Transcript Highlights:

• Of this appropriation, $900,000 will continue to be ongoing in the fiscal 2020 budget.
• I feel good about our work together within the current budget context to move us toward this shared goal
• I appreciate the work of Both co-chairs to receive an astounding budget target of $75 million and $100
• Given the budget constraints, I know that it took a lot of work in both of your caucuses.
• We understand that this is a difficult budget year.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, Department of Budget and Finance.
• We stand on our testimony, um, providing comments only, uh, in opposition to provisions within the budget
• We strongly support budget appropriations for education and community-based services while opposing the
• We strongly support budget Justice.
• We strongly support budget appropriations<00:25:54.720><c> for</c><00:25:55.039><c> education</c><00:

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee convened at 10:00 a.m. and opened with instructions about live streaming, one-minute testimony limits, and the possibility of reconvening on March 31 if technical problems interrupted the hearing. The committee then took up HB 300, which drew extensive testimony from state agencies, commissions, nonprofits, and advocacy groups. Many agencies, including Budget and Finance, Education, Health, Housing, and others, said they stood on their written testimony and supported the measure. One witness from the Kohala Island Reserve Commission supported the bill and asked for funding for a CIP project at its Kihei site to consolidate offices and generate revenue for Maui. Several groups, including the Hawaii Oral Health Coalition and the Hawaii Association for Behavior Analysis, supported funding for mandated oral health services and higher ABA provider rates for children with autism. In contrast, the Re-imagining Public Safety in Hawaii Coalition and Hawaii Friends of Restorative Justice opposed $30 million for jail planning and additional incarceration-related spending, urging more investment in housing, mental health, youth programs, education, and restorative justice. The chair noted the testimony totals for HB 300: 186 in support, 91 opposed, and 52 comments. The committee then heard brief testimony on HB 794 and HB 795. The Department of Budget and Finance supported HB 794, and the Tax Foundation was listed for HB 795 but was not present. No additional testimony was offered on either bill. After the testimony phase, the committee deferred all three measures—HB 300, HB 794, and HB 795—for decision making to March 31 at 10:00 a.m. in the same room.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> budget requests uh over recent months. budget requests uh over recent months.
• We support the budget.
• </c> could expect for this budget cycle. could expect for this budget cycle.
• </c><01:48:43.760><c> that's</c> that's not actually more budget. that's that's not actually more budget
• Uh I which is the judiciary budget.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard House Bill 2095, which would provide supplemental appropriations for the Judiciary for the 2025-2027 biennium. Judiciary Administrative Director Brandon Kimura testified in strong support and outlined a request for about $6.4 million in supplemental operating funds, plus four permanent full-time position conversions. He grouped the request into security, services to court users, and staffing needs, including $3.25 million for supplemental armed private security at judiciary facilities statewide, nearly $200,000 for cybersecurity staffing and support, restoration of funding for substance use treatment purchase-of-service contracts, restoration of funding for the Office of Public Guardian on Kauaʻi, salary commission funding, a Kona court operations position, and two Court-Appointed Special Advocates positions converted from temporary to permanent. He also described five capital improvement requests totaling $55.4 million, led by $30 million for construction of a new South Kohala courthouse, $1.2 million each for air conditioning upgrades in Hilo and Kauaʻi, $15 million for elevator upgrades at Kahumanu Hale, and $8 million in lump-sum bond funds for emerging projects. Several organizations testified in support, including Parents and Children Together and the True Cost Coalition. Supporters emphasized the importance of the purchase-of-service funding for domestic violence and substance use treatment services and said the restoration would return funding to pre-COVID levels and help providers maintain capacity. Kimura explained that the Judiciary often shifts funds among contracts during the year to avoid service interruptions, but that the reduced funding has caused delays and operational problems for providers and probationers. Members asked detailed questions about the capital projects and operating requests. Representative Shimizu asked for more information on the lump-sum bond funds and the elevator project, and Kimura explained that the Kahumanu Hale request covers four remaining elevator shafts after earlier funding addressed the first five elevators. Representative Cochran asked about the absence of Maui County projects, and Kimura said the Judiciary is still planning for its older Maui facilities with DAGS. Chair Tarnas questioned the need for armed private guards and discussed whether court security should be prioritized within the Department of Law Enforcement; Kimura said the Judiciary needs additional personnel now and has not asked DLE to deprioritize other missions, though the chair suggested further coordination between the agencies. No vote or final action on the bill was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:16:00.240><c> which</c><00:16:00.399><c> is</c> huge budget, which is huge budget, which is
• </c> one it could totally blow up the budget one it could totally blow up the budget because<00:33:15.919
• This controls it and blow up the budget.
• So, I will create a budget concern.
• Um there's not enough of the budget.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a work session on SB 145, which would require sexual assault evidence kits to be delivered to the state forensic lab within seven business days and analyzed more promptly. Pamela Kyle of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence said the bill was developed after survivor concerns and extensive discussions with the Departments of Safety and Justice. She explained that most agencies already deliver kits quickly, but some kits sit for months, and the bill is intended to add structure without penalties while preserving chain of custody. Members discussed the use of common carriers or courier services for transport, the need for clear rules, and whether carriers would know what they were transporting. Representative Papovich offered amendment 2025-2301H to remove the reimbursement program for police shipping costs, arguing it would add administrative overhead and was unnecessary. The amendment was adopted on a roll call vote, and the committee then voted OTPA on SB 145 as amended, with members voting yes on the roll call. The committee then opened a work session on SB 295, and the sponsor presented a replace-all amendment intended to simplify and clarify the Education Freedom Account bill without changing its purpose. The amendment would remove income-cap language, define priority enrollment groups, establish an enrollment cap for the EFA program, and create rolling enrollment rules. It would set a 10,000-student cap for the 2025-2026 school year, allow the cap to increase by 25% if enrollment exceeds 90% of the prior cap, and ensure current participants can remain enrolled. The amendment also provides that certain sections would later be repealed once the Department of Education certifies that applications have not exceeded the cap for two consecutive school years. The sponsor walked through the amendment section by section, explaining that the bill is structured in two phases: one while caps exist and another after they are no longer needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• options, and I stress the word options, to raise additional revenue and relieve pressure on local budgets
• We know our residents' budgets are also being stretched by the costs of housing, electricity, heat, and
• Municipal budgets are under enormous strain.
• Changes to state aid helped us meet rising costs that we have to contend with each budget year.
• Municipalities have few ways to address these budget constraints.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hybrid hearing on several property and local tax bills. The main focus was H.56, the Municipal Empowerment Act, which the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, MAPC, and Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo supported as a package of local options and administrative reforms. Supporters said municipalities need more tools to relieve pressure on property taxes and fund services, citing proposed increases to local meals and lodging taxes, a new local vehicle excise surcharge, senior property tax relief, one-year override flexibility for emergencies, and central valuation of telecom and utility property by DOR. The administration said the bill was based on municipal listening sessions and was intended to give cities and towns optional, not mandatory, revenue tools. Opponents, including the National Federation of Independent Businesses, argued the tax increases would hurt restaurants, hotels, tourism, and small businesses and add to affordability concerns. The committee also heard testimony on H.3211, dealing with deeds excise receipts, from Norfolk County Commissioner Richard Staidi. He said Norfolk County is financially stable but needs additional revenue for major capital needs at its agricultural school, especially a new cafeteria and other aging facilities, and also to support county programs such as veteran transportation services. On S.2020, a bill to allow settlements of tax liability, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Asian American Civic Association, and several individual taxpayers urged creation of a more workable offer-in-compromise process at DOR. They said the current system is too subjective, requires an unaffordable $5,000 threshold, lacks clear standards and appeal rights, and leaves low-income taxpayers stuck with unmanageable debt, license suspensions, or business closures. Supporters said the bill would give both taxpayers and DOR a practical way to resolve liabilities and bring people back into compliance. The committee also took testimony on S.1966, which would require nonprofits selling property to disclose any back-tax obligations to buyers. Senator Peter Durant said the bill was prompted by a personal experience in which a tax bill arrived after a nonprofit property purchase was already completed, and he argued the disclosure would prevent buyers from being surprised by retroactive tax liability. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair closed the session after hearing from all scheduled witnesses.

Transcript Highlights:

• Item G1, a budget classification transfer of $250,000 for Commissioner of State Lands.
• So the Human Development Centers are allocated 1,880 budgeted positions.
• So my motion is to hold E520, Department of Public Safety, on $142,000 until Joint Budget can take it
• And on that one, your motion would be just to hold that one, to let Joint Budget take it up.
• Is it budget constraints? Is it federal funding being cut? Yes.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The only thing that I might add is it would usually come out of their higher ed budget, because this
• I have been extremely concerned in the president's federal fiscal 2026 budget recommendations, he was
• This would have impacted approximately 20% of our budget.
• So it is in our fiscal year 2027 budget request.
• But if you look in your fiscal year 2027 budget document.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, [clears throat] this amendment is about making budget. That's why I'm here.
• ><00:02:33.680><c> is</c><00:02:33.920><c> about</c><00:02:34.160><c> making</c><00:02:34.560><c> budget
• </c> this amendment is about making budget. this amendment is about making budget.
• Uh, certainly in things that these departments are trying to do to accommodate the budget, uh, we need
• cut that was imposed by the budget.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to get this budget done.
• That's what's at stake in this budget.
• How much does the federal budget, because you talked a lot about the federal budget, I mean, how much
• The region is not a budget question. That's got to go away.
• They got to set that aside and finish up the budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We still have no joint budget targets. We have no deal on education yet.
• As you know, if we don't have a budget, we can't get a bonding bill.
• We still have no joint budget<00:12:48.600><c> targets.
• Uh we have no deal on budget targets. Uh we have no deal on education<00:12:51.760><c> yet.
• As you know, if we don't budget first.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It reduces long-term costs across the state budget.
• What would 5% of the general fund budget be to be spent on homelessness?
• What would 5% of the general fund budget be to be spent on homelessness?
• And of course, as we're seeing with the proposed budget, the governor has slashed many of the programs
• And you never know with the way the budgets are on everything.

Summary: The Assembly Human Services Committee met with quorum established after beginning as a subcommittee. The committee heard AB 790, which would require jurisdictions receiving state homelessness funds to develop systems specifically supporting women and children, especially single mothers and survivors of domestic violence. Supporters said current homelessness programs overlook this population; the bill was amended and passed unanimously on a 7-0 vote. The committee also heard ACA 4, the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, which would dedicate a minimum share of the state general fund to affordable housing and homelessness programs. Supporters argued more stable funding is needed to address the housing crisis, while opponents questioned whether more spending would help; the measure passed 5-2 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Members then heard AB 349, which would index the infant supplement for parenting foster youth to inflation. The author and sponsor described the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in foster care and rising costs for diapers and formula; the bill passed 6-0 to Appropriations. AB 779, which expands a domestic violence consultant pilot in child welfare offices statewide, also passed 6-0 after testimony that it would help keep families together safely and improve trauma-informed responses. AB 1335, which would remove a private CARF accreditation requirement for regional center employment programs and rely on state oversight instead, drew support from disability service providers but opposition from the chair over concerns about weakening quality checks; it failed on a 2-2 vote and reconsideration was denied. The committee also considered AB 1066, a bill to bar state-funded immigration legal services for people unlawfully present in the country who have certain serious felony convictions. Supporters framed it as a public-safety and fiscal-responsibility measure, while opponents said it would restrict due process and align California with mass-deportation policies. The bill failed on a 2-2 vote. Two bills, AB 277 and AB 318, were pulled by the author and not heard. After final roll calls on absent members, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Senate File 3096 will be our elections budget omnibus bill.
• Uh, this bill does provide um a small increase to the operating budget for the Campaign Finance Board
• </c> 3096 will be our elections budget 3096 will be our elections budget omnibus<00:00:41.079><c> bill
• for the campaign the operating budget for the campaign finance<00:04:12.879><c> board.
• Uh given the budget $15 million.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> reviewing, working with the chief budget reviewing, working with the chief budget officers officers
• </c> work a lot with uh chief budget work a lot with uh chief budget officers,<00:37:24.560><c> do</c
• A $3 million general fund budget.
• </c><01:28:53.440><c> is</c> And for the current year our budget is And for the current year our budget
• overall budget?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met for its first summer interim meeting, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and took roll. The first presentation came from Jerry Gels, principal of Ignite Institute in Erlanger, who focused on the rising cost of dual credit. He said dual credit tuition has increased from about $150 to $290 for a three-credit course over roughly five years, which he argued is discouraging participation, especially for working-class and low-income students. He cited Ignite data and broader college outcomes to argue dual credit improves college persistence, shortens time to degree, and reduces student debt, noting that many of his students enter college with substantial credit and that low-income students at Ignite have increasingly participated after targeted efforts and scholarship use. He also said the instructional labor is largely paid by county school systems, so he questioned the size of the tuition increase and said the committee should examine how the costs are being set and whether college tuition should be stabilizing as more students arrive with credits already earned. Members asked about who pays for dual credit, the role of state scholarship support, and whether tuition varies by institution. Gels said students in his district generally pay the dual credit cost themselves, though some districts may cover it, and he noted the dual credit scholarship now covers fewer classes than before. He said the price appears to be set centrally rather than varying by university, and he emphasized that the higher cost is creating barriers even though the courses are taught largely by local teachers on school payrolls. He also described Ignite’s efforts to expand access for free- and reduced-lunch students, saying participation among that group rose from 27% with no dual credit to about 90-92% taking at least one dual credit class. The committee then heard from the Goldwater Institute, represented by Michael Frazier and Dr. Tim Minella by Zoom. They argued Kentucky’s public universities should face stronger accountability and transparency, citing declining public confidence in higher education, rising costs, and what they described as administrative growth and research spending that does not clearly benefit students or the Commonwealth. They proposed requiring a 10-year accounting of staffing growth by category, comparing it to enrollment and low-income Kentucky enrollment, and limiting non-STEM faculty teaching releases for research unless approved under a baseline consent process. They also criticized certain university-funded research projects as examples of misdirected spending and said public reporting should distinguish Kentucky residents from non-residents more clearly, pointing to a reported decline in low-income in-state undergraduate enrollment. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we went with the Senate budget, basically we'd have to do some budget balancers, and the SIPA may
• So we're should the budget bill pass.
• 48.400><c> amendment</c><00:52:48.960><c> has</c> budget bill passes, this amendment has budget bill
• If the budget bill does not no effect.
• Because it's been budget session?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've requested made a budget request to We've requested made a budget request to help<00:02:05.400><
• </c><00:15:36.040><c> This</c> budget that we could spend. This budget that we could spend.
• , even with a balanced or a budget that had losses.
• , even with a balanced or a budget that had losses.
• </c> board approved budget. board approved budget.

Bills: SB3263, SB3261

Keywords: student-athletes, name image likeness, NIL, compensation, transparency, University of Hawaii, Title IX, funding, protections, athlete agents, student athletes, endorsement contracts, professional representation, registration requirements, sports law, 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on Senate Bill 3263, which would create a state-supported endowment for University of Hawaii athletics NIL (name, image, and likeness) funding. University of Hawaii Athletics Director Matt Eliott supported the bill, saying NIL requires both immediate funding and a longer-term sustainable solution. He asked for several changes: lowering the initial endowment target from $10 million to $2 million so the fund could start sooner, allowing NIL reporting by team rather than by individual student-athlete, and clarifying that athletes may choose whether to use an agent, while still allowing certified agents or a parent/guardian if desired. Committee members raised concerns about using taxpayer dollars for athlete compensation, the burden on a small-state budget, and whether the university could realistically raise the required matching funds. Several senators questioned whether the university had a concrete fundraising plan and whether the endowment would meaningfully help UH compete with larger programs. Eliott said UH is already fundraising privately for current NIL obligations, had raised more than $1.6 million toward a $3 million annual goal, and would continue fundraising for both short-term needs and the endowment match. He also said the university is not trying to compete with Power Five schools on the same scale, but to be successful at its own conference level. Members also discussed transparency and privacy, with some senators arguing that if state money is used, the public should know how it is spent, while Eliott said individual student-athlete NIL information should remain private and team-level reporting would be preferable. He confirmed international student-athletes are eligible for NIL and said about 60 to 70 UH athletes are currently participating, with more than 100 expected next year. The discussion also touched on UH’s Mountain West media rights and local TV rights, with Eliott explaining that the conference distribution is expected to remain around $3.5 million and that local TV rights would be negotiated separately. No vote or final action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's really about competition and helping balance your budget.
• So it's really about competition and helping balance your budget.
• Budgets are statements of our values, and that includes tax expenditures.
• As our state faces a structural budget deficit, these handouts are fiscally reckless. chapter budgets
• The public will compare funding cuts in this year's budget to this tax credit, and they should.

Bills: HF1277, HF1006

Keywords: data centers, tax exemption, Minnesota statutes, economic development, employment growth, property tax, abatement, land bank, redevelopment, political subdivision, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Our average budget is about $5 million per year.
• Our average budget is about $5 million per year.
• </c> us specifically the way that we budget us specifically the way that we budget one<01:07:46.880><
• </c> like can you tell us like what budget like can you tell us like what budget how<01:37:04.679><c>
• </c> with this yes but so within our budget with this yes but so within our budget if<01:38:41.119><c

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Anna Ming, Assistant Commissioner and State Budget Director at MMB.
• </c><00:11:05.160><c> director</c> commissioner and state budget director commissioner and state budget
• For the record, I am Jennifer Hassmer, Assistant Commissioner at Minnesota Management and Budget.
• </c> assumptions from future Capital budgets assumptions from future Capital budgets that<00:53:49.559
• </c> believe it was the 2011 um budget believe it was the 2011 um budget stalemate<01:26:34.119><c> and

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• reason, they're on the hook for having to try to maintain and pay for it and put things into their budget
• reason, they're on the hook for having to try to maintain and pay for it and put things into their budget
• reason, they're on the hook for having to try to maintain and pay for it and put things into their budget
• reason, they're on the hook for having to try to maintain and pay for it and put things into their budget
• That they didn't really budget for and that they couldn't necessarily sustain cuz we wanted to try to

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 4 will come to order. Good morning, everyone.
• And it is my first subcommittee hearing here in Budget 4.
• of that budget proposal, is not really his budget proposal.
• of that budget proposal, is not really his budget proposal.
• And I think especially this year, I'm just struck by the budget, the governor's budget proposal that's

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 4 met to hear an information-only agenda focused on homelessness. The chair and vice chair opened with remarks about affordability, accountability, and the need for flexible but effective state responses. The committee then heard an update from Dr. Ryan Finnegan of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center on homelessness trends, data limitations, and program impacts. He said homelessness remains high, with 2024 point-in-time counts showing about 187,000 people experiencing homelessness statewide, though unsheltered homelessness has declined somewhat as shelter capacity expanded. He emphasized that California’s high housing costs and shortage of affordable housing are the main drivers, while also noting persistent racial disparities, high chronic homelessness, and the importance of coordinated housing, health, and social services. He also warned that cuts or changes to federal programs and state funding streams like HAP could threaten progress. Members questioned Dr. Finnegan about the 9% decline in unsheltered homelessness, the timing and methodology of point-in-time counts, how to interpret trends over time, and the role of policy changes such as Housing First, Proposition 47, and Martin v. Boise. He explained that the 9% figure came from 30 continuums of care that had completed 2025 counts, and that HUD’s eventual statewide number would likely differ because not all regions counted that year. He also discussed how different funding sources are layered in local programs, including HAP, local funds, philanthropic support, federal funds, and CalAIM reimbursements. Several members stressed the need for clearer, more comparable measures of effectiveness and outcomes, including whether programs reduce long-term homelessness and move people toward self-sufficiency. The committee then heard from the California Interagency Council on Homelessness on statewide data systems, especially the Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS). Staff described HDIS as the first state-level integrated homelessness data system, built from local HMIS data and used to track demographics, services, outcomes, and program performance across all 44 continuums of care. They said HDIS has enabled statewide dashboards, system performance measures, and new accountability tools under AB 977 and AB 799. Cal ICH also said HAP Round 4 was highly cost-effective under the State Auditor’s methodology, estimating a cost of about $9,172 per person permanently housed, and that new AB 799 dashboards are intended to provide clearer public reporting on outcomes, fiscal data, and progress toward statewide goals. Members asked about measuring self-sufficiency, identifying the best local partners, detecting fraud, and whether the new dashboards will allow better comparisons among program types and funding uses. No votes were taken, and the one scheduled vote was postponed.