Transcript Highlights:

• A study back in 2023 of the state's compensation and classification system was conducted.
• As part of that study, a key recommendation was that the state needs to take a close look at its job
• One of the specifics for the study itself.
• Chair, if If you may, maybe on behalf of the study, you can elaborate a little bit more.
• The last thing I want to do is do a study and then not do it.

Transcript Highlights:

• widens or adjusts the width of a road for any reason, they do go through the environmental impact study
• widens or adjusts the width of a road for any reason, they do go through the environmental impact study
• widens or adjusts the width of a road for any reason, they do go through the environmental impact study
• we'll make it easier, I think, to come to a satisfactory solution on this, and one is the general study
• of road tolls and other uh the the study of road tolls and other funding<00:40:38.680> mechanisms

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met in executive session on several House bills and first took up HB 181, which would have made the state responsible for maintaining Opticon systems for fire and emergency on state roads. Members noted that a system already exists and that towns are generally responsible for maintenance once they choose a system, so the committee voted ITL/OTL-style recommendation by a unanimous 18-0 roll call and discussed placing it on the consent calendar. The committee then considered HB 7113, concerning mile markers along Route 112/Kancamagus Highway. Supporters argued the markers would improve safety and help locate stranded motorists in a rural area with poor cell service, while another member noted the bill’s language should be clarified to refer specifically to the Kancamagus and to DOT’s usual 0.2-mile spacing. The committee voted 18-0 to recommend OTP with a fiscal note, and because it was a money bill it would not go on the consent calendar. HB 300, directing DOT to seek proposals on the Conway Branch rail line and creating a rail study committee, was recommended ITL after members said the issue had already been studied and the corridor had already been designated for rail trail; that vote was unanimous and the bill was placed on the consent calendar. HB 375, allowing municipalities to designate sections of state and local highways for all-terrain vehicles, was also recommended ITL. Members said there is already a process for towns to authorize such use and expressed concern about a blanket approach and possible local conflicts; the motion passed unanimously and was sent to the consent calendar. HB 578, relating to a sound barrier along the F.E. Everett Turnpike, drew more discussion: some members said the project should go through the 10-year plan and environmental review process, while others cited local impacts and the need for some barrier or privacy protection. The committee ultimately voted 16-2 to recommend ITL, and it was not placed on the consent calendar. Finally, the committee took up HB 561, concerning transfer of state-owned real property to municipalities. Members voted to retain the bill, with supporters saying they wanted more information, including a site visit to Merrimack’s Continental Boulevard and further discussion of how state roads are handled in other towns. The retain motion passed unanimously 18-0, and members noted that retained bills do not go on a calendar. The chair then announced the committee’s next full meeting would be on February 24 at 10:30 a.m., with a briefing on the capital budget process and a meeting with the Secretary of the Treasury.

Transcript Highlights:

• He started from the beginning as a social studies teacher at the sixth-grade level, I believe.
• An EDA program, an advisory commission, technical assistance, consultants, feasibility studies at about
• ... ...business-based bills come with a commission, a task force, three consultants, a feasibility study
• If you guys did a feasibility study.' That has never happened.
• Study done. Just saved us $35,000 of business. And paperwork. Study done.

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to adopt the City and County of Honolulu suggested amendments to focus the study requirements
• City and County of Honolulu suggested amendments to focus the study requirements on broad goals rather
• adopt incentives to offset the cost of compliance with a mandate or show through a needs assessment study
• /c><00:29:27.280> that<00:29:27.440> requirements<00:29:28.040> do assessment study
• that requirements do assessment study that requirements do not<00:29:28.480> increase<00:29:28.880

Bills: HB1618

Keywords: cesspool conversion, cesspool replacement, wastewater, sewer connection, sewerage systems, septic system, pollution control, water pollution control revolving fund, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, HGIA, low-interest loans, forgivable loans, homeowner financing, environmental infrastructure, public health, wastewater treatment, low- and moderate-income households, revolving loan fund, Department of Health, memorandum of agreement

Summary: The committees held a joint hearing on HB 1618 HD1, which would create and fund a cesspool conversion revolving loan fund administered by the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority to help homeowners upgrade, convert, or connect cesspools. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from state agencies and advocacy groups, with witnesses emphasizing that cost is the main barrier to cesspool conversion and that recent Kona flooding underscored the public health and pollution risks of cesspools. One testifier suggested the fund should actively pursue outside funding sources, and another urged an effective date that would allow counties to contribute sooner. A member raised concerns about whether loans would be affordable and whether other financing tools, such as tax credits, should also be considered; another member opposed the bill as not adequately addressing district-level sewer and septic issues. The committees ultimately recommended passage with amendments, including changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, and the motion was adopted. The joint Judiciary and Ways and Means committees then considered HB 2592 on the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. The chair outlined amendments to clarify that the authority would assume property and liability associated with transferred assets, preserve existing liability rules, transfer conditional use permits if not already transferred, allow lease extensions before transfer, and set reversion triggers if the authority fails to adopt a management plan by June 30, 2028, or administrative rules by December 31, 2029. Members asked about preserving the public trust and whether the amendments would keep the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ role intact; the chair confirmed the fee and board role would remain unchanged. The committees voted to pass the bill with amendments, and the recommendation was adopted. The committees also took up HB 2033, making further amendments to clarify the definition of state, delay certain effective dates, allow rental and U-Drive lessors to avoid liability by identifying renters, delete one section, and add administrative hearing language and bus-camera clarifications. HB 1888 was amended to expand protections for educational workers to include sports officials, define sports official, make intentional bodily harm a felony with enhanced penalties for repeat offenses, and authorize the attorney general to assist with restraining orders. Both measures were recommended for passage with amendments and adopted. Later, several bills were moved with little or no discussion: HB 1515, HB 1713, HB 1718, HB 2022, and HB 2385 were recommended for passage unamended; HB 2375 was deferred; and HB 1741 was amended to reflect Honolulu’s concerns, narrow study requirements, add exemptions and a delayed implementation date, and was recommended for passage with amendments. The committees adopted the recommendations on these measures, with some members noting reservations or prior opposition on certain bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 7012 also required DCF to conduct a study of residential treatment bed capacity for children
• And with the passing of SB 7012, the deadline for the study was the end of December.
• The deadline for the study was the end of December.
• I misspoke, so I will accept that for the bed capacity study.
• The bed capacity study. If I said in January, I meant by January.

Summary: The subcommittee heard two Department of Children and Families implementation updates on measures passed in prior sessions. First, DCF reviewed House Bill 633, which increased oversight of behavioral health managing entities through biennial independent audits, standardized claims-based reporting, and new monthly outcome dashboards. The department said it had awarded the inaugural audit to Ernst & Young, found no significant waste, fraud, or abuse, but identified process risks involving financial controls, claims validation, data access, and system access controls. DCF also described its transition to standardized behavioral health coding and said the new public dashboard of 11 measures is posted on its website, though members asked for easier access and for hard copies of the audit report. Members asked about how the department distinguishes Medicaid-covered services from department-funded services, how duplicate payment risks are being addressed, and whether the new reporting and audit requirements would improve oversight without disrupting services. DCF said it is the payer of last resort for uninsured or underinsured individuals, that some overlap with Medicaid is expected because Medicaid does not cover all behavioral health services, and that new claims edits and cross-checks are being built into the system. The department also said it had not found significant negative feedback from providers and that the new requirements are intended to improve transparency and accountability. DCF then updated the committee on Senate Bill 7012, covering human trafficking data collection, domestic violence center certification, limited background-screening exemptions, expanded recruitment for child welfare staff, subcontractor liability protections, a four-year treatment foster care pilot, case management efficiency recommendations, and a statewide study of residential bed capacity for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The department said several items are already complete or underway, including limited exemptions in the screening clearinghouse, while others are in procurement or rulemaking. It identified Circuits 4 and 12 as the treatment foster care pilot sites and said the pilot will launch in January 2026. Members questioned recruitment metrics, pilot timing, and report deadlines; the department said final reports are expected by January and that some dates were flexible because of procurement and implementation timelines. The meeting ended after the presentations and questions, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year's Cal Account Market Feasibility Study found that the benefits of this program. outweighed
• The Cal Account feasibility study found that only 5.1% of households in California do not have a bank
• to decline, and since the Cal Account Feasibility Study, 20% of California Unbanked Californians now
• In addition, the feasibility study for CalAccount relies on hundreds of thousands of Californians who
• The feasibility study, unfortunately, left many questions unanswered, like who would bear the burden

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• After graduating from college, Lyle went on to study and play music in Germany.
• Founded in the fall of 1997, Mariachi Nueva Generacion is a Latin music studies class at Texas State
• HB 3895 by Lopez of Bay relates to the study of Texas A&M Transportation Institute on wireless Energy
• HB 4008 by money relating to the study by the Office of the Governor regarding the implementation in
• HB 4014 by BC ruling the study of psychedelic therapies and the treatment of certain conditions for the

Transcript Highlights:

• He had done some studies, and so I dropped off a copy and put my initials on there.
• If you have more people coming to the election, which you know the sheet was to indicate a study done
• , a fraction of the people turn out to vote, and the study has indicated that there are... ...to be a
• I am a social studies teacher at Camden High School, formerly known as Patrick Henry High School.
• The students who came to this The legislative study group made one thing absolutely clear: if students

Transcript Highlights:

• Our students that happen to be students in charter schools, they should have a safe place to study.
• Our students that are at nonpublic schools, they should have a safe place to study, to educate, to learn
• safe place to study. safe place to study.
• ,<00:05:18.000> to<00:05:18.240> educate,<00:05:18.720> to safe place to study
• , to educate, to safe place to study, to educate, to learn.<00:05:20.240> and<00:05:20.479>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Treaty Division of the Department of Justice, along with the Land Grant Council, conduct a formal study
• It's simply asking for a thoughtful, neutral study to examine what the legal, financial, and community
• If the study reverts it back to what the original land grants are they would uphold what original land
• We know from preliminary evidentiary studies and findings in the 70s, the government accounting office
• , where I mean this would be a great PhD study or a master's thesis.

Bills: SM13, SM14

Keywords: land grant, Las Vegas, governance, self-governance, judicial management, forced sterilization, coerced sterilization, Indigenous women, Native American women, women of color, reproductive justice, reproductive sovereignty, truth and reconciliation commission, memorial, trauma-informed care, reparative justice, human rights, bodily autonomy, Indian Health Service, Indian affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 43 was placed in there by the House involving studying student truancy and absenteeism.
• Studying student truancy and absenteeism.
• So this would study how that best should be handled.
• So this provides for a study on how to make that work and come back in the next session.
• A study on how to make that work and come back in the next session with a plan for that.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 1012, the Department of Health and Human Services budget. Senator Dever walked through the amended budget, highlighting a roughly $5.85 billion all-funds total, major one-time items for IT, child care, housing, behavioral health, juvenile justice, rural EMS, and supportive housing, along with funding for Medicaid expansion, CCBHCs, opioid settlement uses, and several studies and reporting requirements. Members discussed the provider inflation increase, with Senator Mathern urging a 2%/2% rate instead of 2%/1.5%, but the committee adopted the subcommittee amendment and then passed the amended bill 15-0 with a do-pass recommendation. Senator Dever was named as carrier. The committee then considered House Bill 1540, a school choice/education savings account-style bill. Senator Shibley explained the subcommittee amendments, including clarifying the Bank of North Dakota as administrator, adding a means test at 400% of the federal poverty guideline, and adjusting the fiscal note to about $21.7 million for the second year. In debate, members raised concerns about the bank being assigned duties outside its normal role, the lack of DPI involvement, and whether the means test should be tiered rather than a hard cutoff. The committee rejected a do-not-pass motion 5-10-1, then approved a do-pass motion on the amended bill 9-6-1, with Senator Wobama noted as the likely carrier. The meeting ended with the chair announcing the committee would adjourn and reconvene the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one, we're going to have a study on medical sharps.
• The study of the current and possible methods of medical sharp collection is important to creating a
• So we want to study that and see if there's better practices.
• So we want to study that and see if there's better practices.
• The intent is for both individual and commercial disposal in the study. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health Policy considered several health-related measures. SB 890 on improving screening and treatment for blood clots was presented as a work-in-progress based on a prior working group. The bill would define certain clot-related conditions as chronic diseases, create a DOH registry, require screening and training in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, and several senators raised concerns about definitions, training requirements, facility responsibilities, and public records impacts. Survivors and family members testified in strong support, describing blood clots as a preventable public health crisis. The bill was reported favorably after a roll call vote. SB 668 on storage and disposal of prescription drugs and sharps would direct a study of medical sharps collection and address conflicts between state and federal law on disposal of certain prescription drugs. Senators discussed whether the study should include both individual and commercial disposal and whether newer injectable medications increase sharps waste. The bill received supportive testimony from waste and recycling stakeholders and was reported favorably. SB 762 on preventing the spread of avian influenza would create a DOH task force to develop a statewide response strategy, monitor outbreaks, study wastewater monitoring, and recommend cost-effective testing and prevention measures. An amendment extended the task force deadline, and the bill was reported favorably as a committee substitute. The committee also approved SB 182, which creates the Home Away From Home tax credit for businesses donating to charities that house families of critically ill children, with supporters saying it would help expand lodging for families in need. SB 942, the chair’s bill on restrictive covenants in health care, would limit non-compete clauses for physicians under a salary threshold, with debate focused on patient access, workforce retention, and concerns about small practices and contract enforcement. The bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee adopted SPB 7018 to preserve a public records exemption for minors seeking judicial bypass of parental consent requirements for abortion, and then reported it favorably. Several members later recorded votes on earlier bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you go through this and look at what they determined while they were doing their studying is that
• group of people on the whole. ...thing, and so that deserves to have a working group of people to study
• We have a projection that the people that are doing the study should be able to project that we hope
• We have a projection that the people that are doing the study should be able to project that we hope
• If there is legislation that results from your study, they can assist with that.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Memorial 21 is studying overdose prevention tools to save lives in New Mexico.
• The memorial requests the Department of Health to conduct a formal study that will evaluate the efficacy
• $1.5 million in non-recurring appropriation, so I don't believe they'd have a problem in doing this study
• I'd be interested in the study.
• How can we make better decisions as lawmakers with the information that will come from the study?

Bills: SB238, HJR1, SM21, SM22

Keywords: Governor's Residence, management committee, government administration, New Mexico, advisory, commission, general services, nominating committees, boards of regents, student representation, political party registration, New Mexico constitution, overdose prevention centers, harm reduction, drug overdose, opioid crisis, substance use disorder, public health, addiction treatment, naloxone

Transcript Highlights:

• I think there needs to be an in-depth study on fees, an in-depth study on.
• So I think a better, deeper study would be good.
• A peer-reviewed study published last year found toxic metals in every tampon tested, including lead,
• Shearston and these collaborators led a peer-reviewed study finding toxic metals in tampons.
• Water systems engineering feasibility studies indicate that the realistic time required to plan, design

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our offer for that would be to just put it in a study, make us come back through the interim study process
• If you remember, this is our high-load study bill, with the possibility of an energy infrastructure investment
• Chairman, just for clarity, the amendment we just moved on, did that strike the language of the study
• Are we no longer studying, or is the study still part of the bill? Still part of the bill.
• And we would want to, as we do this, want them to ensure that the study remains part of the bill.

Bills: SB2339

Keywords: wildfire mitigation, utility liability, strict liability, electric utility, public service commission, PSC, rural electric cooperative, municipal utility, transmission provider, vegetation management, power lines, reclosers, electrical safety, wildfire prevention, grid reliability, public safety, first responders, ANSI A300, National Electrical Safety Code, community outreach

Summary: The Energy and Natural Resources Committee continued work on House Bill 1459, which concerns rare earth and critical mineral recovery from North Dakota lignite coal. Testimony from UND researcher Dan Ludo and industry representative David Straely focused on the urgency of developing the process quickly, the technical differences between extracting minerals from coal versus ash, and the potential value of elements such as terbium, dysprosium, gallium, germanium, and synthetic graphite. Straely argued the bill is constitutional, limited to minerals within the coal seam, and needed to avoid years of quiet title litigation and provide certainty for development and compensation to royalty owners. Committee members raised questions about landowner rights, compensation levels, possible amendments from the Department of Trust Lands, and whether the bill should be modified to address constitutional concerns or sunset provisions. No final action was taken on HB 1459; the chair said parties could work on language until Monday before the committee revisits it. The committee then returned to House Bill 1579, a high-load study bill with a possible energy infrastructure investment amendment. Jody Smith of the Retirement and Investment Office presented updated language adding guardrails for in-state infrastructure investing, including requiring approved projects to be underwritten and managed by a qualified investment manager or financial institution and to follow the Legacy Fund investment policy. Members discussed whether the amendment had been shared with the House sponsor and noted that the related bill 1330 was still pending, so HB 1579 was being held for the time being. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 1566, which had an amendment from the Agriculture Commissioner’s office. The committee adopted the amendment 7-0, then passed a due-pass motion on the amended bill and referred it to Appropriations, also by a 7-0 vote. Members discussed the bill’s fiscal impact, including an estimated $580,000 for two FTEs over two years, and clarified that the study component remains in the bill. Senator Gerhardt was assigned to carry the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• years has allowed her to push her career further by being able to contribute to roles such as social studies
• 00:09:07.880> social contribute to roles such as social contribute to roles such as social studies
• <00:09:08.720> Department<00:09:09.360> coordinator<00:09:10.360> Hawaii studies
• Department coordinator Hawaii studies Department coordinator Hawaii multi-tiered<00:09:11.680> system
• teacher Kimberly's social studies teacher Kimberly's ability<00:13:56.959> to<00:13:57.160>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one, we're gonna have a study on medical sharps of the study of the current possible methods of
• An example of why we might want to study this is that for those that are unable to reasonably access
• So we want to study that and see if there's better practices.
• we figure out how individuals can do it, does your bill called for both individual and commercial a study
• Yes, the intent is for both individual and commercial disposal in the study. Thank you.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• energy baseload energy, and it would do us well here in Minnesota to at least be able to look at and study
• He says this is clean energy baseload energy and that it would be good for Minnesota to study the proposal
• He says it would do Minnesota well to look at and study the proposal and possibly use it for credits
• He says the committee should at least look at and study the proposal and allow it to be possibly used
• this this uh proposal and and study this this uh proposal and allow<00:01:41.159> it<00:01:41.320

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• A study referral to the roads safer.
• that the committee has studied that the committee has studied everything<00:23:54.159> and
• is why it's going to the traffic study is why it's going to the traffic study commission<00:24:19.679
• I've worked you I've seen the studies.
• <02:20:03.359> I interimm study motion. I interimm study motion.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all