Bills: HB20, HB276, HB644, HB812, HB816, HB916, HB1131, HB1247, HB1518, HB1525, HB1537, HB1541, HB1546, HB1553, HB1562, HB1565, HB1566, HB1576, HB1577, HB1591, HB1605, HB1612, HB1613, HB1614, HB1618, HB1620, HB1650, HB1656, HB1658, HB1661, HB1664, HB1668, HB1676, HB1707, HB1711, HB1713, HB1715, HB1718, HB1727, HB1749, HB1756, HB1774, HB1776, HB1801, HB1802, HB1805, HB1813, HB1815, HB1831, HB1838, HB1853, HB1854, HB1859, HB1863, HB1871, HB1872, HB1918, HB1920, HB1952, HB1965, HB1966, HB1967, HB1969, HB1972, HB1973, HB1974, HB1975, HB1980, HB1985, HB2005, HB2023, HB2031, HB2033, HB2062, HB2113, HB2114, HB2116, HB2138, HB2139, HB2156, HB2158, HB2159, HB2171, HB2208, HB2268, HB2270, HB2272, HB2273, HB2276, HB2289, HB2310, HB2315, HB2335, HB2338, HB2339, HB2340, HB2343, HB2361, HB2384, HB2387, SB2338, SB2431, SB2438, SB2593, SB2907, SB2671, SB2321, SB3084, SB2401, SB3033, SB2972, SB3032, SB2806, SB3014, SB2108, SB2981, SB2973, SB2423, SB2078, SB2322, SB2397, SB2896, SB2088, SB2347, SB2408, SB2970, SB2851, SB2713, SB2697, SB2312, SB2192, SB2363, SB2530, SB3028, SB2024, SB3007, SB2599, SB2596, SB2662, SB2930, SB3334, SB2378, SB3019, SB3231, SB2240, SB2372, SB2175, SB2046, SB2298, SB2922, SB2835, SB3263, SB2174, SB2128, SB2006, SB2489, SB3134, SB2982, SB2425, SB2849, SB2797, SB2795, SB2575, SB2521, SB2765, SB2386, SB2852, SB2022, SB2117, SB2277, SB2387, SB2688, SB2885, SB3132, SB3219, SB2169, SB2591, SB2090, SB2983, SB888, SB3249, SB2611, SB2429, SB2463, SB3154, SB3131, SB3152, SB3315, SB2448, SB2054, SB2140, SB2520, SB2377, SB2986, SB2010, SB2189, SB2026, SB3010, SB2818, SB2002

Keywords: lava insurance, homeowners, insurance market, subsidy, Hawaii, condominiums, annual report, filing fee, real estate, developer, residency, property regime, PFAS, single-use plastics, environmental health, food ware, pollution reduction, local produce, agriculture, Hawaii Revised Statutes

Transcript Highlights:

• signed up earlier, Miss Davis, and you scratched it out, and that's why I'd been more than happy to accommodate
• more<01:40:42.480> than<01:40:42.639> happy<01:40:42.800> to<01:40:42.880> accommodate
• <01:40:43.360> you more than happy to accommodate you more than happy to accommodate you because

Keywords: During the committee meeting live stream, portion of the video was lost due to network issues. There were also some technical difficulties with content and the incorrect background image being used. The lost footage was recovered from backup, and the other issues corrected in post production editing. 1. 00:00:41 Call to Order 2. 00:01:02 Roll Call 3. 00:02:54 Approval of Minutes 4. 00:05:06 Statutory Reports and Data Requests 5. 00:35:14 2025 and 2026 Session Update 6. 01:03:10 Board Structure Updates and Subcommittees 7. 01:05:20 Public Comment 8. 02:23:14 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight Board meeting opened with quorum, approval of the March 9 and March 16, 2026 minutes, and a welcome to new member Representative Willner. The board then heard a presentation from the Department of Medicaid Services on several statutory reports: the quarterly budget analysis (LRC) report, the quarterly MCO report, the provider tax and assessment report, the enrollee demographic report, the annual behavioral health/substance use disorder utilization report, and the Medicaid pharmaceutical rebate fund. Commissioner Lisa Lee and CFO Steve Bechal explained the reports and answered questions. On spending, DMS said the quarterly budget analysis report should be read using the summary tabs because the first tab reflects only traditional Medicaid and does not include all populations. Lee said the first three quarters of fiscal year 2026 showed about $191 million more in waiver spending than the same period last year, about $250 million more in other categories such as nursing facilities, CCBHCs, and FQHCs, and roughly $450 million more in total fee-for-service spending. She also noted that Medicare Part D premiums are 100% state funds and estimated the state-fund increase at about $140 million. For managed care, DMS said pharmacy, inpatient hospital, and outpatient hospital spending made up about 66% of MCO payments so far this fiscal year. Members asked about administrative costs, provider tax impacts, citizenship-status categories, medical loss ratio, and whether the reports could be expanded to show recoupments and citizenship-based spending. DMS clarified that the spending figures discussed were benefit costs only, not administrative costs, and said administrative match rates vary. On the provider tax and directed payments report, Lee said the new CMS proposed rule would allow separate payment terms to continue through the grandfathering period, but that the impact would be substantial for providers even if the administrative effect was minimal. She also said DMS was still reviewing unusual citizenship categories such as “other” and “unspecified,” and would provide more information on medical loss ratio and recoupments if available. Auditor Ball raised concerns about alleged waste, duplicate Social Security numbers, ineligible enrollees, and high error rates in other programs. Lee responded that Medicaid focuses on fraud, waste, and abuse, but said the cited $800 million figure was not factual because it did not account for people enrolled in more than one Medicaid program at the same time. She said DMS is reviewing eligibility systems, including changes tied to community engagement requirements, and is working with the cabinet’s eligibility staff and ombudsman division on error rates. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Anti-Discrimination Act, provisions on housing, provisions on employment, provisions on public accommodations
• on employment, provisions<02:33:47.439> on<02:33:47.680> public<02:33:47.920> accommodations
• <02:33:49.120> We provisions on public accommodations.
• We provisions on public accommodations.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It should not take 20 years and a bridge collapse to rebuild a freeway to accommodate a BRT line in a
• freeway<02:00:32.840> to collapse to rebuild a freeway to collapse to rebuild a freeway to accommodate
• 00:34.840> in<02:00:35.000> a<02:00:35.040> toll<02:00:35.320> lane accommodate
• a BRT line in a toll lane accommodate a BRT line in a toll lane that<02:00:35.680> has<02:00:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, thank you for that accommodation. I think that's it. We're going to call it there.
• thank<02:48:21.200> you<02:48:21.359> for<02:48:21.520> that<02:48:21.600> accommodation
• <02:48:22.160> I thank you for that accommodation. I thank you for that accommodation.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Friday, March 20, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate reconvened with a quorum and quickly moved through committee reports and second-reader bills, adopting committee amendments and sending several measures to third reading without objection. Bills advanced included SB 10 on State Highway Administration approval timelines for speed monitoring systems; SB 487 on speed monitoring systems in safety corridors; SB 689 creating a task force on post-release services and re-entry; SB 811 requiring reporting of new home sale prices in multiple listing services; SB 877 authorizing a Baltimore City stop sign monitoring pilot in the 41st district; SB 937, the Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act, limiting use of criminal history in tenant screening; SB 984 barring private immigration detention facilities; SB 465 on out-of-court statements and second-degree assault; SB 187 on pre-release services for incarcerated women; SB 388, the Decade Act, revising multiple economic development and tax credit programs; and SB 844, the annual corrective bill. Most of the floor discussion focused on explaining amendments and the policy effects of the bills. Supporters described the housing bill as expanding second-chance opportunities while adding safeguards, and a senator asked detailed questions about how landlords could screen for serious offenses and sex offender registry status. SB 984 was described as an emergency measure preventing state and local approval of private detention facilities and authorizing enforcement by the Attorney General. SB 465 was presented as closing a gap in Maryland law on witness intimidation and aligning the state with broader practice. SB 187 would rename and expand the women’s pre-release facility into a re-entry facility and require progress reports. The most extended debate came on SB 165, the on-site wastewater systems bill. One amendment to exempt redevelopment properties from inspection was offered and failed by roll call with 27 votes in the negative. A second amendment to require consultation with Maryland Realtors in developing regulations was then offered; supporters argued it would help avoid delays in property settlements and bring real estate professionals into the regulatory process, while opponents said the bill concerned broader wastewater regulations, not just property transfers. The transcript cuts off during that amendment’s discussion, before the final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Did this bill accommodate the recent, you know, OLA report that was released today to clarify kickbacks
• <01:37:14.440> does<01:37:14.640> this<01:37:14.960> bill<01:37:15.120> accommodate
• <01:37:16.200> the Did did does this bill accommodate the Did did does this bill accommodate

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you need further accommodations, please let the sergeants know.
• If you need further accommodations,<00:00:56.800> please<00:00:57.039> let<00:00:57.280
• > the<00:00:57.440> sergeants accommodations, please let the sergeants accommodations,

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• something because of an injury, we've simplified the process for the provider to be able to make accommodations
• <02:14:51.040> could serving food so I assume we could serving food so I assume we could accommodate
• <02:14:54.000> Thank<02:14:54.239> you<02:14:54.480> and accommodate it.
• Thank you and accommodate it. Thank you.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are allowing them to effectively accommodate property that they don't technically own, but that's
• 45:28.079> them<00:45:28.160> to<00:45:28.319> effectively<00:45:28.720> accommodate
• allowing them to effectively accommodate allowing them to effectively accommodate property<00:45

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Then we accommodate those kinds of requests as well, but I can't tell you that for everyone it happens
• it's a department priority um then know it's a department priority um then we<00:15:31.839> accommodate
• > those<00:15:32.560> kinds<00:15:32.720> of<00:15:32.880> requests we accommodate
• those kinds of requests we accommodate those kinds of requests as<00:15:33.440> well<00:15:33.839

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Labor held an informational briefing on August 22, 2025, to receive an update from DEH on statewide recruitment efforts aimed at reducing vacancies across state departments. Director Hashimoto, joined by DEH staff, presented on two hiring initiatives: Wikiwiki Hire and Operation Hire Hawaii. The committee focused on how each program works, how quickly applications are screened and referred, and how the programs differ from standard recruitment procedures. For Wikiwiki Hire, DEH described it as an accelerated recruitment pathway used mainly for classes with multiple vacancies. DEH screens applications every two weeks, then sends qualified applicants a list of participating departments and recruiter contact information so applicants and departments can connect directly. Committee members asked about effectiveness data, timelines, and whether the process aligns with the merit principle. DEH said the program is intended to speed hiring, that departments are not required to interview every person on a list, and that applicants can be hired as vacancies are filled on a first-come, first-served basis so long as all qualified applicants have the same opportunity. DEH also said it could provide data later and that it is working through a backlog of screenings. The committee then discussed Operation Hire Hawaii, an executive-order-based hiring effort launched in February to expedite hiring, including for displaced federal workers but open to all applicants. DEH reported more than 6,000 applications, 127 recruitments, 81 closed recruitments, and 142 hires, with a goal of conditional offers within two weeks. DEH said it turns applications around daily, while departments do the initial screening, interviews, and hiring decisions, with DEH completing final qualification screening and suitability checks at the end. Members asked about the program’s duration, its low conversion rate, and what happens to applicants who are not hired; DEH said it can refer qualified applicants to other vacancies and that the pilot was originally intended to run about a year, with possible extension if departments want it to continue.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we support everybody who needs disability accommodation services, just like we support every trainee
• we support everybody who needs and we support everybody who needs disability<01:02:30.559> accommodation
• <01:02:31.280> services<01:02:32.240> just disability accommodation services just disability
• accommodation services just like<01:02:32.640> we<01:02:32.880> support<01:02:33.359><

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• conducive to flooding of property or that of another, making sure the streets are sufficient width to accommodate
• sufficient making sure the streets are sufficient width<00:51:59.359> to<00:51:59.520> accommodate
• <00:52:00.000> existing<00:52:00.640> and width to accommodate existing and width to
• accommodate existing and perspective<00:52:01.280> traffic<00:52:01.520> and<00:52:01.760

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 291, which would update religious land-use and property tax exemption rules for church-owned parsonages, parish houses, and similar properties. Senator Tim Lang, speaking for the sponsor, said the bill was intended to address situations where former parsonages are no longer occupied by clergy and are instead used for church-related purposes such as housing staff, religious education, or congregate living tied to ministry, including addiction recovery. He emphasized that the bill was not meant to create commercial rental housing and that it also preserves reasonable zoning and environmental regulations. Committee members pressed the sponsor on how the bill would be applied, especially the meaning of “religious purposes,” the six-unit limit, the “same lot” language, and whether churches could use the exemption to rent units for revenue. The sponsor said the six-unit cap was added to prevent large-scale commercial rental use, that congregate housing would be limited and defined, and that the bill was meant to cover uses like substance abuse recovery, homes for unwed mothers, and religious education, but not apartments converted for ordinary rental. He also said churches would still file annual exemption paperwork and towns could challenge claims they believed were commercial. Questions also raised concerns about whether the bill treated religious and nonreligious housing trusts differently; the sponsor responded that the bill was aimed at church-owned property used in pursuit of a religious mission. Several witnesses testified in support. Representative Mark Pearson, an active clergyman, said the bill would not remove additional property from the tax rolls because clergy housing allowances typically lead clergy to buy taxable homes elsewhere, while the church-owned parsonage remains exempt. Nick Taylor of Housing Action New Hampshire supported the bill as a modest expansion that could help create more attainable housing by allowing better use of existing religious land and structures, though he noted his organization would support even broader use. The hearing ended without a vote or final action, and the chair closed questions after the testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• something we would message to your group about to possibly come up with legislation of our own to accommodate
• possibly come up with legisl of our own possibly come up with legisl of our own to<04:11:14.680> accommodate
• we're<04:11:15.920> not<04:11:16.119> seeing<04:11:16.640> that to accommodate
• but we're not seeing that to accommodate but we're not seeing that um<04:11:17.840> liquor<04

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee met in executive session and first discussed scheduling, noting that Town Meeting Day would cancel the next Tuesday meeting, that they would meet Wednesday instead, and that remaining bills would be handled through subcommittees and a likely final executive session on the 19th to meet the deadline for committee action on the 20th. The committee then took up several bills, with repeated roll calls and votes, often placing measures on the consent calendar after committee approval. House Bill 185 on ambulance reimbursement rates was described as a perennial issue and was voted inexpedient to legislate, with members noting concerns that an any-willing-provider approach would make premium impacts hard to evaluate. House Bill 186 on cannabis legalization was retained for further work, with members saying the bill addressed stopping marijuana arrests but that the sales and implementation details still needed more development. House Bill 241 on treatment alternatives to opioids was also retained because the sponsor could not attend and the committee wanted more time to continue work. The committee then considered House Bill 302 on state treasury investments in digital assets and precious metals. The amendment narrowed the proposal, removing more complicated provisions like stable tokens and staking, lowering the authorized allocation from 10% to 5%, and limiting eligible digital assets to those with very high market capitalization; members discussed volatility, the treasurer’s discretion, and oversight through bond-rating concerns. The amendment and the bill as amended both passed, and the bill was placed on the consent calendar. Other measures moved quickly: House Bill 451 on a paint product stewardship program was amended to remove direct funding and framed as manufacturer-run enabling legislation, then passed and was placed on consent; House Bill 499 made technical corrections to insurance laws and passed unanimously; House Bill 538 on relocating Liquor Commission positions passed unanimously; House Bill 552 on children covered under the state retirement insurance plan was cleaned up to remove a student requirement and passed unanimously; and a blockchain/digital currencies bill was amended to address noise and local regulation concerns for data mining operations, with supporters emphasizing energy-use issues, municipal authority, and a separate commission studying regulation. That bill also passed and was sent to consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• students with similar special education needs, or it's a matter of providing some alternative accommodations
• a matter of providing um some it's a matter of providing um some alternative<01:16:48.560> accommodations
• <01:16:49.360> that<01:16:49.480> they alternative accommodations that they alternative
• accommodations that they just<01:16:49.760> do<01:16:49.920> for<01:16:50.080> special

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're unable to accommodate.
• 31.280> unable<00:50:31.680> to you that they're unable to you that they're unable to accommodate
• 35.559> more<00:50:35.839> of<00:50:35.960> our<00:50:36.200> schools accommodate
• um 17 or more of our schools accommodate um 17 or more of our schools have<00:50:37.240> identified

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, that's going to um accommodate the needs of that um apartment building. get in to um attend a fire
• <04:42:15.680> the<04:42:15.920> needs that's going to um accommodate the needs that's
• going to um accommodate the needs of<04:42:16.400> that<04:42:17.280> um<04:42:17.680>
• Um, and just for the sake of that lot, it needs to accommodate a fire truck anyway, and the turnaround
• that we have and the knowledge that we have of why that parking lot needs to be a certain size to accommodate

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In other words, the process needs to accommodate everyone, and everybody should have that same right,
• 00:09:49.440> process<00:09:49.760> needs<00:09:50.040> to<00:09:50.279> accommodate
• the process needs to accommodate the process needs to accommodate everyone<00:09:51.880> and<
• talking $20,000 to $25,000, maybe even upwards of $30,000, we didn't count time off, gas, tolls, or accommodations
• talking $20,000 to $25,000, maybe even upwards of $30,000, we didn't count time off, gas, tolls, or accommodations

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• supremacy clause immunity is constitutionally required in some particular application, the statute accommodates
• supremacy clause immunity is constitutionally required in some particular application, the statute accommodates
• <00:57:43.320> that<00:57:43.560> holding the statute accommodates that holding the
• statute accommodates that holding and<00:57:44.240> the<00:57:44.320> rest<00:57:44.640
• We said that disparate impact is a violation of public accommodations in CADA, which means a policy is

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That is just an unfortunately incorrect statement that our current systems could accommodate that, and
• could statement that our current systems could statement that our current systems could accommodate
• that uh and each utility has accommodate that uh and each utility has their<00:57:51.839> own
• a bottom-up system, and the bottom-up piece is the distributed generators, and they need to be accommodated
• by the former Monopoly accommodated by the former Monopoly system<01:21:05.840> uh<01:21:06.000

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sam, I respect your position and appreciate your accommodation."
• position and Sam, I respect your position and appreciate<02:47:33.520> your<02:47:33.680> accommodation

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began as a Committee of Conference on House Bill 194, but the discussion quickly centered on whether to remove an attached bill, 504, because of concerns about a possible fee or tax and a House rule issue. Members debated the procedural posture of the bill, whether the House version had been non-concurred, and whether the conference committee could still resolve the issue by adopting the House amendment or reconsidering the non-concur. The exchange became tense, with one side warning that failing to pass the measure could jeopardize a linked rural health transformation grant worth about $20 million. The committee ultimately recessed without resolving the 194/504 dispute and planned to return the next day. The committee then opened conference on House Bill 609, which dealt with use-of-force/self-defense language and restraint/seclusion authority in health care settings. On the self-defense portion, House members argued strongly for restoring vehicle language, saying people should be able to defend themselves in a car the same way they can in a home, especially in carjacking or assault situations where no weapon is displayed. Senate members expressed concern about expanding deadly-force protections too broadly and suggested narrowing the language to focus on imminent harm to the person, not property, while also questioning where the provision should be placed in statute. The second major topic in HB 609 was who may order restraint or seclusion in clinical settings. House members argued that physicians are not always immediately available, especially in hospitals and emergency settings, and that APRNs and physician associates should be able to act in crises if properly trained and credentialed. Senate members raised concerns about scope of practice and asked whether the language implied patient consent was required; the Senate side explained that consent language was intended to address capacity and informed decision-making, not to require voluntary consent to restraint. The discussion ended with the sides still apart, though the Senate floated a compromise allowing physician associates to order restraint when no doctor is physically on the premises, while not yet extending that authority to APRNs. The committee took a short break to continue negotiations on the firearm/self-defense piece.