Transcript Highlights:

• The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee will now come to order. Let's please call the roll.
• So I respect you all's opinion and your authority and your position as the oversight board.
• Did you ever find in temporary fashion to accommodate some sudden surge that's trending, go ahead and
• Town meeting minutes contained no hiring authorization, and there was no agreement for services.
• But do we know who authorized and how many? Really surprised by that.

Summary: The committee first took up a long-running audit finding involving the City of Daytona Beach’s unexpended building permit fund balance, which has exceeded the statutory cap for several years and was reported at $10.8 million in the latest audit. Mayor Derek Henry and city staff said the city had analyzed the fund, adopted a corrective action plan, waived more than $5.5 million in permit and inspection fees, used some excess funds for a training facility rehabilitation, and is pursuing a $9.4 million City Hall expansion that they say is allowed under a November 2024 Attorney General opinion permitting construction of a building to house the building code enforcement function. Committee members repeatedly questioned whether the city was simply trying to spend down the money, whether the proposed uses were truly lawful, why the balance kept growing despite fee waivers, and where the interest earnings were going. The mayor and deputy city manager said the city’s growth and staffing needs justified the plan, but several members expressed frustration and skepticism. A public commenter also urged accountability and raised concerns about the city’s spending plans and the size of the remaining balance. The committee then received an Auditor General presentation on the Town of Greenville, which found 31 operational audit findings and described pervasive control failures, possible fraud, waste, and abuse. The findings included election paperwork problems that left a council seat vacant, conflicts of interest, late financial disclosure filings, related-party transactions, inadequate meeting notices and minutes, quorum and voting documentation problems, council members’ involvement in day-to-day operations, missing ethics training, budget adoption and monitoring deficiencies, inaccurate accounting records and bank reconciliations, utility billing and rate issues, grant compliance problems tied to an unfinished grocery store project, weak personnel and contracting controls, improper severance and compensation issues, late vendor payments, weak procurement and P-card controls, vehicle-use and property-control weaknesses, poor public records access, and IT access and fraud-policy gaps. Greenville’s mayor and staff said the audit largely reflected the prior administration and that the current council and staff are taking corrective action. They said the town terminated the former manager, adopted seven new policies since the audit began, and is working with the Auditor General to improve procurement, financial controls, inventory management, grant oversight, and ethics compliance. The town attorney said he had alerted federal authorities earlier about concerns, and committee members noted that FDLE has received a criminal referral and is investigating. Several members praised the new leadership’s cooperation but also suggested the town consider consolidation or dissolution if problems persist.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we should stand ready to provide temporary assistance to farmers who need to transition. to other
• Kirill Borussiak at UC Berkeley, and Javier Jaravel, who's his co-author.
• streamlining. but there would be a list of eight or 10 conditions that folks would have to meet in order
• we're trying to create streamlining, trying to have as few sort of boxes that have to be checked in order
• You all authorized Prius, the community reinvestment revitalization investment authorities.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I would like to call this meeting to order at 9.34 a.m. Today is Tuesday, July 11, 2025.
• This bill provides general authority to all.
• on as a co-author, that would be lovely.
• And I also want to co-author the bill, if you don't mind me saying that.
• I would also like to be, as a co-author of this great legislation.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered. So, kind of order, read the report. Mr.
• So ordered. Committee, call to order. Mr.
• So ordered.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows youth operators to renew up to 30 days before their 21st birthday and receive a temporary license
• The temporary license may be printed at the DMV or acknowledged via online transaction receipt, which
• The temporary license would then be that receipt printed out along with their expired license, which
• Let's go right in order. I'm looking for a motion on House Bill 259 to refresh everyone's memory.
• uh, calls them reference authority uh, calls them reference location<00:23:21.840> signs.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The House will come to order. Members, please take your seats, Sergeant at Arms.
• The House has come to order.
• Clerk will announce the next order of business.
• Clerk shall announce the next order of business.
• The clerk shall announce the next order.

Keywords: April 22, 2026 - Special Session 1, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and then processed a series of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate bills, which were so ordered. Several bills were also recalled from the Assembly, had reconsideration votes taken, and were restored to the third reading calendar after receiving 58 ayes. Amendments were received on a number of bills, and those measures retained their place on the calendar. The main business of the day was Privileged Resolution 2318, sponsored by Leader Stewart-Cousins, honoring Senator Michael Gianaris with the President Pro Tempore and Senate Majority Leader’s Legislative Legacy Award. The resolution and floor remarks reviewed his long career in the Assembly and Senate, his role as Deputy Majority Leader and floor leader, and his work on housing, criminal justice, voting rights, labor, environmental, consumer, transit, animal welfare, and other major legislation. Members from both parties spoke at length, praising his strategic skill, mentorship, humor, and influence, while also noting his support for younger members and his commitment to family. Several senators described personal experiences showing Gianaris’s mentorship and political guidance, and many referenced his Greek American identity, Queens roots, and interests such as Star Wars and the Mets. Senators also emphasized that he was leaving on his own terms to spend more time with his wife and daughters. The resolution was adopted with broad support, and Gianaris then spoke in response, reflecting on nearly 30 years in state government, the major laws passed during his tenure, and the relationships he built in the chamber.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate Committee on Education K-16 will come to order. The clerk will call the roll.
• Hearing none, so ordered. The Chair lays out House Bill 1211, sponsored by Senator Menéndez.
• Hearing none, So ordered. The Chair lays out House Bill 3372, sponsored by Senator Middleton.
• From other school districts in order to help them.
• Hearing none, so ordered. The Chair lays out House Bill 52.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We, as a state authorizer, don't have all of the details for every school around either the temporary
• refreshed in order to run a temporary library.
• Those are our three authorized... That is authorized by who?
• He not giving you authorization to use a $20 million, um, authorization to use a $20 million.
• He not giving you authorization to use a $20 million, um, authorization to use a $20 million.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, this is the bill we heard previously that's relating to the creation of a temporary educator
• Below are the changes to each section of the bill listed in sequential order.
• This change serves to give the board of trustees the authority to adopt a resolution to change the length
• Has the author of the bill seen this amendment? He has not. Is this Chairman Shaheen's bill?
• I think that the author of the bill deserves a conversation.

Bills: HB178

Keywords: efficiency audit, political subdivision, tax rate, fiscal management, government accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• All government is founded on this authority. For these reasons, please vote no on SB 2450.
• <00:15:33.040> For<00:15:33.199> these founded on this authority.
• For these founded on this authority.
• So I would ask that we just move ahead for the authorization only.
• Let me see for the authorization only.

Bills: SB2444, SB2446, SB2450, SB2453, SB2461, SB2457, SB2462, SB2313, SB2528, SB2532, SB2571, SB2678, SB2529

Keywords: real property, exemption, attachment, execution, consumer protection, financial security, inflation adjustment, head of family, senior citizens, Intermediate Court of Appeals, judges, Hawaii judiciary, court membership, legal system, presidential preference primary, elections, political parties, Hawaii voting, 2028 election, voting

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on several bills. SB 2444 would raise the real property exemption amount for attachment or execution, which the Attorney General said could create vague retroactivity language and litigation risk; the committee noted the exemption had last been adjusted around 1978. SB 2446 would add a seventh associate judge to the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Judiciary staff testified in opposition, saying recent internal restructuring and a pending vacancy had improved output and that it would be prudent to wait and see the effect before adding another judge. The Public Defender supported the goal of faster appellate resolution but said it would defer to the court’s assessment and had no objection to revisiting the issue later. The committee also discussed current appellate timelines, with staff saying at least 225 days is built into the process before a case reaches a merit panel, and that a two-year delay from panel assignment was realistic under the current structure. The committee then heard SB 2450, which would establish a presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle. The Chief Election Officer said the election would cost about $4 million, less if combined with the regular primary. Several opponents argued the bill would add bureaucracy, duplicate or undermine party-run processes, and waste taxpayer money; one speaker estimated the total cost could be closer to $6 million when county costs are included. Supporters and committee members discussed that the measure would not require parties to use the results and that Hawaii remains one of the few states still using caucuses. The committee also asked whether counties could staff the election and whether the results would be useful given Hawaii’s current primary timing. SB 2453 would require the Office of Elections to include a notice with each ballot that a digital and printed voter information guide is available, with the notice in 32-point font as a separate insert. The Chief Election Officer said the insert would cost about $90,000 and asked for an effective date of January 1, 2027 because mailing preparations for the primary would already be underway. The Disability and Communications Access Board, League of Women Voters, National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, and others supported the bill. The committee also began hearing SB 2461, which would have the Office of Elections prepare a questionnaire for candidates and publish responses online and in the voter guide; the Chief Election Officer said the office did not think it should be the agency to shape campaign questions, though he said it could work if the questions were specified in statute. Finally, the committee heard SB 2457, which would require a criminal conviction before seized property could be forfeited. The Attorney General and Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill, arguing it would prolong cases, increase storage costs, and make forfeiture less effective against crime, especially where owners flee, die, or hide assets through shell companies. The Public Defender strongly supported the measure, saying forfeiture should be tied to convictions and that people challenging forfeiture often lack counsel. The Honolulu Prosecutor also opposed the bill, but said it supported transparency, due process, and even a right to counsel; it argued conviction-only forfeiture would fail in cases involving fugitives, deceased suspects, or hidden ownership structures. The committee questioned what would happen to property if an owner could not be found, and the prosecutor said the outcome would depend on the type of property and could involve abandonment or interpleader proceedings.

Transcript Highlights:

• evident that this subcommittee along with others will need to closely examine the details of H.R. 1 in order
• California, President Trump's legislation was deliberately designed to dismantle these achievements in order
• The state will need further information from the federal government in order to implement the guidance
• So what state laws might need to be changed in order to effectuate the requirements of the bill?
• Those safety net cuts are going to be made in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, as well as mass

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered.
• So ordered. The Senate will come to order. Mr.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The, uh, Senate Economic Development Committee will come to order. Clerk call the roll.
• Chairman and members, House Bill 2791 is authored by Representative Angie Button.
• This bill, uh, was authored and sponsored by Representative V in the House.
• Hearing none, it is so ordered. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members. Thank you.
• And the best example would be subpoena authority.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I really want to thank the author for bringing this bill forward.
• I want to thank the author for her work on this important topic.
• I want to thank the author for her work on this important topic.
• And I want to appreciate the author for bringing this.
• Oh, well, we have another author in the house. We are really moving now.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the order the order of<00:21:13.279> maybe<00:21:13.720> 50<00:21:14.039> to
• I think the idea of the tax credit is that it's temporary.
• So in order to even start getting a handle on this, a registration program is needed.
• So in order to even start getting a handle on this, a registration program is needed.
• <01:30:53.400> to the authority to the authority to uh<01:30:55.400> increase<01:30

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on Senate Bill 103, relating to electric vehicle batteries, and then moved to Senate Bill 995, relating to renewable fuel. On SB 103, the Department of Health and the State Energy Office supported the measure, and Redwood Materials said it supported the bill’s intent but requested an amendment to add a battery recycler to the commission. Other testimony on SB 103 included support from several individuals and organizations, with one opponent noted. A committee member also raised a possible deadline change requested by the Alliance of Automobile Innovation for future work on the measure. The bulk of the hearing focused on SB 995, which would create tax incentives for sustainable aviation fuel and related renewable fuel production. Supporters included the Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition, Pono Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Airlines, the Tax Foundation, PAR Hawaii, Pacific Biodiesel, and others. Supporters said the bill would help build a local SAF industry, encourage camelina and other feedstocks, and advance decarbonization goals. Several supporters also said they had proposed amendments or technical comments and stood on their written testimony. Opposition testimony argued the bill could allow toxic waste feedstocks, such as construction and demolition waste, into fuel production, and questioned whether the incentives would truly benefit Hawaii farmers or consumers. One opponent said the bill’s benefits could flow to the producer and to imported feedstocks rather than to local agriculture, and another questioned the scale of local land and water available for camelina production. Committee members pressed witnesses on acreage, water use, expected yields, the role of PAR Hawaii’s refinery investment, and whether the state would be subsidizing a business decision that might not produce significant local fuel. No vote or final action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in our new temporary hearing room for several months, maybe as much as a year, while they remodel
• The bipartisan infrastructure law will require the Water Authority to invest over $50 billion in our
• Authority.
• As I said, the Ohio EPA and the Ohio Water Development Authority. run our Clean Water SRF and they have
• I was able to get a program to address water affordability authorized in the IJA.

Keywords: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, water infrastructure, lead service lines, federal reauthorization, sustainability, cybersecurity

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on discussions surrounding the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and its implications for local water systems. Various witnesses highlighted the transformative impact of the bipartisan infrastructure law, which has provided an unprecedented amount of funding to help address long-standing issues in drinking water infrastructure, particularly concerning lead service line replacements and sustainability in water management. The discussions emphasized the urgent need for federal reauthorization to continue supporting these initiatives, as many rural and disadvantaged communities still face substantial barriers in upgrading their water systems. Additionally, cybersecurity risks were noted, raising concerns over the vulnerability of water systems across the nation.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> THE JUSTICE BUDGET COMMITTEE WILL NOW COME TO ORDER. MS.
• THE BILL ESTABLISH AND AUTHORIZE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IMMIGRATION GRANT PROGRAM WITHIN THE BOARD TO
• THE REIMBURSEMENT COST OCCURRED ONE REGARDING FOR A TEMPORARY PERIOD.
• RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT 18 TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES BE ALLOWED TO PURCHASE TRANSPORTATION VANS IN ORDER
• ANY OF THE GRANT MONEY, DOES IT GO TO PAY THE WORKERS WHO MAY BE COMING FROM DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN ORDER

Transcript Highlights:

• So ordered.
• Hearing none, it is so ordered.
• Hearing none, it is so ordered. The chair lays out as a matter of order. Thank you, Senator.
• Available to authorized repair service providers.
• There are no questions for the author.

Bills: HB106, HB144, HB145, HB252, HB1732, HB2221, HB2467, HB2468, HB2517, HB2518, HB2963, HB3016, HB3689, HB3960, HB4386, HB4490, HB4751, HB5247, HJR175, HB2213, HB106, HB144, HB145, HB252

Keywords: HB 106, oil and gas, Railroad Commission of Texas, overhead electrical lines, electrical distribution system, power line maintenance, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas lease, well operator, energy safety, utility infrastructure, regulatory compliance, cleanup fund, oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund, production safety, leasehold operations, electric utility, distribution poles, inspection

Transcript Highlights:

• They don't call it an order anymore.
• <00:43:56.800> to officers would have the authority to officers would have the authority to
• Senator Lang, would you be opposed to language added to the bill that makes those orders temporary and
• c> to<00:49:15.760> be those orders temporary and have to be those orders temporary and have
• , model, let's give them that authority, model, let's give them that authority, but<01:34:52.480>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all