Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Second, it prohibits knowingly posting Second, it prohibits knowingly posting or<00:15:08.560><c
• Like, if somebody are signs necessary?
• These are the posted hours."
• </c> You go to the park, they got a sign You go to the park, they got a sign there<01:02:54.000><c> that
• You go to a library, the posted hours.

Bills: HF1567, HF2809, HF3380

Keywords: public safety officer, peace officer, correctional officer, law enforcement, police privacy, officer safety, doxxing, personal information, data privacy, government data practices, private data, internet posting, online disclosure, residential address, phone number, email address, family member protection, child safety, school information, public records

Transcript Highlights:

• When there is an officer-involved death, we have statutory language that they need to post those videos
• And so those are still available upon request, but we're just saying they only have to post the ones
• And so those are still available upon request, but we're just saying they only have to post the ones
• I want to say all the thanks to you and all the authors that signed on it.
• I want to say all the thanks to you and all the authors that signed on it.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And when we signed that memorandum, I was board chair at the time, and the councilwoman Baker gave me
• And when we signed that come to Boulder.
• So stay posted. >> Thank you. Representative Mabrey.
• So stay posted. >> Thank you, Representative Froelich. &gt;&gt; Thank you, Madam Speaker.
• So stay posted. is adjoined. So stay posted.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Unless, of course, the bill includes a provision akin to signs posted in Berlin during the Cold War:
• So around every school zone, signs will have to be posted. This is a school zone.
• So around every school zone, signs will have to be posted. This is a school zone.
• So around every school zone, signs will have to be posted. This is a school zone.
• So around every school zone, signs will have to be posted. This is a school zone.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• any outstanding business on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. in this room, 229, and a public notice will be posted
• Okay, when did you post it? I can get you that information. Do you know when it was posted?
• </c><01:22:48.440><c> it</c><01:22:49.440><c> I</c> posted yes okay when did you post it I posted yes
• Chair signs off. Four members present, any objections? No votes. Reservations?
• Chair signs off. Four members present, any objections? No votes. It is adopted.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The hearing covered Senate Bill 426, which would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive from the City and County of Honolulu, the Department of Human Services, the Executive Office on Early Learning, the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education, the Attorney General’s office, the Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, the University of Hawaiʻi’s early childhood educator project, and a Zoom testifier who described the importance of investing in high-quality early childhood education. Committee discussion focused on the program’s estimated cost, with figures of about $14.5 million in 2025-26 and $15 million in 2026-27, and on whether the program would require ongoing base-budget funding. The committee recommended technical, non-substantive amendments, including a statewide-concern amendment and a deferred effective date, and both committees adopted the recommendation by vote. The committees then heard Senate Bill 1622, which would appropriate funds to establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute within the University of Hawaiʻi to support statewide artificial intelligence initiatives. University representatives described the proposal as the product of campus-wide input and outlined five pillars: governance and policy, outreach and engagement, research and development, workforce development, and AI tools for key sectors such as health care, creative industries, manufacturing, data science, astronomy, and climate change. Members questioned staffing distribution, tuition, enrollment timing, housing, campus placement, and whether positions would be permanent or temporary; the university said it planned about 10 positions across campuses, would start with internal resources, and would house the effort under the Vice President for Research and Innovation initially. The committees recommended an SD1 with the appropriation amounts blanked out, a July 31, 2050 effective date, and committee-report language on housing and West Oʻahu, and the higher education and labor/technology committees adopted the amended recommendation. Finally, the Higher Education Committee took up Senate Bill 1488, a housekeeping measure to consolidate existing University of Hawaiʻi conference center statutes into a single revolving fund structure, and Senate Bill 636, which would fund retention and internship coordinator positions and broader enrollment management efforts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. SB 1488 drew university support and no opposition. SB 636 prompted substantial questioning about Hilo’s declining enrollment, current retention rate of 72.8 percent, and the scope of the request, which includes not only two named positions but also about $432,000 for enrollment management initiatives such as data analysis, IT support, and other student services. Hilo said it is targeting 3 to 5 percent annual enrollment growth and that the positions would support recruitment, retention, internships, and data-driven enrollment strategy. The committee pressed for a clearer broader plan, but the discussion in the transcript ended before a final vote on SB 636 was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• They post bail, their charges have not been adjudicated, they may have a future court date.
• bail to be posted.
• and Corrin Gavitt are also signed up to testify.
• We have some in-person folks that have signed up today as well. We have Terrell James.
• We have some in-person folks that have signed up today as well. We have Terrell James.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on several public safety bills, with testimony first on S.2681, Colby’s Law, which would establish safety standards for BMX and motocross tracks. Supporters, including the family of a child killed at a track, argued the bill is needed because some tracks lack basic protections such as barriers, emergency plans, on-site medical staff, and adequate track maintenance. A motocross track representative opposed the bill as overregulation that could impose major costs and argued existing safety efforts and voluntary safety committees are preferable. No vote was taken during the hearing. The committee also heard testimony on S.2680, which would expand emergency preparedness requirements around aging nuclear power plants and nuclear waste sites from a 10-mile to a 50-mile radius. Supporters from Cape Cod Downwinders, Massachusetts Peace Action, physicians, and other advocates said current law is outdated and insufficient, citing risks from radioactive waste storage, limited federal oversight, and the need for broader evacuation and emergency planning. Testifiers urged the bill’s passage, and no action was taken. A major portion of the hearing focused on the Protect Act, H.5158, dealing with limits on cooperation between state/local agencies and federal civil immigration enforcement. Sheriffs testified about how ICE detainers and notification requests work in practice, emphasizing discretion, public safety, and the difference between sentenced prisoners and pretrial detainees. Supporters from labor, education, and health care groups said immigrant communities are living in fear and asked for stronger protections, including bans on 287(g) agreements and clearer limits on ICE activity in schools, hospitals, and other sensitive locations. The hearing also included testimony on H.4697 regarding training and certification of constables and civil deputy sheriffs, with the Hampshire County sheriff saying sheriffs are already working with POST and MPTC on training standards and that the bill may be duplicative.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next up, and just to be clear, we take people in the order they've signed up, so whether you signed up
• My first post-grad job was a regional dietitian at Boston University.
• And the final person I have on our list signed up is Mary Fitzgerald.
• Is there anyone who didn't sign up but would like to say something? I thought I signed up.
• I thought I signed up. I'm not sure what happened. Well, come on up.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Higher Education held its first hearing and heard testimony on a wide range of bills, including hunger-free campuses, FAFSA completion, early college/college-in-high-school programs, banning legacy preferences, AP credit consistency, and tuition equity for the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. Committee leaders opened by outlining the hearing process and noting the three-minute testimony limit. Legislators and advocates generally framed the bills as equity and access measures aimed at improving college affordability, student success, and workforce development. Representative Vargas testified for H. 1466 and H. 1467, arguing that hunger-free campus should be codified because many public college and community college students face food insecurity, and that FAFSA completion should be improved through individualized outreach and an opt-out or completion requirement. Senator Lovely, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and other advocates supported the hunger-free campus bill, citing data that 44% of public university and community college students experienced food insecurity in 2023 and that food insecurity harms graduation rates. Femi Stoltz and Shanti Lopez Toro backed the FAFSA bill, saying many students miss out on Pell grants and need direct support; they pointed to state examples such as Louisiana and to recent state action requiring FAFSA awareness. Committee members asked about the federal FAFSA rollout, regional equity in food access, and the need for long-term funding and data collection. A large panel supported H. 1455 on college and high school/early college, including former Chair Roy, the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College, a student graduate, MBAE, and Tripp Jones. They described early college as a proven model that helps low-income and first-generation students, improves degree attainment, and supports workforce needs; witnesses said the goal is to scale from about 9,000 students and 55 partnerships toward 22,000 to 25,000 students by 2030, with possible future growth beyond that. Members raised questions about funding, public-private partnerships, parental involvement, faculty development, and whether the bill should include data review and more standardized policies across institutions. Representative Garcia also testified for H. 1432 on AP credit, saying students should receive consistent credit for AP scores of 3, 4, or 5. Senator Edwards and James Murphy testified for the legacy preference ban, arguing it is unfair and rooted in exclusionary history; they said some states have already banned legacy preferences in public and private institutions. Finally, UMass Dean Michael Fox, alumnus Dan Mayer, and student Jake Rasmussen supported S. 920 to include Stockbridge associate degree programs in MassEducate, saying tuition equity would help enrollment and support Massachusetts agriculture and green-industry jobs.

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't show anybody signed up at all.
• Have anybody signed up? Is there anybody else that wishes to testify on for or against the measure?
• the public, uh, uh, utility to post it on its website.
• It's 22 pages basically with a signing with us, so it's a 2.5 page, uh, consumer disclosure.
• You, you sign all the CO documents, you sign all those sales agreements, you, you know, everything else

Bills: HB303

Keywords: jail standards, living conditions, Harris County jail, safety, inmate welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the Rules Committee has met, posted the Rules Committee has met, posted these<00:47:18.560><c> bills
• </c><00:47:44.120><c> these</c> Rules Committee has also posted these Rules Committee has also posted
• The chair is preparing to sign Senate Bill 46. The chair is preparing to sign Senate Bill 46.
• is preparing to sign House Bill 189.
• </c><01:22:35.440><c> House</c> And Chair is preparing to sign House And Chair is preparing to sign House

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I guess that's a sign that it's succeeding. And it does fairly well.
• So I guess that's a sign that it's succeeding. And it does Spirit. add it to the budget.
• And then I bring them in and we sign them up right away.
• Is there the sign-in, the testimony sign-in? Do we know? We don't have that? It's over there?
• How many of us have accidentally run a stop sign because we didn't see it?

Summary: The Judiciary Interim Committee met to continue its study of charitable gaming, especially the ownership of alcoholic beverage establishments by licensed charitable gaming organizations and the relationship between charities, site owners, and gaming manufacturers/distributors. Legislative Council reviewed the background memo and Attorney General’s Gaming Division explained the legal framework, including site authorizations, rent limits, allowable expenses, and restrictions on distributors and manufacturers. Members focused heavily on electronic pull tabs, asking about the large gap between gross proceeds and adjusted proceeds, how much is paid out in winnings, how much is retained for expenses, and whether the 60% allowable-expense cap is being used as intended. The AG’s office said e-tabs account for most gaming volume, that winnings make up much of the difference, and that some organizations do not use the full 60% while others may exceed it, though only the capped amount counts as gaming expense. The committee also discussed the number of gaming organizations that appear to own or be affiliated with bars, the ways those ownership structures are formed, and whether some arrangements may create conflicts or site-selection pressure. The League of Cities and the Association of Counties described the local site-authorization process and recent model policies adopted after the 2025 session. Cities said they can require signed agreements, limit games and machines, set qualifications, and charge up to $100 for site authorization, but cannot require charities to donate net proceeds or force a specific charity or site. They said the new policies are meant to add transparency and local control, though the more controversial parts involve requiring a local nexus or community connection. County representatives said the issue is mostly a city matter and that counties generally take a lighter-touch approach. Committee members raised concerns about whether local rules could unfairly exclude larger regional charities or create inconsistent standards across cities. The North Dakota Gaming Alliance said it supports the study and provided information on charities that own or are affiliated with bars, emphasizing that most gaming organizations do not own alcoholic beverage establishments. Its representative said some charities may pursue bar ownership for site stability and diversification, while others decide against it because operating a bar is difficult. He also said a ban on charity-owned bars could raise federal tax-law issues depending on how it is written, and agreed to provide more detail. The committee asked Legislative Council and the Gaming Alliance for additional information on ownership structures and federal-law questions before the next meeting. Later, the Racing Commission gave a separate update on live racing, pari-mutuel wagering, and related charitable partnerships, and the State Hospital superintendent reported on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s support services, staffing, and wait lists; no votes were taken on these presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, we'll get to it and invite the panel up that's first signed up to testify.
• For anyone that's online or here that has not signed up, you can do so with Karen Rooney over on the
• For anyone that's online or here that has not signed up, you can do so with Karen Rooney over on the
• I hope that it will be quickly passed and signed into law, and I'm happy to take any questions.
• Anyone else that has not signed up and is hoping to testify today?

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Committee on Election Laws held a hearing with House and Senate chairs and several members participating in person and online. The main bill discussed was House Bill 5086, the Electoral Count Reform/Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act, which would require presidential electors in Massachusetts to sign a faithfulness pledge, automatically replace any elector who casts a vote contrary to the state’s popular vote, and update state procedures to meet federal Electoral Count Act deadlines and paperwork requirements. Testimony in support came from Public Citizen, the Uniform Law Commission, and Protect Democracy United. Witnesses argued the bill would protect against coercion, threats, and “faithless electors,” and said it would help ensure Massachusetts’ electoral votes reflect voters’ choices and cannot be rejected on technical grounds. One witness noted the bill is already enacted in many states and has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, and several organizations endorsed the model approach. Members asked about how the bill would interact with Massachusetts’ participation in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The witness said the bill is compatible with the compact and suggested a minor clarifying amendment to avoid any implication that the state is stepping away from it. After testimony and questions, the chair noted that testimony had also been received on the other two bills from Representative Breguire, the governor’s office, and Representative Hogan, and the committee then adjourned without taking a vote in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Respectfully signed, J.D. Mesnard, Chairman, Committee of the Whole. All right, Senator Mesnard.
• You've passed Senate Bill 1247, signed in open session.
• You give SCR 1001 a do pass, or you pass SCR 1001 signed in open session.
• You've passed Senate Bill 1172, signed in open session.
• You've passed Senate Bill 1175, signed in open session.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Katie Owens Hewler explained that the case asks whether Mississippi's post-election-day ballot receipt
• She added that states are discussing whether they could still allow post-election-day receipt for state
• I've also focused on some kind of slippery slope-style questions about how long post-election is too
• As such, they could continue to allow post-election-day receipt, potentially for state and local races
• One thing that it would add, though, is that it would allow states to optionally indicate to the post

Summary: The House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee held a virtual work session focused first on federal actions affecting elections. A representative from NCSL reviewed recent U.S. Supreme Court and pending cases, including a redistricting/Voting Rights Act case and a case on whether mailed ballots received after Election Day can be counted. She also discussed a Trump executive order directing USPS to draft mail-ballot rules, the federal SAVE system’s expanded use for voter list maintenance, DOJ requests for unredacted voter rolls, and reduced federal election-security support. Committee members asked about proof of citizenship requirements, whether DOJ requests are compulsory, and how federal election funding and grants may be changing. The Attorney General’s Office then described Washington’s litigation challenging two election-related executive orders and DOJ’s lawsuit seeking unredacted voter registration lists. State lawyers said courts have already enjoined parts of the executive orders, including documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements and voting-system changes, and have upheld Washington’s ballot-receipt deadlines so far. They said DOJ’s voter-roll demands have been rejected by multiple courts and that Washington’s position is that state law limits disclosure of sensitive voter data. Members asked about the legal basis for DOJ’s requests, the risk of immigration-enforcement use, and whether attestation on registration forms counts as proof of citizenship; the office said it does under state law and that no evidence of mass voter-fraud problems in Washington has been shown. Deputy Attorney General Todd Bowers then gave a broader overview of the Attorney General’s federal litigation, saying Washington has filed 61 cases since January 2025, often with other states, and has had notable success obtaining preliminary injunctions and favorable summary judgments. He highlighted cases involving election rules, environmental and energy disputes, public health funding, student loans, housing, and data privacy, and said many challenges involve executive-branch conditions added to congressionally appropriated funds. He also described a growing number of federal audits and inquiries directed at state agencies. Finally, Office of Equity Director Megan Matthews discussed how federal actions are affecting state and local equity work, community organizations, and public confidence. She said the office is coordinating more closely with the Attorney General, governor’s office, other agencies, and local governments through the immigration subcabinet, while also working on data privacy, Keep Washington Working compliance, and community outreach. Committee members asked about the office’s human-trafficking work and how it is encouraging agency compliance; Matthews said the focus is on clearer guidance, technical support, and consistent expectations across agencies. The committee adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Signed into law by the Governor. So our oldest service was claims assistance.
• What they do is they then will convince the veteran to sign a contract.
• Our post does that about once a month.
• For the American Legion post, okay.
• Is there anything that this post can do to assist?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you very much. 45 46 47 Chair announces the signing of the following in the presence of the Senate
• that said explicitly these were because they don't even they don't like a bail bondsman they don't post
• I will say that I did not pass this legislation because of a Twitter post, just to make that perfectly
• Is the money going back to the whoever or whatever entity posted the bond?
• Chair, I announce the signing of the following of the press conference. Presence of the Senate.

Bills: SJR1, SB9, SB40, SJR36, SJR1, SJR5, SB9, SB40, SJR1, SB9, SB40, SR62, SR92, SR95, SR108, SR110, SR111, SR113, SR114, SR117, SR120, SB314, SB314

Keywords: bail denial, illegal aliens, felony offenses, constitutional amendment, law enforcement, bail reform, defendants, pretrial detention, public safety, criminal justice, charitable bail organizations, bail bonds, public funds, political subdivision, injunctive relief, taxpayer rights, bail, criminal justice reform, El Paso, economic development

Transcript Highlights:

• If you wish to give testimony, please fill out the witness card completely, sign it, and hand it to the
• We only saw the amendments last night when they were posted online.
• We have discussed with these folks. ...night when they were posted online.
• House Bill 1017 by Representative Kerner prohibits certain post-divorce earnable compensation in the
• of issues with this affidavit, so the thing now is either the mayor or the chief will have to just sign

Summary: The Retirement Committee heard several retirement-related bills and deferred two measures at the start: HB 26 and HB 993 were voluntarily deferred by the author. HB 31, by Rep. Eccles, would allow certain small municipalities to terminate participation in the municipal police employees’ retirement system and create a lower-cost “Plan C” option for small towns like Stirlington. After discussion about population and officer-count limits, the committee adopted amendments, heard concerns from the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System about remaining issues, and reported HB 31 as amended favorably. The committee also advanced HB 1134, which creates a backdrop-style retirement option for judges whose positions are abolished, and HB 24, which would allow retired teachers to return to work as one-year contract teachers without the current retirement contribution structure. TRSL testified that return-to-work policy is complex and that a broader Senate study-group proposal is also moving, but the committee reported HB 1134 and HB 24 favorably. HB 21, a technical correction to the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System law, was amended to remove a sunset problem that would be fixed in another bill and was reported favorably as amended. Later, the committee reported HB 1017 favorably, which limits former spouses’ claims to post-divorce earnable compensation in the Firefighters’ Retirement System, with testimony that the bill would reduce litigation over promotions and raises after divorce. HB 43, which would let certain LASERS members retire after 35 years of service at any age, drew testimony from LASERS about its cost and workforce effects but received no motion and was voluntarily deferred. HB 30 was also voluntarily deferred because its substance would be moved into another bill. The committee then took up two major municipal police bills. HB 45, after extensive negotiations among the author, the Louisiana Municipal Association, EMPERS, and the City of New Orleans, was substantially rewritten by amendment to address retention pay, out-of-state service credit purchases, survivor benefits for certain officers killed in the line of duty, COLA funding, and a reduction in the non-hazardous accrual rate. The committee adopted the amendments and reported HB 45 as amended favorably. HB 49, a related bill on municipal police and firefighter retirement issues, was also replaced by a substitute that changed opt-out procedures, revised partial dissolution rules, and preserved full dissolution liability; after testimony that the changes would save New Orleans and other cities significant money, the committee adopted the substitute and reported HB 49 as substituted favorably. The meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you wish to give testimony, please fill out the witness card completely, sign it, and hand it to the
• We only saw the amendments last night when they were posted online.
• We have discussed with these folks. ...last night when they were posted online.
• House Bill 1017 by Representative Kerner prohibits certain post-divorce earnable compensation in the
• of issues with this affidavit, so the thing now is either the mayor or the chief will have to just sign

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment set has been posted online and placed in your folders, and this amendment is technical
• As long as you sign up for Uber, you can drive for them, right?
• It is in your folders, members, and it has been posted online.
• It has been posted online and is in your folders.
• This amendment set has been posted online and placed in your folders.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We signed in as other on House Bill 2428. We really appreciate working with Rep. Leavitt.
• Post-loss? Because, you know, you'd mentioned, I think. Post-loss.
• This process of assigning benefits, when a policyholder signs away their benefits under the policy to
• This process of assigning benefits, when a policyholder signs away their benefits under the policy to
• We are signing in as other on House Bill 2087. We want to start by acknowledging this.

Summary: The Consumer Protection and Business Committee held public hearings on three bills and then moved into a work session on insurance-related topics. House Bill 2428 would require life insurers to send advance written notice of an impending lapse or cancellation, including notice to a designated third party, and to provide proof of delivery; it would also require applicants to be told they may designate such a third party. The prime sponsor and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner supported the bill as a consumer protection measure for older or vulnerable policyholders, while the life insurance industry supported the concept but requested a delayed implementation date and a small technical amendment. The committee then heard House Bill 2399, which would prohibit post-loss assignments of benefits in property insurance. Staff and the prime sponsor described the practice as allowing contractors to step into the policyholder’s shoes and potentially take control of claims, litigation, and settlement, often to the consumer’s detriment. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the Washington State Association for Justice, PEMCO, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau all supported the bill, emphasizing consumer vulnerability after disasters and the risk of fraud or inflated claims. Members asked about steering by adjusters, alternative ways for homeowners to authorize others to help with claims, and the $50,000 per-violation penalty, which would go to the general fund. House Bill 2087 would enact a Washington Travel Insurance Act based on the NAIC model, creating a more detailed statutory framework for travel insurance licensing, travel retailers, travel administrators, disclosures, and prohibited sales practices. The sponsor and industry witnesses said the bill would expand consumer choice and standardize rules, while the Office of the Insurance Commissioner supported the compromise language but raised a remaining concern about claims being adjusted by unlicensed adjusters. The Attorney General’s Office testified that the bill should not be read to supersede Washington’s anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws, and the sponsor said amendments were being worked on to address that concern. In the work session, OIC and Department of Natural Resources staff presented the wildfire mitigation and resiliency work group report. They said the group reached consensus on several areas, including the importance of community-level mitigation, better data sharing, improved transparency around wildfire-related nonrenewals and cancellations, and a voluntary grant program to help homeowners retrofit to IBHS wildfire-prepared standards. Members asked about leadership for the recommendations, overlap with existing programs, privacy concerns in data sharing, and how the proposals would fit with broader statewide wildfire planning. The committee also received a briefing on flood insurance markets and claims after the December atmospheric flooding event, with staff noting that private flood policies generally offer broader coverage than the federal NFIP, and that Washington had seen about 700 federal claims and roughly $18 million paid out so far.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> An education post. Secondary will now come to order.
• It's at the district post-secondary or the Florida College system institution. post-secondary or the
• And so we have 3 primary metrics in the post-secondary CTE audit.
• You can get an idea of where we're at in the post-secondary space.
• All of our post-secondary institutions are Florida college system.

Keywords: 999, senate, all