguing it would impose new mandates, raise cost and governance concerns, and interfere with airport operations. Testimony on the bill was reopened after other business and then closed; no vote was taken. SB 6124 would direct Commerce to study an appliance affordability index that would consider repairability, maintenance, recyclability, performance life, and related factors. The sponsor said the bill is meant to help consumers compare lifetime costs and repair options, drawing on family experience with durable appliances. Consumer and environmental advocates supported the idea as a way to improve transparency and encourage repairable products, while industry groups opposed a state-specific index, warning it would create a patchwork of standards and compliance burdens. The hearing closed after testimony, with no action reported. SB 5466 would create a Washington Electric Transmission Authority, give it powers to support transmission development and, in some cases, acquire property and own or sell transmission projects, and provide a SEPA categorical exemption for certain transmission upgrades with tribal and resource-protection conditions. Supporters from clean energy, labor, utilities, and state agencies said the bill is needed to expand grid capacity, improve reliability, speed clean energy interconnection, and create jobs, though many asked for bonding or financing authority and refinements to the exemption language. Some utilities and business groups supported parts of the bill but opposed state ownership or said the authority should focus more on permitting and coordination; others raised concerns about ratepayer risk and duplication. The hearing closed after extensive testimony, with no vote announced.

Transcript Highlights:

• 42-ish states now.
• But WAVA is... 42-ish states now.
• We are site-based.
• I can speak briefly to on-site, yes. We require all of... And on-site.
• and focused on state policy and governance around AI and ensuring that mechanisms for building the leadership

Summary: The committee met to hear an overview of Washington’s alternative learning experience (ALE) programs and then an update on artificial intelligence in schools. OSPI’s Anissa Sherritt explained that ALE is a course-level funding designation for instruction that occurs partly or wholly away from the traditional seat-time model, with online, site-based, and remote course types. She emphasized that ALE is still basic education, subject to the same public school requirements, and that OSPI provides technical assistance, annual reporting review, and program reviews. Representatives from several programs described different models: Washington Virtual Academy (a large online ALE operated through Omak School District and partnered with for-profit Stride), Columbia Virtual Academy in Valley School District (a district-run, nonprofit online/remote program), Pearl in Quilcene (a K-8 remote parent partnership program), and River Home Link in Battleground (a site-based hybrid program). They discussed student supports, special education, enrichment, family choice, transportation, and how they measure outcomes. Members asked for follow-up information on funding, demographics, racial and ethnic data, multilingual learners, and post-graduation outcomes, and OSPI agreed to provide additional data where available. The committee then heard from OSPI and several districts about AI guidance and implementation. OSPI’s Holly Ryan Calloway described the agency’s human-centered AI framework, three guidance documents for schools, statewide professional learning, an AI innovation summit, and new AI literacy and informatics course frameworks and CIP codes. Quincy School District described a multi-year effort to integrate AI by centering student needs, creating district policy and classroom guidance, and training teachers to use AI responsibly while building an AI readiness plan from elementary through high school. Peninsula School District described its AI action research team, teacher professional learning, and classroom uses of generative AI to support science instruction, communication, and prompt engineering, while stressing that AI should enhance rather than replace learning. Members raised questions about privacy, energy and water use, prompt engineering, workforce and university connections, and the need for clear standards and ongoing educator training. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:07:10.079><c> The</c> site plans and building permits. The site plans and building permits.
• plans and building approving site plans and building permits<01:32:22.719><c> for</c><01:32:22.960><
• I'm the chair of the state building code review board.
• </c><02:39:21.600><c> of</c> state building code that consists of state building code that consists of
• </c><04:47:22.718><c> because</c> buildings anywhere in the state because buildings anywhere in the state

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• We have examples across the state like San Francisco, El Dorado, and San Diego that we can build from
• We have examples across the state like San Francisco, El Dorado, and San Diego that we can build from
• We have 20 sites.
• We have four sites.
• For the expansion of preschool and transitional kindergarten to be successful, the state must build upon

Transcript Highlights:

• They didn't need a state statute to create this. They actually did it the other way.
• They're out of Massachusetts, but to also host multiple events in this state and the states that surround
• I did get a text from Eddie... ...and the states that surround us.
• There is work going on right now to build a cultural center there.
• A couple of people on this site have been to the museum.

Summary: The commission approved the minutes from its March 11 meeting after a motion by Jeannie Costa and a second by Senator Michael Brady, with members noting a few possible corrections to attendance and wording. The meeting then focused on updates about the commission’s timeline and funding. Staff reported that an amendment to extend the commission’s deadline from December 31, 2026 to December 31, 2027 was filed in the Fair Share budget but was not accepted, and members discussed pursuing the extension through other budget vehicles, including the regular budget, a supplemental budget, or other legislation. Commissioners also discussed the need to fill a vacancy left by Julius Brito and to potentially extend the deadline for appointing new commissioners. A substantial portion of the meeting was devoted to brainstorming the commission’s community engagement plan for the proposed Cape Verdean Culture Center. Members revisited a three-part approach involving site visits, traditional listening sessions, and outreach at existing Cape Verdean events, while also emphasizing historical accuracy, youth engagement, visibility, and regional collaboration. Commissioners suggested using surveys, canvassing, social media, a website, and other digital tools to reach people across the diaspora, including those unable to attend in person. Several members recommended specific locations and institutions for engagement, including New Bedford, Brockton, Boston, Cape Cod, and Rhode Island, with references to museums, historical societies, clubs, and cultural organizations already doing related work. Testimony and comments also addressed funding and organizational structure for the future center. Legislators described possible funding sources such as House and Senate earmarks, a bond bill, and a nonprofit structure that could later support fundraising and operations. Members discussed examples from other cultural institutions, including the Holocaust Museum, the African American History Museum, and the Haitian Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center, as models for governance and public support. The group also raised the possibility of future collaboration with the Cape Verdean government and institutions in Cabo Verde, though one member urged waiting until after upcoming elections there before making formal contacts. No additional votes were taken beyond approving the minutes and adjourning the meeting.