Transcript Highlights:

• help at least keep you informed as an owner of property that you have property moving or you're purchasing
• Um, the same is to be said for Penny and the Purchase area with Fort Campbell.
• Um, the same is to be said for Penny and the Purchase area with Fort Campbell.
• is to be said for Penny and the purchase is to be said for Penny and the purchase area<00:26:33.600
• So it it policyholder uh the purchaser.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:11 Discussion of County Clerks’ Land Records Update 00:02:42 Discussion of Area Development Districts 00:22:48 Discussion of Legislative Measures 00:50:09 Discussion of Local Taxing Sources 01:02:33 Adjournment 01:29:16, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up an update from the Kentucky County Clerks Association on the transition to electronic recording and land records modernization. Testimony explained that legislation from the 2021 task force created funding and deadlines for counties to provide online search portals and complete a 30-year property record search, with a later move to a 60-year standard. Speakers said the money has been awarded to counties, but much of the work is still in progress because records must be scanned, indexed, and manually verified. They said only a handful of counties are fully compliant with electronic recording so far, while many are still working through staffing and vendor issues. They also noted that the 60-year standard may ultimately be easier and more efficient to complete than the 30-year standard, and that compliance is expected to improve by next summer. The clerks’ representatives also raised related issues, including deed fraud, the county document storage fee, and KDLA digitization grants. They said online recording can make deed fraud easier to attempt, so they expect to seek legislation next session to address it. They described an existing notification service available in many counties that alerts property owners when a document is recorded, which can help detect suspicious activity quickly. They also said the storage fee and separate county account structure has generally worked well, but that two recent KDLA grant cycles have not released money for clerks, limiting support for digitization work. Another topic was whether, once records are fully digitized and verified, some permanent records should remain publicly accessible or be moved to a safer archive under KDLA control. Members asked about the balance in the KDLA fund, what the General Assembly could do to help lagging counties, and how much of the $25 million modernization funding had been spent. Witnesses said they did not have the current fund balance but would try to get it, that the main obstacle now appears to be staffing rather than additional money, and that the funds have been awarded but not fully expended because work is still ongoing. They emphasized that counties are helping one another and asked members to alert association leadership if any county is struggling. The committee then heard a presentation from Dan London, executive director of the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, who described area development districts as regional staff extensions and technical resources for cities and counties, and highlighted their role in coordinating regional services and partnerships across county lines.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill basically extends the date to 2029 and then adds language that seedlings may be purchased from
• <00:16:12.959> uh<00:16:13.040> from<00:16:13.199> the Lans may be purchased
• uh from the Lans may be purchased uh from the private<00:16:13.720> Market<00:16:14.720> uh
• nobody in the state of Minnesota that provides those container seedlings as well, so we've been purchasing
• from Canada um now we've been purchasing from Canada um now that<00:19:04.799> I<00:19:04.919

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• My question is: Is there not a timeline when a homeowner purchases any HOA that they have an opportunity
• documents be made available before the documents be made available before the purchase<01:12:30.920><
• of that home and that those purchase of that home and that those documents<01:12:32.800> be<01
• Purchasers—I'm not a real estate attorney, just to be fair.
• so I'm I'm not a real estate purchasers so I'm I'm not a real estate attorney<01:15:43.159> just<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• But has it been your experience that the bulk of people who are applying know that they’re in that category
• The 340B drug pricing program is one of the largest federal drug purchasing programs, second only
• In recent years, discounted purchases under 340B have been approaching $100 billion nationally, while
• >> Ben Bradley: Comes from the drug manufacturers offering a discount to the 340B provider purchasing

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill protects Delaware consumers from purchasing an electric moped or electric motorcycle with the
• stealth-marketed to the public as toys or bicycles and to protect consumers from being misled into purchasing
• power plant development, requiring utilities to hold competitive procurements for long-term power purchase
• place now to provide the certainty and ensure developers have enough time to contract, procure, or purchase
• place now to provide the certainty and ensure developers have enough time to contract, procure, or purchase

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on energy, public safety, and environmental cleanup. House Bill 455 would create a historic preservation license plate to raise funds and awareness for Delaware preservation efforts, and House Bill 471 would tighten rules and penalties for off-highway vehicles on shared private roads, with golf carts excluded. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 439, the Truth in E-Bike Marketing Act, would require clearer disclosures when selling electric mopeds and electric motorcycles so consumers understand classification, power, and licensing/insurance requirements. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 407, related to the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act and brownfields, would shift funding for brownfield cleanup from the original realty transfer tax approach to a dedicated share of the hazardous substance cleanup fund and raise civil penalties for fraudulent acts. The committee also approved the June 18, 2026 minutes once quorum was reached. Most of the meeting centered on House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 233, as amended, a large-load/data center bill intended to protect ratepayers from costs tied to massive new electricity users. The sponsor and Public Advocate said PJM’s warnings about a coming reliability backstop auction made it urgent to establish a Delaware framework now, requiring large energy users to sign utility agreements, cover their share of transmission, distribution, and capacity costs, and comply with curtailment and other protections. Supporters from environmental groups and some labor and business voices said the bill was needed to prevent cost shifts to households and small businesses, while opponents argued it was being rushed, could deter investment, and might unintentionally affect other industries; several asked for more time and clearer definitions. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee also took up House Bill 470, which would authorize Delmarva Power, with PSC approval, to build and operate utility-owned battery storage and spread costs across the customer base. The sponsor and Delmarva said the bill would improve reliability quickly and help avoid outages, while the chair expressed concern that the state had not yet fully studied whether utility-owned or competitively procured storage is the best model, noting a recent SEU storage study and broader policy questions. Supporters said utility storage could be deployed faster and help with peak shaving, while others urged a competitive process; the transcript cuts off before any final action on HB 470.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 898 requires companies to provide information consumers can use when they purchase consumer devices
• By aggregating digital records and by purchasing databases with billions of data points from private
• Businesses today routinely augment consumer records with data purchased from third parties to enhance
• For example, a retail company might collect basic information directly from the consumer, but then purchase
• lots of other information, like detailed demographic data, purchase history, and other things to augment

Summary: The committee began as a subcommittee due to the lack of a quorum and heard several privacy- and technology-related measures. The first item was H.R. 117, a resolution urging Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The author and supporters argued the law is outdated and shields platforms from accountability for harms such as harassment, exploitation, scams, and other online abuse. Witnesses, including a survivor parent and a gender justice advocate, described harms to children, women, and LGBTQ people and urged a two-year sunset to force federal reform. Some members supported the resolution as a call for federal action, while one member said he could not support it because the resolution was too general and lacked specificity about the reforms being sought. No vote was taken because the committee lacked a quorum. The committee then heard SB 898, which would require manufacturers of connected consumer products to disclose how long they will support the software and to notify consumers when products approach end of life. The author said consumers deserve transparency about security updates and continued functionality, and supporters from Consumer Reports and PIRG emphasized cybersecurity risks, consumer confusion, and electronic waste from unsupported devices. Opponents, including business and industry groups, raised concerns about enforcement through the unfair competition law, notice burdens, labeling issues, and compliance challenges, especially for products with long support windows or third-party dependencies. One member expressed support, noting the cybersecurity risks of end-of-life devices, but again no vote was taken because there was no quorum. The committee also heard SB 435, which would narrow the CCPA definition of publicly available information to limit how businesses classify data as public. The author and supporters said the bill would close a loophole that allows data brokers and others to monetize personal information without meaningful consent and could help prevent surveillance and misuse of data, including by government agencies. Opponents argued the bill would upset the balance between privacy and the free flow of information, create compliance uncertainty, and retroactively reclassify information that businesses reasonably believed was public. Some members said they supported the goal of stronger privacy protections, while others said the bill was too broad. The committee again could not vote due to the lack of a quorum. Later, the committee heard SB 923, which would expand Californians’ right to delete personal information to cover data obtained from third parties and require online businesses to offer a web form or similar method for deletion requests. Supporters, including the California Privacy Protection Agency and consumer advocates, said the bill would make deletion rights meaningful and better address data broker practices. Opponents sought an opt-out-of-processing alternative and raised operational and legal concerns, but supporters said deletion is not the same as retention or processing limits. Members largely spoke in favor of the bill’s privacy goals, but no action was taken. The committee also heard SB 947, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would require human review for certain automated employment decisions and limit predictive analysis in workplace discipline and termination. Labor groups supported the bill as a safeguard against biased or erroneous AI-driven decisions, while business, public employer, and local government groups opposed it as overbroad and burdensome. Members voiced support for human oversight in employment decisions, but the item was not voted on because the committee still lacked a quorum. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1114, the SOGI Data Privacy Act, which would restrict disclosure of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex data to federal agencies absent a court order or legal requirement; the author and witness framed it as a response to federal efforts to obtain sensitive LGBTQ-related data.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 898 requires companies to provide information consumers can use when they purchase consumer devices
• By aggregating digital records and by purchasing databases with billions of data points from private
• Businesses today routinely augment consumer records with data purchased from third parties to enhance
• For example, a retail company might collect basic information directly from the consumer, but then purchase
• lots of other information that's detailed demographic data, purchase history, other things to kind of

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• mention earlier was with CARES... ...didn't get to mention earlier was with CARES Act, the tribe purchased
• The Turtle Mountain Band purchases land, turns around and takes it out of trust status.
• Now that pipeline might last 50 years to 100 years, but we will continue to reclaim through purchase,
• And even in discussion, because I've been involved in some of the land purchases that the tribe's been
• in, and devout... ...because I've been involved in some of the land purchases that the tribe's been

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Asians, in their contracts, they want some sort of certification that they are purchasing the cleanest
• The Asians, in their contracts, they want some sort of certification that they are purchasing the cleanest
• sort of certification that<00:23:31.520> they<00:23:31.760> are<00:23:32.000> purchasing
• <00:23:32.559> the<00:23:32.799> cleanest that they are purchasing the cleanest that
• they are purchasing the cleanest fuel<00:23:35.440> on<00:23:35.760> the<00:23:35.919>

Bills: SF0102, SF0123, SF0021, SF0099

Keywords: energy transmission, load growth, Wyoming energy authority, transmission planning study, public utilities, regional cooperation, energy, funding, grants, loans, coal, natural gas, mineral processing, economic development, stable token, liquidity, trust account, Wyoming, fund distribution, financial regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• recordkeeping is, as you explained, would have been specific if there was a sale or the alcohol that they've purchased
• recordkeeping is, as you explained, would have been specific if there was a sale or the alcohol that they've purchased
• recordkeeping is, as you explained, would have been specific if there was a sale or the alcohol that they've purchased
• recordkeeping is, as you explained, would have been specific if there was a sale or the alcohol that they've purchased
• recordkeeping is, as you explained, would have been specific if there was a sale or the alcohol that they've purchased

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up several liquor-related bills. Senate Bill 24, allowing students under 21 to taste wine in educational settings, drew no opposition or amendment and was reported out 6-0. Senate Bill 79, authorizing self-pour automated systems under the liquor commission, also faced no opposition and was voted ought to pass 6-0. Senate Bill 80, shifting licensing, auditing, and enforcement for wholesale and retail e-cigarette sales to the liquor commission, prompted discussion about whether the change would add cost; members heard that the liquor commission already handles similar enforcement and that the change was meant to address nonreporting. It was voted ought to pass 6-0. The committee then discussed Senate Bill 87, concerning alcohol service in salons, barbershops, and spas. Members and staff focused on how to limit the amount served, whether to require recordkeeping, and privacy concerns about tracking what patrons drank. The discussion settled on removing references to alcohol type and quantity and keeping only patron records, with the understanding that the agency would set the details by rule. The bill was not formally amended at the meeting, but members agreed an amendment would be drafted for the following week; the bill itself was reported ought to pass with that amendment to be determined. Finally, the committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 245, the EMS No Surprises Act and System Stabilization Act. The sponsor, Senator Suprena, said the bill would prohibit balance billing for emergency ambulance calls and unscheduled transfers, while setting reimbursement at either locally set public rates or 325% of Medicare. She explained that the proposal was based on national work on ground ambulance billing and was intended to stabilize struggling EMS providers. Committee members sought clarification that the bill did not eliminate balance billing for non-emergency transfers, and the sponsor confirmed it did not. A second witness, Jerry Stringham, testified in support, citing his reimbursement background.

Transcript Highlights:

• A police officer who had recently purchased a Home in the neighborhood she patrolled was the victim of
• They are also subject to competitive purchasing procedures, which the other counties are not.
• As I said, people stop, they look at the puppies, and they make impulse purchases.
• They ensure that their puppies are sold and purchased responsibly.
• These animals are frequently purchased on impulse without proper consideration of long-term care or cost

Bills: HB240, HB2097, HB2731, HB3087, HB3234, HB3319, HB3394, HB3687, HB4105, HB4205, HB4350, HB4462, HB4642, HB4801, HB5403, HB240

Keywords: quorum, tax levy, county governance, local government, population regulations, quorum requirement, Texas counties, population threshold, deputy sheriff, civil service, law enforcement, appeals process, sheriff's department, HB 2731, roadside vendors, solicitors, county regulation, border counties, Mexico border, Transportation Code

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3832 would incentivize more people to purchase this specialty plate, thus facilitating more
• if the plate is explicitly stated to be a spay and neuter plate, more people would be inclined to purchase
• could have a more attractive design for that plate that would incentivize more people to want to purchase
• or the Texas Transportation Commission from acquiring a person's interest in the property through purchase
• Outside of that, it's really the people's right-of-way that our tax dollars have... purchased and has

Bills: HB341, HB791, HB1564, HB1695, HB1722, HB1729, HB1772, HB2003, HB2954, HB2989, HB3084, HB3134, HB3135, HB3309, HB3611, HB3679, HB3727, HB3832

Keywords: affordable housing, zoning, development, community support, local regulations, bicycle lanes, traffic collisions, Texas Department of Transportation, study, public safety, bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, road safety, transportation study, HB 791, Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, specialty license plate, specialty plates

Transcript Highlights:

• certificates, but we see other forms of not general obligation debt, non-voted debt, whether it be a lease purchase
• to pay contractors for the work they have completed and suppliers for the material that they have purchased
• we are a money service business, so you'd register with us based on how much you were trying to purchase
• Uh, you are either purchasing, uh, a virtual currency, whether that's Bitcoin or another virtual currency
• So if we could get something to help us to be able to purchase this so that we can conduct our traces

Transcript Highlights:

• Increasing cigarette taxes regularly corrects for inflation and consumer purchasing power.
• 30.880> consumer corrects for inflation and consumer corrects for inflation and consumer purchasing
• <00:25:32.640> Recent<00:25:32.960> polling<00:25:33.440> shows purchasing power
• Recent polling shows purchasing power.
• an increase in tobacco tax in 13 years, and obviously we've seen a significant amount of consumer purchase

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Health, Human Services, and Higher Education hearing took up HB 441 HD2, a measure to increase cigarette taxes and dedicate the revenue to the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. The Department of Taxation said it had no substantive objection but requested an effective date of January 1, 2026 if tax rates change so it can order new stamps. The Department of Health, the Deputy Attorney General/tobacco enforcement, the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Hawaii Medical Association, and several other health organizations and youth advocates supported the bill, arguing that higher cigarette prices reduce youth initiation, encourage cessation, and help fund cancer research and care. Several supporters asked for a larger increase, including at least $1 per pack, while opponents from retail, wholesale, and tobacco-related groups argued the tax would be regressive, burden low-income smokers, and drive sales to the illicit market. The Tax Foundation and other opponents also criticized reliance on sin taxes and said smoking rates are already at historic lows. After testimony and questions, members discussed how the revenue should be used and whether higher taxes change smoker behavior or push people toward vaping or other alternatives. The chairs announced they would pass HB 441 HD2 with amendments, replacing the contents with SB 528 SD1 except for changes reflecting the Department of Taxation’s request and a provision directing all proceeds from the tax increase to the Hawaii Cancer Center’s debt reduction, with an effective date of December 31, 2025. The House Health, Human Services, and Higher Education committees then voted to adopt the recommendation; the Health, Human Services committee vote was adopted with Chair and several members voting aye and one member voting no in the Higher Education committee vote. The hearing also briefly covered HB 1334 on meat donation, which drew support from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, food industry, and community groups, though no action was taken in the excerpt. The committee then heard HB 1098 on crimes against protective services workers. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office and Honolulu Police Department supported the bill, saying assaults on protective services workers can have chilling effects and deserve stronger deterrence; a committee question raised whether the bill should instead be part of a broader, more proactive approach to assault statutes. The Department of Human Services also described safety steps such as panic buttons and phone apps for social workers. The excerpt ends before any final vote on HB 1098.

Transcript Highlights:

• be captured in the higher percentages for higher value purchases.
• be captured in the higher percentages for higher value purchases.
• percentages for higher value purchases. percentages for higher value purchases.
• and ensure that if you are purchasing and ensure that if you are purchasing a<01:42:39.600> home
• Um, I hope to purchase both insurances.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SAF will be brought into the state, blended near the airport, purchased by airlines, and flow into planes
• But I also want to mention here, which is important, that all of those purchases would see the benefit
• <01:17:19.120> would<01:17:19.280> see<01:17:19.600> the all those purchases
• would see the all those purchases would see the benefit<01:17:20.120> of<01:17:20.200> the
• of purchase, that'd save about<01:17:29.320> $750.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that opens up to get this type of legislation established that opens up the true transparency of a purchase
• As the criminal wasn't on the title when my dad purchased the house, just one of the terrible mistakes
• As the criminal wasn't on the title when my dad purchased the house, just one of the terrible mistakes
• Chair, cities and developers, when raw land is purchased, negotiate a development agreement that specifies
• They then purchased an umbrella, and again were told to take it down, and now there is an empty shell

Bills: HB2128, HB2255, HB2397, HB2429, HB2591, HB2680, HB2834, HB2868, HB2911, HB2951, HB2979, HB2991, HB2996, HB2999, HB4001, HB4011, HB4017, HB4020, HB4026, HB4086, HB4088, HB2244, HB2342

Keywords: homeowners associations, condominiums, open meetings, governance, transparency, Arizona Teachers Academy, teacher preparation, education funding, public schools, scholarships, teacher certification, community colleges, HOA, homeowners association, planned community, condominium, CC&Rs, covenants, conditions and restrictions, resale disclosure, association disclosure

Transcript Highlights:

• I purchased my first home when I was 26 years old when we were able to put 3% down on a house, and I
• From 2022 to 2023, California spent almost $19 billion on purchasing and contracts and is known to procure
• Each year, every year, the state of California spends millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase firearms
• By incentivizing the purchase of local glass from recycled materials, AB 899 strengthens the state supply
• By incentivizing the purchase of local glass from recycled materials, AB 899 strengthens the state supply

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call and first dealt with a procedural dispute over four amendments to AB 1240. The Speaker ruled the amendments out of order as not germane, and the Assembly sustained that ruling on a 49-16 vote. Members then added co-authors to several consent-calendar resolutions, including measures on the National Conference of State Legislators, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, ALS Awareness Month, and Men’s Mental Health Month, before adopting the consent calendar. The chamber also heard guest introductions, including a welcome for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and took up a motion to bring AB 41 up out of file, which failed 19-48. The bulk of the meeting was floor action on a long series of bills and resolutions, many of which passed with broad bipartisan support. Measures approved included ACR 40 supporting immigrant students and FAFSA privacy; AB 917 on permanent status for certain school employees; AB 985 on anesthesia access; AB 7 and AB 42 on higher education and student services; AB 245 providing property tax relief for wildfire victims; AB 255 allowing funding for drug-free recovery housing; AB 279 updating K-12 library standards; AB 289 creating a pilot for automated speed enforcement in highway construction zones; AB 291 on an educator apprentice program; AB 327 addressing swatting; AB 340 on confidential union communications; AB 341 creating an oral health technical assistance center for people with disabilities; AB 356 on San Diego health care infrastructure; AB 410 on bot disclosure; AB 476 on copper theft enforcement; AB 477 on educator pay targets; AB 485 on stolen wages and business licensing; AB 487, the insurance committee’s technical omnibus bill; AB 573 on tobacco retail license fees; AB 598 on school mapping technology; AB 635 on mobile home law enforcement referrals; AB 651 on remote participation for incarcerated parents in dependency hearings; AB 654 on homelessness hotline assistance in Los Angeles County; AB 662 creating a South County higher education task force; AB 667 on language access in professional licensing; AB 669 limiting early denial of addiction treatment; AB 670 on naturally occurring affordable housing; AB 695 on online continuation of community college for deported students; AB 723 on disclosure for digitally altered real estate images; AB 727 placing Trevor Project information on student IDs; and AB 736, a $10 billion affordable housing bond for the June 2026 ballot, which passed on a 61-11 urgency vote after extensive debate. Debate on AB 736 was the most extensive of the day, with supporters arguing the bond would help address California’s housing crisis and give voters a chance to weigh in, while opponents criticized the state’s bond debt and past spending results. The Assembly then recessed for caucus meetings and later returned to continue the daily file, where additional measures were taken up, including AB 798 adding diapers and wipes to the emergency food bank reserve program, which passed 56-0, and AB 821 on career technical education, which was presented as bipartisan-supported as the transcript continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know in the past we’ve made it a point that their offer has to include all fees related to the purchase
• We do believe that the intent is to discourage speculative purchasing, conversion of ag lands, basically
• The intent is to discourage speculative purchasing, conversion of ag lands, basically flipping ag land
• So, purchase and transition the extent to which it’s had efficacy, I honestly don’t know how long it’
• and and transition the extent purchase and and transition the extent to<00:50:30.280> which<00

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several agriculture, water, invasive species, and land-use bills. HB 299 and HB 1220, both relating to invasive species, drew broad support from the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, DLNR, the Department of Agriculture, C-GAPS, Sierra Club, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union, and others. Testifiers said HISC funding fills gaps between agency mandates, supports research and technology, and helps respond to both terrestrial and marine invasive threats. On HB 1220, C-GAPS described a marine anemone infestation in Kāneʻohe linked to aquarium release and said control and restoration would be difficult without the bill’s funding. A committee member asked for tracking information on the species, and the Division of Aquatic Resources said it maintains monitoring data and annual reports. No opposition was noted on either measure. HB 506, relating to conservation enforcement, also received support from DLNR and Malama Pu‘u Ma. Committee discussion focused on the bill’s scope and how the funding would be used. Members asked about a prior boat purchase mentioned in opposition testimony and about whether mainland vendors were being used; the department said it did not buy that boat and that procurement follows the normal state process, with total bid price including delivery, taxes, and other fees. The department explained that the bill’s funding is primarily for marine enforcement work in nearshore fisheries, including herbivore protection around O‘ahu. HB 915, relating to water use, had mixed testimony. DLNR supported alternative water sources and amendments to the water code, while the Department of Agriculture opposed the bill as drafted, saying its irrigation program is designed for non-potable agricultural use and is not structured for residential or mixed-use development. The Department of Health said it needed more information on its reuse guidelines and noted concern about removing the recycled water manager requirement, which it said helps ensure safe operation and maintenance of reuse systems. Members questioned the bill’s preemption language and whether county or state rules would be displaced, and Agriculture suggested county water agencies might be better suited for some of the proposed uses. HB 502, concerning land use, drew support from the Attorney General’s office, the Land Use Commission, Hawaii Realtors, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Farmers Union, with the Department of Agriculture standing on its written testimony. The Attorney General warned that allowing important agricultural lands to be redistricted through a declaratory ruling process could conflict with the state constitution and recommended excluding IAL from the bill. The Land Use Commission said it has an inventory of IAL lands and did not believe the bill would affect them, and it agreed to the suggested protection. Supporters said the bill could help move lands with limited agricultural value into the rural district, reduce pressure on productive farmland, and better align land use with actual farming potential. HB 929, relating to the agricultural land conveyance tax, received comments from the Department of Taxation and opposition from Hawaii Farm Bureau and Hawaii Realtors; Farm Bureau said it supports preserving agricultural land but was concerned about unintended consequences and questioned whether speculative flipping of ag land is a current problem.

Transcript Highlights:

• And some of those things, some of those purchases may or may not be permissible.
• Some of those things, some of those purchases may or may not be permissible under law.
• How much can I afford on the purchase of a home that a bank's going to calculate?
• Because the cost of housing is upwards of $600,000 to purchase a new home.
• What additional strain did my purchase, occupancy, and ownership of the house put on municipal services

Summary: The Committee on Appropriations took up SJR 2-F, a proposed constitutional amendment to reduce property taxes by lowering assessment caps on non-homestead property, expanding homestead exemptions over time, and allowing local governments to increase exemptions further. The sponsor argued the measure would provide broad property tax relief while requiring revenues to be directed to core services such as public safety, education, infrastructure, and natural resource projects, with a trust fund intended to help local governments transition. Senators raised concerns about the lack of a fiscal score, the effect on counties, cities, school districts, and special districts, and whether the proposal would shift costs to fees or other taxes. Several amendments were debated. Senator Polsky’s amendment to explicitly authorize user fees and non-ad valorem assessments to offset lost property tax revenue failed. Senator Avila’s amendment broadening permissible uses of ad valorem revenue to include county constitutional officers and other expenditures approved by local governing bodies was adopted after debate over whether the bill would otherwise underfund essential functions. Senator Smith’s sunset amendment, which would have made the constitutional changes expire after five years, failed. Senator Smith’s amendment to allow tourism development tax revenue to support public safety and education also failed. Senator Graal’s amendment removing the constitutional trust fund language was adopted, with supporters arguing the Constitution should not promise an unfunded account. Additional late-file amendments were considered. Senator Berman’s proposal to change the ballot title to more neutrally describe the measure as affecting property taxes and local community service reductions failed. Senator Trumbull’s amendment removing school board ad valorem taxes from the proposal was adopted, preserving school taxes. Senator Smith’s amendment narrowing the non-homestead assessment cap reduction to small businesses only failed. The committee then returned to the bill as amended and continued questioning the sponsor about eligibility, fiscal impacts, and whether the proposal could lead to local governments offsetting lost revenue through special assessments or other charges.