Transcript Highlights:

• State and local support by maritime businesses at the port totals about $1.2 billion in taxes.
• We do not collect taxes. So everything we do is off of our own profits.
• And we don't get any local tax dollars.
• Being that it's located on the wealthiest zip code in the United States, what do you anticipate?
• To your earlier point that it's... ...it's the wealthiest zip code in the country.

Summary: The Transportation Committee heard SB 356 by Senator Wright, which would create an opt-in framework allowing counties and municipalities to designate certain roads for utility-terrain vehicles (UTVs) under local conditions, including driver licensing, insurance, and speed-limit restrictions below 55 mph. Senator Wright said the bill would give law enforcement clearer authority and mirror the local-option approach used for golf carts. Supporters included a retired Volusia County sheriff and county commissioner, who argued UTVs are safer than golf carts and are already being used on roads, while opponents from the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association and Honda warned that UTVs are designed for off-road use, lack federal safety standards, and pose crash and tire-blowout risks on public roads. Several senators raised safety concerns, especially about speed and crash severity, but the committee ultimately voted to report SB 356 favorably. The committee then held a lengthy discussion on seaport infrastructure and funding, beginning with a moment of silence for JaxPort COO and former FDOT employee James Bennett. FDOT presented data showing Florida’s 16 deepwater seaports generate major cargo volume, jobs, and economic impact, and described state funding programs such as FSTED, SPI, and the construction aggregate grant program. Port representatives from Port Everglades, PortMiami, Port Tampa Bay, and the Port of Palm Beach described record cargo and cruise activity, major capital projects, and the need for continued state and federal support for dredging, bulkheads, cranes, rail, and terminal expansion. Senators asked about ROI, trade shifts, intermodal connections, fuel and LNG availability, leverage and reserves, and operational risks such as flooding, sea level rise, and channel depth; port officials emphasized resiliency, private partnerships, and long-term master planning. The committee also confirmed appointees to the Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority and the Tampa Port Authority in one vote, with no objection. Finally, FDOT presented the statewide mapping programs work group report required by SB 1662, explaining that coordinated statewide use of LiDAR and aerial imagery could reduce duplication, improve emergency management and planning, and support insurance and storm-damage assessment. FDOT recommended a formal statewide coordination program, shared procurement and cost-sharing agreements, dedicated staffing, and statutory updates to Chapter 334 to support interagency agreements and recurring funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have 1200 exemptions to Chapter 119 making the public records laws nearly as complicated as the federal
• tax code.
• establish clear guidelines on how and when these agencies must respond, so we can restore transparency as Chapter

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill doesn't alter the Evidence Code. This bill doesn't apply to criminal investigations.
• But primarily I want to pass the microphone to Adar Clark Gunn, who is one of our CSEA members and chapter
• technician for San Juan Unified School District Special Education Department and president of CSEA Chapter
• transparency of the total compensation employers are providing their classified employees with public tax

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement met for its first hearing of the session, adopted committee rules, and heard several labor-related bills. The chair reviewed hearing procedures, including limits on testimony and expectations for orderly conduct. Members then took up measures affecting public employee bargaining, contracting, confidentiality, school employee benefits, pay stub information, and state correctional health staffing. AB 672 would require public employers to notify PERB when filing court actions involving statutes PERB administers and allow PERB to intervene; it drew support from SEIU, AFSCME, school employees, labor groups, and no opposition, and was passed out of committee. AB 283 would move IHSS bargaining from the county to the state level; providers and recipients testified about low wages, long delays in bargaining, and care access concerns, while counties and public authorities raised cost, scope, and implementation issues. The bill passed 7-0 after members discussed family care worker concerns and the author said he would continue working on the issue. AB 339 would require local governments to give unions 120 days’ notice before contracting out bargaining-unit work. Labor supporters said the bill would make existing meet-and-confer rights meaningful and protect jobs, while counties, cities, special districts, chambers of commerce, and staffing groups argued it would burden local agencies and interfere with existing MMBA procedures. The committee also heard AB 340, which would make communications between employees and union representatives confidential for PERB purposes; supporters said it codified existing case law, while school administrators, special districts, counties, and business groups warned it could hinder investigations. AB 378 would extend the classified school employees summer assistance program to JPA employees, and AB 374 would require more detailed pay stubs for classified school employees; both had labor support and some education-sector opposition over implementation and cost concerns, and both advanced. AB 393 would require cost analyses before contracting out physician work at CDCR and the Department of State Hospitals; supporters argued the state was overpaying contractors amid high vacancy rates, and the bill also advanced. At the end of the hearing, the committee recorded final votes showing AB 283, AB 340, AB 374, AB 378, AB 393, and AB 672 all passing out of committee, while AB 339 remained on hold with a 4-0 vote and some members not voting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Existing Penal Code section... I'm here to oppose SB 1330.
• Laws and other Penal Code sections such as Penal Code Section 242, battery, and various Penal Code sections
• Many Penal Code sections address the possibility of this type of criminal behavior.
• It is unnecessary to expand this particular code section to include utility workers.
• local law, and as specified in Section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They can refund it or they can... ...or decrease the property tax as a result of this.
• I mean, are we going to do big tax...
• I mean, the property tax reduction, if they were to do like a $20,000 property tax rebate, I mean, what
• I mean, the property tax reduction, if they were to do like a $20,000 property tax rebate, I mean, what
• Chapter 3 is on bill drafting, and we can get that language down.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee began with brief announcements and thanks to staff and members as this was described as the last regular House Education Committee meeting of the 57th Legislature. Chad Heinrich of the University of Phoenix invited members to an upcoming lunch-and-learn on artificial intelligence and education. The chair and ranking member both offered closing remarks recognizing staff, pages, and public testimony over the session. The committee then heard SB 1497, which requires school districts with at least 300 employees and a self-insurance program to seek quotes for health coverage and related services at least every four years, with some exceptions for certain self-insurance arrangements. The sponsor and supporters said the bill is intended to increase competition, transparency, and better benefits for school employees. There was no opposition testimony, and the bill passed 10-0 with a due pass recommendation. Members next considered SB 1711, which directs the State Board of Education to compile age-appropriate resources on preventing and recognizing inappropriate contact, including sexual conduct, and requires schools to make those resources available to students and parents. Supporters said it would provide vetted, voluntary resources without mandating curriculum; opponents argued it was too limited and should include more robust, trauma-informed, age-appropriate sex education and accessibility requirements. The bill passed 7-3. SB 1798, creating a FAFSA awareness program and school designation for schools that promote FAFSA completion, also passed after testimony from a college student and the Arizona Board of Regents in support; the vote was 8-2. The committee also heard SB 1143, which requires schools to submit federal civil rights data collection information to ADE and directs ADE to publish an annual school safety report. Supporters framed it as a transparency measure for parents and policymakers, while opponents said it was duplicative, could be misused, and should apply to private schools as well. It passed 7-3. Finally, SB 1684, as amended, creates a private right of action against public schools for serious physical injury caused by bullying after a prior report and a negligent failure to respond; an amendment narrowed the bill to on-campus or school-sponsored events and removed verbal reports from the definition of prior report. Trial lawyers and the ACLU opposed it, warning about litigation and zero-tolerance discipline, while supporters said it would hold schools accountable for serious bullying. The amended bill passed 6-3.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is this is kind of a new chapter. Is that right?
• error code: 520 Most schools I would say no.
• We'll see you in your chapters around the state. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you.
• chapter.
• Texas A&M as a whole has done a great job in supporting me and my chapter. as well.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• it's property tax or any other taxes.
• it's property tax or any other taxes.
• it's property tax or any other taxes.
• Because somebody escrows their taxes. They have no tax bill or a part of a tax bill.
• It's not on tax mill levies. It's not on your tax, how many levies or mills you can levy.

Summary: The committee met to receive a series of audit presentations, beginning with the statewide Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for fiscal year 2025. The State Auditor’s Office and OMB reported a clean, unmodified opinion for the state, with strong financial results including a $40.6 billion net position, $30.99 billion in assets, $1.81 billion in liabilities, and continued Legacy Fund growth. OMB also explained the new GASB 101 compensated-absences reporting change and discussed pension-liability fluctuations tied to discount-rate assumptions and investment performance. Members asked about how the state compares to others and about the effect of short-term commodity price swings, and OMB said the report reflects actual fiscal-year results rather than forecasts. The committee then heard the University System audit, which also received a clean opinion but included four findings: misreporting of Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund revenue, insufficient monitoring of service organizations at CTS, NDSU, and UND, improper bank reconciliations at Dakota College of Bottineau, Dickinson State, and Williston State, and investment/cash reconciliation problems at Bismarck State College related to bond proceeds. University officials agreed with the findings and said corrective actions were underway, including internal review of bank reconciliations. Members raised questions about NDSU’s use of certificates of deposit, and university staff explained that CDs are used to earn interest on funds being accumulated for future projects. Several other audits were presented, most with clean opinions and no findings, including the State Auditor’s Office, Workforce Safety and Insurance, Housing Finance Agency, Housing Incentive Fund, Job Service North Dakota, the Retirement and Investment Office, PERS, the Center for Distance Education, the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, the Ethics Commission, and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Notable exceptions included a State Fair Association audit with an adverse opinion on the foundation component unit because its financial statements were not available for audit, and a Securities Department performance audit finding that performance-based pay increases and bonuses were issued without required evaluations. The committee also discussed the State Auditor’s future needs, including more staff capacity, data analytics, cybersecurity reviews, possible subpoena authority, independent legal counsel, and whether some audits—such as the Ethics Commission and State Fair—should be handled by independent third parties or under different statutory arrangements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ametria Sidney, President of the California Chapter of the National Emergency Numbers Association.
• tax on jobs in our state. hitting small businesses.
• One where we're moving mountains to backfill the property taxes for LA.
• The money of the MCO tax just last budget year, and the only reason that didn't get stolen is because
• breaks for oil drilling, where we're still giving tax breaks on people's third, fourth, fifth, sixth

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Where we have energy codes coming from one department and building codes coming from another department
• tax at the time, you were able to turn that and reinvest it.
• Be able to invest their own money instead of paying taxes on it in generating all the tax revenue that
• So we choose to collect a lot of tax on the front end versus tax over time on the back end.
• has a good tax base, but Española does not.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's when it was decided to put it up into Chapter 55 of Chapter 21, she said.
• so then we would have to pay more taxes so then we would have to pay more taxes into<01:56:28.719
• Representative Plog continued: "I see chapter 12 and I don't see a chapter Q.
• I see chapter 12 new chapter, so this is a new chapter.
• well wouldn't a so this is a new chapter well wouldn't a new<04:14:16.520> chapter<04:14:16.920

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just quickly, Chapter 27, or Section 27 on page 59, takes away the authority for the Chapter 72 administrative
• Just quickly, Chapter 27, or Section 27 on page 59, takes away the authority for the Chapter 72 administrative
• <01:50:38.199> 72 of 1 15 a-8 so that what the chapter 72 of 1 15 a-8 so that what the chapter
• 72 amendments it is not of the chapter 72 amendments it is not chapter<01:51:57.719> 72<01:51
• All right, let's start with SB 822 SD2, relating to the landlord-tenant code.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures, beginning with SB 48 SD2 HD1 relating to combat sports. The Attorney General offered a technical comment on the bill’s effective date, and several testifiers from the combat sports community strongly supported the measure with amendments. They argued that boxing and MMA should be treated separately, that the current regulatory structure has made events too costly and reduced opportunities, and that more local oversight would help revive the sport and give youth a constructive outlet. Committee members questioned whether the bill’s medical staffing requirements would apply to boxing, MMA, or both, and whether the added requirements would increase costs and reduce access. The witness from the combat sports community said amateur boxing is already regulated through USA Boxing, that the DCCA should focus on professional boxing, and that for safety he would support two physicians and one ambulance for boxing and MMA events. The committee then took up SB 117 SD2 HD1 relating to transportation. The Department of Transportation and the Ulon Initiative testified in support, and the bicycling community was listed as supporting as well. Members focused on the bill’s rebate program for electric transportation devices, asking how successful it had been and whether removing the rebate would affect use. DOT said the program began in February 2023 and had issued about 500 rebates totaling roughly $166,000, aimed at helping people without vehicles access transportation options. The department explained that the bill would broaden access and increase the rebate amount, including additional assistance for low-income applicants. Finally, the committee heard SB 897 SD3 HD1 relating to energy and wildfire liability. The Division of Consumer Advocacy, the Public Utilities Commission, the Attorney General, Clearway Energy Group, Ulon Initiative, Kawai K, IBEW Local 1260, and Hawaiian Electric all testified in support, while the Hawaii Association for Justice was listed as opposed but not present. Supporters said the bill would help finance wildfire mitigation and infrastructure improvements through securitization, reduce wildfire risk, and address utility cost and credit concerns. Hawaiian Electric emphasized that the bill is forward-looking, would help protect customers from future wildfire-related cost increases, and requested amendments including a study on a future wildfire recovery fund. In questioning, members pressed Hawaiian Electric on the liability cap, asking whether it would have applied to the Maui wildfires and whether it would cover personal injury or wrongful death; the witness and company counsel clarified that the aggregate cap applies only to qualifying property damage, not personal injury or wrongful death, and said they would follow up on how the cap would calculate in a Maui-type event. Hawaiian Electric also said it would seek financing under the bill if enacted and updated members on settlement funding efforts, including raising the first $550 million in equity and divesting assets to help meet its obligations.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:21.680> dollars deadlines and hold your tax dollars deadlines and hold your tax dollars
• Tax dollars meant specifically hostage.
• Again, for big tax cut for the rich.
• those people who don't know, the tax those people who don't know, the tax rate<00:30:04.240>
• But what we did do same exact tax rate.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'll have the code call roll. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• You know, I don't have that Century Code section up in front of me, but it's my understanding that, yes
• “Person” is a defined term throughout the code, which could indicate an agency like Health and Human
• That would be under a different chapter of code, so this is narrow.
• Chapter 1409.06.6.6.6. We want to get specific with regard to that.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Go ahead. tax rates and tax impact information on tax rates and tax impact information on warrant<
• So, you can tax enough property to tax.
• It's a state tax. Why is it a state tax?
• It's a property tax is not a local tax. It's a state<04:03:58.640> tax.
• state tax. Why is it a state tax? state tax. Why is it a state tax?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll move on to our next measure which um HP 1565 relating to the penal code.
• um HP 1565 relating to the penal code. um HP 1565 relating to the penal code.
• Next up, HB 1665 relating to the penal code.
• to chapter 584A, since we repealed 584 last year and 584A was added as a current ...
• Would like to defer the date and then also change references to chapter 584 instead to chapter 584A,

Bills: HB1546

Keywords: Medicaid, health insurance, healthcare access, insurance subsidies, pilot program, affordable care, preventive services, low-income, community engagement, 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 2083, which would add homeless shelters to Hawaii’s drug-free/safe-zone protections. The City and County prosecutor’s office strongly supported the bill, saying service providers asked for the change because drug activity near shelters can undermine recovery efforts. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the measure, focusing on a possible notice problem because many shelters are not readily identifiable and the bill’s 750-foot distance requirement could be difficult to apply. The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii also opposed the bill, arguing it would expand criminalization of poverty and drug use and that drug-free zone laws are ineffective and disproportionately harmful. The prosecutor’s office said it would do more research on the notice concern. The committee then moved on without taking a vote in the transcript provided. The committee next discussed HB 2087, which would change the treatment of abuse of family or household member cases by ending the deferred-acceptance pilot and returning to the prior statute. The prosecutor’s office supported the bill, saying the pilot had not reduced backlog as intended and that domestic violence cases should remain petty misdemeanors without deferral. The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Public Defender’s Office both opposed HB 2087, instead urging extension of the pilot for another five years so the legislature can better evaluate how deferred acceptance is working. They said deferrals can be a useful incentive for behavior change and that more data is needed before ending the program. Committee members questioned the prosecutor about why Hawaii should differ from other counties and whether repeat offenders could keep receiving deferrals; the prosecutor said the deferral is available only once and reiterated support for returning to the old statute. The committee then heard HB 2096 on aggravated circumstances in child protective proceedings. The family court and Attorney General’s Office supported the bill, saying current law limits aggravated-circumstances findings to the early return hearing, which can prevent findings in the most serious abuse cases when key evidence is not yet available. They said the bill would allow such findings later in the case and, with proposed amendments, would let the court consolidate aggravated-circumstances and termination-of-parental-rights hearings to reduce delay and appeals. The Libertarian Party of Hawaii opposed the measure, arguing it would expand state power in family matters and could worsen outcomes for parents and children. Committee questions focused on the amended language, including what “another court of competent jurisdiction” means and whether a charge alone would be enough; the judiciary responded that criminal courts are included, but a hearing and opportunity to defend would still be required. Finally, the committee took up HB 1959, another domestic violence measure. The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Public Defender’s Office, the Crime Victim Compensation Commission, the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, and county prosecuting offices testified in support. Supporters said the bill would extend the pilot program while keeping deferred acceptance of guilty pleas in place, giving more time to evaluate whether the program is working and whether a more formal diversion model should be developed. The coalition also suggested technical fixes to ensure judiciary data reporting continues and that the deferred-acceptance statute is not inadvertently repealed. No vote or final action was taken in the transcript before the committee moved on to the next bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, Chapter 197 laid a new foundation.
• both supplement and expand upon the important reforms sponsored by this committee in what became Chapter
• the committee to favorably report each of these bills to make further progress after the passage of Chapter
• , that is NFPA 101, and health care facilities code.
• NFPA 101 and health care facilities code.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Committee on Aging and Independence heard testimony on a package of long-term care and elder care bills focused on building on the state’s 2024 long-term care reform law (Chapter 197). Richard Moore of Dignity Alliance urged favorable action on the bills as a “long-term care 2.0” effort, arguing they would strengthen the workforce, protect residents’ rights, improve clinical quality, and increase transparency and sustainability in nursing homes and other facilities. He also raised concerns about staffing funds not reaching direct care workers and suggested further oversight of how appropriated money is spent. Patricia Crispy of the American Nurses Association testified in support of House Bill 766, which would require at least one registered nurse with full voting rights on the board of directors or trustees of every acute care hospital and nursing home. She and the bill’s sponsor, Representative Vanado, said nurses’ clinical expertise and 24/7 presence make them valuable contributors to governance and patient safety. Committee members asked whether the bill would cover assisted living and how many facilities already have nurse board members; the witness said she would provide more data and clarify the assisted living question. Senator Lovely testified on two bills: Senate 479, which would expand transparency and accountability in long-term care by tightening fire safety, smoking, hearing-loss, and ownership disclosure requirements, adding advocacy groups to an advisory committee, and increasing penalties; and Senate 480/House 795, which would require single-occupancy rooms in nursing homes unless residents consent to share, to improve privacy and reduce infection spread. Deborah De Benedictus also testified in support of House 759, describing her father’s experience in assisted living and arguing for the use of cameras in elder care facilities to monitor care and deter neglect. The committee discussed privacy concerns, notification rules, and the need for honest staffing and care practices, and then adjourned without taking any recorded votes or formal actions in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, the Wyoming code says that we And again, the Wyoming code says that we can<00:02:29.720>
• code for withdrawing<00:14:13.120> the<00:14:13.200> bill.
• The Rock Notice Act would create Title 34, Chapter 30 in the Wyoming Statute.
• 34 Chapter 30 in the Wyoming Statute. 34 Chapter 30 in the Wyoming Statute.
• taxes or municipal<01:24:24.880> notices.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is a committee strike-and-insert amendment before you, which moves the bill's provisions to a new code
• It amends a section in Chapter 3 of the code, clarifies that foreign drivers are not eligible to vote
• is a committee strike-and-insert amendment before you, which moves the bill's provisions to a new code
• It amends a section in Chapter 3 of the code, clarifies that foreign drivers are not eligible to vote

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It merely cross-references a pre-existing provision in the Welfare and Institutional Code, section 14132.26e2
• DHCS and CDS It merely cross-references a pre-existing provision in the Welfare and Institutional Code
• Services and Health Care Services' ability to waive the entirety of Division II of the Health and Safety Code
• It allows waiver of a variety of sections, but including Division II, which includes Chapter 3.2, which
• So existing health and safety code does not authorize the imposition.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that's chapter this particular chapter that's chapter this particular chapter that's mentioned
• <02:09:09.400> is<02:09:09.800> uh<02:09:10.000> chapter mentioned is uh chapter
• <02:09:44.159> um look at all of these chapters um look at all of these chapters um 342<02
• 342 uh the subsection 30.8 the chapter 342 uh the subsection 30.8 the chapter 46<02:09:49.920>
• > and<02:09:50.159> chapter<02:09:50.520> 322 46 and chapter 322 46 and chapter 322

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several housing, land use, and preservation bills. HB 1008 HD2 would require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to complete historic preservation determinations for state affordable housing projects within 90 days and create sensitivity-based review pathways. HHFDC, DLNR’s State Historic Preservation Division, and written testimony from DBEDT supported the bill as an expedited process for projects unlikely to affect significant historic resources. Members asked how the bill would define significant versus non-significant historic properties, how it would interact with Kapakai analysis, and whether burial councils had been consulted; SHPD said the bill would not replace Kapakai review and that burial councils had not been included. Written support also came from OHA, Hawaii Realtors, and the Maui Chamber of Commerce. HB 1093 would clarify the Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s powers relating to housing projects. HPHA supported the measure, saying it would align definitions with prior law and help deconcentrate poverty by allowing mixed-income rebuilding. The director also said the bill was increasingly urgent because of reported federal HUD priorities that could affect public housing and Section 8 funding. HB 1096 HD1 would repeal state low-income housing preferences for disabled veterans and spouses of deceased veterans, with HPHA saying federal veteran programs such as VASH are a better mechanism and that the state preference has not been used in years. HB 1411 would allow HHFDC projects to give sale or lease preferences to applicants who live or work within five miles of a project; HHFDC and the Hawaii Chapter of NAIOP supported it as a way to keep residents connected to their communities, while members raised constitutional concerns about broader local-preference policies. The committee also heard HB 367 HD1, which would create county permit exemptions for certain agricultural and maintenance activities. Written testimony included opposition from the Department of Planning and Permitting and support from the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Grassroot Institute, and others. A public testifier opposed the bill, arguing that permit exemptions could worsen safety and compliance problems. Finally, HB 826 HD1 would allow county planning commissions, by special permit, to authorize residential housing in agricultural districts for agricultural workforce housing, long-term rental, or fee simple ownership under certain conditions. HHFDC supported it as a faster alternative to lengthy state land-use redistricting, but the Department of Agriculture, Land Use Commission, and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development raised concerns about food production impacts, due process, service provision, jurisdictional conflicts, and the use of special permits for what could amount to district boundary changes. Public testimony was mixed, with some support and some opposition. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided.