Transcript Highlights:

• Moving these programs creates federal operational and coordination risks without solving the core challenges
• ADD, the Agricultural Development Division, manages federally supported programs and agreements within
• Transferring the division may require federal approval and risk disruption to federal funding and program
• > federal Moving these programs creates federal Moving these programs creates federal operational
• federal funding and program continuity. federal funding and program continuity.

Bills: SB2350, SB2349, SB2407, SB3320

Keywords: agriculture, aquaculture, livestock, agribusiness, Department of Agriculture, regulatory functions, employee benefits, restorative practices, sustainability, environmental stewardship, local food systems, Native Hawaiian, workforce development, agricultural development, Hawaii Island, property manager, state employment, SB3320, Hawaii, Agribusiness Development Corporation

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SP 2350, which would transfer oversight of the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Development Division and the aquaculture and livestock support services branch to the Agribusiness Development Corporation. The Department of Agriculture and ADC both testified, with ADC opposing the bill as written while supporting the goal of strengthening agriculture. ADC said the transfer could create federal operational and coordination risks, jeopardize federal funding and program continuity, and was unnecessary because ADC is a business development entity, not a regulatory agency. The Hawaii Farmers Union also expressed concern that moving the programs could weaken the department’s ability to access federal resources, while the Hawaii Farm Bureau submitted written testimony and the Hawaii Aquaculture and Aquaponics Association and H-Plan were noted as supporting the measure; the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council was noted as opposing it. Much of the discussion focused on aquaculture’s economic potential and the role of regulation, permitting, and funding. Committee members questioned why aquaculture had not grown faster, citing current gross revenues of about $66 million last year, a prior high of $82 million, and a possible long-term target of $500 million. Testimony identified permitting and feed costs as major barriers, along with market conditions and water quality issues affecting producers. ADC described ongoing efforts on feed development, permitting streamlining, coastal-state collaboration on seaweed and restorative aquaculture, and national advocacy for more parity in seafood import standards. Members also pressed the Department of Agriculture on its leadership and priorities, criticizing the lack of bills and resources dedicated to aquaculture and asking whether the department should have more authority to pursue land purchases and development opportunities. The department said it relies on divisions and industry feedback for bill ideas, noted it funds an annual aquaculture survey, and said it was pursuing congressional earmarks and other funding for aquaculture parks, research, and export/import issues. ADC said it would work with the department if the bill passed, but that its current statute does not give it regulatory authority and any such change would require a statutory amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• for Medicaid programs are all varied and very different.
• These are already covered under a federal rule and a state law.
• While I'm not over that program, I ran that program for a number of years.
• We changed it to match what our electrical program, elevator program, and other programs have, that it's
• That's a federal requirement. So they would have to have that.

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed several agency rules and most were approved without objection. The Department of Agriculture repealed rules tied to the now-repealed Arkansas Catfish Processors Fair Practice Act. The Department of Human Services updated Medicaid policy to clarify child support enforcement treatment for pregnant women, remove the word “forcible” from rape/incest good-cause language, and eliminate a 90-day waiting period for ARKids B after loss of group coverage; members highlighted the significance of the language change and asked for a quick-reference eligibility chart. DHS Medical Services also received approval for a CMS cell and gene therapy model rule for sickle cell drugs and a technical Medicaid-assisted medication-assisted treatment update that was described as cost-neutral and non-substantive. The Department of Labor and Licensing presented several rules implementing recent acts and internal cleanup changes. These included procedures for local construction plan disputes under Act 591, Contractors Licensing Board amendments raising the restricted commercial license threshold from $750,000 to $1.5 million and allowing deferral of owner-complaint investigations during civil litigation, and a similar residential contractors change. The HVACR Licensing Board presented broader revisions under Act 746, including grammar and cleanup changes, elimination of the Class C license with transfer of existing holders to Class B, expansion of allowable work limits, a change to continuing education from four hours annually to eight hours per three-year code cycle, and clarification on training, child labor, and licensing issues. Several members questioned the practical impact of the HVAC changes, but the rule was approved. The committee also granted the Department of Inspector General’s request for exclusion from rulemaking reporting under Act 473, concluding that no rule was necessary because the act already defines the key terms and review process for foreign-adversary cultural exchange agreements. In addition, the Arkansas State Library’s report recommending continuation of its existing rules was accepted. During the status updates on outstanding 2023-session rulemaking, Education explained delays were due to overlapping 2025 amendments and the large volume of rules, while members expressed concern about the length of time since enactment; staff noted only a small number of 2023 rules remain outstanding. The meeting ended after written 2025-session updates were received with no further questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• These services can be covered through the Minnesota Health Care Plan, which is the federal Medicaid program
• <00:03:53.440> Medicaid<00:03:54.000> program,<00:03:55.200> or is the federal
• Medicaid program, or is the federal Medicaid program, or through<00:03:55.920> grant<00:03:56.319
• <00:13:46.240> to specialized educational programs to specialized educational programs to
• <00:19:14.400> This programs in school settings. This programs in school settings.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• from all or a portion of those federally protected rivers.
• They're not already protected under federal law.
• under California law if they lose their federal protection status.
• This program is extremely important, and I've seen the value because it does.
• The Strong Workforce Program was established in 2016 to strengthen CTE programs in California Community

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a federal program, but the bottom line is that right now it is supporting the well-being and actually
• It's a federal a complicated deal.
• It's a federal program,<00:02:14.319> but<00:02:14.560> the<00:02:14.800> bottom
• Now, this program, this<00:02:55.040> 340B<00:02:55.920> program,<00:02:56.400> it
• <00:03:30.640> program, federal program, not a state program, federal program, not a state

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I cannot use federal funds or staff paid with federal funds to administer this state-level program.
• I cannot use federal funds or staff paid with federal funds to administer this state-level program.
• law, it's a federal program.
• "Are you funded totally with federal funds? Is that for the food and nutrition programs?
• So they're looking out for federal programs, but we as a state are flipping the bill.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• law and federal regulations.
• <00:25:56.799> language it it's just mirr in federal language it it's just mirr in federal
• My daughter has been through this program.
• affiliate of all the programs that we do.
• <00:31:48.320> is uh that's how important this program is uh that's how important this program

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 00:24 SB 3 Discussion 01:06 SB 3 Vote 04:51 SB 15 Discussion 07:14 SB 15 Vote 14:42 SB 103 Discussion 15:39 SB 103 Vote 33:53 SB 201 Discussion 35:44 SB 201 Vote 39:47, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment met with a quorum and first considered Senate Bill 3, relating to student athletes and NIL. Senator Max Wise said the bill would modernize Kentucky’s NIL framework so universities remain competitive and student-athletes can benefit, noting the state’s earlier NIL law and the need to act before a pending national settlement. Several members supported the bill but expressed concern that NIL has changed college athletics and could eventually affect high school sports. The committee reported Senate Bill 3 favorably. The committee then took up Senate Bill 15, relating to minimum wage exceptions for minor league baseball players. Senator Amanda Bledsoe and MLB representative Josh Allen explained that the bill would align Kentucky law with the players’ collective bargaining agreement, treating the players as salaried rather than hourly workers and addressing overtime issues. Members discussed the minimum weekly salaries at Single-A and Triple-A, along with housing, meals, and health benefits under the agreement. The committee adopted a committee substitute, passed a title amendment, and reported Senate Bill 15 favorably. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 103, which concerns the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and services for people with disabilities. Senator Danny Carroll and provider advocates said the bill would add regulatory oversight, require reporting to the legislature and governor, and give preference to in-state services when available, while preserving access to out-of-state services when needed. Testimony focused on Kentucky’s low employment ranking for people with disabilities, unused federal funds, provider funding concerns, and an OVR order of selection that would limit services to the most severe cases. The committee adopted a committee substitute and reported Senate Bill 103 favorably after supportive comments from members about the program’s impact on employment and quality of life.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is part of the new federal program for the rural health transformation, and this company will manage
• It helps develop program initiatives or change program initiatives.
• program.
• This program works and we need to utilize it.
• This program works and we need to utilize it.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The federal government actually is helping.
• A few years ago, that volunteer program was done away with.
• There's also a program at Endova County Medical Center called the Next Step program, a violence intervention
• program that has saved lives and broken cycles of trauma.
• Please talk to the advocacy programs and the direct service programs in your communities and find out

Transcript Highlights:

• five. times the federal poverty line or less can call into the program and receive free legal help over
• Our pilot programs are two main programs: assisted outpatient treatment.
• I did not include things like some of our federal funding. Federal funding.
• equitable sharing program.
• And one of the... things about the federal equitable sharing program is, of course, cities and counties

Transcript Highlights:

• It has a 90-10 federal match. clients of all the women's health programs.
• National federal rates.
• How many people does the program keep out of jail? Those participants who were in the program?
• Texas Families Program.
• Summer EBT is a brand-new federal program that, according to estimates from USDA's own Food and Nutrition

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• CalVet has a home loan program.
• mandated TAP programs.
• alongside other farm-based programs And the remaining licensing programs were placed within the Department
• Cohort 2 program.
• Programming statewide through grants, programs, and services.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• state agency claims that this program state agency claims that this program provides<00:21:41.200
• discussing it more because this program discussing it more because this program if<00:37:58.400>
• things we're conflating the program things we're conflating the program itself<00:40:52.440>
• When a similar program at the federal level, like maybe the Conservation Reserve Program, that's approach
• When a similar program at the federal level, like maybe the Conservation Reserve Program, that's about

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• A farm to institution pilot program.
• , and senior nutrition programs.
• I'm the food program manager at Eastie Farm.
• Federal and municipal limitations have left programs like ours underfunded and under-prioritized.
• Federal and municipal limitations have left programs like ours underfunded and under-prioritized.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries held a public hearing on 19 legislative proposals, with testimony limited to three minutes per speaker and seven minutes per panel. The hearing opened with testimony on bills promoting urban agriculture and vacant-lot conversion, including H.121/S.61, which Green Roots staff and community members supported as a way to turn vacant lots in environmental justice communities into urban farms and gardens that improve food access, health, community cohesion, and climate resilience. Rep. James Arena-DeRosa also spoke in support of H.109/S.56, the PFAS bill, describing it as a measure to protect soil and farms from contamination and to create relief for affected farmers. A major portion of the hearing focused on H.109/S.56, which would ban land application of sewage sludge/biosolids, provide liability protection and relief funds for farmers, and address PFAS contamination in soil, water, crops, and animals. Testimony came from environmental groups, farm organizations, and individual farmers, including the Mass Food System Collaborative, Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Water Action, CEMAP, NOFA, Sierra Club, and several farmers who described contamination in Maine and Massachusetts and urged the committee to act. Witnesses emphasized that PFAS poses serious health risks, that farmers should not bear responsibility for legacy contamination, and that the bill should be paired with funding for testing, remediation, and assistance. Committee members asked questions about farm liability, the scope of the bill, contamination in different ownership situations, and the costs and timelines of remediation, with Senator Comerford and others clarifying that the bill is intended to protect farms and farmers rather than non-agricultural landholders. The committee also heard strong support for H.416, a farm-to-institution pilot program, from Rep. Lee Davis, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, and Berkshire Bounty. They said the pilot would connect Massachusetts farms to schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other institutions, creating new markets, strengthening local supply chains, and supporting food-is-medicine efforts. Members discussed whether the model could be statewide and referenced existing programs such as Island Grown Initiative and local hospital and insurance partnerships. Another agricultural bill, H.1058, was supported by Rep. Mark Sylvia and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association as a way to allow unused cranberry water rights to be transferred within the same watershed for municipal mitigation while helping growers retire or consolidate bogs. The hearing also included testimony on the broader farm omnibus bill H.112/S.55 and related measures, with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and others praising the committee’s work on agricultural resilience, food security, agritourism, workforce development, and farmland access, while suggesting additional transportation-related fixes for farmers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under California's Active Transportation Program, ATP, bikeways funded through the program are already
• It doesn't create a new program and improves an existing program, and so from our perspective, a bus
• This bill would upgrade the Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program to ensure that the program is
• At a time when California's clean air programs are under attack by the federal administration, the effectiveness
• polluting programs within SB 1.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Northrop Grumman and a myriad of federal and Department of Defense contractors for human capital.
• And I want to touch... ...for beaches, tourism promotion, and cultural programs in Miami-Dade County.
• And those projects typically have, as you all know, a federal, state, and local component.
• Program.
• EDR wrote that the program does not recover any portion of the state's investment.

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee considered several tax-related measures. SB 674, allowing county property appraisers to budget for and pay hiring or retention bonuses with Department of Revenue approval, was supported by property appraisers and reported favorably. C.S. for SJR 318, as amended, would create a tangible personal property exemption for agricultural land used in agricultural production or agritourism; the amendment clarified the property’s location and allowed the Legislature to define conditions, and the resolution was reported favorably with support from Farm Bureau and the Florida Chamber. The committee also advanced C.S. for SB 1664, as amended, which requires locally approved discretionary taxes to be reauthorized by voters when they expire and sets rules for taxes tied to revenue bonds. Local government and tourism-related groups raised concerns about impacts on tourist development taxes, beach funding, transportation surtaxes, and long-term planning, while supporters argued voters should periodically reaffirm taxes; the bill was reported favorably. C.S. for SJR 1510 and its implementing bill, SB 1512, were both amended to sharply narrow a proposed long-term lease property tax exemption to one qualifying property and to single-family homes, mobile homes, and condominiums; counties and cities opposed the measures as tax shifts, but both were reported favorably. The committee then took up SPB 7034, the Senate tax package, which includes permanent sales tax exemptions for certain clothing and bullion, multiple tax holidays, a temporary motor vehicle fee reduction, a property tax study, corporate and insurance tax credit changes, a communications services tax freeze, and other tax provisions, with staff estimating $2.1 billion in total revenue reduction. Testimony included support for studying property taxes and strong opposition to the firearm and ammunition tax holiday from students and advocacy groups, who argued it was unsafe and inappropriate; others urged adding combined reporting or removing tourist development tax changes. After debate, the committee reported the package favorably and also approved a motion to submit it as a committee bill. The meeting ended after Senator Bernard recorded an affirmative vote on tab 5 and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The early implementation period coincided and administer this program.
• Through this program, we have optimized nearly $1.5 billion in federal funding for hospitals since launching
• And due to federal changes, including in HR1, the federal reconciliation bill, states are prohibited
• from renewing or creating new programs similar to the HDAA.
• So without state action to repeal the program sunset, the program will be eliminated permanently in 2030

Bills: HB25, SB38, SB101, HB199

Keywords: juvenile delinquency, firearm possession, criminal background checks, state law, gun control, youth offense, conviction, public safety, SB38, pet food, registered pet food, registration fee, fees, sunset repeal, repeal of repeal, revenue, state fee, business regulation, animal feed, pet food registration

Transcript Highlights:

• , Department of Health WIC and food support programs.
• the Medicaid program. That's their job. the Medicaid program. That's their job.
• And so this includes federal agencies.
• I think there's five federal agencies.
• people who don't qualify for programs people who don't qualify for programs for<00:24:18.480>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today we manage 53 open federal...
• We'll happy to so right now 53 open federal disaster declarations.
• Couldn't it be pulled back by the federal?
• Our other program is known as the Defense...
• It's an infrastructure grant program.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This program allows the federal surplus property that comes to the state at no cost other than transportation
• ' federal funds, but we don't have a lot of our own federal funding sources.
• I heard you say new program, but on here it says program expansion.
• So is it a new program, or what is the actual program?
• I heard you say new program, but on here it says program expansion.

Keywords: 959, house, all