Transcript Highlights:

• appointed by the Speaker who isn't in... she doesn't represent a community that's been impacted by the PFAS
• contamination from Saint-Gobain.
• She doesn't represent a community that's been impacted by the PFAS contamination from Saint-Gobain, and
• I'm on a commission where there is a rep appointed who's not in an impacted community, but from the PFAS

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee held a work session on House Bill 592, which concerns regional conservation and energy resources planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors, and a commission to study transferring ownership of the Winnipesaukee River Basin Program to another authority. Jason Stock of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association said his group was fine with the bill as printed, especially after Senate language clarified that habitat stronghold designations are for information gathering and not regulatory purposes. Ted Diers of the Department of Environmental Services strongly supported the bill’s Winnipesaukee River Basin provisions, saying the state’s role in operating the wastewater system is outdated and that the communities are now capable of taking more control; he also supported creating a higher-level engineering/director position to oversee aging infrastructure and help manage a possible transition. Committee members asked about the facility’s location, capacity, costs, staffing, the possibility of private operation, the commission’s membership, and whether the six-month study timeline was realistic. Diers said there would be no state savings beyond administrative time, that the communities already pay the costs, and that a report in six months should provide useful next steps even if it would not resolve everything. The chair closed the work session on HB 592 and announced a brief recess before later action, while a member indicated interest in proposing an amendment to change the commission’s membership.

Transcript Highlights:

• Warner would permit NASA to reimburse the towns in Virginia for direct cost directly associated. with PFAS
• S-606, Contaminated Wells Relocation Act.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to thank Senator Moore for his amendment for the PFAS-free firefighters' gear.
• polystyrene is a more processed form, and that food that's stored in these containers can become contaminated
• And I have to get money in the budget every year to clean up PFAS.
• we passed legislation to protect firefighters with the requirement that they're saving lives with PFAS
• And every year we have to get money to clean up the PFAS and chronic bacteria and many other harmful

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up a major environmental bond bill with amendments covering climate resilience, housing health, plastics reduction, coastal protection, fisheries, and related regulatory issues. Early debate included Senator Keenan’s withdrawn amendment to fund the Massachusetts Healthy Homes Program with $50 million, followed by his adopted amendment banning hotels from providing plastic toiletry packages. Senator Tarr’s amendment to remove the paper bag charge was defeated after extended debate over whether the 10-cent bag assessment functioned as a tax; a related floor speech from Senator Duner argued the fee would burden working families. The chamber also adopted Senator Fernandez’s ocean acidification amendment, which would aggregate ocean monitoring data to support shellfish, water quality, and coastal management, with support from Senators Sear and Driscoll. Other adopted measures included Driscoll’s Houghton’s Pond multi-use trail, Montigny’s New Bedford State Pier redevelopment and harbor oil-recovery provisions, Collins’s Commonwealth Conservation Commission later withdrawn, and several coastal resilience and housing-related amendments. The Senate also approved a series of environmental and public health measures. Senator Moore’s rodenticide restriction amendment was adopted after testimony from animal welfare and conservation groups, with the sponsor describing harms to wildlife, pets, and livestock and noting local municipal support. Senator Lewis’s amendment directing DEP to study the feasibility of banning polystyrene was adopted, as was Senator Mark’s Massachusetts Climate Bank amendment and Senator Edwards’s carbon sequestration amendment expanding attention to salt marshes, seagrasses, and waterways. The chamber adopted amendments on equitable representation, improving indoor air quality, and a Douglas State Forest trust fund that would raise the entry fee from $1 to $2 for maintenance. Several amendments were withdrawn, including Collins’s urban coastal resilience commission and Tarr’s proposed Commonwealth Conservation Commission. Housing and permitting issues were another major theme. Senator Driscoll’s amendment requiring local confirmation before a project is designated a priority housing project was defeated, but his related amendments clarifying the process and requiring consultation with the Housing and Livable Communities Secretary were adopted. The Senate also adopted Crichton’s amendments streamlining permitting for coastal resiliency projects in urban areas and creating a five-year pilot for nature-based solutions, as well as Tarr’s amendment adding dredging and sand placement to general coastal permits. Tarr’s amendment to revise the Salisbury Beach Preservation Trust Fund was adopted, while his later constitutional challenge to a landform-migration provision was withdrawn after he argued it could amount to an uncompensated taking. The session ended with the Senate noting only two amendments remained and then adjourning in memory of Quincy’s former mayor James A. Sheets.

Transcript Highlights:

• mean, just because I work in this space and the legislature, what they're having to deal with with PFAS
• mean, just because I work in this space and the legislature, what they're having to deal with with PFAS
• , I don't know if this has to deal with PFAS or... ...is Charles, but I do know that they're doing a
• We've also recently come into a lot of contamination at Lake Holloman, also relating to the military

Keywords: 996, all

Bills: HF2446, HF2563, HF2444

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

Bills: HF2446, HF2563, HF2444

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

Bills: HF2446, HF2563, HF2444

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

Transcript Highlights:

• nitrogen avoided, which, when calculated at a 24% loss, is more than 2 million pounds of potential contaminants
• than 2 million pounds<00:51:59.839> of<00:52:00.040> potential<00:52:00.440> contaminants
• <00:52:01.359> that pounds of potential contaminants that pounds of potential contaminants
• statute is required regarding the prohibition of cleaning products containing intentionally added PFAS
• statute is required regarding the prohibition of cleaning products containing intentionally added PFAS

Bills: HF2446, HF2878, HF2667, HF1795, HF2683, HF2916

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

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 34, requiring local projects to address PFAS contamination to be favored for financial assistance
• 39, exempting certain products from prohibitions on the sale of items containing lead, cadmium, and PFAS
• Section 41, facilitating the use of the clean water revolving fund to pay for projects to address PFAS
• contamination.
• Section 42, making tribes contamination.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1642, Harabedian, wildfire contamination standards, do pass with author amendments to remove health
• AB 1603, Schultz, PFAS-containing pesticides, do pass with author's amendments to narrow the application
• of the ban to agricultural uses of applicable pesticides with PFAS pesticide ingredients.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee held a suspense-file hearing on May 14, 2026, reviewing hundreds of Assembly bills and a few committee bills. The chair opened by explaining the committee’s budget constraints and the factors used in suspense decisions, including fiscal impact, return on investment, effects on constituents, and protection of the state’s social safety net. The agenda was organized alphabetically by author, and the committee noted that results would be posted later that day online. The committee then acted on a very large number of measures, sending many bills to the Assembly floor on do pass or do pass as amended motions, while holding many others in committee. Topics covered a broad range of policy areas, including housing, health care, education, labor, public safety, wildfire mitigation, water, energy, transportation, cannabis, immigration, and state governance. Many bills were amended to narrow scope, make implementation contingent on appropriations or existing resources, remove provisions, or clarify agency responsibilities; several bills were held without further action. Among the notable actions, the committee advanced bills on items such as Medi-Cal services, child care, wildfire-related programs, housing financing, school and college issues, public safety and criminal justice, environmental and energy policy, and various consumer and business regulations. Some measures were sent out on A or B roll calls, with Republicans often not voting on amended bills. The hearing concluded after the committee reported that a large number of bills had been moved to the Assembly floor, either as do pass or do pass with amendments, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Both are still contaminated.
• or Potential Contamination at the San Juan Generating Station.
• like PFAS, VOCs, and deeper aquifers.
• That would prevent the contamination of groundwater.
• Yet is how will contaminated groundwater be cleaned? How will it be remedied?

Transcript Highlights:

• It is not like PFAS, which are known to be a problem; this is just ruling these out.
• It<02:44:20.800> isn't<02:44:21.040> like<02:44:21.359> PFAS<02:44:22.479> that
• that are known to be It isn't like PFAS that are known to be a<02:44:23.680> problem.
• Does not persist for long periods in the environment, it can still pose contamination risk during its
• these uh substances how contaminating these uh substances are<02:59:23.200> uh<02:59:23.279><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to address issues that have recently come up regarding certain composting operations, including contaminants
• of equs from P um contam contaminants of equs from P um and<00:40:01.400> so<00:40:02.319>
• She said that in 2022, Maine banned the spreading of PFAS-contaminated sludge as fertilizer, setting
• :45.599> wrap<01:05:45.920> up<01:05:46.119> we<01:05:46.240> have contaminated
• you need to wrap up we have contaminated you need to wrap up we have a<01:05:46.520> lot<01:05

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Housing and Health and Human Services hearing began with Senate Bill 878, which would extend the sunset date for the state rent supplement program for kupuna to June 30, 2028. Testimony was uniformly supportive, including from the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Executive Office on Aging, Catholic Charities Hawaii, and others. Catholic Charities described a waitlist of seniors at imminent risk of homelessness and said the program helps seniors retain housing or secure units with landlord support. Members asked whether the bill would expand the number of households served; staff said the contract allows up to 127 households and that additional pending households could be funded, but applicants must still go through the program process. Both committees voted to pass SB 878 unamended. The committees then heard Senate Bill 1610 on Ohana Zones. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions supported the measure so long as it did not supplant existing funding, and described the funding as supporting homelessness services and wraparound supports. The Department of Human Services and Department of Land and Natural Resources offered comments, with DHS suggesting a definition of “kali” be added for clarity. The committee chair said the bill would receive technical amendments for clarity and consistency and accepted proposed amendments related to including “tales” in the program; the measure was advanced with amendments, with members voting in favor in both committees. In the joint Health and Human Services and Labor and Technology hearing, Senate Bill 1496 on civil rights and website accessibility drew support from disability advocates and organizations, including the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the National Federation of the Blind, the Deaf and Blind Task Force, and the Disability and Communication Access Board. Testimony emphasized the need for stronger state protections amid concerns about federal enforcement, while one testifier raised concerns about jurisdiction, minimum contacts, the use of WCAG 2.1 standards, and the bill’s immediate effective date. The committees decided to pass SB 1496 with technical amendments, including adding a defective date to allow further work before conference, and the recommendation was adopted in both committees. Later, the joint Health, Human Services, and Commerce and Consumer Protection hearing took up Senate Bill 404 on service animals. The Attorney General’s office raised a possible constitutional issue and the lack of an enforcement mechanism, while DHS deferred to other agencies. DCAB supported the bill but recommended amendments to identify an enforcement agency and require notices from professionals and sellers of service-animal or emotional-support-animal paraphernalia. Several advocacy and real estate-related groups testified in support. After discussion, the chair recommended deferring SB 404 for further work because of the Attorney General’s concerns, and the hearing adjourned without a vote on the measure. The final joint Transportation, Culture and the Arts, and Health and Human Services agenda heard SB 1526 on a drug and alcohol toxicology testing laboratory and SB 1492 on mobility management; both measures were advanced with amendments or as-is, with SB 1526 sent forward with technical amendments and SB 1492 moved ahead after members noted blank dollar amounts and requested the Department of Transportation provide figures.

Transcript Highlights:

• health-based standards for drinking water to protect against both naturally occurring, and man-made contaminants
• are also faced with questions of affordability. systems are being updated to treat for emerging contaminants
• others like the Edwards in Central Texas are able to recharge quickly but are also vulnerable to contamination
• Upcoming mandates, like mentioned earlier, such as PFAS treatment, will be very costly hitting the small
• We have emerging contaminants on the regulatory horizon including PFAS that will require large investments

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• first investigate suspected releases, take steps necessary to confirm a release, and remediate the contamination
• We're concerned that most practicable, as much as practicable, isn't going to assure us that the contaminants
• We're concerned that most practicable, as much as practicable, isn't going to assure us that the contaminants
• Going to assure us that the contaminants are removed to the lowest possible level of detectability.

Bills: SB2613, SB2543, SB2398, SB2046, SB2800, SB2818, SB2973, SB2367, SB2907, SB3067, SB3053, SB2944, SB2074, SB2596

Keywords: public school land transfer, Department of Education, DOE, land conveyance, fee simple title, tax map key, TMK, Act 307, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, Act 139, Board of Land and Natural Resources, BLNR, Department of Land and Natural Resources, DLNR, Kauai, Maui, Honolulu, Kaimuki Middle School, Wilcox Elementary School, school property

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 2613, SD1, HD1, relating to public school land transfer. The Attorney General’s office and the Department of Education supported the bill’s technical cleanup of Act 307, but strongly opposed a new provision that would convey school parcels containing public and school library facilities to the Hawaii State Public Library System. They argued the added transfer language conflicted with Act 307’s purpose of consolidating school land for more efficient school operations, and said existing law already allows co-located library use through rights of entry, licenses, or other agreements. The library system supported the bill and said it was trying to resolve longstanding operational conflicts on shared school-campus libraries, especially where public access, construction, and campus safety issues arise. Members questioned whether the Board of Education should simply mediate the dispute, whether the bill was the right solution, and whether a formal memorandum of agreement might be a better approach than a land transfer. The library system described years of difficulty coordinating with DOE on projects and said it needed a clearer process to complete work and spend CIP funds. Discussion also touched on a Kauai parcel in the bill, identified as a tennis court, and whether resurfacing could be completed before any transfer. The Attorney General indicated that if the goal is to preserve library uses while keeping title with the state, DLNR or another documented arrangement may be more appropriate than transferring fee title to the library system. The committee then heard SB 2543 SD2 HD1, relating to state construction projects. DAGS supported the measure, and the Hawaii Ironworkers Stabilization Fund and Hawaii Building Construction Trade Council strongly supported it, saying the bill would help spot-check high-cost projects and reduce waste from overruns and delays. One testifier opposed the bill, arguing the proposed construction manager role was too limited and that DAGS needed more training, decentralized authority, and better internal decision-making rather than a new layer of oversight. Supporters said the bill was intended as a pilot program to address repeated cost overruns and improve accountability on state construction projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the only epidemiologist statewide tasked with investigating the impacts of contaminants in our drinking
• Specifically, one of the things I've been working on lately is the issue of PFAS around some of our Air
• The reason I come here today, though, isn't to talk about contaminants in our drinking water.
• Although I think being here in New Mexico, a state which, as you are well aware, has fast contamination
• Madam Chair, not to mention how they might use produced water in agriculture that has PFAS in it.

Transcript Highlights:

• I is a study into the effects of the land application of PFAS-contaminated biosolids, and J is a study
• bioolids and J is for a contaminated bioolids and J is for a study<00:32:00.720> into<00:32:01.039
• Then there's a House-only transfer to the University of Minnesota for research into crop contamination
• Then there's a House-only transfer to the University of Minnesota for research into crop contamination
• <00:37:08.240> by for research into crop contamination by for research into crop contamination

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Agriculture Conference Committee met for an initial organizational and comparison session on House File 2446, the agriculture broadband and rural development bill. Members introduced themselves, noted that no conference target had yet been set, and agreed to begin with a side-by-side review of House and Senate positions. No oral testimony was taken; instead, the chair listed written testimony submitted by a wide range of agricultural, environmental, local government, food bank, and industry groups. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through the major funding differences. Both bills included some shared items such as operating adjustments, wolf and elk damage compensation, and certain technical changes, but they differed on several major appropriations. The House generally proposed larger increases for meat inspection, local food purchasing, and the Board of Animal Health, and added items such as county inspector grants, biofertilizer innovation, a biosolids/PFAS-related study, a soil health study, broadband installation study funding, an Agri Works program, an Agri Support program, a milk grant program, and several House-only transfers and grants. The Senate included items such as a climate coordinator position, biofuel-related reductions and policy changes, livestock processing funding, farm-to-school and urban agriculture changes, MARL funding, cottage foods licensing updates, and several Senate-only pass-through grants and transfers. Staff also noted differences in the agriculture emergency account transfer approach and in how the two bodies handled the Second Harvest Heartland and related food distribution provisions. House Research then reviewed the policy language differences in the bill. The House language included provisions allowing more flexible use of grant administration funds, unpaid prior-year claims, county inspector grants, and updates tied to its own policy article, while the Senate language included the climate coordinator, PFAS-related commercialization language, cooperative development grant permissive language, and other Senate policy changes. The committee did not take any votes or final actions at this meeting; the session was informational and focused on identifying differences for later negotiation.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is one of the primary constituents of environmental contamination related to PFAS chemicals, which
• incidence of certain cancers, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, and the presumption is the exposure to PFAS

Transcript Highlights:

• city and from the County of Kauaʻi how expensive that would be, and I have increasing concerns about PFAS
• water around the state for irrigation that it's safe and that it's not making people sick, because PFAS
• water around the state for irrigation that it's safe and that it's not making people sick, because PFAS
• Hawaii and the nucleatory contamination.
• possibility of permanent contamination possibility of permanent contamination of<01:37:39.440>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered three measures. SB 1602 would appropriate funds to DLNR for monitoring wells for the Koho aquifer system; DLNR and HHFDC supported it, and written testimony from several organizations and individuals was also in support. Members asked whether monitoring wells are a statewide function rather than a county function, and staff confirmed they are done statewide. The second bill was an administration measure clarifying that criminal water pollution enforcement remains with the Department of Health rather than DLNR. The Attorney General’s office said it was a cleanup clarification and that DOH has stronger enforcement powers and better testing capability; DOH and DLNR supported it, and there was no opposition noted. The final and most heavily debated measure was SB 1074 on environmental impact statements. The bill would let previously authorized or permitted commercial activities continue for up to one year while an agency determines whether environmental review applies after a challenge, and would allow permit renewals during that review. DLNR said it stood on written comments and suggested aligning the bill with similar House language. Supporters, including several ocean tourism and Maui business representatives, argued the bill would provide certainty and keep families and small operators working while environmental review is completed, especially in the wake of the Lahaina fires and ongoing business losses. Some supporters said the measure should be narrowed with a sunset or limited to recently renewed permits. Opponents, including the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, and other environmental advocates, argued the bill was overly broad and could weaken HEPA/NEPA-style environmental review, especially for fisheries and other commercial activities. They said the bill could be used as a “Trojan horse” to avoid review and that DLNR could resolve the underlying disputes more quickly through settlement or existing exemption processes. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, and then I want to go down to line 175, contaminated sites. I know in Bernalillo County...
• But there are a lot of contamination sites. I believe it's everywhere in the state.
• Support of PFAS substance rule and litigation, with the findings out at Holloman Lake.
• Thinking about PFAS over in Albuquerque.
• There was a $23 million recovery from Monsanto for PCB contamination.