Transcript Highlights:

• <01:17:57.320> so eligible population is rather small so eligible population is rather small
• Also, in the past, these quality ratings have been based on a small sample size, and we go and pick X
• ratings have been based on a small ratings have been based on a small sample<01:50:51.320> size
• I'm not sure that it's necessarily a small number.
• I'm not sure that it's necessarily a small number.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um it's a small provision, the plant.
• on roads than a a small compact vehicle. on roads than a a small compact vehicle.
• So, I actually come from a rural small town that doesn't have transit.
• Was born and raised in a small town.
• I actually live raised in a small town.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We've seen small increases every year.
• All our other federal programs went down by a small amount.
• Other funds went down by a small amount.
• And, uh, small claims cases, it could take one to two years to even get docketed.
• And, uh, small claims cases, it could take one to two years to even get docketed.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• especially if it's a small water body. especially if it's a small water body.
• <00:18:02.960> And small children and animals as well.
• And small children and animals as well.
• Like others, the small lake impressive.
• And sadly, a very small percentage of people raised their hands.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Like, if someone wants to go fish and they get one small boat, they should be allowed, right?
• <01:00:42.359> boat fish and and they get one small boat fish and and they get one small boat
• That's just one small example that occurs to me when I read the legislation.
• That's just one small example that occurs to him when he reads the legislation.
• That's just one small example that occurs to him when he reads the legislation.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees first heard SB 1146, which would appropriate funds to the University of Hawaiʻi to develop an action plan and pre-engineering concept plan for debris management and water quality control in the Ala Wai Watershed. Testimony was largely supportive from DLNR, a UH student, and a special improvement district representative, while one speaker suggested the work should be coordinated with existing efforts to avoid duplication. Committee discussion focused on the multi-jurisdictional nature of the watershed, existing debris-trap work that captures only about 20 to 30 percent of debris, the role of the university in capstone projects and recommendations, and the relationship to the existing Geni project and other community efforts. Members also asked about costs, tracking progress, and the difference between water-quality improvements and the larger debris problem. The committees then voted to pass SB 1146 with amendments, including blanking out the appropriation and deferring the effective date to July 31, 2050. The motion passed in both committees, with votes recorded in support and no opposition noted during the decision-making. The committees also heard SB 321, which would deem certain fee simple privately owned lands transferred to adjacent property owners or community associations if specified conditions are met. Testimony was in support from several individuals, but members raised concerns about the lack of input from counties and the state, and about how the bill might affect roads already used by the public or maintained by local governments. After discussion, the committees voted to advance SB 321 unamended to the next committees, with the measure adopted in both committees despite one recorded no vote in the Water and Land committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we definitely see a Small Business Administration need for helping our people with what is not covered
• Uh, we definitely see a Small Business Administration need for helping our people with what is not covered
• Uh, we definitely see a Small Business Administration need for helping our people with what is not covered
• Uh, we definitely see a Small Business Administration need for helping our people with what is not covered
• Uh, we definitely see a Small Business Administration need for helping our people with what is not covered

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee received a budget and program update from Kentucky Emergency Management on the state’s urban search and rescue buildout. Eric Gibson and Doug Hargrave said the legislature’s funding was used to create FEMA-type urban search and rescue capacity, including Kentucky Task Force 1 and 2, the incident support team, and the helicopter aquatic rescue/hoist team. They emphasized that the effort is not just equipment purchases but also training, credentialing, warehouse and training-facility development, canine program expansion, and coordination with local search and rescue agencies across the Commonwealth. Gibson reported that the agency executed 99.4% of the $16.175 million appropriation by the end of the fiscal year and said the team met its readiness target ahead of schedule, with equipment already being deployed in recent flood response operations. He also said $500,000 per year was set aside for local search and rescue grants, with about $482,000 awarded to 29 teams in one year and $490,000 to 36 teams in the next, averaging about $20,000 per grant. Several members urged the committee to consider increasing support for local responders in future budgets, noting rising equipment costs and the importance of local teams as first on scene. Members asked about staffing, coverage, and benefits. Gibson explained that the task force is a mixed workforce of full-time fire personnel loaned from local departments, professional service staff such as doctors and engineers, and temporary deployment staff, with workers’ compensation coverage provided through KYEM and/or home agencies depending on the arrangement. He also said local search and rescue members are not currently included in line-of-duty death benefits. In response to questions about coverage and deployment, he described the two task force locations as designed to keep resources within roughly 100 miles of every Kentuckian. The discussion also turned to recent flood response and disaster recovery. Gibson said the state had mobilized up to 24 teams over the weekend, documented roughly 60 to 80 water rescues or assisted evacuations, and was seeing significant damage in counties such as Cumberland, Clinton, and Metcalfe, including agricultural losses. He said several counties were meeting FEMA public assistance thresholds and that the state was preparing a broader relief request that could include FEMA, SBA, and USDA assistance. He also updated members on efforts to claw back and reallocate unused “strained fiscal liquidity” funds by the statutory deadline, saying notices were sent and funds were redirected where possible to unmet local needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hey, we're a small taxing jurisdiction. There are these tools out there.
• So I do want to remind everybody there are small exceptions where this tool works.
• You can make them as big or small as you want. You can target people however you want.
• It's a very small amount less, yes.
• I have two small children, and actually not small now. My daughter is 17 and my son is 8.

Bills: HB21, HB211, HB223

Keywords: HB 21, Texas Tax Code, ad valorem tax, property tax, delinquent taxes, tax delinquency, penalty reduction, interest rate, split payment, installment payment, tax relief, county tax collector, taxing unit, property owner, tax collection, voter-approval tax rate, no-new-revenue tax rate, tax increase election, supermajority, 60 percent threshold

Transcript Highlights:

• So anything that causes either a stroke, even a. small stroke or a big stroke or anything that causes
• That's small. $11 million in royalties out of $6 billion, so while that's nice. No, right. Yes.
• A life in a small room in a locked ward. It is heartbreaking.
• It's because it's small and portable to do stroke recovery.
• If it's one where where we're basically, the small may not compete, then I have concerns.

Bills: HB5, HJR3, HB155, HB513, HB5, HB155

Keywords: dementia, research, health care, Texas Institute, grants, medical breakthroughs, oversight, prevention, funding, healthcare, Texas, autopsy, confidentiality, public records, medical examiner, law enforcement, HB 513, surgical smoke, surgical plume, smoke evacuation

Transcript Highlights:

• I have one, just like a small question.
• I have one just like a small question, and I'm not sure if you have the answer for it, but when you say
• If a batch fails, small producers may lose their entire harvest.
• So you're saying if you keep the sample size small...
• So you're saying if you keep the sample size smaller and the batch size small, it's... sample size the

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held its fourth hearing, with opening remarks from Senate Chair Adam Gómez and House Chair Dan Donahue emphasizing the committee’s broad agenda, including retail modernization, labor protections, advertising rules, sustainability, and financial resources. Testimony began with public health advocates supporting H.157/S.9 to ban cannabis billboard advertising, arguing that billboards normalize use for youth and are linked to cannabis-related harms such as psychosis, addiction, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Witnesses cited research, family stories, and court decisions in Mississippi and Virginia upholding similar restrictions, while committee members questioned the scope of the state’s authority to regulate billboards on private property and the relevance of federal highway funding and federal cannabis law. The committee also heard testimony on H.175, a proposal to allow cannabis drive-through sales. A dispensary operator argued drive-throughs would improve access, especially for disabled customers and veterans, and said security and ID checks could be handled with cameras and staff screening. Committee members pressed him on how employees would assess impairment, whether drive-throughs could increase access for minors, and whether the industry should be treated like alcohol, with the witness responding that staff already refuse service to intoxicated customers and that education, not prohibition, is the better approach. Another bill, H.3982, would apply the bottle deposit law to carbonated hemp- or THC-infused beverages; the sponsor said the measure would standardize recycling requirements for products already sold in dispensaries and other markets, and members asked about container types and recycling compatibility. A major portion of the hearing focused on labor peace agreements, with UFCW representatives, cannabis workers, and Sen. Lydia Edwards supporting S.77/H.161. They said the bill would require cannabis businesses to remain neutral when workers seek to organize, arguing that unions improve safety, wages, benefits, and job stability in an industry they described as underregulated and prone to retaliation. Witnesses cited workplace hazards, wage theft, and the death of a worker at a Holyoke facility as examples of why stronger worker protections are needed. Committee members asked how the proposal differs from existing labor law, whether tying LPAs to licensing and renewal could create legal or administrative problems, and how other states handle similar requirements. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not a small local presentation. It is a big national one.
• So it’s a very small percentage of what we do. So it’s true learning by doing; it’s what we do.
• We’ve seen a small dip last year.
• That's a pretty small group right now. It's very immaterial.
• That's a pretty small group right now. It's very immaterial.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are people that are already skittish, stopped arresting people for very small amounts of cannabis
• But in essence, in some of these small cities, they make $170,000 and $200,000 with only one and two
• But the small-time politics is what's going on right now.
• But I could tell you, if I would have retired in another small area, I would be doing the same thing,
• These small offices, I'll give you an example of Bunkie.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Two of them are small business owners. One came back home from Hawaii.
• Two of<00:21:22.240> them<00:21:22.480> are<00:21:22.560> small<00:21:22.840>
• <00:21:24.080> One of them are small business owners.
• One of them are small business owners.
• And then the last question I have is, being that this is a small panel of three members and it's a 10

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several gubernatorial nominations to the Hawaii Workforce Development Council and one nomination to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board. For GM 779, Mark Fong Su Wat said he would bring his experience as an electrician and labor community member to workforce development, and he committed to serving if confirmed. Testimony was unanimously supportive, with 10 in support and none opposed, and the committee voted to recommend advise and consent; the recommendation was adopted. For GM 792, Sheryl Cross sought a second term on the Workforce Development Council and described her work on employer engagement, military veteran affairs, and military spouse employment. In response to questions, she emphasized the need to better connect military spouses, underrepresented workers, and students pursuing trades or non-college pathways to jobs, including through school academies and online hiring initiatives. The item was held for later decision-making. For GM 793, Ashley Lohua, also nominated to the Workforce Development Council, said her focus would be helping people stay in Hawaii by improving job retention, listening to community concerns, and building pathways between sectors. Support testimony highlighted her work with marginalized communities and her empathy and leadership. She told the committee she would use her nonprofit and HR experience to help address vacancies and workforce barriers; the item was also held for later decision-making. For GM 774, Douglas Thomas Moore, nominated to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board, said his first priority would be reducing the backlog. He proposed using informal conferences and mediation to speed workers’ compensation appeals and suggested recruiting more practitioners, especially younger ones, into the field. The committee noted 11 supportive testimonies and no opposition; no vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this is a small part, but a very important part.
• But this<00:37:35.920> is<00:37:36.160> one<00:37:36.480> small<00:37:36.800>
• part of a health care this is one small part of a health care system<00:37:38.160> that<00:37
• And<00:37:43.119> this<00:37:43.359> is<00:37:43.680> a<00:37:43.920> small
• part, but a very And this is a small part, but a very important<00:37:45.599> part.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is just a small snapshot of who Mr. Justo is as an educator.
• This is just a small snapshot of who Mr.
• This<00:32:25.840> is<00:32:25.920> just<00:32:26.120> a<00:32:26.200> small<
• <00:50:33.560> businesses, for local farmers and small businesses, for local farmers and small
• I rise in support with one, um, relatively small reservation.

Bills: HR203, SB2802, SB3081, SB2902, SB2005, SB3252, SB2096, SB2095, SB2046, SB2999, SB3103, SB83, SB2041, SB3234, SB3156, SB3154, SB2146, SB2053, SB2010, SB2009, SB2667, SB3215, SB2698, SB2363, SB2372, SB2673, SB2948, SB2277, SB2057, SB3085, SB3025, SB2761

Keywords: H.R. 203, House Resolution, Hawaii education, teacher of the year, educator recognition, Jessica Canyon, Natsumi Yamasato, Jodi Kadoyama, Mānana Elementary School, National Blue Ribbon School, Teach For America Hawaiʻi, public education, K-12, elementary school, STEM education, literacy, teacher appreciation, school excellence, Hawaiʻi Legislature, keiki

Transcript Highlights:

• of care, to ensure that bad actors are rooted out, to make sure that individuals, which is a very small
• what's not reasonable, and right now what we have is this amendment that's got us at this sort of small
• hospitals, large hospitals, or Small systems versus large hospitals.
• know, when patients are going in and being subject to this situation and seeking these damages, if a small
• network of hospitals, If a small network of hospitals or a small clinic or a single doctor is capped

Bills: HB99, HB49, HB164, SB30, SB43, SB50, SB136

Keywords: medical malpractice, malpractice reform, patient's compensation fund, PCF, health care liability, tort reform, damage caps, punitive damages, hospital liability, physician liability, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, outpatient facility, ambulatory surgical center, urgent care, free-standing emergency room, insurance surcharge, superintendent of insurance, New Mexico hospitals, medical review process

Transcript Highlights:

• Small re. Yes. Okay. Yeah. >> Question. Are we going to meet next Tuesday?
• >> Okay.<00:32:28.080> Small<00:32:28.399> re.<00:32:28.720> Yes.
• Small re. Yes. Okay. Yeah. >> Okay. Small re. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Question.
• 01:53:50.880> only<01:53:51.199> anticipate<01:53:52.239> one<01:53:52.639> small
• <01:53:53.040> change Um, I only anticipate one small change Um, I only anticipate one small

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• At which point, for the small number of kids who very much need protection, this law will create a false
• At which point, for<00:14:54.639> the<00:14:54.959> small<00:14:55.279> number<00
• This is if it's a small inconvenience for somebody, so be it.
• <00:36:16.000> for<00:36:16.240> somebody, it's a small inconvenience for somebody,
• it's a small inconvenience for somebody, so<00:36:17.040> be<00:36:17.200> it.

Bills: HB161

Keywords: building codes, standardization, commercial construction, architectural services, energy conservation, federal compliance, local governance, 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that one they said that they were managing by obtaining some small federal grants.
• Who knows whether the small federal grants are going to still be there. >> Yeah. >> Well, but Senator
• <00:11:02.560> Who obtaining some small federal grants.
• Who obtaining some small federal grants.
• > federal<00:11:04.160> grants knows whether the small federal grants knows whether the

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the September 24 and September 27 meetings unanimously. It then reviewed a spreadsheet and draft report tracking the status of various dedicated funds, with members deciding which items should be kept active, removed, or flagged for follow-up next year. Several funds were identified as no longer needing action because they had been repealed, terminated, or were already handled elsewhere, including mosquito-related funding, child care licensing, and the prescription drug affordability board item. In other cases, members agreed to keep the fund on the list but remove question marks and add notes for future review or for another committee to address. A number of funds drew more detailed discussion. Members agreed that the Fish and Game fee increase issue should not be handled by this committee directly, but that staff should notify the relevant sponsor/department that a legislative change would be needed. They also discussed a medical cannabis fund that was running down significantly; the committee agreed to keep it active, note the concern, and send a letter to the department and Representative McDonald suggesting that HHS review whether fees or another revenue source should be changed, with the possibility of a late bill if needed. The lead poisoning prevention fund was also kept, with a note that the department should take action if it wants changes, and the committee discussed a grants-and-aid escrow-related item, concluding it should remain active and be kept on the list. Members also discussed several legacy or special-purpose funds. They agreed to recommend deleting the broodstock reference, to keep the emergency fund while asking for a better explanation of its funding source, and to retain the building maintenance fund as active. The Recovery Monument fund was identified as inactive and likely eligible for transfer of its remaining $1,000 to the addiction treatment and prevention fund. The Matthew Elliott Trust Fund prompted the most extended discussion; members concluded it should not continue as-is and agreed to draft a letter to the Attorney General recommending that the fund be closed through probate court and the remaining $5,657 transferred to Fund 122, or otherwise handled as unclaimed property if appropriate. The committee also discussed a firemen’s association-related transfer and agreed it should remain, while noting that any broader change would require legislation and a sponsor in the relevant policy committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• So small developers with small impacts are looking for a place to go.
• There was a fear that it was going to turn into a small river, and that was really why our agency was
• It's just a small little intersection there. There's not overtopping of the seawall that's nearby.
• This is very small, however. This is like literally 150 feet along a shoreline.
• It can take, you know, a relatively small amount of public money to de-risk those technologies and draw

Summary: The hearing of the Select Committee on Sea Level Rise and the California Economy focused on infrastructure, pollution, climate resilience, public health, access, and economic impacts of sea level rise in California, with an emphasis on San Diego and the Bay Area. Chair Tasha Boerner Horvath opened by describing the committee’s purpose, the state’s sea level rise action planning, and the need for better monitoring and early warning systems. She also referenced her prior bills AB 66 and AB 72, which supported Scripps research on coastal bluff collapse warning capabilities. Assembly Members David Alvarez and Jessica Caloza later joined and emphasized that sea level rise affects not only coastal communities but inland areas as well, and that the issue should inform future legislative and budget decisions. In the first panel, Dr. Mark Merrifield of Scripps Institution of Oceanography described observed sea level rise of roughly 0.8 to 0.9 feet since the early 1900s, with acceleration expected by mid-century and potentially much greater rise by 2100 depending on emissions. He highlighted flooding, groundwater rise, beach and cliff erosion, salinization, and risks to transportation, sewage, ports, and national security. Dave Gibson of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board discussed how sea level rise affects wastewater systems, stormwater, contaminated sites, wetlands, and coastal groundwater basins, and said the board is requiring climate adaptation planning, updating stormwater permits, and seeking more flexible state permitting and mitigation tools. Members and witnesses also discussed the need for better mapping, more monitoring, and more state funding, especially if federal support from NOAA and other agencies declines. The second panel addressed public health, equitable access, and local economies. Ramon Chiras of Un Mar de Colores described how sea level rise, pollution, and access barriers threaten the Tijuana River Valley and Imperial Beach, especially for underserved communities and youth programs that rely on safe, welcoming access to the ocean. He stressed the cultural and spiritual importance of coastal access and the need for water safety and environmental education. Jessica Fane of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission explained that the Bay Area faces major economic exposure from sea level rise, citing a regional estimate of $96 billion in adaptation costs versus $230 billion in potential losses from inaction, and said BCDC is working with local governments under SB 272 on shoreline adaptation planning, funding, and regulatory innovation. Members discussed the tension between environmental permitting and the need to move projects faster, including the possibility of planned retreat in some areas and the use of simultaneous permitting and longer-term state authority to streamline adaptation work. In the final panel, Philip Gibbons of the Port of San Diego described the port’s climate adaptation efforts and its vulnerability assessments under AB 691. He said the port manages state tidelands, supports maritime commerce and recreation, and is already seeing flooding at king tides and during El Niño events, including storm-drain backflow and damage to bikeways and parks. He explained that future sea level rise could inundate major port areas and disrupt operations, underscoring the need for continued planning, mitigation, and infrastructure investment. The hearing did not take formal votes, but it concluded with a clear call for more science, funding, coordination, and regulatory streamlining to prepare California’s coast and nearby communities for worsening sea level rise impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• As stated, Adele Nelson and Colleen Small are present.
• I'm Colleen Small.
• Small, just to be clear, you're representing yourself? Yes. Thank you so much. All right.
• The one that I compared to San Guaido is relatively small for a college I was relocated from.
• It is the opposite of small government. It is a shining example of government overreach.

Bills: SB 37

Keywords: fetal development, education, public health curriculum, middle school, age-appropriate instruction, 1184, house, all