Transcript Highlights:

• nearby White Mountains Community nearby White Mountains Community College.<01:03:54.680> Um
• and for community college um education. and for community college um education.
• over at the community college, you know? over at the community college, you know?
• joint programs with community colleges. joint programs with community colleges.
• colleges the community um the community colleges the community college<01:22:33.400> campuses,

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• do want to add um as a rural community do want to add um as a rural community up<00:33:53.880>
• I speak as a member of the community and as a Micronesian trying to thrive in the community, having three
• 1600 unit uh master plan community over 1600 unit uh master plan community over 273<01:37:34.360>
• us to Poise this master plan Community us to Poise this master plan Community forward<01:38:12.360
• <02:47:25.560> our risks endangering our communities our risks endangering our communities

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:34:59.079> with used to support those communities with used to support those communities
• of them but but also the communities of them but but also the communities that<00:51:16.160>
• and that is the capacity of a community and that is the capacity of a community to<00:58:47.000>
• I mentioned to you before that... my communities is we're getting hammered my communities is we're getting
• <02:47:03.720> out I think it is for our communities out I think it is for our communities

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The executive session focused primarily on HB 563, which revises the school funding formula, especially the adequate education grant amounts for special education students and the treatment of fiscal capacity disparity aid. Representative Ladd moved OTPA on Amendment 06508, explaining that FY 26 would largely hold the current formula steady, while FY 27 would increase several per-pupil amounts, including base cost, free and reduced-price meals, English language learner aid, and special education differentiated aid. He said the special education change was based on estimated case loads across disability categories and that the amendment also reinstates fiscal capacity disparity aid, using a formula intended to better assist property-poor communities. Several members supported the amendment as a step in the right direction, saying it better recognizes special education costs and separates property wealth from low-income student counts. Others raised concerns about the lack of time and the absence of a printed spreadsheet showing how the fiscal capacity disparity aid would affect each town. In response, sponsors said the spreadsheet existed, that the LBA had copies, and that the amendment would help about 40 target towns, while Manchester would be the main community receiving less under the new formula because of prior shifts in the extraordinary needs grant. Discussion also covered the broader impact of the bill, with members noting that about 200 of the state’s 245 cities and towns would see an increase and 45 a decrease under the proposed FY 27 changes. Supporters argued the bill was a compromise given limited revenues and that it should move forward so it can be considered by the full House and then Finance. No final vote on the amendment or bill was taken in the portion provided, and the chair indicated the committee was still deciding whether it had enough information to proceed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our faith-based communities are also adversely affected by this.
• 23.040> also Our faith-based communities are also Our faith-based communities are also adver<00
• ><00:24:22.320> the<00:24:22.480> burdens communities have been seeing the burdens communities
• >> Initially it's been to reduce the community burdens because our communities have burdens that hit
• because our community burdens because our communities<00:27:21.679> have<00:27:21.919> burdens

Bills: HB585

Keywords: Washington County, circuit clerk, compensation, county government, local legislation, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > continue<00:03:30.720> to community leaders who continue to community leaders who continue
• That is why I made transparency and routine communication a priority.
• <00:07:02.400> I routine communication a priority. I routine communication a priority.
• Our soldiers are not separate from the communities they represent.
• community, state, and nation. community, state, and nation.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The caucus of the whole was held as the annual State of the Guard address, featuring Adjutant General Gregory Knight’s remarks to legislators and guests. Knight said this would likely be his final address before retirement and thanked Gold Star families, military survivors, Governor Phil Scott, honorary commanders, legislative leaders, his family, and many Guard and community partners. He emphasized that the Vermont National Guard is a civic institution, not just a military force, and said its strength depends on a strong relationship with the legislature. Knight reviewed several priorities and accomplishments, including regular transparency updates to the governor, legislature, congressional delegation, and force; the creation of the Vermont National Guard and Veterans Caucus; and legislation supporting education, workforce development, benefits, and service members’ families. He highlighted recruiting and retention efforts, including the Prime employer partnership program, which he said now has 40 employer partners and 24 more pending, and argued that Vermont can attract and retain service members by connecting military experience to civilian jobs and education opportunities. He also discussed organizational climate improvements, mental health and prevention staffing, and the need for more providers who accept military patients and Tricare, noting the Howard Center and other health centers are expanding military and veteran care. The address also covered the Guard’s broader role in emergency response, citizenship, diversity, and international partnerships. Knight described recent deployments and state responses to COVID-19, flooding, and other emergencies, explained Guard duty statuses and called for congressional reform to simplify them, and outlined state partnership work with Austria, North Macedonia, and Senegal, as well as related educational and economic initiatives. He recognized numerous Guard members, recruiters, fiscal staff, media partners, and outside collaborators for their contributions. No votes were taken. The meeting concluded with Speaker recognition of Knight’s service and an announcement that the caucus had ended and the House would gavel in shortly afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• or any community in New Mexico.
• Some wood for their community in terms of fuel.
• each area that are aware of a particular need in the community.
• The oil and gas communities and agricultural communities or lessees on the private have the Candidate
• The next thing you know, you take a community like mine.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other project we have is a community center. In Los Vigilas, we have an old school.
• So the community re-seeded the entire 80 acres by hand.
• They affect my community. They affect my watershed.
• This was a community-wide problem.
• We need to center the community element in that work.

Transcript Highlights:

• To sustain that momentum, we as a community are making major investments.
• It is a community-building type of business that really has. tremendous reach and impact across the community
• It took a lot of community heart, but we grew.
• It's a community economy, and our craft beer is right in the middle of it.
• I love that community aspect of this.

Bills: HB249, HB 1186, HB2313, HB2408, HB2508, HB2730, HB2974, HB3045, HB3232, HB3336, HB3710, HB4044, HB4236, HJR133, HB249

Keywords: ad valorem taxes, property taxes, homestead exemption, disabled veterans, senior citizens, tax payments, installment payments, municipal tax revenue, hotel, convention center, tax code, economic development, local government, municipality, tax revenue, qualified projects, municipal taxation, hotel project, municipality funding, veteran

Transcript Highlights:

• > are Hopefully all our communities are Hopefully all our communities are livable<00:02:10.399
• executive director of community executive director of community development<00:04:07.840> at<
• am the executive director of community am the executive director of community development<00:04:
• > um,<00:04:57.199> act the livable communities um, act the livable communities um, act
• voters and to ga engage our communities. voters and to ga engage our communities.

Bills: HF3884, HF3881, HF3882, HF3883, HF3363, HF3362

Keywords: tribal governments, Metropolitan Council, grant programs, funding, local government, small business, contracting, veteran-owned businesses, compliance, government contracts, housing finance, reporting requirements, regional development, city programs, elected officials, campaign access, multiple unit dwellings, residential access, voter registration, 1183

Summary: The committee met on March 4, 2026, and first approved the minutes from March 2 by voice vote. It then took up several Metropolitan Council agency bills, with members repeatedly moving to lay them over for possible inclusion or, in one case, to re-refer a bill to another committee. The first three bills discussed were House File 3884, House File 3881, and House File 3882, all presented as administrative or programmatic changes intended to streamline Met Council processes. House File 3884 would allow tribal governments and tribal development entities to apply directly for Metropolitan Council Livable Communities Act grants and community tree planting grants, rather than applying through a city or other local government. Testimony from Met Council staff said the bill would simplify access and align the Met Council’s tree-planting program with existing DNR authority. House File 3881 would expand the Met Council’s contracting authority to include small businesses more broadly, require an annual report to the legislature on small-business contracting, and repeal a duplicative statute on certificates of compliance. House File 3882 would make a range of administrative cleanups, including removing an obsolete housing-bond review role, clarifying outdated statutory language, extending the review cycle for metropolitan significance rules from every two years to every 10 years, clarifying reporting and Livable Communities Act provisions, changing regional parks operations-and-maintenance reimbursements to rely on audited financial statements, and clarifying agricultural preserves procedures. The committee also considered House File 3883, which was amended with an A1 amendment before adoption. That bill updates appointments to the Metropolitan Area Water Supply Advisory Committee, known as MOSAC, including direct appointments for certain county representatives and adding a tribal representative appointed by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, while also cleaning up outdated language and eligibility provisions. A former MOSAC member spoke in support of the committee’s work, and the chair said the bill was common-sense and renewed the motion to lay it over as amended. Finally, the committee began House File 3363, a bill described by the author as a response to safety concerns after the June events, aimed at removing public access to legislators’ home addresses from Campaign Finance Board materials; discussion had just begun when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• slash critical funding for their communities.
• Community health centers are the backbone of the safety net.
• John's Community Health in support. Thank you.
• I'm a state worker with Housing and Community Development.
• I'm a state worker with housing and community development.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Marco Grajeda and Yasmin, with our Communications Coordinator behind you there.
• These are the things that we've committed to in our community to try to make sure that we do a team community
• Does the community want to double in size?
• So I just think that that probably needs to be communicated better to the community on what data centers
• Some communities have already benefited. That's probably too much.

Transcript Highlights:

• Without community mitigation, fire can more easily spread from structure to structure.
• And as we know, we can no longer sit back and watch our communities burn down.
• We know that these occurrences are happening year-round, and our communities need us.
• Louie Brown, on behalf of the Community Associations Institute, in support.
• Elise Forth, on behalf of the California Community Foundation, in strong support.

Summary: The committee heard several insurance-related bills. SB 371 by Senator Cabaldon would lower uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage requirements for rideshare companies from the current $1 million level to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, with added transparency and data-reporting provisions. Uber, Lyft, and several business groups supported the bill as a way to reduce fares and improve affordability, while consumer attorneys, labor groups, and others opposed it as a major cut in protection for injured passengers and drivers. Committee members raised concerns about whether savings would actually reach riders and drivers, but the bill was approved on a do-pass vote to the next committee, with one member not voting. SB 487 by Senator Grayson would change how settlement or judgment proceeds are distributed when peace officers or firefighters are injured by a third party, ensuring they receive at least two-thirds of the at-fault party’s liability insurance limits in certain cases. Supporters, including public safety unions and an injured deputy sheriff, said current law can leave injured first responders with little or no recovery after employer reimbursement, while opponents representing cities, counties, and public agencies argued the bill would reduce recovery of taxpayer-funded workers’ compensation costs and lacked sufficient data. The committee members who spoke largely supported the bill, and it passed on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with one member not voting. SB 616 by Senator Rubio would create an independent community hardening commission within the Department of Insurance to develop statewide wildfire mitigation recommendations and a post-catastrophe reporting process. The Department of Insurance, local governments, consumer groups, and fire-related organizations supported the measure as a way to improve wildfire resilience and insurance availability, while water agencies opposed provisions touching water infrastructure and warned of litigation and ratepayer impacts. The bill advanced on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with some members not voting and one member voting no. The committee also heard SB 547 by Senator Perez, coauthored by Senator Rubio, which would extend wildfire-related insurance cancellation/nonrenewal moratoriums to commercial properties; insurers removed their opposition after amendments, and the bill passed to Appropriations on a do-pass vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our hearing will focus on Department of Housing and Community Development, Business, Consumer Services
• We always wanted to do technical assistance for first to help communities.
• The type of housing for our community, for our communities, is certainly sometimes for some communities
• You know, are there conversations about how the communication could be better?
• I'm the deputy director of administration at Housing and Community Development.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I cannot stay silent while my communities are left behind.
• For the bad apples in the charter school community.
• spoke to earlier, from a rural community.
• This bill is going to harm so many students in my community, in your community, and across the state.
• If a community has one road in and one road out and we look at a lot of the conditions that our community

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Asian-American communities. Asian-American communities.
• There's amazing community.
• And then let's talk about the ID and DD<01:41:41.600> communities. DD communities.
• DD communities.
• disability commi community in Medicaid. disability commi community in Medicaid.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• data from both the American Community data from both the American Community survey<00:05:07.000>
• I am the director of community supports at Three Rivers Community Action.
• costing both families and communities costing both families and communities far<00:14:58.519>
• live and we've had some Community live and we've had some Community meetings<00:48:36.480> in
• strong community of people a really good strong community of people who<00:59:00.680> really<

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, send communication in support.
• <00:08:25.560> in Communication in Communication in opposition<00:08:27.440> as<00:08:27.680
• opposition from the efiling community opposition from the efiling community has<00:37:40.839>
• <00:37:47.040> we members from the efiling community we members from the efiling community
• > this community community concerns so this community community concerns so this pilot<00:52:40.319

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Water and Land Committee heard several measures related to DLNR, coastal management, and public lands. SB 561, which appropriates funds for conservation enforcement equipment for the Oʻahu branch of DOCARE, drew broad support from DLNR and multiple organizations, with the chair noting 18 supporters and no opposition. SB 465 would require DLNR to study the carrying capacity of Kīkiʻola Small Boat Harbor on Kauaʻi and report to the Legislature; DLNR supported the intent but suggested the study be timed with an ongoing $41 million capital improvement project. Senator Kouchi explained the bill was meant to close a permit loophole that has allowed operators to increase passenger capacity without additional approval, while one testifier opposed the measure as unnecessary and late. Supporters included county and community representatives, while some written testimony opposed it. The committee also heard SB 1456, which broadens the definition of beach restoration to include work on eroded beaches and degraded dune systems, including sand management, native vegetation, and removal of abandoned materials. DLNR, the University of Hawaiʻi, and other testifiers supported the measure as an administrative update. SB 1460 would require BLNR lease extensions to use updated forms reflecting current leasing practices; DLNR supported it as an administrative bill. SB 1517 would authorize public land leases for recreational residential use by public lottery limited to county residents. DLNR supported the bill, and Chipper Wiman and others testified that it would help preserve Kauaʻi’s historic recreational cabins and create fairness for local families; the committee also heard concerns about older cabins, market-based auction prices, and the need to keep these leases affordable for residents. The committee then heard SB 1511, which would prohibit vessels longer than 75 feet from entering Honoliʻi Bay, with an exemption for government vessels; DLNR and at least one additional testifier supported it. SB 1019 would allow the Ocean Stewardship Special Fund to be used for beach restoration planning and grants to nonprofits for cleanup, but DLNR said that purpose fit better under the separate Beach Restoration Special Fund, and the Ocean Tourism Coalition opposed the bill on that basis. Finally, SB 1457 would authorize DLNR to issue interim rules on commercial and recreational water sports equipment use for up to two years; DLNR described it as an adaptive-management tool for changing conditions, while multiple water-sports operators and residents opposed it, arguing it would reduce public participation, expand agency power, and target the foiling community. The hearing closed with the chair noting heavy opposition to SB 1457, including 88 written testimonies against it and only a few in support.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:42:28.359> deserves their patients our community deserves their patients our community
• They are all community hospitals.
• They are all community hospitals.
• and working for our community.
• This is the community.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committees on Health and Labor heard testimony on HB 1244, a measure relating to labor standards at health care facilities and nursing staff ratios. Committee members opened by explaining hearing procedures, including a suggested two-minute testimony limit and Zoom rules. The bill drew extensive testimony from hospitals, nursing organizations, unions, and individual nurses, with the central debate focusing on whether staffing ratios should be set by statute or left to collective bargaining and unit-level staffing decisions. Opponents included the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Straub Benioff Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, Kapiolani Medical Center, and Queen’s Health Systems. They argued that fixed ratios are too rigid for the changing conditions of hospital care, could worsen workforce shortages, and should be handled through labor negotiations, staffing committees, and existing agreements. Several also pointed to investments in nursing education, loan repayment, and workforce development as better solutions. Queen’s said it had recently reached an agreement with nurses after more than 40 meetings that included a staffing framework, and Kapiolani and others emphasized the need for flexibility in emergencies and specialty care. Supporters, including the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Pride at Work Hawaii, the Hawaii Nurses Association/American Nurses Association chapter, Hawaii Nurses Association Local 50, UNAC/UHCP, and individual nurses, said unsafe staffing levels contribute to burnout, turnover, errors, and patient harm. Testifiers described chronic short staffing, emotionally and physically exhausting workloads, and situations in which nurses were responsible for too many patients at once. Supporters argued that safe ratios are necessary to protect both patients and nurses, and that collective bargaining has not been enough to ensure safe conditions statewide, especially in facilities without unions. No vote or final committee action was announced in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I know ours have been communicated. Okay, perfect.
• And I need to just address my community before I vote on anything.
• And I need to just address my community before I vote on anything.
• HOA members are also dealing with confusing, inconsistent communication.
• I happen to live in a planned community with CC&Rs and no HOA.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Does the clerk have any announcements or communication?
• Communication in the Senate.
• In another communication from the House, Mr.
• They created a community.
• They built community networks.

Keywords: March 10, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all