Transcript Highlights:

• When they first told us how to do this, it was said that the council had to come up with the cash from
• The other thing is, we have to get the council to put money into the committee for the executive session
• This is something that the Legislative Council would have to do.
• We've been through two administrations, a couple of delegates, a new legislative council, and a new speaker

Transcript Highlights:

• I suggest we do this the way we do Legislative Council.
• just like to step back for a second and remind the subcommittee of its duty pursuant to Legislative Council
• And we've got our admin, you know, accounting team from the Council Service operating out of what should
• And if needed, I could come back to the Legislative Council to ask for some funds to be switched between

Transcript Highlights:

• TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAX AND THE SECOND IS IT WOULD TAKE OF THE ELIMINATION OF THE TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
• AND WE KNOW THAT THE TDT AND THE COUNCILS ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING TOURISM TO OUR STATE AND THAT
• TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS WORK HARD TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE DO HAVE TO HELP DRAW PEOPLE TO VISIT THIS
• LAST YEAR WHEN THIS BILL CAME UP IN OUR WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE MY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL WAS IN

Transcript Highlights:

• The committee sub-members is simply alleged council draft of the file language.
• of the corner, but it's a pretty hefty ticket if you touch the city's, um, signs for run for city council
• Um, I'll give them 5 phone calls first, and then I will show up at city council.
• I'll give them 3 city council meetings before I come to the state of Texas, and that's why I'm here today

Transcript Highlights:

• recommendation from all cycles of the universal periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Council
• recommendation from all cycles of the universal periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Council
• recommendation from all cycles of the universal periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Council
• recommendation from all cycles of the universal periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Council

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard Senate Concurrent Resolution 158, which had been amended from an automatic voter registration-related request to a resolution urging the administration to follow the law and comply with federal court orders. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support, including from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, the Democratic Party of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Hawaii women lawyers, and others. One witness spoke against automatic voter registration, warning it could be exploited by bad actors, though the chair clarified that the amended resolution was focused on court orders rather than AVR. Members asked questions about whether states or Congress can enforce compliance with court orders and whether there were historical examples of presidents refusing to follow them. The response emphasized separation of powers, checks and balances, and the importance of state support for the rule of law. The committee then voted to accept the proposed SD1 for SCR 158; the measure passed with one no vote recorded from Senator Awa. The committee also took up SCR 154, a resolution supporting implementation of applicable United Nations Human Rights Council universal periodic review recommendations. No testimony was received on that measure, and it was deferred. In a later decision-making agenda item, the committee considered a measure directing the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to include circuit and district court facilities in planning new correctional centers and to establish a release procedure away from residential communities and public spaces; the committee recommended passage as amended, and the measure passed without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill also creates a statewide family care council to serve as a uniform and unified voice for the
• existing family care councils, ensuring their recommendations inform state-level decision-makers.
• The statewide council will bring a real unified voice to the actual advocates.
• The statewide council will bring a real unified voice to the actual advocates and families, and then

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills related to children, families, elder affairs, mental health, disability services, and child care. SB 1050 on the Agency for Persons with Disabilities was amended and reported favorably after discussion of expanding the voluntary IDD managed care pilot statewide, improving transparency on the APD wait list, creating a statewide family care council, addressing transition services for youth leaving foster care, and seeking federal approval for an adult pathways waiver. Testimony from providers and a parent emphasized workforce capacity, county-level identification of clients, Medicaid delays, and the importance of keeping the pilot voluntary; the bill passed with support and some discussion about possible future clarifications on services and Medicaid eligibility. The committee also passed SB 1310, which directs OPPAGA to evaluate student mental health outcomes tied to school mental health assistance funding, and members discussed the need for better data, coordination with managing entities, and avoiding duplication of services. SB 976 on court-appointed social investigators was amended and approved, with the sponsor describing due process protections and fee-shifting provisions for parents challenging court-appointed psychologists. SB 886, creating a crisis care coordination team pilot in Volusia and Polk counties to reduce Baker Act recidivism and improve follow-up care, was reported favorably after the sponsor described its law enforcement and community provider partnerships and an independent evaluation requirement. Later, SB 614 on child care facility and program background screening requirements was amended and passed; the bill requires a public educational webpage explaining Level 2 screening, the clearinghouse, disqualifying offenses, exemptions, and related job listings and timelines. Finally, SB 276 on sheltering or aiding unmarried minors was approved; it increases the offense from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, creates a presumption regarding knowledge of the minor’s age, and adds a defense when the conduct was necessary to protect the minor from danger. All bills considered were reported favorably, and the committee adjourned at the end of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Interagency Council on Homelessness. The U.S.
• Interagency Council on Homelessness has made that determination for the states and the continuums of
• the Islamic Center of Minnesota, the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Jewish Community Relations Council
• of Minnesota and the Dakotas, and the Minnesota Council of Churches.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name's Chad West, and I'm a member of the Dallas City Council.
• It amended the city charter to delete the requirement that City Council elections be held in May and
• This change now allows the city council to move its election date by ordinance once the state allows
• Association submitted this letter along with 12 other organizations including Texoga, Texas Royalty Council

Bills: SB38, SB287, SB291, SB292, SB508, SB618, SB901, SB1436, SB1494, SB1626, SB1719, SB1999, SB1333, SB 38

Keywords: evictions, property law, tenant rights, landlord responsibilities, justice court, court rules, SB 287, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, sexually oriented business, adult entertainment, strip club, nude entertainment, live nude performance, alcohol prohibition, alcohol consumption, possession of alcohol, criminal offense, Class A misdemeanor, state jail felony, third degree felony

Transcript Highlights:

• department's testimony—about $55 million for fiscal year 2026 and $16.5 million in 2027—and asked about the council
• 16.5 in 2027 and also<00:28:49.559> considering<00:28:50.200> the<00:28:50.360> council
• <00:28:50.600> and also considering the council and also considering the council and revenues

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now if you'll move with me to page 7 to the Behavioral Health Executive Council.
• Turning to the Health Professions Council, there are 2 technical adjustments on page 16, which are both
• Turning to the Executive Council of Physical Therapy and occupational therapy examiners, there are 2
• page 54, under special provisions for this article, the one modification to the Health Professions Council

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Transcript Highlights:

• Chamber of Commerce and support; Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island Inc. in support; Hawaii Regional Council
• Humanity Association, Maui Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island Inc., Hawaii Regional Council
• Inc in support Hai Regional Council of Inc in support Hai Regional Council of Carpenters<00:12:33.639

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He also serves as a member of the Lafayette City Council.
• next day we would be... ...Council of Governments, and we would vote on one plan, and the very next
• It also has lots of folks who are... ...Council of Governments, and we would vote on one plan, and the
• Benicia City Council Member Kerry Birdseye... ...and economic transition.
• Construction Trades Council. With respect, I ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, offered a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then proceeded through gubernatorial appointments and third-reading measures. Three appointments to the California Housing Finance Agency Board and the State Mining and Geology Board were confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The body then considered a series of bills on criminal procedure, military authority, housing, refinery safety, land use, music festivals, homelessness planning, solar tax assessment, HOA assessments, privacy, utility accounts, refrigerant disposal, law enforcement training, natural gas planning, school transfers, and regional transportation planning. Among the more debated measures, SB 1173 on lesser related offense instructions passed 25-10 after opposition centered on judicial discretion and consistency. SB 1354, limiting out-of-state military or law enforcement activity without the Governor’s permission, passed 29-9 after supporters framed it as a sovereignty measure and opponents argued federal command authority controls. SB 1090, the Altadena disaster-speculation bill, passed 29-9; supporters said it would curb predatory investor purchases after wildfire disasters, while opponents raised concerns about property rights and market effects. SB 966 on refinery worker participation in safety standards passed 30-9 amid a dispute over worker protections versus regulatory burden, and SB 1256, a local housing/subdivision bill, passed 32-0 despite concerns about fire-safety amendments. The Senate also approved SB 865 on music festivals, SB 866 on homelessness planning with a commitment to exempt smaller cities, SB 1007 on HOA assessment transparency and homeowner approval thresholds, SB 923 on privacy deletion rights, SB 1098 on utility balancing accounts, SB 1010 on refrigerant recovery, SB 937 on flashbang and breaching-device restrictions, SB 1082 on inter-district transfer timelines, and SB 1087 on modernizing regional transportation planning. SB 1329 on solar farm property tax assessment drew extensive debate over county revenues, solar development certainty, and fairness to rural communities, but ultimately passed after the call was lifted. Several measures were supported by authors and committee chairs as balancing consumer, worker, or local government protections against concerns about costs, regulatory stability, and local control.

Transcript Highlights:

• Council can't necessarily respond in 10 days.
• instance, if they need to go to council. instance, if they need to go to council.
• Council<00:56:09.520> can't<00:56:09.760> necessarily<00:56:10.480> respond<00:56
• :11.680> in<00:56:11.880> 10 Council can't necessarily respond in 10 Council can't necessarily
• a town council that have adopted a cap. a town council that have adopted a cap.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He does provide administrative and technical support to the Council on Revenues, and so he's the best
• The Council on Revenue adjusted—they made a very small adjustment to things, taking into account the
• Revenue came out and then they Council Revenue came out and then they adjusted<01:45:24.560> the<
• on revenues and so he's the the Council on revenues and so he's the best<01:46:03.639> person
• you um good morning morning the council you um good morning morning the council and<01:46:11.760

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held informational briefings first with the Department of Defense on its FY 2026 budget request, then with the Hawaii School Facilities Authority. Major General Steve Logan outlined the Department of Defense request for $40.5 million in state funds, which he said would leverage about $74 million in federal matching funds and support 411 open projects that could attract up to $2.3 billion in additional federal grant money. He said the budget focuses on sustainment, safety, and reorganization in light of lessons from the Maui wildfires. Key requests included $1.3 million to sustain IT systems, $2.7 million for 32 HEMA emergency management positions, three new Hawaii Army National Guard positions plus four upgrades, and $1.9 million for the Youth Challenge Program to cover state-mandated fringe costs and staffing needs. He also reviewed capital improvement projects, including Youth Challenge facility upgrades, siren modernization, ADA improvements, building retrofits for disaster resilience, Army facility upgrades, a third state veterans home on Maui, HEMA EOC improvements, and a maintenance/fuel building at Diamond Head. Members asked about the siren modernization timeline, and HEMA said roughly 26 to 31 sirens would be modernized this year, with 15 on Maui, eight on Oahu, and eight on the Big Island. Questions also focused on Youth Challenge and Job Challenge enrollment and vacancies, with the department saying the Hilo Job Challenge Academy is growing and that combining Youth Challenge recruiting statewide into one Kilauea program has helped enrollment. Logan also answered questions about the New Year’s Eve medical transport mission, explaining the Hawaii Air National Guard’s relationship with active-duty Air Force assets and saying the flight cost is about $20,000 per flight hour, though the final bill had not yet been determined. On the Maui veterans home, staff said the University of Hawaii site was no longer viable after faculty senate opposition, so the department is now focused on a 10-acre Puna District site; the project remains tied to a certified $35 million state match and August 2025 and August 2026 federal suspense dates. Logan said the veterans home remains one of the department’s highest priorities, but it could not be moved higher in the submitted CIP ranking. The department also discussed a Governor’s add-on for a fire marshal/Office of Recovery and Resiliency proposal. Logan said the fire marshal position was reestablished last session but has not yet been filled, and that if the function is transferred to the Department of Defense, the department wants funding ready to move quickly. Staff later said the request would include about $1.1 million for seven positions and about $2.2 million for operating costs, though details were still preliminary. The committee then reconvened for the School Facilities Authority briefing, where Executive Director Ricky Fujitani described the agency as a startup created in 2020 to improve school and workforce housing development through standardized designs, prefabrication, best-value procurement, and public-private partnerships. He said Hawaii’s single school district still functions like 15 different districts because of its 264 schools across 15 complex areas, and that the authority’s goal is to create more efficient, maintainable, and cost-effective facilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is this former city council?
• I've been doing this for five council?
• You may be on city council<00:19:03.520> again.
• And then you want to council again.
• :43:52.159> datab suicide prevention council is datab suicide prevention council is datab based

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Ray Domingo is the executive director for the Workforce Development Council.
• Ray Domingo is the executive director for the Workforce Development Council.
• Ray Domingo is the executive director for the Workforce Development Council.
• Ray Domingo is the executive director for the Workforce Development Council.
• The State Fire Council, Gary Lum, is the administrative specialist.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held an informational briefing with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations on its budget, staffing, and operations. The director reviewed department leadership and reported on recruitment and retention efforts, including a 14% vacancy rate, a 10.5% workforce increase from filling 189 positions, and the Hela Imua internship program, which has placed 516 interns since inception and led to 62 permanent hires. The department also described modernization efforts, including the UI Huakai project and the Disability Compensation Division’s electronic case management system, and said the unemployment compensation trust fund exceeded $71.5 million, triggering Schedule C for calendar year 2025. The department’s main budget requests included $2.9 million for fiscal year 2026 to support maintenance and operations of the electronic case management system, plus restoration of two enforcement specialist positions. Officials said those positions are needed to address a decline in investigators from 11 to six since 2009, improve compliance, and handle Hawaii Compliance Express certificate work. Additional requests included two human resources specialists to address recruitment backlogs, two labor enforcement specialists to reduce a backlog of Chapter 104 prevailing wage and wage cases, and two positions for the Office of Community Services to expand immigrant services and access centers. The department also discussed federal funding for unemployment insurance and workforce programs, including National Dislocated Worker Grants and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds, and said some funding is received in increments and may require extensions. Members asked about Kauai inspection coverage, federal funding uncertainty, the size of the special unemployment insurance fund, and whether the department could ramp up staffing during a future crisis. Officials said Kauai is currently served by inspectors from Honolulu and there are no plans to open a permanent island position because of staffing constraints. They said the department is meeting federal guidelines and is not in jeopardy, and that the special unemployment insurance fund has about $10 million, with current UI operations funded at a little over $15 million, meaning the fund may need to cover roughly $5 million if federal support declines. The director said the department would use the special fund to supplement shortfalls, but noted that federal funding cuts and the loss of ARPA support have already affected operations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Represents the work produced by the Texas Legislative Council over the course of the interim as part
• Legislative Council's website for review by the public, and Jessica Connaughton from the Legislative Council
• I'm the executive director of the Texas Legislative Council, uh, in one of the buildings to the north

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, working with Legislative Council, we have combined the amendments from—I got moved into your
• So, working with Legislative Council, we were able to combine all three versions of the bill.
• I think we also asked Legislative Council to make the change on page 7, number 3...

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The subcommittee on Senate Bill 2224 met to reconcile several amendment versions into a single draft, combining changes from multiple members and Legislative Council. The discussion focused mainly on clarifying the Attorney General’s hearing and enforcement process, including whether to keep or remove specific time limits, how the stay of an Attorney General order should operate, and whether the bill needed to expressly reference the appeal period under existing law. Members also noted other incorporated changes, including a quarterly meeting requirement for the commission, executive session authority, and a district court reference on page 7. A key issue was whether the bill should specify that an Attorney General order is stayed during the time to appeal and through the appeal process. After discussion of the Administrative Agencies Practices Act, the subcommittee agreed that the bill should reference the appeal period under Section 28-32-42, rather than restating the number of days in the bill itself. The proposed language was refined to say the order must be stayed pending expiration of the time to appeal under 28-32-42 and pending the judgment or order on appeal. The members moved and seconded the amendment with the clarified stay language, indicating agreement to advance the revised version. They discussed process for final review and agreed to reconvene as needed, with a committee meeting planned for Monday after floor session, pending notice and scheduling. No roll call vote was taken in the transcript, but the subcommittee appeared to approve the amendment by voice vote and prepare it for further committee action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Gladstone and I’m the Disability Policy Specialist at the Massachusetts Developmental Disability Council
• Citizen council member and vice chairperson Cody Rooney further highlights the importance of this issue
• I'm the chairperson of the Council of the Massachusetts Developmental Disability Council.
• I'm the political and legislative director for the North Atlantic State Regional Council of Carpenters
• I'm the political and legislative director for the North Atlantic State Regional Council of Carpenters

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hybrid public hearing with testimony on a wide range of labor, workforce, unemployment insurance, apprenticeship, disability services, farm labor, hospital staffing, and workplace harassment bills. Chairs Jake Oliveira and Paul McMurtry outlined hearing procedures, limited testimony to two minutes, and noted written testimony would be accepted after the hearing. Committee members and staff were introduced throughout the session as witnesses arrived in person or remotely. A major portion of the hearing focused on unemployment insurance legislation. Greater Boston Legal Services, the AFL-CIO, and Rep. Joan Meschino supported bills to adjust UI eligibility for workers with fluctuating schedules and to streamline waivers and write-offs for non-fault overpayments, arguing the current system unfairly denies benefits or burdens workers who were not at fault. They also backed bills calling for more oversight and resources for the Division of Unemployment Assistance, citing persistent delays in benefit payments. NFIB opposed the UI changes, warning that the trust fund is headed toward insolvency and arguing the bills would worsen the system’s finances. Rep. Meschino and committee members emphasized that the proposals were meant to protect good-faith claimants and did not apply to fraud. Another large set of bills addressed wages, workforce development, and working conditions. Testimony supported raising and modernizing direct care wages to address severe staffing shortages in human services and disability services, with advocates from the Massachusetts Developmental Disability Council, The Arc of Massachusetts, parents of adults with disabilities, and a direct care worker describing how low pay and turnover harm people needing support. The committee also heard support for apprenticeship-related bills from the AFL-CIO and the Carpenters, while Associated Builders and Contractors opposed mandatory apprenticeship ratios and urged changes to align them with licensing laws. Farm worker advocates supported a bill to raise farm labor standards, including minimum wage, paid breaks, and paid time off, while the Farm Bureau opposed parts of it beyond the minimum wage increase. The hearing also featured testimony on workplace harassment training, overtime protections, hospital mandatory overtime, suicide prevention signage on construction sites, and a proposal to update the Massachusetts Medical Society’s mission language from “citizens” to “people.” Labor groups, educators, and compliance trainers strongly supported mandatory annual sexual harassment training, saying it would improve workplace culture and reduce harm. SEIU 1199 supported extending the hospital nurse mandatory overtime ban to the broader hospital workforce. Witnesses on the suicide prevention bill described personal losses in construction and recovery work and urged posting 988 information on job sites. The committee took no votes during the hearing; witnesses repeatedly asked for favorable reports, and members asked follow-up questions on UI calculations, apprenticeship ratios, small-business impacts, and emergency exceptions for hospital staffing.

Transcript Highlights:

• When I ran for city council in 2008, the ban on gay marriage was on the ballot.
• District 3, the gay district, that elected the first openly gay individual to the San Diego City Council
• When I ran for city council in 2008, the ban on gay marriage was on the ballot.
• Long before I became an Assembly Member or a city council member or a lawyer, I spent a summer as a college
• He was also the father of Los Angeles City Council Member Tim McCosker of the 15th Councilmatic District

Summary: The Assembly convened after initially lacking a quorum, then completed the prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, journal motions, and a long series of procedural actions, including suspending rules to move bills and approve a large Appropriations Committee hearing list. Members also made several guest introductions, including Shannon Lee, district staff from Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez’s office, and later guests tied to agritourism and education recognitions. The floor debate centered heavily on AJR 31, a resolution urging Congress to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Supporters argued that recent Supreme Court decisions and redistricting efforts in other states were weakening Black and other minority representation and that California should take a clear stand for voting rights. Opponents argued the measure promoted racial division, conflicted with equal protection principles, and that districts should be drawn based on place or communities of interest rather than race. After a contentious debate with repeated parliamentary warnings over decorum, the Assembly suspended the rules to take up the resolution, added coauthors, and passed AJR 31 by a vote of 58-8. The Assembly then moved through a series of bills and resolutions, generally approving them with little or no opposition. These included AB 2341 clarifying emergency language translation rules for local agencies; AB 1816 extending court supervision for certain sex-offender rehabilitation programs; AB 2561 protecting consumer privacy settings on phones and digital devices; ACR 167 recognizing World Agritourism Day; ACR 190 recognizing California Day of the Teacher; AB 1581 improving identification of Native American students in public schools; AB 1586 requiring opioid overdose prevention training for school resource officers and safety planning; AB 1665 requiring mental health training for school coaches; AB 1693 streamlining retail tenant-improvement permitting; AB 1768 authorizing a local tax measure related to health funding; AB 1712 facilitating a water-system sale for Santa Fe Springs; AB 1792 addressing sexually exploitive AI imagery in health education; and AB 1822 prioritizing school projects that address extreme heat. Most measures passed overwhelmingly, several unanimously, and the resolution on agritourism and the teacher day were adopted by voice vote.