Transcript Highlights:

• And that's because we're hearing feedback from developers that for most workforce housing projects, they
• :09.839><c> because</c><00:48:10.079><c> we're</c><00:48:10.240><c> hearing</c><00:48:10.480><c> feedback
• </c> that's because we're hearing feedback that's because we're hearing feedback from<00:48:11.040><c

Bills: HB1721, HB1714, HB1718, HB1732, HB1740, HB1777, HB1842, HB1919, HB1701, HB1923, HB1741, HB1734, HB1739

Keywords: housing, expedited permits, insurance, indemnification, construction, affordable housing, executive compensation, Hawaii housing finance, legislative approval, low-income housing, moderate-income housing, mixed-use development, transit-oriented development, TOD, county powers, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, HHFDC, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, DHHL, affordable housing credits

Summary: The House Housing Committee met on February 4 and heard testimony on several housing measures, beginning with HB1721, which clarifies insurance, indemnification, and certificate-of-occupancy requirements for expedited permits. Testimony on HB1721 was uniformly supportive from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the Grassroot Institute, and individual testifiers, who said the bill would fix insurance issues for design professionals and encourage more participation in the expedited-permit program. No opposition was heard and no questions were raised. The committee then heard HB1714, which would raise salary caps for the executive director and deputy executive director positions at the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and allow more autonomy in personnel matters, including employment contracts. HHFDC supported the bill, saying greater flexibility is needed to recruit and retain staff and that current pay ceilings are not the main issue because the agency lacks operating funds to reach them. The Department of Human Resources Development offered comments and raised concerns about autonomous personnel authority and employment contracts, saying state personnel matters are governed by existing statutes and collective bargaining rules; the Hawaii Public Housing Authority also offered comments, and one board member and one individual opposed the measure. Members questioned whether performance-based pay or existing incentive policies could address retention instead of statutory salary changes. The committee also heard HB1718, which would make permanent county authority to facilitate mixed-use developments and issue county bonds for low- and moderate-income housing projects. Support came from OPSD, HHFDC, the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Housing and Land Management, and Housing Hawaii’s Future, all emphasizing that permanent authority is needed to finance long-term mixed-use and transit-oriented projects. A member asked whether the sunset provision would make bonding impractical, and the city representative agreed that temporary authority would make financing difficult because development takes time. Later, the committee took up HB1732, establishing the Kamina Homes program to fund counties’ purchase of voluntary deed restrictions from eligible buyers. The Department of Taxation and several groups, including HHFDC, AARP Hawaii, the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Realtors, Holomua Collaborative, and others testified, with most supporting the bill as a way to help local families remain in Hawaii and age in place. Holomua said a recent survey found 75% of 3,200 working families were considering moving, and argued the bill could preserve housing for local residents. Members asked about the bill’s 8% cap on deed-restriction cost and why the program focuses on residency rather than resale restrictions; the bill’s proponents said the cap allows flexibility for county negotiations and that the measure is aimed at workforce preservation rather than land-trust-style appreciation limits. Finally, the committee heard HB1740, which would modify a prior HHFDC housing pathway by reducing the qualified-resident requirement from 100% to 80% and allowing more flexibility for long-term rental instead of owner occupancy. HHFDC and Holomua Collaborative supported the change, saying the earlier 100% requirement had produced no developments or applicants and that the revised standard would make projects more feasible while still preserving housing for local residents. The committee did not take final votes on these measures during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• homework, I would be more than happy to attempt to try to put something together that people could give feedback
• 01:07:06.640><c> people</c><01:07:06.960><c> could</c><01:07:07.440><c> give</c><01:07:07.680><c> feedback
• </c> together that people could give feedback together that people could give feedback on<01:07:08.319

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The commission met to review and amend the minutes from its previous meeting, correcting the date, several spelling and wording errors, and clarifying references to a scholarship fund and a member’s title. The minutes were then approved as amended, with some members abstaining because they were not present at the prior meeting. The chair then turned to the commission’s work plan under SB 57, emphasizing the need to prioritize the statutory topics and identify which issues require additional research, documentation, and possible spreadsheets. Members discussed a broad range of special education cost drivers and policy questions, including student referral rates, why students are classified as other health impaired, whether referrals increased after COVID school closures, intervention processes before referral, the cost of services required under IEPs and 504 plans, differences between federal law, state law, and DOE rules, reporting of special education costs, out-of-district and residential placements, district sharing of resources, dispute resolution, graduation rates, and adult learning outcomes. Several members raised concerns that school environments, mental health, bullying, and possible overidentification may be contributing to rising special education numbers and costs, while others cautioned that some reported district percentages may be inflated or unclear because of how the data are counted. A major portion of the meeting focused on HB 742, which would eliminate prorated special education aid when state appropriations are insufficient and require the governor to draw a warrant to cover shortfalls. Representative Ames explained that the bill had been recommended for interim study because the commission is already examining special education costing, and he highlighted the gap between FY24 special education costs of about $977.1 million and state aid of $33.9 million for catastrophic aid, $67.4 million for differentiated aid, and $50.8 million in federal IDEA funds, leaving local districts to cover about $825.1 million. He argued the commission should ultimately make clear that both the federal government and the state should contribute more. The Department of Education, through Melissa White, answered questions about data and oversight. She said special education counts come from IEPs entered into the state system using SASIDs, that DOE monitors districts through both desk audits and on-site visits, and that billing is checked against the services listed in each student’s IEP. She also said DOE’s special education work is largely federally funded, with roughly $56.7 million received through IDEA this year and about $49.1 million flowing through to LEAs, while the department retains a small amount for administration and statewide support activities. Members also discussed how adequacy calculations use special education counts from the state system and how those figures are reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• homework, I would be more than happy to attempt to try to put something together that people could give feedback
• 01:07:06.640><c> people</c><01:07:06.960><c> could</c><01:07:07.440><c> give</c><01:07:07.680><c> feedback
• </c> together that people could give feedback together that people could give feedback on<01:07:08.319

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The commission met to approve the November 21, 2025 minutes, making several clerical corrections before adopting them as amended. The edits included adding the date, correcting a misspelled name, clarifying references to a scholarship fund representative’s title, removing an incorrect “DOE” reference, and fixing a few wording errors. The minutes were approved with one abstention from members who were absent. The bulk of the meeting focused on organizing the commission’s work under SB 57 and identifying which special education cost issues should be prioritized for research and reporting. Members discussed a long list of topics, including student referral rates, why students are classified as other health impaired, increases in referrals since school closures, interventions before referral, costs of non-medically necessary services in IEPs and 504 plans, differences between federal and state requirements, reporting of special education costs, out-of-district and residential placements, dispute resolution, Medicaid and insurance use, graduation rates, and adult learning participation. Several members emphasized the need to combine or narrow topics and to gather better data before the report due July 1, 2026. Representative Ames highlighted HB 742, which would eliminate prorated special education aid payments when state appropriations fall short, and explained that the Education Funding Committee recommended interim study. He argued that local districts are bearing too much of the cost and that the state and federal governments should provide more support. Other members raised concerns about rising special education identification rates, possible overidentification, school climate and mental health factors, bullying, staffing, speech therapy access, and residential placements. One member cautioned that DOE website numbers may be inflated or at least difficult to interpret because of how students are counted. Department of Education staff then explained how special education data and costs are monitored. They said student counts are tied to IEPs and SASIDs in the state system, districts are checked through both desk audits and on-site monitoring, and billed services are compared against IEP requirements. They also described IDEA funding, noting that most DOE special education staffing is federally funded, with a large share of federal money flowing through to local education agencies and the remainder supporting administration, monitoring, and training initiatives. Members discussed whether more staff and more robust oversight would improve accuracy and accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• Attorney provided this feedback to us, but both the attorney general's office and our inspector general's
• attorney I'm not sure if the attorney US attorney provided<00:21:10.240><c> this</c><00:21:10.480><c> feedback
• to</c><00:21:11.120><c> us,</c><00:21:11.440><c> but</c><00:21:11.679><c> both</c> provided this feedback
• to us, but both provided this feedback to us, but both the<00:21:12.480><c> attorney</c><00:21:12.880

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• how their local office may be doing at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and needing that feedback
• Health and Family Services and needing Health and Family Services and needing that<01:47:49.360><c> feedback
• </c> that feedback from them directly. that feedback from them directly.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:27 Legislative Research Commission 00:01:15 KentuckyWired Operations Company 00:17:30 Wireless Internet Service Providers Association 00:40:15 Administrative Office of the Courts 01:08:55 Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts 01:33:00, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the July 9 minutes without objection and heard from Jay Hartz and Jonathan Harris of the Legislative Research Commission. Members asked about Capitol and legislator security in light of recent targeted shootings in other states. Hartz said LRC had removed members’ home addresses from its website, was reviewing other state-government records for similar information, and was working with the Speaker, Senate President, Kentucky State Police, and outside security experts on broader safety measures. He also said LRC is exploring commercial products to help block personal contact information from public view, but declined to name vendors publicly. Harris added that driver’s license scans at the Capitol are handled by Kentucky State Police, while LRC has a process for flagging high-volume or concerning contacts for police review. The LRC also reported that redistricting work has already begun, with census coordination underway, evaluation of redistricting software including Mapitude and open-source tools, and plans to make the same tools available to the public in the LRC library. The committee then heard from Kentucky Wired Operations Company CEO Robert Morphonius, COO Tom Snyder, and counsel Patrick Hughes about the Kentucky Wired network. They explained the corporate structure: Kentucky Wired Operations Company is a private for-profit special purpose entity that designs, builds, operates, and maintains the network; Kentucky Wired Infrastructure Company is a nonprofit instrumentality used for financing; and Open Fiber Kentucky handles commercialization of excess capacity under a wholesale agreement. They said Kentucky Wired Operations is in the operations and maintenance phase, with those obligations continuing until 2045, and that technical changes to the network generally require KCNA approval through formal change-order processes. They also said the company conducted a market test in June 2023 under Schedule 19 of its contract, considered proposals including Open Fiber and the incumbent service provider, and retained the existing provider. Members asked about KCNA’s role, procurement, network customers, and revenue. The witnesses said Quac operates outside normal state procurement because its process is governed by contract, while KCNA acts as the Commonwealth’s oversight authority and filter for changes. They identified current network users as including AOC, KCTCS, postsecondary education, and other Commonwealth agencies, with all requests routed through KCNA; they also said a separate change process for Exceliccom is in litigation. On funding, they said the operation is paid through monthly appropriations, with roughly a million dollars a month for the service provider and a couple hundred thousand for Quac’s oversight, not including debt service, which is bundled into the availability payment. The discussion ended as members began asking about responsibility for damage-related costs such as squirrel-related outages.

Transcript Highlights:

• I wish we could replicate it throughout the state, and I appreciate your feedback very much.
• I replicate it throughout the state and I appreciate<00:56:07.119><c> your</c><00:56:07.280><c> feedback
• </c> appreciate your feedback very much. appreciate your feedback very much.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony focused on barriers facing minority-owned businesses and on local programs intended to improve access to capital and contracting opportunities. A representative from the U.S. Black Chambers described disparities in minority spending, argued for more intentional and transparent investment in Black communities, and emphasized the need to disaggregate data, hold officials accountable, and expand tools such as the byBlack certification directory. He also stressed that businesses need technical assistance, resources, and opportunities to grow through mergers, consortiums, and joint ventures. The main presentation then came from Larry Forester and Tyrone of Commerce Lexington, who outlined what they called eight major barriers for minority businesses, including limited access to capital, weak mentorship networks, discrimination and bias, bureaucratic hurdles, branding and visibility challenges, stereotyping, generational knowledge gaps, and limited financial literacy. They described several Commerce Lexington initiatives: the Access Loan Program, which brings small businesses before a pool of 26 lenders; a Minority Business Accelerator to help firms scale and connect with prime contractors; and an Opportunity Exchange for business owners to share experiences and lessons learned. They said the Access Loan Program has funded nearly $26 million in loans with an average loan size of about $62,000. Members asked about bias in lending and how to make contracting and certification easier for minority firms. Forester said applications are vetted by a subcommittee before reaching the full lender group, with attention to completeness and readiness, and that only one lender needs to say yes. On contracting, the witnesses said certification can be burdensome and suggested more hands-on help from the state, relationship-building events that include decision-makers, and incentives rather than mandates. They also relayed policy ideas from a business owner, including culturally informed underwriting, public-private matching grants, supplier diversity enforcement, and mentorship tied to capital access. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for all the work that he's done both in the committee and as well as a conferee, just his feedback
• 02:59:50.720><c> conferee</c><02:59:51.359><c> just</c><02:59:51.520><c> his</c><02:59:52.000><c> feedback
• </c><02:59:52.560><c> and</c><02:59:52.880><c> his</c> as a conferee just his feedback and his as a conferee
• just his feedback and his support<02:59:54.080><c> um</c><02:59:54.560><c> is</c><02:59:54.960><c> is

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We consulted with many individuals who provided their feedback.
• :09:39.840><c> who</c><02:09:40.239><c> provided</c><02:09:40.639><c> their</c><02:09:40.960><c> feedback
• </c> individuals who provided their feedback. individuals who provided their feedback.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I will just note that this definition reflects feedback from members of the relevant industries and the
• I will just note that this definition reflects feedback from members of the relevant industries and the
• of gas that are portioned to the general fund from the production of gas products. reflects um uh feedback
• from um members reflects um uh feedback from um members of<01:14:34.880><c> the</c><01:14:35.360><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• skilled teacher should also have their mouth visible and the child must be able to receive proper feedback
• 01:46:30.080><c> to</c><01:46:30.239><c> receive</c><01:46:30.560><c> proper</c><01:46:30.880><c> feedback
• </c> must be able to receive proper feedback must be able to receive proper feedback on<01:46:31.360>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, if we can kind of be quiet as we're exiting the room, if you're a provider I would love your feedback
• provider I would the room if you're a provider I would love<01:25:58.840><c> your</c><01:25:59.040><c> feedback
• > what</c><01:25:59.920><c> I'm</c><01:26:00.080><c> about</c><01:26:00.280><c> to</c> love your feedback
• on what I'm about to love your feedback on what I'm about to talk<01:26:00.719><c> about</c><01:26:01.320

Bills: HF2436, HF470, HF2643, HF2456, HF102, HF1367

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, early education, scholarships, funding, children, families, Minnesota education, child care licensing, family child care, child care center, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, correction order, conditional license, fix-it ticket, documented technical assistance, license suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• and I appreciate Chair Scott for our conversation about this bill that we had on the floor and the feedback
• 23.280><c> the</c> bill um that we had on the floor and the bill um that we had on the floor and the feedback
• 23.880><c> you</c><00:53:24.040><c> provided</c><00:53:24.680><c> so</c><00:53:25.200><c> for</c> feedback
• that you provided so for feedback that you provided so for background<00:53:26.160><c> um</c><00:53:

Bills: HF1662, HF1224, HF1836, HF1367, HF1168, HF1999, HF1792, HF102, HF2127, HF104

Keywords: veterans, veterans affairs, State Soldiers Assistance Program, Veterans Stable Housing Initiative, MAXIS, human services data, data sharing, eligibility verification, informed consent, private data, benefits coordination, veteran housing, veteran assistance, Department of Human Services, Children Youth and Families, state benefits, federal benefits, privacy, public assistance, foreclosure

Transcript Highlights:

• DNR strongly supports this legislation, and in committee we adopted some changes based on their feedback
• changes<00:11:28.000><c> based</c><00:11:28.279><c> on</c><00:11:28.480><c> their</c><00:11:28.680><c> feedback
• </c> changes based on their feedback changes based on their feedback this<00:11:30.279><c> past</c><00

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• author's amendment that is a technical amendment that corrects some things and makes a change based on feedback
• <01:09:54.480><c> change</c><01:09:55.120><c> based</c><01:09:55.440><c> on</c><01:09:55.679><c> feedback
• </c><01:09:56.000><c> that</c> makes a change based on feedback that makes a change based on feedback

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today we're hoping for some feedback and some thoughtful dialogue about a phenomenon known as claim sharks
• actually actively stopped helping veterans because of past legislation that's been enacted despite feedback
• I'm going to take a minute to just chill a little bit and give you the rest of my feedback on the bill
• does pass, or the legislation that does become law, is the best it can be and has a chance to get feedback

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and approach our security work, that body has leaned into every avenue and provided really rich feedback
• every Avenue and provided<01:21:32.360><c> really</c><01:21:32.719><c> rich</c><01:21:33.080><c> feedback
• ><01:21:33.760><c> from</c><01:21:34.120><c> a</c><01:21:34.360><c> lot</c> provided really rich feedback
• from a lot provided really rich feedback from a lot of<01:21:35.199><c> uh</c><01:21:35.400><c> experience

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• an amendment, it’s under discussion, I want to give the people that are here a chance to give any feedback
• </c><00:05:11.360><c> to</c><00:05:11.600><c> give</c><00:05:11.800><c> any</c><00:05:11.960><c> feedback
• </c><00:05:12.360><c> that</c><00:05:12.479><c> they</c> a chance to give any feedback that they a chance
• to give any feedback that they may<00:05:12.759><c> have</c><00:05:12.919><c> as</c><00:05:13.039><c

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we get feedback from that organization to MISO States.
• like that so our priorities and things like that so we<00:37:01.200><c> get</c><00:37:01.359><c> feedback
• /c><00:37:01.839><c> from</c><00:37:02.079><c> that</c><00:37:02.480><c> organization</c> we get feedback
• from that organization we get feedback from that organization to<00:37:03.200><c> myo</c><00:37:03.560

Bills: HF75

Keywords: HF75, earned incentive release credit, earned incentive credits, revocation, revocable credits, corrections, Minnesota Department of Corrections, prison discipline, incarcerated persons, inmate misconduct, facility rules, sentence reduction, supervised release, Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act, public safety, rehabilitation, prison credits, executed sentence, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• reduce the barrier for them to get further education and further support, and we've got an excellent feedback
• 22.080><c> excellent</c> support um and we've got an excellent support um and we've got an excellent feedback
• ><c> we've</c><01:36:23.119><c> continued</c><01:36:24.000><c> uh</c><01:36:24.199><c> those</c> feedback
• and we've continued uh those feedback and we've continued uh those workshops<01:36:25.000><c> in</c>

Bills: HF711, HF653

Keywords: agriculture, agricultural education, leadership development, Minnesota Agricultural Education and Leadership Council, MAELC, chapter 41D, grant funding, general fund appropriation, commissioner of agriculture, farm education, youth agriculture programs, ag literacy, workforce development, extension education, research funding, extension services, technology transfer, grant programs, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• are unique and salient to different populations yet malleable enough to adjust based on real-time feedback
• Our CRM provides us with a feedback loop that is invaluable.
• as the North Star Promise, as that maybe was not in existence when... our CRM provides us with a feedback
• loop our CRM provides us with a feedback loop that<00:53:17.920><c> is</c><00:53:18.079><c> invaluable

Keywords: 1187, senate, all