Transcript Highlights:

• Forty percent of all people in jail in Hawaii right now are homeless, and prosecutors, public defenders
• </c><00:29:28.200><c> and</c><00:29:29.080><c> prosecutors</c> right now are homeless and prosecutors
• right now are homeless and prosecutors police<00:29:30.279><c> public</c><00:29:30.559><c> defenders
• Page 350, HMS 777, sequence 101001: other current expenses for Statewide Office of Homeless and Housing
• and Housing Solutions office of homeless and Housing Solutions modify modify modify $1<01:12:35.440>

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Ninety-five percent of our students are Latino, 10% of our students experience homelessness, 16% of our
• Ninety-five percent of our students are Latino, 10% of our students experience homelessness, 16% of our
• For example, our students are 20% E, 60% students of color, and 60% students who qualify for free and
• For example, our students are 20% E, 60% students of color, and 60% students who qualify for free and
• c> with</c> on students of color, students with on students of color, students with disabilities,<02:

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a current undergraduate at the University of Hawaii and a student intern for the climate change
• We're also going to include the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness to be part of the working group
• 51.360><c> on</c> to include the governor's coordinator on to include the governor's coordinator on homelessness
• 53.040><c> part</c><01:31:53.199><c> of</c><01:31:53.280><c> the</c><01:31:53.520><c> working</c> homelessness
• to be part of the working homelessness to be part of the working group.<01:31:54.480><c> And</c><01:

Committee: House Water & Land

Summary: The House Committee on Water and Land met on March 25, 2025, and first announced it had deleted HCR 3 and HCR 4567 from the agenda pending similar Senate measures. It then heard HR 35/HCR 40, which urges DLNR and other state agencies to work with community groups to co-steward community forests on public lands. DLNR’s urban and community forester testified in strong support, and several organizations and individuals submitted support; there were no questions or opposition noted. The committee next heard HCR 64, asking OPSD to convene a working group on establishing and placing an Office of Resilience and Recovery. OPSD and the Governor’s Office of Recovery and Resilience supported the resolution and suggested friendly amendments, including replacing county civil defense representatives with mayors or their designees and allowing subject-matter experts to serve. Members questioned the office’s role, funding, and relationship to other resilience and emergency management offices, and the witness explained it was created after the Maui wildfires to coordinate long-term recovery, with special-project funding and a focus distinct from response and mental health functions. The committee also heard HR 59/HCR 65 on coordinating concurrent reviews of general plan, district boundary, and zoning amendments during land reclassification. OPSD testified with comments and warned that the proposal could facilitate spot zoning if individual landowners could use the concurrent process, recommending it be limited to county-initiated actions. A related discussion followed on HR 118/HCR 122, which would create a collaborative working group on surveying and protecting iwi kūpuna and related coastal erosion issues; DNR, OHA, and others supported it with suggested additions, and testimony emphasized cultural sensitivity and community-specific decision-making. Members asked about burial practices and a recent court ruling, and witnesses said the working group could help guide broader policy and communication. Finally, the committee heard HR 145/HCR 151, requesting DLNR to report on its lease enforcement process and procedures. DLNR said it was recruiting staff to conduct lease inspections but had difficulty filling positions due to compensation, and explained that new or extended leases can include inspection requirements, while retroactive cost-shifting would raise contractual issues. Members asked for information on lease renewal timelines and whether inspection provisions were being added to renewals; DLNR said those decisions are made in public sunshine meetings and agreed to provide additional information. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We work in child welfare, juvenile court, youth and family immigration, and youth homelessness.
• The homeless youth providers and the mental health, the substance use disorder...
• The homeless youth providers and the mental health, the substance use disorder, the behavioral health
• The homeless youth providers and the mental health, the substance use disorder, the behavioral health
• housing, which is a six- to ten-bed program specifically for young people facing unaccompanied homelessness

Committee: Senate Human Services

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee held a work session focused on child welfare dependency, reviewing implementation of 2021’s Keeping Families Together Act (1227) and 2023’s Child and Family Fentanyl Response law (6109), along with related data, lived-experience testimony, and emerging issues. DCYF first outlined the dependency process, explaining the intake, shelter care, fact-finding, disposition, review, and permanency stages, and clarified that children may be in-home or out-of-home at different points. The department emphasized that 1227 raised the removal threshold to imminent physical harm and strengthened kin placement, with nearly 60% of children now placed with kin or suitable relatives. DCYF also said 6109 directed courts to give great weight to fentanyl’s lethality and added regional legal liaisons, though some contracted supports were not implemented due to budget constraints. Data presented by DCYF showed entries into care fell after 1227 but rose again after 6109, returning close to pre-1227 levels; the department linked rising critical incidents to the fentanyl epidemic, parental stress, and system complexity, and described responses such as statewide Safe Child Council staffing and hotspot monitoring. Committee members asked for more detail on age breakdowns and geographic patterns of incidents. Advocates and lived-experience speakers from Legal Counsel for Youth and Children and a medical-legal partnership described 1227 as a necessary reform to reduce unnecessary removals and racial disproportionality, while saying they have not seen courts fail to remove children when safety concerns are clearly presented. They explained that 6109 was intended to help courts account for fentanyl’s lethality at shelter care hearings. A parent ally testified that family-centered, peer-supported services, treatment access, housing, transportation, CPR and safe-sleep education, and third-party safety plan participants can help families stay together and reduce harm. She said suitable-other placements under 1227 were a major improvement, but more inpatient beds, family treatment options, and community supports are still needed. Speakers also said application of DCYF policy varies by county, creating “justice by geography.” The committee then heard an update on Senate Bill 6068 from the Administrative Office of the Courts and K Implementation and Evaluation. The report identified 15 dimensions of relational permanency and child well-being, using input from more than 80 professional and lived experts, and recommended a phased data strategy: use existing data where possible, improve partially available measures, and develop new collection where needed. AOC said a prior data-sharing agreement with DCYF expired in June 2025, leaving a gap in statewide dependency reporting, and urged a new agreement, a standing cross-agency work group, and better integration with DCYF’s new child welfare information system. The committee also received a brief update on the Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care, which is redesigning its mission and work groups to better center lived experience and cross-system collaboration. In emerging issues, Jim Theophilus described bridge housing for young adults exiting inpatient behavioral health treatment, noting that many youth leave treatment to homelessness or shelters and that two bridge housing programs have now opened, one on each side of the state. He said the model is based on voluntary, community-based support and a “return to community” plan shaped by youth input. The committee then moved to juvenile rehabilitation capacity issues, with DCYF’s new assistant secretary for Juvenile Rehabilitation scheduled to provide an update, following a recent visit by committee members to Green Hill School.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's not advice I give my students at social work administration classes at Missouri.
• , but I do know our CHWs have individuals on very lengthy lists to get into those, and the local homeless
• But we're also talking about significant numbers of young people and college students and professionals
• She'll go to homeless drop-in centers. She'll spend some time at our downtown location.

Committee: House Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• prison for 20 years who now have a job and a meaningful salary, people who have been experiencing homelessness
• who now take pride in the work. ...a meaningful salary, people who have been experiencing homelessness
• Pathways Program, and so this includes trends and participation from our participants, where the students
• support one permanent position, which would be an assistant deputy director, and then one graduate student

Transcript Highlights:

• I move that Senate File 2522 be withdrawn from the Committee on Housing Homeless Prevention and be referred
• Senator Mann moves that Senate File 2522 be withdrawn from the Committee on Housing and Homelessness

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, please welcome Isis Gton, student at Milford High School, and Jacob Tiny, student at Timberlane
• , and student at Milford High School, and Jacob<00:14:45.760><c> Tiny,</c><00:14:46.320><c> student</
• </c> A student who feels safe UN, I'm sorry. A student who feels safe UN, I'm sorry.
• You're not to ask any student.
• You're to be there for that student." student." student."

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, according to the 2023 annual homelessness assessment report from the U.S.
• Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness rose in New Hampshire by 52%, which was the
• National experts say that the lack of affordable housing is the number one cause of homelessness.
• </c><00:50:23.760><c> Rental</c><00:50:24.160><c> prices</c> cause of homelessness.
• Rental prices cause of homelessness.

Committee: Senate Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• . students. students.
• </c><02:37:12.319><c> To</c> scores of the students? Nope. To scores of the students? Nope.
• </c> opportunities enrich students learning. opportunities enrich students learning.
• </c> educational interest of their students. educational interest of their students.
• </c> students to attend CTE and civic events. students to attend CTE and civic events.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a great bill to make sure our students don't lose their education on agriculture and to keep that
• It is a great bill to make sure our students don't lose their education on agriculture and to keep that
• It's going to be this year, it's the 15th annual, June 13th, and it's to help homeless people.

Transcript Highlights:

• We talk about homelessness. We talk about creating economic opportunity.
• recommendations regarding the use of AI in K-12 and higher education, what competencies and skills students
• If an act... education, what competencies and skills students need to succeed in an AI economy, and how

Summary: The committee held a work session focused on technology in government, AI, broadband, and digital equity. Seattle CTO Rob Lloyd described the city’s AI strategy, emphasizing responsible use, privacy, security, community input, and data strategy. He said Seattle is using small pilots and partnerships to test AI for tasks such as public records processing, infrastructure inspection, and permitting, while keeping humans as the final decision-makers. Members asked about bias, liability, training on best practices, labor involvement, and public records; Lloyd said AI should remain an assistant tool, not a replacement for human judgment, and that Seattle is still testing solutions for records requests and permitting. WATech CTO Nick Stow and Deputy Director Mark Quimby discussed the state’s broader AI policy, the generative AI executive order, a sandbox with more than 15 agencies, and use cases including a resident portal, cybersecurity, and wildfire detection. They stressed consent, closed systems, human-centered design, and the need to govern all forms of AI, not just generative AI. Committee members raised concerns about federal data access, labor issues, and wildfire detection effectiveness. Spokane County IT staff described a more restrictive approach to AI, citing privacy, bias, and cyber risks. The county standardized on Microsoft Copilot as its only approved chat-style AI tool, blocked other AI chat platforms, and requires human review of all AI-generated content. They said AI is also being used by criminals for phishing and deepfakes, underscoring the need for strong policy and security controls. The committee also received an update from the Attorney General’s AI Task Force. Yuki Ishizuka said the task force has 19 members and eight subcommittees covering ethics, consumer protection, labor, health care, public safety, education, government efficiency, cybersecurity, and industry/energy. The task force is working toward an interim report due December 1, 2025 and a final report due July 1, 2026, and is reviewing recommendations through public forums and advisory committees. Ishizuka warned that a federal budget reconciliation provision could bar states from enforcing AI regulations for 10 years, and several members voiced support for state authority and asked about possible 2026 legislation. The committee then heard updates on broadband and digital equity. Commerce’s Dave Pringle said the BEAD broadband program is being reshaped by new NTIA guidance, which removed or reduced emphasis on several prior priorities, and Washington is now working under an expedited process to submit its state application by September 4. He noted that no projects have been built yet, that four counties did not receive applications in round two, and that the state is trying to keep applicants engaged through office hours and a shortened review window. The Office of Equity and the Digital Equity Forum reported increased participation, new members, and ongoing outreach to tribal, rural, and underserved communities, while previewing recommendations such as creating an interdepartmental digital equity team and improving data use. Finally, Lumen’s Robert Thoms described private-sector broadband deployment challenges, including permitting, regulation, and the economics of extending fiber, while noting continued investment in overbuild projects, a $30 low-cost service option tied to the former ACP, and work with the state, tribes, and libraries. No votes were taken; the meeting consisted of presentations and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• And on our agenda, we have HB 212 HD2 SD1 relating to homelessness.
• Uh, $15 million for each of the next two years to provide loan repayments for students in health professions
• Uh, $15 million for each of the next two years to provide loan repayments for students in health professions

Transcript Highlights:

• I may end up victims of violence, or cycling between criminal justice and homelessness.
• But it's really difficult. to find affordable housing for a full-time college student.
• Failure to report abuse of a minor or student by an employee is already a state felony under Texas...

Bills: HB2646 , HB3941 , HB5153 , HB5155 , HB5394 , HB 1106 , HB426 , HB4529 , HB3984 , HB4273 , HB 1097 , HB3940 , HB1941 , HB4377 , HB3153

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: child care, task force, high-quality care, affordability, prekindergarten partnerships, foster care, transitional living, Medicaid reform, youth assistance, independent living, services for youth, employment training, educational support, mental health services, health care, public health, child health program, reimbursement, local health entities, maternal health

Transcript Highlights:

• One-third of public housing residents are kids, many of whom have experienced homelessness or are at
• high risk of homelessness.
• </c><00:35:06.640><c> homelessness.
• </c><00:35:07.760><c> This</c><00:35:08.000><c> is</c> high risk of homelessness.
• This is high risk of homelessness.

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• SCR 160, urging the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Department of Human Services Homeless Programs Office
• , Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, and Housing Hawaii Housing Finance and Development

Bills: SCR173 , SCR78 , SCR114 , SCR162 , SCR48 , SCR160 , SCR87 , SCR28 , SCR74 , SCR20 , SCR32 , SCR55 , SCR69

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• bill, which will follow, in an attempt to provide landlords with an incentive to address veteran homelessness
• barcode 925662 changes language so that the FHFC must partner in consultation. to address veteran homelessness

Committee: Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security

Summary: The Committee on Military, Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security met with a quorum present and took up several memorials and bills. It first reported favorably Senate Memorial 1714, which urges Congress to pass the No Tax Dollars for Terrorist Act to prevent U.S. taxpayer funds from benefiting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The committee then heard and approved SB 1512, expanding tax exemptions and procurement flexibility for Space Florida, with support from Space Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. It also approved SB 1656, designating the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, replacing the Western Union, after discussion of the ship’s World War II service, museum role, and no known fiscal impact. The committee next approved SM 1186, urging Congress to increase the Florida National Guard’s force structure, with members noting Florida’s population growth and emergency response needs. It then considered SB 1602, creating the Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive Pilot Program in selected counties to help landlords house veterans through vacancy relief and risk mitigation funds; the bill was amended twice, including technical and clarifying changes, and reported favorably as a committee substitute. Senator Sharief expressed support and asked to co-sponsor the veterans housing measure. Finally, the committee passed SB 1604, which creates the associated vacancy relief and risk mitigation trust funds within the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to support the veterans housing pilot program. That bill also received a technical amendment before being reported favorably as a committee substitute. After the bills were disposed of, members were invited to record votes if needed, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• I just want to make the point that it actually would also help to decrease the homeless population, which
• people all want to happen, because 29% of homeless people have at least one pet.
• population which people all homeless population which people all want<01:28:12.960><c> to</c><01:28:
• people have at least one pet of homeless people have at least one pet and and and many<01:28:24.320>
• on on Wahoo have unsheltered homeless on on Wahoo have more<01:31:16.239><c> than</c><01:31:16.800><

Bills: HB1604 , HB1713 , HB1722 , HB2270 , HB2401 , HB2515 , HB1979 , HB1593 , HB1743 , HB2122 , HB1756 , HB1837 , HB1729

Committee: House Housing

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1604, which would create an agricultural workforce housing group within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to address shortages of farmworker housing. The department said it supported the bill’s intent but emphasized that the group’s early work should focus on gathering data and surveying farm operators to assess actual demand, to avoid “mission creep.” Testimony from the City and County of Honolulu Office of Economic Revitalization, Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Housing Hawaii’s Future, and the Maui Chamber of Commerce was in support, with one witness suggesting a housing advocacy nonprofit be added to the working group for balance. The committee then discussed HB 1713 on school impact fees, which would clarify exemptions for certain affordable housing projects and exempt new residential developments of fewer than 100 units. The Attorney General’s office said the bill should define “low to moderate income households” because that term is not defined in chapter 302A. HHFDC, the School Facilities Authority, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and others supported the measure, arguing it would reduce administrative burden and remove barriers to housing. Members questioned whether the bill should instead repeal the school impact fee entirely; supporters said they also favored full repeal but viewed this bill as a more feasible step. The School Facilities Authority also explained that about $28 million in school impact fees had been collected across four districts and none had yet been spent, and discussed how recent nexus requirements limit how the funds can be used. HB 1722, relating to residential condominiums, drew extensive testimony and questioning. HCDA supported the bill and explained that it amends the 99-year leasehold pilot program created by Act 97 of 2023 by reducing owner-occupancy restrictions from 100% of units to 60%, allowing some rental or subleasing flexibility for the owner-occupied units, and permitting up to 40% of units to be sold to qualified residents after being on the market for more than 60 days. HCDA said the original restrictions, combined with rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and competition from nearby projects, made the pilot project difficult to market and finance; it said the changes are needed to make the project feasible and competitive. Supporters including AP Hawaii, Kila LLC, and project representatives said the amendments would help make the demonstration project in Kakaʻako viable. Some members raised concerns that the changes could weaken long-term affordability and questioned why certain ownership language was being deleted if rentals would still be restricted. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We talked about how homelessness has increased 11%. I run a homeless shelter.
• </c><01:35:21.840><c> has</c> We talked about how homelessness has We talked about how homelessness has
• </c><01:35:23.760><c> I</c><01:35:24.000><c> run</c><01:35:24.159><c> a</c><01:35:24.320><c> homeless
• I run a homeless shelter. increased 11%. I run a homeless shelter.
• </c> impact on the on the homeless. impact on the on the homeless. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; Yes.

Summary: The Kentucky Housing Task Force met and heard first from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which presented findings from a housing study done with the Home Builders Association. The chamber said housing is now a major economic-development issue, citing survey results that 90% of community leaders said their region could not absorb a major job announcement and 66% said housing is holding back Kentucky’s economy. The chamber described Kentucky’s housing shortage, rising home prices, declining permits since 2008, and the need for more production to support growth. It urged policy changes including zoning and land-use reform, tax incentives, regional approaches, and especially a residential infrastructure fund modeled on Indiana’s low-interest loan program to help communities finance roads and other infrastructure needed for new housing. Members asked about the severity of the problem, workforce shortages in permitting and construction, the loan interest rate, repayment, and whether Kentucky could replicate Indiana’s results; the witness said the issue is a crisis and that the program would be a revolving public-private partnership, likely around 3% interest, with implementation details still to be worked out. The Kentucky Bankers Association then testified that the housing gap is especially acute for households at 80% of area median income and below, which it said represents about 70% of Kentucky’s housing need. It emphasized that the shortage affects both urban and rural counties and pointed to examples such as Rowan County, where workers at major employers must commute long distances because local housing is unavailable or unaffordable. The bankers said high interest rates remain a major barrier and proposed a $20 million bank commitment for a revolving fund tied to tax credits to finance new housing, not refinances. They cited Hope of the Midwest as an example of a successful tax-credit housing model with a long track record and no defaults, and said the proposal would leverage public-private partnerships to create new units. Committee members questioned how the proposed fund would compare with industrial revenue bonds and whether it could be structured like Kentucky’s tobacco settlement fund, with seed money, a review board, scoring criteria, and possible population thresholds to ensure smaller communities benefit. The bankers said the proposal would be another tool for cities and counties, specifically tied to residential infrastructure, and that larger cities should not be able to capture all of the resources. No formal votes or actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.