Transcript Highlights:

• to pay everything, correct?
• to pay everything, correct?
• to pay everything, correct?
• to pay everything, correct?
• to pay everything, correct?

Transcript Highlights:

• If you wish to vote no, please raise your hand. If you wish to vote no, please raise your hand.
• Please, if you wish to vote no, raise your hand. Please, if you wish to vote no, raise your hand.
• No, please raise your hand.
• A prosecutor only has 2,000 hours in a year to prosecute a judicial, A prosecutor only has 2,000 hours
• But let's just say in Albuquerque, that prosecutor is solely tasked... ...prosecutor, you know, but let's

Summary: The Senate convened, initially lacked a quorum, then established one and opened with prayer, pledges in English, Navajo, and Spanish, and the salute to the New Mexico flag. Members then moved through announcements and recognitions, including permission for cameras on the floor and gallery, and certificates honoring Santa Fe County Day and Soil and Water Conservation District Day. Senators spoke in support of both recognitions, emphasizing Santa Fe County’s history, cultural and economic contributions, and the conservation districts’ role in stewardship, agriculture, and conservation work across the state. The chamber also welcomed numerous guests, honorary lieutenant governors, student shadows, and seniors visiting the Capitol. The Senate confirmed two State Investment Council appointments. Mary Patricia Roman was confirmed 31-0 after debate highlighting her decades of global investment experience, leadership in private banking, and service on the SIC investment committee. John F. Bingaman was then confirmed 32-0 for reappointment, with senators citing his finance background, prior service as governor’s chief of staff, and role in state economic and early childhood policy. Members also discussed his leadership on the council and the importance of strong management of the state’s permanent funds. On legislation, Senate Memorial 3 passed 27-0. The memorial, developed with the Wild Friends civics and science program, invites state agencies to participate in an insect identification and education workshop with UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology and the Xerces Society. The Senate also received House messages and adopted several committee reports, including referrals and passage recommendations for multiple bills and memorials. Later, the chamber debated Senate Bill 145, which would consolidate certain federal audit reporting into a single submission and adjust audit requirements for smaller entities and acequias; supporters said it would streamline compliance without changing audit requirements, while opponents raised concerns about auditor business, oversight, and the risk of weakening scrutiny. The bill remained under debate in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, in my former life, I was a prosecutor.
• You don't pay child support, that's a civil matter, but then it becomes criminal when you don't pay it
• I was an Idaho prosecutor for about a little over 20 years, served first as a deputy prosecutor in Ada
• County and then as the elected prosecutor in Valley County.
• It gives prosecutors the discretion.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Their intent was also to raise people's conscience and encourage the highest standards of scholastic
• Senator Leak said self-defense is still available and can be raised in court.
• The prosecutor still has prosecutorial discretion to charge what they want to charge.
• That person should pay the consequences for their actions. Those consequences should be punitive.
• Of prosecutors. There are levels of quality and competency and ability.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing guests and visiting groups, including the Challenger Learning Center, the Florida Dental Hygienists Association, school students, and other local officials and organizations. Members also offered remarks about President Allbritton’s recovery and upcoming events, including State of Black Florida Week and a future executive appointments calendar. The main floor debate centered on Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 156, which revises criminal penalties involving law enforcement officers. The bill clarifies that resistance to an officer with violence is not justified when the officer is performing official duties, removes language stating an officer is not justified in using force if the arrest or duty is unlawful and known to be unlawful, and adds mandatory life imprisonment for manslaughter of a law enforcement officer. Senators offered competing views: supporters said the bill corrects a verdict-form and charging problem exposed in the Officer Jason Rainer case and honors his family, while opponents argued it removes civilian protections, expands police authority, and imposes disproportionate mandatory sentencing. Two amendments were offered and withdrawn, and the bill passed 31-4. The Senate then passed a series of bills, mostly on public records and regulatory topics. SB 168 expanded public nuisance law to include gambling establishments and increased penalties; SB 288 narrowed statutory ambiguity affecting rural electric cooperatives; SB 292 and SB 298 created or extended public-records protections for appellate court clerks and victims of dating violence in the Address Confidentiality Program; SB 296 created the HAVEN initiative to study a secure alert system for domestic violence victims and expanded confidentiality protections; SB 364 modernized CPA licensure pathways; SB 386 created protections for farm equipment purchasers; and several Open Government Sunset Review bills preserved exemptions for emergency shelter information, Department of Military Affairs records, conviction integrity unit records, Public Service Commission and Gaming Commission proceedings, Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles investigatory records, social media platform investigations, and certain economic development loan-program financial records. Most of these bills passed with little or no opposition, and the Senate waived rules so all bills passed that day could be immediately certified to the House.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you wish to vote no, please raise your hand. Thank you.
• If you wish to vote no, please raise your hand. Thank you.
• To your chairs, if you vote no, please raise your hand.
• I'm sure the prosecutor... In the third degree.
• If you wish to vote no, please raise your hand.

Transcript Highlights:

• But if they have to do because they're not going to be paying it. The parents will.
• Yeah, because again, when I looked at the monetary amount, they’re not going to pay it.
• I raised my children in ministry. I'm an ordained minister. I raised my children in ministry.
• That's where he was raised.
• That's where he was raised.

Committee: Senate Judiciary C

Transcript Highlights:

• And whether it is brought is up to the discretion of the prosecutor.
• This bill also is a bargaining tool for the prosecutor for a myriad of reasons.
• We should be paying for it, and we should expect to see the corrections budget go up significantly.
• In Nampa, where I raised my children, the police and legal...
• We did talk to prosecutors and we did talk to city police.

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had pay raises for our correctional officers.
• raises to consider our certified teachers who are working very hard in classrooms every day.
• Those are two of my prosecutors that tried the case.
• And when we say they would pay for those, generally when you're paying for a state facility or a facility
• for their housing, to pay for their rent.

Committee: House Corrections

Transcript Highlights:

• You're going to be able to pay this if you start your education.
• Now you have to pay three or four times more.
• You're going to be able to pay this if you start your education.
• Now you have to pay three or four times more.
• That would be paying the same amount? You recognize. Thank you.

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee met to hear SB 2-C, a major immigration enforcement bill sponsored by Senator Gruters and co-introduced by Senator Fine. The sponsor described the bill as a response to federal immigration priorities and said it replaces a single immigration officer with a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, expands local-federal cooperation, increases penalties for crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants, requires detention in certain cases, broadens information sharing, funds detention-bed expansion and law-enforcement training, and ends in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. The bill also includes provisions related to sanctuary policies, voter fraud, transport of unauthorized aliens, and driver’s license-related offenses. The sponsor said the bill appropriates roughly $300 million overall, including $250 million for grants and $48 million for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for interdiction and border-related enforcement work. Committee members questioned the bill’s scope, costs, and implementation. Senators focused heavily on the tuition-waiver repeal, asking how many students would be affected and whether the bill would harm students who have long lived in Florida. They also pressed on whether the bill should include stronger E-Verify provisions, how sanctuary-policy enforcement would work, whether local officials could be penalized for policy choices, and how immigration status would be verified in court and jail settings. The sponsor and Senator Fine said the tuition waiver would be removed for undocumented students, that the bill does not address E-Verify, and that the measure is intended to make immigration status a factor in detention and sentencing. Questions also addressed detention-bed capacity, reimbursement rates, and whether corrections staff would receive bonuses or salary increases; sponsors said bonuses are included for participating law enforcement, while broader salary issues would be handled in the regular budget process. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters and information-only witnesses, including Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and former officials, said the bill would help Florida coordinate with federal authorities, expand bed space, and close loopholes in existing immigration enforcement. Opponents from the Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU of Florida, Florida Policy Institute, labor groups, and immigrant advocates argued the bill is unconstitutional, likely to trigger litigation, and harmful to families, schools, and the economy. They warned that the pretrial detention provisions could lead to wrongful detentions and that the tuition changes would reduce access to higher education and cost the state tuition revenue. No final vote is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee continued through public comment and extended the meeting to complete the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're going to raise additional money without raising taxes or without cutting services.
• We’re raising, we’ve got $15 million without raising taxes, cutting services, and we’re going to promote
• Lady, if the prosecutor doesn't file charges, there isn't a case number.
• I raise animals. I raise cows. I raised animals. I raised cows.
• Then they don't have to pay the fee, the boarding fee.

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the previous day’s journal by roll call vote, 127-2. Members then used points of personal privilege and guest introductions to recognize a new grandchild, President Thomas Jefferson’s birthday, Artemis II and Missouri’s role in space manufacturing, Line Worker Appreciation Day, a visiting mayor, and a former representative. The chamber then moved into third reading and perfection business. Several bills were passed. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2740, creating a pediatric disease task force in the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, passed 139-1 after supporters described it as a limited, accountable way to coordinate research and report on outcomes. House Bill 2422, which raises a county filing fee to support the Department of Agriculture’s Land Survey Program, passed 131-6 after members said the program could not continue on the current fee. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 311, moving bail bond oversight under the Board of Private Investigators and Fire Investigators, passed 112-22. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 3009, allowing nonprofit pharmacies to provide medications during emergencies, passed 133-6. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2474, authorizing progressive design-build project delivery for public construction, and House Committee Substitute for House Bill 3076, clarifying that common agricultural practices are exempt from non-point source permitting under clean water law, were both ordered perfected and printed. House Joint Resolution 159, which would modernize the state treasurer’s constitutional investment authority, drew the most debate. The sponsor argued it would update outdated restrictions, allow safer investment options, and generate an estimated $15.1 million without raising taxes. An amendment adding legislative, governor, and auditor approval for changes to the investment policy was adopted. Supporters called the proposal conservative and bipartisan, while opponents warned the language was too broad and could reopen questions about risky investments or conflict-of-interest issues. After debate, the House adopted the committee substitute and ordered the resolution perfected and printed. The chamber also took up House Bill 2436, dealing with animal impoundment, return of animals when no charges are filed or a defendant is found innocent, and related animal neglect provisions. Members adopted a title amendment, then adopted an amendment creating penalties for malicious false reports of animal abuse and another amendment modernizing neglect and abandonment offenses, including provisions on adequate care and control and higher penalties for repeat or harmful conduct. Debate centered on whether the bill was necessary, how to define malicious reporting, and concerns from animal welfare groups versus law enforcement and agricultural interests. The bill remained under consideration as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• As prosecutors, we are charged with protecting both of them.
• And I'm glad that you talk to your prosecutor because that prosecutor might have the answer to this question
• The bill also raises serious enforcement concerns.
• The bill also raises serious enforcement concerns.
• Oftentimes they don't have the ability to pay that.

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• They just pay the additional fee, or we pay the additional fee for them. It's just a court cost.
• The VA pays a portion of their care. And then the balance is left to the state to pay what is left.
• “After the recent pay raises, much better.
• We do not pay for that.
• It doesn’t really matter because we’ve got the E and we can pay out whatever we need to pay out.

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• I do think that they both raised a reasonable point.
• I think there were some good points raised in those comments.
• The prosecutor goes forward with the charge.
• Then they tried to make me pay $5,000. They said that...
• I raised two sons. Today I only have one. Meet my son Misha.

Committee: House Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• My question is on when a borrower fails to pay.
• I see that you have given some extended time to pay this back.
• We will not be paying cash anymore for over-the-counter transactions.
• I'm a King County prosecutor. I supervise the special operations unit there.
• As a prosecutor, I don't need new felony crimes.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills. House Bill 2542 would require drug developers to use validated non-animal testing methods when available, unless federal regulators request animal testing. The sponsor said the bill builds on prior Washington action on cosmetics testing and is intended to move toward more humane and modern science. Supporters, including students, animal welfare advocates, and biotech-related witnesses, argued that animal tests often fail to predict human outcomes and that alternatives are more accurate. A biotech industry representative said animal testing is still necessary for some research and warned the bill could deter local innovation, but said the industry was open to amendments. The sponsor said she was open to discussing changes to the enforcement mechanism. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. House Bill 2629 would address theft and vandalism of critical communications infrastructure, including copper and fiber lines. The bill would ban cash payments for nonferrous metal transactions, require electronic or stored-value payment methods, impose civil penalties for stolen copper used in telecommunications cable, and create a new Class C felony for destruction of critical communications infrastructure. The sponsor and industry witnesses described repeated outages affecting 911, hospitals, schools, and first responders, and said Washington has a high rate of these incidents. Recycling industry representatives supported the bill after negotiations, but a prosecutor and some others said the bill should focus more on law enforcement tools such as searchable transaction databases and holding periods rather than new penalties. No final action was taken in the hearing. House Bill 2394 would expand the Insurance Commissioner’s insurance fraud program and create a Class B felony for insurance fraud, including fraudulent billing, misrepresentation of repair costs, and misuse of coding systems. The bill also broadens who can be considered a victim for restitution and gives the commissioner additional investigative tools, while the substitute removed a reporting duty for certified public accountants. The sponsor and the Insurance Commissioner’s office said the measure responds to more sophisticated, technology-driven fraud schemes that harm both insurers and consumers. Insurance industry and fraud bureau witnesses supported the bill as a consumer protection measure. No vote was taken. House Bill 2361 would raise the maximum principal amount for small loans from $700 to $1,200, with annual inflation adjustments, while keeping the existing 30% of monthly income cap and other safeguards. The sponsor said the change would better reflect emergency costs and help borrowers avoid illegal lenders. DFI raised implementation questions about inflation adjustments and publication requirements, and opponents from AARP, SEIU 775, poverty advocates, and consumer attorneys argued the bill would increase debt traps and fees for low-income borrowers and older adults. MoneyTree supported the bill, saying the current cap is outdated and that the product remains a flat-fee, regulated credit option with existing consumer protections. The hearing also included testimony on House Bill 2294, which would prohibit negative use restrictions on real property that block grocery stores or pharmacies; staff described a proposed amendment adding notice and changing enforcement, and the committee then moved the bill out with a due pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The prosecutor can move forward via complaint.
• </c><00:31:52.200><c> the</c> bail as it is or why they're raising the bail as it is or why they're raising
• </c> they do pay they do pay taxes<01:10:28.800><c> okay</c><01:10:29.080><c> thank</c><01:10:29.280>
• </c> voting they're supposed to pay voting they're supposed to pay 5%<01:23:42.480><c> according</c><
• </c><01:25:36.520><c> the</c> would have had to pay the would have had to pay the 5%<01:25:38.480><c>

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 114, which would create a presidential preference primary for the 2028 election. The Office of Elections said the bill would cost about $4.1 million. Supporters, including the Hawaii Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters, favored moving the process to a state-run primary, while several opponents, including the Hawaiian Islands Republican Women and multiple individual testifiers, argued it would be too expensive, would shift control away from the parties, and would replace volunteer-run caucuses with a mail-in system. Committee members questioned the chief election officer about election timing, certification, and how a primary might be scheduled with other elections. Testimony was recorded as 11 in support, 41 opposed, and 3 comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then took up SB 725, which would require judges to make findings about a defendant’s ability to afford bail. Judiciary and Attorney General witnesses asked that the bill be deferred or amended, saying the Judicial Council is already reviewing pretrial bail reform and that the bill’s language could create practical problems for police, sheriffs, and courts. Supporters, including the Correctional System Oversight Commission, the public defender, the Community Alliance on Prisons, the ACLU of Hawaii, and disability rights advocates, said cash bail disproportionately harms low-income defendants, increases pretrial detention costs, and should require clearer findings and records. Opponents included the Hawaii County prosecuting attorney. Members questioned how bail is initially set, what records exist, and whether the bill would change current practice; Judiciary witnesses said initial bail decisions are often made by police or judges and later reviewed on the record, while supporters argued the bill would strengthen front-end due process. The ACLU said it supported the bill with amendments, including clearer standards for ability to pay and written findings. The committee also began hearing SB 733, a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a continuous legislative session. Early testimony was strongly supportive, with advocates arguing that the current 60-day session limits public participation, makes it hard for working people to testify, and prevents lawmakers from collaborating effectively. Supporters said a year-round model could improve transparency, reduce duplicate bills, and better accommodate neighbor island legislators. The excerpt ends during the opening testimony on SB 733, before any committee action or vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:39:33.520><c> out</c> problems that we as taxpayers pay out problems that we as taxpayers pay
• So, when born and raised in New Orleans.
• prosecutors are in each county.
• all prosecutors are in each<01:01:24.280><c> county.
• So, we can add deputy prosecutors<01:02:17.440><c> and</c> prosecutors and prosecutors and I<01:02:18.600

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard several Senate bills. SB 2149 would exempt paternity proceedings involving allegations of domestic abuse from mediation and clarify the domestic abuse mediation exemption in divorce cases. The Department of the Attorney General and the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence supported the measure but recommended technical and conforming changes, including updating references from HRS Chapter 584 to 584A and aligning the language more closely with the Uniform Mediation Act. Members discussed whether the bill’s wording could limit who may bring a support person to mediation, and the chair suggested the intent was to preserve survivor choice while avoiding ambiguity. No vote was taken in the portion heard. SB 2203 would create an offense for law enforcement officers using masks or personal disguises. The Office of the Public Defender, ACLU of Hawaii, Legal Clinic, and many other supporters argued the bill would improve transparency, accountability, and public trust, while still allowing safety exceptions. Law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Law Enforcement, Honolulu Police Department, and the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, raised concerns about operational needs, undercover and auxiliary units, body cameras, and possible supremacy clause issues if the bill is aimed at federal officers. The chair noted the bill appeared likely to move forward and asked agencies and advocates to work on possible amendments; testimony count was reported as 114 in support, 3 opposed, and 2 comments. SB 2251 would appropriate funds for the victim witness assistance program in the City and County of Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The prosecutor’s office supported the bill, saying it would replace shortfalls from declining federal funding and help maintain victim services and rights information. A former program director also testified in support. When asked, the office said it would not object to a simple reporting requirement. The committee then moved on to SB 2311, which would address claims against the state and add reporting and timing requirements; the Department of the Attorney General testified with concerns and recommendations, and members began questioning current practices for handling claims and settlements.

Transcript Highlights:

• You raise a different point there.
• So it also includes the line prosecutors.
• For instance, the local prosecutor has some sort of connection or in some counties the prosecutor was
• And so what in most of my... prosecutor in those scenarios.
• They're not going to pay when the plant is built.

Committee: House General Laws

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll answer questions if there are any. uh that seem to be raising the power of uh that seem to be raising
• </c> Marac County since 2003, a prosecutor Marac County since 2003, a prosecutor since<02:45:44.479><
• So, from my office, same pay scale.
• The local prosecutors, due to the initial investigation, our prosecutors can help spoke with are uh again
• for um for prosecutors. uh the local<02:54:12.800><c> prosecutors</c><02:54:13.359><c> due</c><02:54

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• The prosecutor got in second-degree murder, there would be no SB 234.
• It's the failure of the prosecutor to get the higher charge. That's what it is.
• I support prosecutors because I was one, and I understand the role.
• I support prosecutors because I was one, and I understand the role.
• If you care about the budget and amendments, pay attention, please.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, pledge, and several member introductions and recognitions, including resolutions and visiting groups. The chamber then moved to a special order calendar and took up a series of bills, beginning with SB 88 on utility terrain vehicles, which would allow local governments to opt in to street use of UTVs under specified safety conditions; it passed 32-5 after debate over safety concerns. SB 102 on exceptional student education created a workforce credential/badge program for students with autism or on modified curricula; despite concerns about unfunded mandates, it passed 36-0. SB 106 on exploitation of vulnerable adults authorized alternative service methods for scammers through the apps they used to contact victims and passed 37-0. SB 130 expanded and eased procedures for compensation of victims of wrongful incarceration, including extending filing deadlines and removing restrictive bars; it passed 38-0. SB 158 eliminated cost sharing for diagnostic and supplemental breast exams under the state employee health plan and passed 38-0. The Senate then considered SB 234 on crimes against law enforcement officers, prompted by the killing of Officer Jason Raynor. The bill clarified that a person may not resist an officer with violence and added a mandatory life sentence for manslaughter of a law enforcement officer. A late amendment to restore “good faith” language failed, and after extensive debate over due process, racial profiling, and sentencing concerns, the bill was temporarily postponed rather than brought to a final vote. SB 262 on trust code technical changes passed 36-0. SB 274 designated portions of roads in Orlando as Harris Rosen Way and Geraldine Thompson Way; it passed 38-0 and then received 37 co-sponsors. SB 280 created an enforcement mechanism for candidate party-affiliation qualification requirements and passed 38-0. SB 296 repealed the statewide middle and high school start-time mandate and returned the issue to local districts with reporting requirements; it passed 38-0. Later, SB 356 designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida, with the sponsor emphasizing anti-Semitism and the need for education and remembrance. The transcript also included additional ceremonial remarks and recognition of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members in the gallery. Throughout the meeting, most measures advanced with unanimous or near-unanimous support, while SB 234 generated the most substantive disagreement and was set aside for later consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• Clapping in there, we're paying off settlements, and the citizens deserve more dignity.
• There are a lot more problems for prosecutors preparing for trial.
• So I'm going to go back to this other lawyer next to you for just a moment, the prosecutors.
• And so, you were explaining— you were also in the same section as our prosecutor friend, but it sounds
• Hi, my name is Sarah Beck, and I'm a born and raised Texan. I'm here to ask you to oppose SB14.

Bills: SB7 , SB14 , SB 7 , SB 14

Committee: Senate State Affairs