Transcript Highlights:

• As a native Californian, I just wanted to say thank you for all the amazing work that you're doing on
• Love being a California native. Been in this industry over 40 years now, unbelievably.
• Wildfire, of course, can keep focus on wildfire, keep doing what we can do in our forests and insurance
• Our forest is a different situation. But in Yosemite itself, we have...
• Our forest is a different situation. But in Yosemite itself, we are not fully staffed.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism held an informational hearing on the state of California tourism amid declining international visitation and broader economic and political headwinds. Visit California CEO Caroline Betetta said the industry remains a major economic driver, with 2024 visitor spending of $157 billion, 1.2 million jobs supported, and $12.7 billion in state and local tax revenue, but warned that 2025 forecasts show the first post-pandemic decline in visitation, driven largely by a projected 9.2% drop in international travel. She cited concerns about the strong dollar, visa wait times, border and immigration rhetoric, and a proposed federal visa integrity fee, while emphasizing Visit California’s marketing campaigns and the importance of upcoming mega-events like the World Cup and 2028 Olympics. A second panel of destination leaders described local impacts and strategies. Visit Sacramento’s Mike Testa said the city has diversified beyond conventions into music festivals, sports, and food events, but noted that international apprehension is affecting events like Terra Madre Americas and that California should do more to incentivize major festivals to stay in-state. Santa Monica Travel and Tourism’s Lauren Salisbury said the city is seeing lower international visitation, especially from Canada, Australia, and Europe, and that wildfire coverage and later federal troop presence in Los Angeles hurt local sentiment and caused cancellations. Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau’s Rhonda Salisbury reported steep drops in international visitation to the gateway region, ongoing concerns about wildfire, reservations, insurance costs, and park access, and praised a new federal requirement for quarterly meetings between national parks and gateway communities. San Diego Tourism Authority COO Carrie Verbeck-Cappich said tourism is the region’s second-largest sector, but 2025 is softer than 2024, with spending down despite modest visitation growth. She pointed to weaker Canadian and Asian travel, government-related meeting cancellations, and the need for more support to bid on and host major events; she also highlighted border-crossing delays, insufficient federal staffing at ports of entry, and the Tijuana River sewage crisis as major regional issues. Committee members discussed the effects of federal rhetoric, infrastructure, and cross-border conditions on tourism, and several witnesses urged continued support for Visit California, Brand USA, event incentives, and efforts to present California as welcoming and open. Public comment then opened, beginning with testimony from the California Attractions and Parks Association.

Transcript Highlights:

• State forests and the roads that provide access to them support wildlife habitat, recreation, climate
• mitigation, and the forest products economy.
• <00:34:45.839> Prairie<00:34:46.200> that for stocking the native Prairie that for
• stocking the native Prairie that supports<00:34:46.760> peasants<00:34:47.359> song<00:
• There are state forests, there are state parks.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Native Americans in the state of California will suffer some type of traumatic experience.
• Are more efficient at capturing and storing atmospheric carbon than most terrestrial forests.
• This bill creates the Forest and Wildfire Prevention Fund to ensure California can sustainably use the
• forest biomass generated by wildfire mitigation efforts.
• Assembly Bill 977 by Assemblymember Ramos and others, an act relating to Native American human remains

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• supporting the California Indian Gaming Association, the California Indian Recognition Task Force, and the Native
• before compacts were signed into law here in the state of California with marching. civil rights for Native
• helped initiate and lead. the Intertribal Sikkim Wilderness Council to preserve nearly 5,000 acres of forest

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, $43.4 million for the Florida Forest Service
• Not just relying on traditional conventional methods, but hopefully permacultural, organic food foresting
• I am here on behalf today of century-old Ketua, Nobal, as well as North Native American traditions.
• I am here on behalf today of century-old Ketua, Nobal, as well as North Native American traditions.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government heard a presentation on its 2025-2026 budget recommendations and adopted the proposal as a recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The chair highlighted major funding items including more than $1.2 billion for water quality and Everglades work, citrus recovery, food bank and pantry grants, wastewater and drinking water loans, beach restoration, flood and sea level rise projects, rural land protection, disaster loans, state facilities repairs, SLERS, accounting system replacement, and continued funding for My Safe Florida Home. Staff were authorized to make technical adjustments, and members were told final proviso project lists would be printed later in the week. The committee then considered several bills and reported them favorably, including SB 796 on DEP general permits for distributed wastewater treatment systems to help local governments address failing septic-related water quality problems; SB 1162 expanding boating improvement and water access facilities programs; SB 466 implementing the Florida Museum of Black History task force’s selection of West Augustine as the museum site; SB 178 creating a FAMU agronomic study on viable crops for land taken out of production; CS/SB 678 allowing pawnbroker transaction forms to be printed or digital; and CS/SB 736 updating the Brownfields program, with a technical amendment adopted. Testimony on these bills was generally supportive, with speakers from affected industries, local governments, and advocacy groups. The committee also took up CS/CS/SB 700, the comprehensive Florida Farm Bill, which included technical agency changes and major policy provisions such as restrictions on additives to public water supplies, labeling requirements for meat, milk, poultry, and eggs, drone-related protections for farmland, disaster recovery loan updates, an honest services registry for charities, FFA scholarship and school infrastructure provisions, and a mechanism for state purchase of former solar-converted agricultural land. The water-additive provisions drew extensive debate and testimony from supporters and opponents, including dental professionals, public health advocates, and groups arguing for medical freedom and local control. Despite the controversy and a no vote from Senator Arrington, the bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 1226 creating a regulatory framework for pet insurance was also reported favorably, and the committee adjourned after members recorded additional votes on several bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Forestry is defined as the practice of managing forested landscapes and the treatment of forest cover
• protection, timber growing and utilization, forest inventories, forest economics, and so on.
• Forested landscapes include oak woodlands, redwood forests, and there are over 33 million acres of forested
• requiring a forester on a forested landscape.
• , San Bernardino National Forest, and the Cleveland National Forest.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we are, the soil and water districts are fiscal agents for many, many projects with the Forest Service
• things, as long as it benefits the natural resources of the state — so, you know, water quality, forest
• Forest thinning, but it's, for example, that we get a lot of grants from State Forestry.
• I'm a native New Mexican and Marine Corps veteran, founder of the New Mexico Nuclear Alliance, and host
• I am a native New Mexican, born and raised in the Paguate Valley, and I now reside in Valencia County

Bills: SB47, SB195, SB196, SB197, SB198, SB78

Keywords: food recovery, composting, waste management, solid waste surcharge, organic waste reduction, environment, grants, advisory group, soil conservation, water resources, training services, outreach programs, environmental protection, animal care, veterinary services, spay and neuter, Las Vegas, community funding, animal welfare, animal shelter

Transcript Highlights:

• Robert Hernandez is a native Phoenician, a graduate of East High School in the Phoenix Union High School
• Mayor Daggett also advocates for increased investments in forest health to restore natural, low-density
• , fire-adaptive forest conditions.
• For this and other work, she was the recipient of the Arizona Foresters 2020 Environmental Excellence
• and criminal justice from San Juan College and a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, and Native

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Arizona Senate convened for the opening day of the second regular session of the 57th Legislature with prayer, presentation of colors, the pledge, and the national anthem, then recorded attendance and welcomed members and guests. Senate leadership reflected on the chamber’s prior session, emphasizing member-driven budgeting, committee authority, tax cuts, and a conservative agenda under divided government. The Senate also heard an opening-day address from Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller, who argued Arizona could reduce poverty by aligning education and workforce training with projected job growth, including expanded degree, online, apprenticeship, and technical programs, along with AI skills and neighborhood investment in west Phoenix. The body then handled organizational business. Members adopted a motion to simplify reading of bills and memorials, appointed a committee to notify the House and Governor that the Senate was organized, and received the House’s reciprocal notice that it was ready for business. Senators also introduced numerous guests, including family members, local officials, law enforcement leaders, education advocates, tribal leaders, and community representatives. Several members used their introductions to highlight policy interests such as victim rights, water, housing, public safety, education, and support for historic neighborhoods and tribal communities. The Senate adopted an amendment to Senate Rule 7A and then adopted the rules of the 57th Legislature as amended. It also approved committee assignments for standing and statutory committees, including Appropriations, Education, Finance, Government, Military Affairs and Border Security, Natural Resources, Rules, Legislative Council, Legislative Audit, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The chamber requested House consent to adjourn from January 15 to January 20, 2026, after completing its work. A long list of bills was introduced and assigned to committees, covering topics such as health care, education, public safety, elections, housing, water, immigration-related reporting, cryptocurrency, transportation, and other regulatory matters. The Senate then announced committee schedules and adjourned until January 14, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a native Californian, I just wanted to say thank you for all the amazing work that you're doing on
• I love being a California native. I've been in this industry for over 40 years now, unbelievably.
• Wildfire, of course, can keep focus on wildfire, keep doing what we can in our forests, and insurance—somehow
• very unique that the rest of the world doesn't have, and that's California coastline and inside our forests
• Our forest is a different situation. But in Yosemite itself, we are not fully staffed.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• About 50% of our clientele are Hispanic and another 10% are Native American.
• When New Mexico caught on fire and we burned down our forests— I talked with the forester, and I said
• He said, what we want to see in our forest is a patchwork. We want to see weeds— Coming in first.
• So if we're selling them to the Forest Service, we'll ask the Forest Service to pay some of those fees
• The Forest Service has learned a lot over the years.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Native plants create a diverse and stable food web in ways that non-native plants cannot.
• Managing non-native plants increases biodiversity by allowing our native plants the space and resources
• Native plants create a diverse and stable food web in ways that non-native plants cannot.
• Managing non-native plants increases biodiversity by allowing our native plants the space and resources
• A healthier native ecosystem is more resistant to being invaded by non-native plants.

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met to hear presentations on Lake Okeechobee from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Water Management District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. FWC described the lake as a major recreation, water supply, and habitat resource, and outlined its habitat management plan, including control of invasive plants, prescribed fire, and restoration of native vegetation. The agency said low water levels have helped submerged aquatic vegetation recover, with gains in 2025 exceeding 24,000 acres and meeting its target, while torpedo grass and floating invasive plants remain active management priorities. Senators asked about bass fishing trends and blue-green algae; FWC said water levels are the main driver of fishery health and that it was not seeing current water-quality impacts on bass, though algal blooms can affect habitat and wildlife. The South Florida Water Management District focused on nutrient pollution, lake ecology, and restoration projects across the watershed. Director Drew Bartlett said the district’s work is aimed at reducing harmful discharges, improving water quality, and moving more water south to the Everglades through storage and treatment projects, including the EAA Reservoir, C-43 and C-44 reservoirs, aquifer storage and recovery, and wetland treatment areas. He said the state and federal governments have invested about $9 billion in restoration, roughly split 50-50, and that the EAA Reservoir is now targeted for completion in 2029. He also said Lake Okeechobee BMAP participation is around 92% and that recent data show phosphorus and nitrogen loading declines, though the lake remains impaired and eutrophic. An industry witness from Associated Industries of Florida said the BMAP and agricultural best management practices are producing measurable improvements and urged continued funding for water storage and treatment. The Army Corps of Engineers then explained LOSOM and Lake Recovery operations, saying the new operating approach balances flood control, water supply, navigation, ecology, and estuary protection. Colonel Brandon Bowman said Lake Recovery was implemented in late 2024 to bring the lake below 12 feet long enough to help submerged vegetation rebound, and reported that the lake met both recovery metrics, with water levels low enough to support a major increase in SAV from about 4,000 acres to 28,000 acres in 2025. He also noted benefits such as improved water clarity and more Okeechobee gourd plants, but acknowledged drawbacks including reduced navigation and some impacts to wading birds and snail kites. Senators pressed the Corps on the C-44 reservoir’s sloughing issue; Bowman said repairs are underway, the problem is geological rather than a safety failure, and the Corps expects to award a contract by 2027 and complete work by 2030. The committee did not take any substantive vote on the presentations and adjourned after Senator Smith moved to do so.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those monies will be used to protect, manage, and restore Hawaii's natural resources, including native
• forests, native plants and animals, aquatic resources, coastal lands, and freshwater resources, to mitigate
• and allocated resources to the Division of Forestry and Wildlife to enable them to better manage forest
• <01:37:18.280> landscapes,<01:37:19.280> reduce better manage forest landscapes, reduce
• better manage forest landscapes, reduce the<01:37:19.920> likelihood<01:37:20.480> of<

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The second portion of the definition includes a broader category of inclusion of native Hawaiian and
• know a broader category of<00:48:05.000> inclusion<00:48:05.359> of<00:48:05.480> native
• <00:48:05.800> haai<00:48:05.960> and<00:48:06.079> cultural of inclusion of native
• question would be: if you have nine members and two of them are quote landowners, I feel like the Native
• <01:21:32.679> Hawaiian dictate what what native Hawaiian dictate what what native Hawaiian

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land met on March 13, 2025, and first announced that SB 1456 would be deferred to the end of the agenda and ultimately worked on later, with the chair indicating the bill would be deferred and revisited in a future measure. The committee then heard SB 841 on marine life conservation districts. DLNR supported the bill, saying it would fund carrying capacity studies to inform rules and policies. Testimony noted a pilot study already underway at the Puka Marine Life Conservation District and another nearing completion at the old Kona Airport MLCD. Members discussed costs, with DLNR estimating about $300,000 per year for one user-experience study, potentially more for ecological analysis, and also discussed possible funding from the Mālama Kai special fund. DLNR said it had no objection to consulting current operators and other users, and explained the program would be a new, ongoing adaptive-management tool. The committee next heard SB 411 on capital improvement projects at small boat harbors. DLNR supported the intent, saying the bill would help expedite use of special funds for CIP work, while the Department of Budget and Finance opposed it, arguing the draft could conflict with constitutional limits on appropriations. Public testimony from an industry representative supported the bill and urged more collaboration with commercial operators, while committee discussion focused on whether DLNR could already use special funds for repairs, how much engineering and bidding work is required before projects go out to bid, and whether the current process creates bottlenecks when bids exceed initial estimates. DLNR said it can do some repairs and maintenance within existing authority and funding ceilings, but that the bill as drafted could be too broad. The committee also heard SB 5 on historic preservation, where DLNR supported the measure and NAOP Hawaii opposed it, saying the bill’s broader definition could expand the scope beyond the stated goal of narrowing reviews and reducing backlog. The committee then took up SB 1462 on the state historic preservation income tax credit. The Department of Taxation said the revenue estimate assumes the cap would be reached each year the credit is available, and DLNR supported the bill. SHPD said the prior credit had sunset, outreach had previously been done in targeted communities such as Chinatown, and owners of eligible historic properties are notified during review. Finally, the committee heard SB 268 on island burial councils. DLNR supported the bill, and OHA strongly supported it, saying the councils have struggled with quorum and expertise and that the measure would restore the original intent of having lineal descendants and cultural practitioners as decision makers, while still allowing landowners and developers to testify and participate. OHA also said it would help provide technical support and urged continued involvement from SHPD and the Attorney General’s office.

Transcript Highlights:

• State Forester, William Foster; Forest Markets Coordinator from MNERD, Isaac Romero; and Dennis Romero
• Madam Chair, I'm Laura McCarthy, State Forester.
• Madam Chair, I'm William Foster, the Forest Markets Coordinator.
• Participation in forest thinning.
• our forest businesses.

Transcript Highlights:

• The goal is to remove invasives and restore native plants.
• The goal is to remove invasives and restore native plants.
• The goal is to remove invasives and restore native plants.
• invasives and restore native plants. invasives and restore native plants.
• Thank you. forests where their herring lay the eggs forests where their herring lay the eggs by<00:25

Bills: HF3898, HF3957, HF4372, HF4350, HF3692, HF4085

Keywords: pesticides, wild rice, environmental protection, agriculture, water quality, pollinators, training, management plan, fertilizer research, education grants, Minnesota Agricultural Council, technology transfer, agricultural productivity, HF4372, Minnesota agriculture, meat processing, meat processing training, retention incentive grants, grant extension, project deadline extension

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a deputy public defender Forester I'm a deputy public defender and<00:52:30.839> I'm<00:52
• questions thank you very much M Forester questions thank you very much M Forester next<00:55:14.000
• We are called NAI, a collective dedicated to uplifting Native Hawaiian youth and ending...
• This bill reflects Native Hawaiian values of hoʻoponopono and ʻohana.
• This bill reflects Native Hawaiian values of hoʻoponopono and ʻohana.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first considered House Bill 1324, which would require the Judiciary to contract for legal services for residential tenants in landlord-tenant disputes and allow attorneys, paralegals, and law students to provide those services, with an appropriation. The Department of the Attorney General recommended removing reference to Hawaii Public Housing Authority tenants because HPHA eviction proceedings are administrative and could conflict with the bill. Hawaii Appleseed and other testifiers strongly supported the measure, citing studies showing much higher tenant retention when counsel is available, and suggested adding notice of the right to counsel at key points such as rent increases, eviction notices, and lease signing. The committee adopted amendments, including the Attorney General’s suggested change and a technical amendment, and passed the bill out with a recommendation to move it forward; members voted aye, with one member voting with reservations and several excused. The committee then heard House Bill 126 on property forfeiture, which would increase transparency and accountability in civil asset forfeiture by clarifying covered property, changing disposition rules, and removing language requiring liberal construction of the forfeiture act. The Attorney General said forfeiture remains an important law enforcement tool and that the bill would not impair its use. The Office of the Public Defender supported the measure but argued civil forfeiture is broadly problematic because many people cannot meaningfully challenge it and are not entitled to counsel. Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill, saying forfeiture is useful in fighting illegal activity and that added procedures would delay enforcement and reduce operational funding from forfeiture proceeds. Community Alliance on Prisons, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and other supporters urged reform or abolition of civil forfeiture, citing transparency concerns and the risk of abuse. No vote on HB 126 was taken in the portion provided. The final measure discussed was House Bill 166, which would require the state to defend professionally licensed or certified state employees in certain civil actions, allow employees to hire their own counsel at their own expense, and set a process for the Attorney General to transfer or withdraw representation if the state declines to defend. Testimony from the Hawaii Association for Justice and labor representatives was in strong support, describing the bill as a negotiated clarification that balances employee protections with accountability and noting it had passed previously but died in conference. The transcript cuts off before any committee action on HB 166.

Transcript Highlights:

• National Monies, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and the Petrified Forest
• American that was bar-certified, and the first Native American to argue a case all the way up to the
• Supreme Court, ...fighting the first Native American to argue a case all the way up to the U.S.
• One that had, we have a significant land area, and Native American reservations cover 27% of Arizona's
• Approximately one in six Native American households on the Navajo Nation operate completely unbanked,

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee began with a series of presentations highlighting tribal communities as part of rural economic development. Representative Mae Peshlakai described Legislative District 6, emphasizing its large geographic size, the eight tribal nations within it, and the cultural and scenic importance of the Navajo Nation and other tribes. Governor Stephen Roe Lewis then presented on the Gila River Indian Community, focusing on its history, Hohokam heritage, water rights, the MAR-5 aquifer recharge project, cultural traditions, and the importance of collaboration with state lawmakers. Members praised the presentations and noted the need for greater attention to tribal issues in the legislature. The committee then took up SB 1016, with a strike-everything amendment that moved the property-owner petition requirement earlier in the process for municipal improvement districts and allowed certain notice and protest requirements to be waived. Supporters, including the mayors of Camp Verde and Clarkdale, said the change would improve transparency, reduce financial risk for small towns, and help rural communities build needed infrastructure such as wastewater systems, water lines, and housing-related improvements. The committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and passed SB 1016 on a 5-0 vote, with one member present and one absent. Next, the committee considered SB 1401, the Workforce Housing Accelerator Act, using a strike-everything amendment that would allow municipalities to create expedited plan review and permitting for qualified workforce housing projects and exempt project proceeds from the state portion of the prime contracting sales tax. Habitat for Humanity representatives said the measure would lower carrying costs and help build more affordable homes, while one member noted the tax exemption would reduce general fund revenue but supported the bill as a targeted tradeoff to address housing shortages. The committee adopted the amendment and passed SB 1401 by a 5-1 vote. The meeting concluded with Representative Myron Sosec’s presentation on barriers to economic development on the Navajo Nation and other tribal lands. He discussed lower workforce participation, higher unemployment and poverty, limited access to capital, trust-land financing barriers, dual taxation, infrastructure deficits, and delays caused by federal and tribal review processes. He also highlighted Navajo economic strategies such as loan guarantees, renewable energy development, and tourism investments, and urged state action on tax reform, matching funds, and annual tribal field hearings. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• My own background: I'm a native Californian, born and raised.
• "But now even that fishery is gone, and it's partly because of the devastation of the kelp forest.
• Back in 2008, we had a pretty healthy kelp forest along the coast of your district, number two.
• and other seaweed forests across the Pacific.
• And we've done..." "...those problems to regenerate kelp forests and other seaweed forests across the

Summary: The Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on emerging technologies for climate resilience and infrastructure. The first panel discussed the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a utility-driven microgrid that keeps the city powered during public safety power shutoffs using hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and liquid hydrogen storage. PG&E described microgrids as a resilience tool but emphasized that cost remains the main barrier to wider deployment. Energy Vault explained the project’s design, its ability to provide at least 48 hours of backup power on a small parcel of land, and its use of green hydrogen and battery storage to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. A Calistoga councilmember and NCPA representative also discussed the Lodi Energy Center hydrogen project, saying it could help decarbonize power generation and transportation, but that federal and state funding changes, tax credit timing, and other policy shifts have made the project difficult to advance. The Green Hydrogen Coalition supported the Calistoga model as a blueprint and urged policy changes to create demand and reduce barriers for renewable hydrogen, including addressing behind-the-meter rules and recognizing hydrogen in state energy planning. The second panel focused on water resilience and desalination, with the California Desal Association and Oneka Technologies discussing wave-powered desalination for the City of Fort Bragg. Cal Desal said California’s changing hydrology, reduced snowpack, and drought conditions make local water supply options increasingly important, but noted that conventional desalination is expensive and slow to permit. Oneka described its offshore, wave-powered system as a zero-electricity desalination technology that produces drinking water without greenhouse gas emissions and with limited land use, and said the Fort Bragg pilot is intended to demonstrate the technology under California conditions. The company and Cal Desal both stressed that permitting is a major obstacle, with the project requiring multiple agencies and a timeline far longer than in other jurisdictions. They also said the technology’s autonomous operation could improve water resilience because it does not depend on the electrical grid. The final panel featured the Climate Foundation’s marine permaculture proposal, which aims to restore kelp forests and support carbon removal and coastal food systems. The presenter said warming oceans and nutrient loss have devastated kelp forests along the California coast and argued that offshore platforms that raise and lower seaweed to access nutrients and sunlight could help regenerate ecosystems while producing food, feed, fertilizer, and carbon benefits. He said the technology has shown strong growth rates and storm resilience in other regions, but that California permitting remains a major hurdle, involving 17 state and federal agencies. He proposed a streamlined, code-based permitting approach for smaller projects and said the group is seeking matching funds to complete a first California pilot. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly highlighted the tension between innovation and the high cost, complexity, and length of California’s permitting and funding processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a native New Mexican.
• She is also a native New Mexican, grew up here in Farmington, and has been here at the college for 16
• We are a non-tribal Native American-serving institution, and we're extremely proud of that.
• Such as hiking, biking, camping, fishing, skiing, bird watching, all enabled by ecosystems, forests,
• I went to college, worked there, worked for the Forest Service, fought fires with the Forest Service,

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we had this year the Boone Forest Rally.
• Forest Rally.
• into the national forest to see if there was an impact because we had a water crossing.
• Um, all of our utilities as of now have the ability to meet their native load.
• Um, all of our utilities as of now have the ability to meet their native load.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:01:12 Approval of Minutes 00:02:25 Co-Chair & Member Comments 00:02:48 Discussion of 2025 SB 137 00:06:58 Outdoor Adventure Tourism Opportunities 00:41:56 Public Service Commission Update 01:21:37, 958, all

Summary: The committee meeting began with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and approval of the prior minutes. Members also observed a moment of reflection for Charlie Kirk and offered condolences to Representative Bobby McCool on the death of his mother. Representative Fugate then made announcements about the ongoing ATV/UTV trail system, including an October 21 opening in Letcher County and an October 2 groundbreaking in Knott County, and staff was asked to circulate the dates to members. The main agenda item was Senate Bill 137, presented by Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong with testimony from George Ecklan of the Coalition of the Homeless and Wesley Bryant, a flood survivor and Eastern Kentucky resident. The bill would prohibit utility disconnections for non-payment during dangerous weather and emergencies, including extreme cold, excessive heat, and declared natural disasters. Supporters said the measure is narrow, does not forgive past-due balances or change reconnection policies, and is intended to protect vulnerable residents, reduce risks to first responders, and create a minimum statewide standard amid a patchwork of utility policies. They cited weather thresholds and historical examples of extreme weather and disaster declarations in Kentucky. Testimony emphasized the human impact of shutoffs, especially for low-income households, older adults, and families facing illness or disaster recovery. Bryant described experiences with people shivering without heat or struggling to keep children cool when power was cut off, calling electricity a lifeline rather than a luxury. Representative Gu raised concerns that utility bills have become unaffordable due to broader policy and rate issues, argued that some customers may not pay if shutoffs are prohibited, and questioned whether the bill was needed. Senator Chambers Armstrong responded that the proposal is limited to non-payment shutoffs during short periods of dangerous conditions and is meant to keep people safe during emergencies. No vote or final action on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.