Transcript Highlights:

• This is our 1 p.m. agenda, and we are in Conference Room 229.
• to technical difficulties, the committee will reconvene on Tuesday, April 15, at 10:01 p.m. in Conference
• This is our 10:01 p.m. agenda, and we are in Conference Room 229.
• Advanced manufacturing aligns very well with HTDC. It's integration with technology innovation.
• And with that, we are adjourned. and the problem are aligned. and the problem are aligned.

Committee: Senate Economic Development and Tourism

Summary: The Senate Committees on Economic Development and Tourism and on Transportation, Culture, and the Arts heard HCR 142, which urges the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Department of Transportation to expand the airport greetings program to display art in all neighbor island airports. Testimony from CARES supported the measure, emphasizing that public art and youth art competitions help educate keiki, strengthen cultural understanding, and support economic development through Hawaii’s creative industries. No one testified in opposition, and members raised no questions. Both committees recommended passage of HCR 142 unamended. The measure was adopted by voice vote in each committee, with some members excused. Later, the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism heard HTR 102, which concerns translating the real estate salesperson exam into Japanese for timeshare-related sales. Supporters, including DBEDT and ARDA Hawaii, argued the change would help Japanese-speaking applicants, improve workforce recruitment, and support Hawaii’s timeshare industry and Japanese visitor market. A representative from APAC Hawaii supported the idea but suggested considering additional languages such as Korean, Chinese, and Filipino. Some senators questioned whether the proposal adequately addressed continuing education and long-term English proficiency, and the Real Estate Commission explained it does not currently issue a limited timeshare salesperson license and that the proposal would not restrict licensees from selling other real estate products. The committee also heard HCR 156, which asks the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to increase its focus on advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity to support economic diversification, high-wage jobs, innovation, and national security. HTDC and the Hawaii Military Affairs Council supported the resolution, citing the recent federal discontinuation of the local Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, Innovate Hawaii, and the loss of related staff positions as reasons to reinforce state support. Testimony and discussion stressed cybersecurity, supply-chain resilience, automation, and the need to sustain manufacturing momentum in Hawaii. Both HTR 102 and HCR 156 were recommended for passage as is and were adopted by the committee, with some members excused.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, and welcome to the 24th annual Legislative and Leadership Conference.
• The 24th Annual Legislative and Leadership Conference, looking out at all of you today, I am reminded
• These three elements are interconnected forces that, when aligned, create the transformational change
• This year's conference theme... ...to obtain our objectives.
• It does not stop here with this conference.

Summary: The joint protocol session for African American Legislative Day opened with prayer, the presentation of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, and performances of the national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” A representative from Buffalo Soldiers of America used the occasion to correct the program name and briefly described the organization’s history, community events, and interest in obtaining a vacant building for a museum. Speaker Steve Montenegro and Senate President Warren Petersen welcomed attendees and said the event was an opportunity to hear directly from African American leaders and advocates on issues such as opportunity, public safety, education, affordability, individual freedoms, and economic security. Representative Quante Cruz, chair of the African-American Legislative Conference, read a Black History Month proclamation and emphasized the 100-year recognition of Black History Month and the importance of honoring African American contributions in Arizona and nationally. Ashley Anderson and Jerry McPherson of the Governor’s Office of African American Affairs highlighted the conference theme, “Made for This Moment,” and urged continued civic engagement, policy advocacy, and year-round collaboration with the office. Representative Leah Landrum Taylor introduced the guest speakers, including Senator Kiana Maria Sears, who spoke about Black history, legacy, and the need to keep pushing for justice, food security, housing, and economic parity. She reflected on her father’s military service and the barriers Black veterans faced in Arizona, including difficulty using VA benefits to buy homes, and urged attendees to use their voices and votes. Representative Blackman also offered remarks connecting the day’s message to biblical themes of courage and perseverance. The session ended with closing remarks and a benediction from Representative Cruz, who stressed building community across districts and thanked participants before the joint protocol session was dissolved.

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to align our remarks with this California Federation of Teachers.
• They're part of a broader educational journey, aligned with workforce needs and student success.
• It simply aligns statutory language with how programs are designed and how students move through them
• Molly Sheehan with the California Catholic Conference in strong support. Thank you.
• This bill empowers a coalition of local institutions to confer medical degrees.

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• and so it deletes some old language to make it a little bit more clear that their benefits should align
• At this time, optometrists routinely perform procedures that align very closely with those being proposed
• While several revisions will still need to be made in the conference committee, I'm confident that common
• /c><00:15:02.079><c> made</c><00:15:02.160><c> in</c><00:15:02.399><c> the</c><00:15:02.480><c> conference
• </c><00:15:02.920><c> committee,</c> to be made in the conference committee, to be made in the conference

Transcript Highlights:

• I was at Energy Storage 202, I think, but it was a great conference. Put it on your calendar.
• We ensure that our energy projects align with the state's military missions.
• We have participated in several conferences, including those organized by Representative Tara Lujan (
• We did end up going to a conference in Utah about the grid, transmission lines, and energy storage.
• At this conference, they talked about energy storage. Have you ever heard of Torr?

Committee: House New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• and growth of the state's school choice programs, the 2023 Legislature modernized the FFP to better align
• , Slide 7 provides the summary for the first two sections dealing with the Education Estimating Conference
• I'm proposing that we align the procedural processing of these two programs.
• This will align the amount that the weights generate to the school district's expenditure needs.
• This will align the amount that the weights generate to the school district's expenditure needs.

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met for two workshops. The first focused on vacant positions in the Division of Early Learning and the Department of Education. Committee members reviewed vacancy reports, including long-vacant positions and positions that had received discretionary pay adjustments. Division and department officials said many vacancies were being filled, advertised, or under review, but acknowledged persistent recruitment and retention problems, especially for engineering, legal, finance, IT, and other specialized roles. Members questioned whether some long-vacant positions were still necessary, whether overtime and workload were being affected, and whether outside contracting, cross-training, combining positions, or eliminating some vacancies could help. Officials said they were considering those options and noted that hiring has become slower and more difficult since the pandemic, with lower applicant volume and more competition from other agencies and private employers. The second workshop addressed draft legislation related to school choice scholarships and the FEFP. The chair said the committee’s prior hearings raised concerns about student identification numbers, cross-checking between districts and scholarship organizations, duplicated FTE reporting, delayed district payments, scholarship payment timing, and inconsistent data sources. She said the proposed language is intended to standardize scholarship processing and improve accuracy and efficiency while preserving the long-standing FEFP principle that funds follow the student. She also said funding scholarship students below the line would not solve the identified problems and could create disparities. The draft would align processing for the Family Empowerment Scholarship and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship programs and would reduce add-on weights by 50% while keeping the current policy structure. No votes were taken. The chair invited further comments and said the draft budget and legislation would continue to be refined before rollout. The meeting adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• The residency requirements in this bill align with our residency requirements throughout our programs
• And this bill aligns with our residency requirements throughout our programs.
• The plan aligns with the Minnesota State Suicide Prevention Plan, the national strategy, the governor's
• that the MDVA is working with nongovernment agencies on already, as well as inviting us to their conferences
• that the MD VA is working with non government agencies already as well as inviting us to their conferences

Bills: HF3727 , HF3684 , HF3467

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Keywords: veterans property tax, homestead exclusion, disabled veteran, totally and permanently disabled, service-connected disability, property tax relief, market value exclusion, surviving spouse, family caregiver, county veterans service officer, Minnesota property tax, assessment year 2027, homestead tax benefit, veterans tax exemption, DD214, VA disability rating, veterans, veterans affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, grant standards

Transcript Highlights:

• You have refused to concur and requested a committee of conference.
• </c> committee of conference be appointed. committee of conference be appointed.
• </c> and requested a committee of conference. and requested a committee of conference.
• Several technical changes were made in verbiage to align with updated language.
• Several technical changes were made in verbiage to align with updated language.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:16:09.839><c> Thank</c> you get to conference committee.
• Thank you get to conference committee.
• So that is my hope for conference, but I just want to thank the committee.
• So that is my hope<00:19:10.480><c> for</c><00:19:10.640><c> in</c><00:19:10.880><c> conference</c><00
• but I just want hope for in conference but I just want to<00:19:12.000><c> thank</c><00:19:12.160><c

Transcript Highlights:

• The Sunshine Cyber Conference began in 2014. We stopped it during COVID. It's back now.
• So it is a huge conference run in Tampa at the convention center in Tampa.
• If that work aligns with the credential that they earned, If that work aligns with the credential that
• So all of these other and I go to conferences in, they're like, oh, you're from Florida.
• We're looking at their abilities and then aligning the bat with employment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're doing that so that we line up with the Senate for conference committees because their structure
• line up with the Senate for conference line up with the Senate for conference committees<00:01:54.479
• how this aligns with the guidance<00:30:29.600><c> that</c><00:30:29.760><c> we've</c><00:30:30.000>
• ,</c><01:00:33.119><c> and</c> bit more in in uh in conference, and bit more in in uh in conference,
• So we'll see where we get in conference committee. I know that the Senate numbers were much higher.

Bills: HF2446 , HF2563 , HF2444

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• I am Tenecia Herring, and on behalf of the California, Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP's 50-plus
• The NAACP, California, Hawaii State Conference strongly believes that SB 437 is a necessary and thoughtful
• And in many instances, we are asked to co-present with them at conferences.
• In many instances, we are asked to co-present with them at conferences, but we incur those costs on our
• This framework enables programs to better align their services, education, job training, and community

Summary: The committee heard several higher education bills. It first approved the consent calendar, which included SB 67 and SB 619. The main discussion centered on SB 437, which would direct the CSU system to develop a fair, evidence-based process for verifying whether someone is a descendant of a person enslaved in the United States, as part of the state’s reparations work. Supporters said the bill fills a gap left by the Reparations Task Force and would create a transparent, credible lineage-verification process; opponents argued genealogy methods already exist, the bill would waste money and delay action, and some raised constitutional concerns. The committee took a vote on SB 437, but the roll was left open after the initial tally showed three ayes and three noes. The committee then heard SB 790, which would allow California to join the interstate reciprocity agreement for online postsecondary education. The author and supporters said the bill would improve consumer protections for California students taking out-of-state online courses and help California institutions compete more effectively by reducing the burden of seeking separate state approvals. Opponents, including University of Phoenix and other groups, argued the bill conflicted with the existing reciprocity framework, could exclude some institutions, and might not actually secure California’s entry into the agreement. The committee voted 3-1 to pass SB 790 as amended to the Business and Professions Committee, with the roll left open. The committee also heard SB 391, which would authorize the Community College Chancellor’s Office to charge fees for research partners seeking access to data. Supporters said the office is absorbing significant unfunded workload from data requests and that fees would help recover costs; opponents, including the California Teachers Association community college association, warned the fees could create barriers for faculty and smaller researchers. Members discussed possible exemptions and implementation details. The committee voted 5-1 to pass SB 391 as amended to the Appropriations Committee, with the roll left open. Finally, the committee heard SB 685, a pilot program to provide cost-of-attendance assistance at four CSU campuses for students who experienced homelessness in high school. Supporters said it would help students cover housing, food, and transportation costs and reduce dropout risk; members asked about eligibility and implementation, and the author explained the bill would use McKinney-Vento homelessness designations and target students at risk of “summer melt” and college homelessness.

Transcript Highlights:

• Gore 25th anniversary conference, bringing in some of the players from Bush v.
• Gore conference.
• Gore 25th anniversary conference, bringing in some of the players from Bush v.
• We also started a sports program with 20 new teams and secured membership in the NAIA conference.
• One is to align our mission, our priorities, and our resources to focus on student success.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The committee heard and voted on two higher education bills before moving to a long series of university and college board appointment confirmations. CS/SB 742 would let charter schools directly access the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program for career and technical education programs tied to industry certifications, and would expand the money-back guarantee requirement from three to six programs at career centers and Florida College System institutions. A question was raised about whether the charter school access could reduce district funding or grant availability; the sponsor said it could, depending on available funds. The bill was supported by one appearance form and was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 892, which codifies the Florida State University Election Law Center so it can continue and receive recurring funding. The sponsor and FSU witnesses said the center is nonpartisan and focused on evidence-based research, especially on election administration issues related to natural disasters and public confidence in elections. After testimony and questions, including about the center’s scope and funding, the bill was reported favorably. The remainder of the meeting consisted of testimony from numerous appointees to boards of trustees for state colleges and universities, including Tallahassee State College, Valencia College, New College, Pensacola State College, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of North Florida, St. Johns River State College, Palm Beach State College, Santa Fe College, Daytona State College, and Florida Atlantic University. Most nominees emphasized their personal ties to the institutions, support for workforce education, student success, and local economic development. Several highlighted priorities such as keeping tuition affordable, expanding internships and career pathways, strengthening nursing and other workforce programs, and improving graduation and retention rates. Some appointees also described campus-specific goals, including research growth at FAU and Harbor Branch, community engagement at New College, and continued support for health care workforce partnerships at FGCU. The most notable exchange came during testimony from Dr. Joel Rudman for the Pensacola State College board, where Senator Leek questioned him extensively about prior public comments that appeared to reference threats and drug testing legislators. Rudman said his remarks were aimed at Florida House members and not the Senate, denied any knowledge of illicit drug use by current or former senators, and said he was speaking candidly as a private citizen. Public testimony on his nomination included both support and strong opposition, with one speaker praising his community service and another warning about his alleged disruptive behavior and social media posts. The committee also heard from several supporters and appointees who were not questioned further, and the meeting ended with plans to vote on the appointments after all testimony was completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are they here on vacation, for a conference, or for work?
• It is completely aligned with our science and tech roadmap and strategy.
• So this strategy Aligning, we are Becoming The quantum state.
• Aligning our workforce, aligning our training, upskilling our people to make sure they're ready to compete
• Right now I have the two CFOs aligning so that one can learn from the other.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• to just ensure that our funds are used prudently and effectively to support the university that's aligned
• with our don uh the donor that's aligned with our don uh the donor intent,<00:23:18.559><c> right?
• </c> Mountain West Conference.
• Mountain West Conference. um<00:32:59.200><c> what</c><00:32:59.679><c> is</c><00:32:59.919><c> that<
• That he or she can put their stamp on it and make sure that it aligns with their vision.

Committee: House Higher Education

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education heard several Senate concurrent resolutions related to University of Hawaiʻi programs, audits, and workforce development. Testimony on SCR 50, which urged establishment of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Maui campus, was strongly supportive, with witnesses citing the state’s nursing shortage and Maui’s acute physician and nurse shortages. The committee later recommended passage with a technical HD1 amendment, and the measure was adopted unanimously by the members present. The committee also heard SCR 137, SCR 138, and SCR 142, all involving proposed audits. SCR 137 sought a performance audit of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation; the Foundation opposed it, and the chair recommended deferral after noting the legislative auditor’s view that the office lacks jurisdiction over the private nonprofit. SCR 138 proposed a management and performance audit of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Strategy, and SCR 142 proposed an audit of the UH Mānoa athletics department. UH representatives provided comments on both, with athletics explaining existing NCAA-required financial audits, internal performance evaluations, and a strategic plan that includes self-review. The committee ultimately recommended passage of SCR 138 and SCR 142 with technical HD1 amendments. For SCR 192, which proposed a veterinary medicine expansion working group, UH and other witnesses discussed the idea of exploring a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, but the chair said a community college is not the appropriate venue for a doctoral program. The committee recommended substantial HD1 changes removing Windward Community College from the title and shifting the effort to the UH system level, adding the UH president or designee and a Hilo campus representative to the working group; the amended resolution was adopted. The committee also heard SCR 193, calling for community colleges to identify bachelor’s degree and workforce pathways aligned with regional needs, and SCR 203, which sought exploration of an Alzheimer’s disease research center and federal funding requirements; both drew supportive comments and no opposition. The meeting recessed briefly for lack of quorum, then reconvened for decision-making and adopted the chair’s recommendations on the measures considered.

Transcript Highlights:

• , evidence-informed, and aligned with other requirements in the act.
• Our students are proving what alignment makes possible.
• It also aligns with our updated PESB literacy standards.
• This bill focuses on aligning instruction.
• This bill has taken a journey, a lot of that trying to align it.

Bills: HB1796 , SGA9249 , SGA9269 , SGA9244

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Keywords: school construction, contract indebtedness, school districts, bonding authority, education funding

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the original bill that was voted out of the House and Senate before conference committee gave
• And in conference, the And in conference, the House put in a fail-safe to trigger that if this situation
• conference... ...and that they attach proposed conference draft to conference committee.
• Very few conference drafts are, but it is a real compromise.
• Uh, the draft may have changed in conference, but the direction of this bill is still the same.

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment aligns all... clause and insert amendment. Senator Simon, recognized to continue.
• This amendment aligns all.
• This amendment aligns all three of the state's photo enforcement traffic citation programs by restoring
• So, Senator, just to make sure we're all on the same page, you just align the House bill to the Senate
• So, Senator, just to make sure we're all on the same page, you just align the House bill to the Senate

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and featured a series of member introductions recognizing guests, interns, firefighters, a newly awarded PhD, and the day’s doctor. The chamber also adopted a Senate resolution honoring Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza for winning the Heisman Trophy. After routine business, the Senate moved to special order bills. The first measures taken up were CS/SB 68 on health care patient protection, which required hospitals with emergency departments to adopt pediatric emergency care policies, training, readiness assessments, and a designated pediatric coordinator; it passed 36-0. CS/SB 350 on public records, protecting victim identities and temporarily exempting the names of law enforcement officers who are victims in the line of duty, passed 33-4 after questions about access for victims’ attorneys. CS/SB 576 on local government cybersecurity established a state-administered cybersecurity protection program for local governments, prioritized rural and fiscally constrained communities, and was amended before passing 37-0. CS/SB 532 on clerks of court, allowing clerks to retain all revenue above projections and incorporating related provisions on legal notices, traffic citation distributions, and municipal fee splits, passed 38-0. CS/SB 696 on trademark registration modernized the filing system and passed 38-0. CS/SB 698 on septic system permits, addressing permit delays and aligning House and Senate language on liability if construction begins early, also passed 38-0. The longest debate centered on CS/SB 1334 / CS/HB 991 on elections and election integrity. The bill would use REAL ID data to verify citizenship for voter registration and list maintenance, revise candidate-qualification rules, change acceptable voter IDs, add citizenship markers to driver licenses and ID cards by July 1, 2027, and make other election-administration changes. Multiple amendments were offered and defeated, including proposals to allow attestations in lieu of documentation, exempt seniors, require human review over automated systems, preserve student and retirement-center IDs, and delay implementation to July 1, 2027. One amendment was adopted to retain a stock-trading disclosure for candidates. The chamber then continued debate on the underlying bill, with supporters citing state reports of non-citizen registrations/voting and opponents warning of disenfranchisement for students, seniors, and others who may lack the required documents.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the first meeting of the Transportation Conference Committee.
• This is my first conference committee, so I'm very excited.
• Uh members of the conference Chair.
• I will make some brief comments which will be closely aligned with a letter I wrote.
• </c> be helpful and would also kind of align be helpful and would also kind of align us<01:30:08.560>

Transcript Highlights:

• missed an opportunity in this particular bill, and we're hoping to potentially bring it out of conference
• It is our hope that we can look at those issues when we bring it into conference.
• It may spend more than we'd like, but this bill does get us to conference committee.
• I look forward to the opportunity to continue this conversation in the conference committee.
• We have a stronger position going into conference, and so I would like to take that stronger position