Transcript Highlights:

• Our students learn Nemeth Braille code, which is a separate code from our UEB code and it's specific
• We need water.
• There's a lot of research being done to limit the use of clean water, like you can use brackish water
• or treated water.
• So there's a lot of work happening on how to limit the use of precious resources like water.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is under North Dakota Century Code Chapter 54-7.
• But to follow Century Code, we have to bring those on.
• So these conversations are ongoing, but it's recognized that Century Code and administrative code would
• confusion on water resource districts.
• I believe the code just said water resource districts, which ones?

Summary: The task force reviewed survey results from state agencies on potential statutory revisions, with Levi reporting 70 proposals from 20 agencies and noting that about 33 might become agency pre-file bills. Members discussed the need to share the survey more broadly within higher education and to better coordinate issues involving IT and other cross-agency functions. The task force then heard from the Office of Management and Budget on three topics: concessions, architect/engineering pre-qualification, and legal notices. OMB said the concessions law is outdated and inconsistent with current practice, and suggested a collaborative rewrite to allow best-value evaluation, raise the threshold, and standardize solicitation templates. On architect/engineering pre-qualification, OMB proposed expanding authority beyond current state-agency limits and creating uniform templates. On legal notices, OMB proposed modernizing publication requirements, exploring online and abbreviated notices, and working with newspapers and other stakeholders on technology and accessibility improvements. Members asked about where concession revenues go, whether political subdivisions must follow the same rules, and how to move from discussion to action. The task force agreed to have OMB work with Legislative Council and affected stakeholders to develop bill drafts, and the motion passed unanimously. The University of North Dakota then presented a series of proposed revisions focused on public buildings and procurement. UND asked to rework the definition of construction so routine maintenance and one-for-one replacements over $250,000 would not automatically trigger public-improvement requirements, suggested raising the threshold to $500,000, and asked for more flexibility based on project complexity and risk. UND also proposed changes to public bid advertisements to reflect electronic bidding, revisions to construction manager-at-risk selection criteria, changes to architect/engineer procurement rules, an increase in the direct-hire design threshold, and a higher legislative-consent threshold for privately funded projects. The task force supported having UND work with counsel and OMB to develop bill drafts, and that motion also passed. The Department of Public Instruction concluded with proposed cleanup to credentialing and education statutes. DPI recommended reviewing its credential categories for relevance, possibly transferring credentialing authority to the Education Standards and Practices Board, removing outdated school safety patrol language, clarifying waiver provisions, and updating dyslexia screening reporting requirements so the statute reflects current practice. Members focused mainly on whether the dyslexia reporting requirement should remain, and DPI said the screening itself would continue even if reporting language were revised. No votes were taken on DPI’s suggestions, and the task force recessed after the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:22:36.240> is<00:22:36.480> going<00:22:36.679> to code a diagnosis code
• that is going to code a diagnosis code that is going to severely<00:22:37.559> delay<00:22:38.559
• She gave an example from a physical health acute setting. code so um to get a release every single code
• What's the big deal about coding?
• Welcome, Senator Waters. Good morning. Welcome, Senator Waters. Good morning.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We can take this from cybersecurity to water studies.
• She can tell if you're gaining water or losing water.
• This relates to the water side. Can we look? I know we're looking at investing with NMED for water.
• water programs.
• Where we have energy codes coming from one department and building codes coming from another department

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded A3.
• The amendment is coded A3.
• The amendment is coded A3.
• And we have one little issue: they need some water so they can water the trees.
• The water is there.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The House first took up Senate File 334, a bill to modernize county human services technology used to administer programs such as Medicaid and SNAP. The author and several members described the current systems as outdated “green screen” platforms that are slow, duplicative, and difficult for workers and applicants, and argued modernization would improve service, retention, and fraud prevention. The bill would create a technology modernization fund with about $90 million over time, capped at $50 million, route funds through Minute, establish an interagency group with county representation, create a legislative working group, and provide $15 million for Office of Inspector General technology. Members from several counties spoke in strong support, citing local system failures, cyberattacks, and the need for better tools; one member noted the bill was about 20 years overdue. The bill passed third reading by a vote of 134-0, and a title was agreed to. The House then considered Senate File 4401, the cannabis bill. The author described it as a maintenance and cleanup package developed with more than 80 stakeholders over months of meetings, including business owners, labor, tribal representatives, and medical cannabis interests. The bill was presented as making noncontroversial adjustments to support small businesses, clarify statutes, improve privacy protections, adjust event and transporter rules, address good-faith errors, strengthen enforcement against unlicensed operators, and support local governments and municipal cannabis dispensaries. It also included a first step toward a medical psilocybin program and changes intended to make the medical cannabis market more sustainable, including easing the grow-and-sale ratio issue. The transcript cuts off before final action on this bill, but members speaking in support emphasized collaboration and the need for practical regulatory fixes.

Transcript Highlights:

• international waters. international waters. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Okay.
• <00:47:11.920> and you come into international waters and you come into international waters
• . waters. waters.
• . code. code.
• adding it to existing code.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And water management to ensure there are no pathogens or arthropod pests that are released during the
• The color coding is designed to address, I think, how much more needs to be done.
• The color coding is designed to address, I think, how much more needs to be done.
• The color coding is designed to address, I think, how much more needs to be done.
• The color coding is designed to address, I think, how much more needs to be done.

Bills: HB389, HB1166, HB1510, HB1541, HB1605, HB1661, HB1663, HB1678, HB1769, HB1785, HB1801, HB1802, HB1815, HB1824, HB1838, HB1840, HB1853, HB1860, HB1891, HB1952, HB1960, HB1969, HB1970, HB1972, HB1976, HB2050, HB2094, HB2104, HB2158, HB2165, HB2171, HB2208, HB2246, HB2271, HB2300, HB2310, HB2315, HB2319, HB2338, HB2339, HB2343, HB2443, HB2498, HB2551, HB2599, HB2606, SB17, SB83, SB99, SB148, SB411, SB709, SB847, SB874, SB888, SB1032, SB1166, SB2001, SB2014, SB2031, SB2041, SB2050, SB2057, SB2061, SB2074, SB2075, SB2089, SB2095, SB2101, SB2102, SB2108, SB2109, SB2110, SB2125, SB2135, SB2138, SB2140, SB2146, SB2151, SB2152, SB2175, SB2203, SB2239, SB2246, SB2247, SB2253, SB2261, SB2268, SB2271, SB2272, SB2320, SB2340, SB2347, SB2353, SB2363, SB2367, SB2372, SB2376, SB2386

Keywords: HB389, uncrewed aircraft, drone, drones, UAS, unmanned aerial vehicle, misuse of uncrewed aircraft, criminal offense, felony enhancement, drone crime, public safety, police, deputy sheriff, fire department, intoxicated operation, registration number tampering, property damage, bodily injury, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Package, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Bills: HB389, HB1166, HB1510, HB1541, HB1605, HB1661, HB1663, HB1678, HB1769, HB1785, HB1801, HB1802, HB1815, HB1824, HB1838, HB1840, HB1853, HB1860, HB1891, HB1952, HB1960, HB1969, HB1970, HB1972, HB1976, HB2050, HB2094, HB2104, HB2158, HB2165, HB2171, HB2208, HB2246, HB2271, HB2300, HB2310, HB2315, HB2319, HB2338, HB2339, HB2343, HB2443, HB2498, HB2551, HB2599, HB2606, SB17, SB83, SB99, SB148, SB411, SB709, SB847, SB874, SB888, SB1032, SB1166, SB2001, SB2014, SB2031, SB2041, SB2050, SB2057, SB2061, SB2074, SB2075, SB2089, SB2095, SB2101, SB2102, SB2108, SB2109, SB2110, SB2125, SB2135, SB2138, SB2140, SB2146, SB2151, SB2152, SB2175, SB2203, SB2239, SB2246, SB2247, SB2253, SB2261, SB2268, SB2271, SB2272, SB2320, SB2340, SB2347, SB2353, SB2363, SB2367, SB2372, SB2376, SB2386

Keywords: HB389, uncrewed aircraft, drone, drones, UAS, unmanned aerial vehicle, misuse of uncrewed aircraft, criminal offense, felony enhancement, drone crime, public safety, police, deputy sheriff, fire department, intoxicated operation, registration number tampering, property damage, bodily injury, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Package, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Transcript Highlights:

• Nearly 85% of Californians depend, in whole or in part, on groundwater for their public safety water
• That percentage increases even more for small water systems.
• That percentage increases even more for small water systems, which have fewer than 3,300 connections
• and serve communities whose access to clean drinking water is most at risk.
• So the code for ADUs can be confusing depending on the city and also very complex to navigate.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on May 14, 2025, for a regular order hearing with a large consent calendar and many individual bill presentations. The committee first approved numerous bills on consent, then heard a series of measures spanning reproductive health, child care eligibility, transportation, mental health diversion, county recorder fees, groundwater management, election deadlines, parking enforcement, consumer protections, housing, immigrant and student protections, and utility/CPUC oversight. Several bills were taken up only for presentation because they were on suspense, including ACA 4 on long-term housing funding, and the committee later approved a very large suspense calendar as a whole. Among the bills discussed, AB 260 would protect medication abortion access and providers; AB 904 would clarify child care subsidy eligibility during family leave or job search; AB 1014 would give Caltrans more flexibility on speed limits in rural highway segments; AB 46 would clarify judicial discretion in mental health diversion; AB 1413 and AB 929 addressed groundwater adjudication and SGMA-related protections for small community water systems and wetlands; AB 930 would count vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days; AB 1022 would end towing solely for unpaid parking tickets; AB 290 and AB 302 dealt with automatic payments for the California Fair Plan and medical data protections; AB 1303 would remove the need for a Social Security number for California Lifeline eligibility; and several housing bills, including AB 920, AB 956, AB 1470, AB 893, and AB 1021, sought to streamline approvals or expand housing options. AB 1318 and AB 49 focused on immigrant-serving nonprofits and keeping immigration enforcement out of schools, while AB 1532 extended telecommunications and transportation access programs and added CPUC accountability measures. Testimony was generally supportive for the bills heard, with authors and sponsors emphasizing low or absorbable fiscal impacts, consumer protection, housing production, public safety, and protections for vulnerable communities. Opposition appeared on a few measures, including concerns about ADUs, towing authority, charter school-related issues, and the scale of proposed housing funding in ACA 4. Several members also commented in support of the housing and immigrant-protection measures, and some bills were voted out with recorded no votes or not-voting members noted. After the suspense calendar was deemed approved, the committee opened public comment on bills not presented that day, heard a long list of supporters and opponents on various measures, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's an alternate water supply for Putnam County, very important.
• Water quality, John Hendrickson, former St. Johns River Water Management District supervisor.
• Johns River Water Management District retired.
• It does not provide a source of drinking water.
• Chair Botana: There is an amendment by Representative Nix, bar code 502415. Rep.

Transcript Highlights:

• Agriculture, Asset, Gas and Water Resources Committee, which is the House Appropriations and Finance
• House Bill 137, introduced by Representative Susan Herrera (member_13772), an act relating to water.
• It enacts the Strategic Water Supply Act, creating the Strategic Water Supply Program, authorizing the
• wells or re-completes existing wells to appropriate waters.
• from the fee into the water supply program fund, making appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, the Office of the State Engineer is enforcing the water code using penalties written in 1907
• water rights from another farmer that does have a viable water right.
• water rights are at.
• code.
• As long as I'm within the water right, the volume of water. Is that right?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I understand it's all coded and divvied out. My question is, who did the codes?
• Uh but people aren't getting any water.
• We've got they don't lose any water.
• Um, it's not—yeah, they're not getting any water, and it's not um— Well, I've got the number one water
• <01:15:29.199> in<01:15:29.440> these water upstream and downstream in these water

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• building roof project due to additional structural deterioration and exterior damage to areas causing water
• What about, like, the Liliha tenant code line that you have? Nobody answers the phone.
• So the Oahu number has the message: this is landlord-tenant code.
• If the building has bad water pipes, that doesn't necessarily affect the hurricane coverage.
• <01:20:10.239> standing whole new section to the code standing whole new section to the code

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means and Commerce and Consumer Protection heard the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs present its biennium budget request for fiscal years 2025 to 2027. Director Nainoa Ando said the department’s requests were primarily special-fund ceiling increases to meet operational needs. Major items included an additional $12 million to complete the King Kamehameha V Post Office building roof project after hidden deterioration and water intrusion were discovered, plus funding related to fringe benefits and central services assessments. The department also outlined requests for a new medical compact implementation cost, an auditor position, an engineer position, and a captive insurance IT modernization project. A significant portion of the discussion focused on the Office of Consumer Protection’s landlord-tenant call line and public service access. Senators raised concerns that callers often reach voicemail, are told to leave a message, and sometimes are referred to look up the law themselves. DCCA said the Oʻahu line is staffed by one full-time employee backed by two to three investigators, with one investigator each on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, and that calls are tracked in a case management system. The department said it plans to add one more Oʻahu staff position through a transfer from another division and that a new call-center/web system with time tracking is expected to go live in the summer. Members also discussed a possible bill related to Pearson VUE nursing certification testing, with one senator describing the burden on neighbor-island nursing graduates who must travel to Honolulu for a one-hour test. The senator said she intended to introduce legislation after receiving no response to repeated outreach. DCCA did not take action on that proposal during the hearing. For the PUC-related requests, the department explained a one-time $1 million request for outside consulting tied to Maui wildfire-related filings, including wildfire safety mitigation and hazard mitigation plans, and a separate $900,000 request through the Consumer Advocacy Division to hire consultants for review and analysis. The committee also discussed a captive insurance IT modernization request, which DCCA said would replace manual and spreadsheet-based processes with a cloud-based system to better handle filings, payments, and workflow; no vote or final action was taken on the budget items during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• into our water system.
• Senator Waters. Seeing how it is a Waters bill. Yes, that's right. I'll wax out. Wax.
• Seeing how it is a none, Senator Waters. Seeing how it is a Waters<00:06:39.919> bill.
• Senator Waters.
• Senator Waters. Thank you, Mr. ends. Senator Waters. Thank you, Mr.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They tried to resolve issues like water concerns.
• Code to really figure out exactly how that state conforms.
• So it references the Internal Revenue Code Section 62.
• Slide 28 is just a quick snapshot here of water states.
• We need to get away from dollars and cents in the tax code.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are not allowed to hook up to the city water of Lake Elmo because of the water restrictions that
• They are not allowed to hook up to the city water of Lake Elmo because of the water restrictions that
• of Lake Elmo because of the City Water of Lake Elmo because of the<00:53:06.160> water<00:53:
• They are not allowed to hook up to the city water of Lake Elmo because of the water restrictions that
• Codes existing public infrastructure<01:04:58.920> environmental<01:04:59.520> codes<01

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• County Water Authority, and we're very, very concerned.
• Right now, the property is contaminated—the farmland, the water, the beaches.
• And so here in New York State, we have brand-new codes. ...brand-new codes that apply to battery storage
• Well, the new codes that are in place require a response within four hours of an incident.
• It’s part of the codes. It’s part of having it less.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications met under Chair Senator Kevin Parker and considered several bills related to clean energy, transmission, storage, schools, and microgrids. Bill 1456, which would require certain watercraft, aircraft, and trains to be zero-emissions and direct NYSERDA studies and incentives, was discussed as technology-neutral and advanced with one no vote to the Finance Committee. Bill 286, increasing statewide energy storage capacity, drew concerns about battery safety, fire risk, and volunteer fire department training, but was advanced to the floor with two no votes. Bill 2482, the Go Green Schools Act, would let schools convert to renewable energy and keep savings for school operations; it advanced to the floor despite concerns about siting solar on school grounds. Bill 2485 on expanding electric transmission lines and Bill 5510 directing NYSERDA to develop microgrid recommendations were both advanced to the Finance Committee, each with one no vote. The committee then heard testimony from Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. She argued that wind, solar, storage, and transmission have made New York a leader in clean energy and said renewable energy is increasingly cost-competitive, with much of recent bill increases driven by grid upgrades and gas prices rather than renewables. She also said clean energy helps hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices, pointed to community solar and offshore wind as savings and reliability tools, and said the state’s permitting and interconnection processes have improved. Members questioned Wells about farmland use, decommissioning, recycling of solar and wind equipment, battery storage safety, local control, and misinformation. Wells said utility-scale projects require decommissioning plans and financial assurances, farmland must be restored under agricultural guidelines, and recycling capacity is developing. On battery storage, she said New York has rigorous codes and monitoring requirements, that not all storage is lithium-ion, and that state-level permitting is appropriate for large facilities. Several senators raised concerns about fires, contamination, winter performance, and siting projects in densely populated areas or on farmland, while others emphasized farmland protections and the value of renewable projects to host communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• The next two recommendations come from the report assessing the effectiveness of Washington's water use
• grant the Department of Health the authority to establish a system-size floor for the regulation of water
• loss below which municipal water systems would be exempt.
• Incomplete forms and incorrect coding contributed to fines not being sent correctly.
• and as a result, some revenues were incorrectly coded and sent to the wrong government.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee I-900 Subcommittee heard JLARC’s annual update on the status of legislative implementation of State Auditor recommendations, followed by two State Auditor performance audits. JLARC staff reported that for the 2024 review period there were three new legislative recommendations and three unresolved older recommendations. They said the legislature did not convene a work group on civil asset forfeiture, and no formal action was taken on two water-use-efficiency recommendations. Two recommendations related to concurrent Medicaid enrollments were addressed in a bill introduced this session, but that bill was not adopted. The first audit examined how Washington can ensure climate-resilient electricity infrastructure. The State Auditor found the state has opportunities to better adapt new energy infrastructure by using more site-specific climate information, broader collaboration, and vulnerability assessments. The report recommended expanding climate analyses through the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group if funding is available, using forecasted information in DNR wildfire maps, designating a non-regulatory office to coordinate siting and conflict resolution, and expanding vulnerability assessments in Ecology and Commerce processes. Agency witnesses generally agreed resilience is important but emphasized existing efforts, the need to avoid duplicative requirements, the importance of affordability and efficiency, and the role of current forums such as the Clean Energy Siting Council and SEPA processes. The second audit reviewed fines for human trafficking and related sexual exploitation crimes. Auditors found courts assessed fines inconsistently, collection rates varied, some revenues were sent to the wrong local government, and some jurisdictions did not use the money as required for enforcement, prevention, or survivor services. The audit recommended courts work with prosecutors to improve awareness of mandatory fines, and that King and Pierce County improve coding, templates, and tracking so revenues are routed and used correctly. King County testified that it appreciated the audit and described its existing prevention and survivor-support work. The committee took no votes or formal actions and adjourned after the presentations and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the water program director at the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.
• To haul water out to a sprayer, the applicator who is licensed and registered...
• That is addressed in the federal code regarding what training a handler is required to have.
• Under the federal code, there are trainings that have to happen.
• In southeastern Minnesota, one of our key concerns is the water we drink, the water our children drink

Bills: HF2446

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant