Transcript Highlights:

• </c> impact of the direct admissions program impact of the direct admissions program on<01:09:38.799>
• </c> can take advantage of this great program can take advantage of this great program by<01:12:54.679
• It's a very exciting program.
• </c><01:36:45.560><c> up</c> their day um to set this program up their day um to set this program up
• </c><01:37:10.760><c> would</c> options are but this um program would options are but this um program

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Don't try and pinpoint one program and say, let's just sock it to that program, but let's take a little
• So then I'm curious, how much do we plan to cut the launch program?
• Don't try and pinpoint one program and say, let's just sock it to that program, but let's take a little
• tax credit they get back for this program.
• So then I'm curious, how much do we plan to cut the launch program?

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• No, this bill is dealing with the Managed Assigned Counsel Program.
• One of Big Thought's most impactful programs is Creative Solutions.
• For themselves through job training opportunities and programs.
• grant under this program.
• I am here to discuss the programs we administer.

Bills: HB1821 , HB1822 , HB1943 , HB3882 , HB4263 , HB4476 , HB4628 , HB4631 , HB4885 , HB4923 , HB5461 , HB5483 , HB5525

Committee: House S/C on Juvenile Justice

Keywords: juvenile records, sealing, privacy, criminal justice, youth rehabilitation, legal procedures, juvenile court, record sealing, nondisclosure, age jurisdiction, criminal justice reform, juvenile board, compensation, Winkler County, juvenile justice, county funding, grants, career education, technical programs, workforce development

Transcript Highlights:

• We see that pattern over and over, program after program, day after day.
• Residential consumers can buy into ADER programs or lease into ADER programs, and the most common way
• We used to have a program, and there's been some discussion about restarting that program, but we don't
• currently have a program. ...some discussion about restarting that program, but we don't currently have
• a program.

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's about DHS program integrity.
• </c> with the legislature around program with the legislature around program integrity<00:01:57.600><
• um program integrity increase program um program integrity and<00:08:27.520><c> make</c><00:08:27.759
• </c> prevent fraud in those programs. prevent fraud in those programs.
• in the 14 we've seen across programs in the 14 high-risisk<00:21:37.440><c> programs.

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And so programs uh could help engage.
• </c><01:05:46.079><c> at</c> loan committees and loan programs at loan committees and loan programs at
• workforce programs.
• </c> workforce development programs workforce development programs particularly<01:14:09.600><c> in</
• Um, 10,000 of them that program.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Program. Program.
• </c> reporting program. reporting program.
• </c> invest program. invest program.
• </c> program for beverage containers. program for beverage containers.
• . programs. programs.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to create uh rules for the new program to create uh rules for the new program and<01:14:06.760><
• So it's a great program.
• </c> bill says to contract to set the program bill says to contract to set the program upright<02:38:
• we wouldn't be running the program we wouldn't be running the program<02:39:13.720><c> we</c><02:39:
• </c> debt um acquisition forgiveness program debt um acquisition forgiveness program um<03:00:58.319>

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up SB 1494 on hearing aids. Testimony was generally supportive of expanding hearing-aid coverage, with the Insurance Division raising concern about possible federal defrayment issues, SHPDA supporting the goal of hearing augmentation, DCAB strongly supporting the bill as an important access issue, and health plans and insurers asking for amendments. Kaiser Permanente and the Hawaii Association of Health Plans requested changes to add a medical-necessity standard and clarify annual notice language, while HMSA suggested the proposal should be studied by the auditor. The chair noted concerns about federal preemption and the lack of an audit, and deferred the bill in favor of a related resolution calling for a study. The committee then heard SB 1448, an emergency appropriation for the Hawaii State Hospital. DAGS and the Department of Health supported the measure, with the hospital administrator saying the funding would improve the environment of care, support cleaning, and allow a third-party review of the building. Committee members questioned the size of the request and the status of litigation against the design-builder. Administration witnesses said they were pursuing a comprehensive study involving destructive testing, had made a demand on the design-builder to fund the study, and were using different processes than before. They also said the roof work would be handled through a separate CIP request. No final action was taken in the portion provided. The committee next heard SB 1432, relating to the future responsibilities of the Department of Health and land issues at Kalaupapa after the last patient dies. DOH supported the bill in part but said its long-term role would be limited mainly to environmental cleanup, with operations expected to continue under the National Park Service and land-use decisions left to DHHL and beneficiary consultation. DHHL asked that the measure reflect that any land-use or zoning changes on homeland lands require commission approval and beneficiary consultation. Testifiers from Kalaupapa and Maui County, including Degra Vanderbilt-Papa and Council Member Keani Rollins-Fernandez, supported deferring the bill, saying there had been no meaningful community discussion about provisions affecting Kalaupapa’s future management and possible transfer of responsibilities to Maui County. The committee also read into the record written testimony from Gloria Marks emphasizing that Kalaupapa stakeholders must be included in future discussions. Finally, the committee heard SB 955 on fitness-to-proceed examinations. The Judiciary and the Public Defender’s Office both supported raising pay and standardizing expectations for private examiners, but opposed reducing felony fitness evaluations from three examiners to one and opposed expanding use of expedited reports. They argued that a single examiner would reduce reliability, create a more adversarial process, and likely increase costs and contested hearings, while expedited reports do not contain enough information for a proper fitness determination. The Department of Health also supported the bill’s intent but asked to preserve a three-examiner framework and said the goal was to reduce the number of people sent to the State Hospital, where admissions have reportedly risen about 20% year over year since Act 26. The bill remained under discussion in the excerpt, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• And by the way, Windham is on that retroactive. building a program offers more a more building a program
• This program is a program where we know that within our K through 12 system we've had our mathematics
• </c> describe and how what is this program describe and how what is this program this<01:19:22.840><c
• this program is a program where we know that<01:19:25.040><c> we</c><01:19:25.400><c> have</c><01:19
• </c> throughout the state are so the program throughout the state are so the program is<01:22:34.040>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on HB 366, which would increase school building aid for eligible projects. Representative Cahill, the prime sponsor, said the bill would raise the annual minimum from $50 million to $60 million and help address a long backlog of school construction and renovation needs after years of a moratorium on applications. He argued that districts forced to build during the moratorium were left to shoulder costs through local property taxes, and he cited examples such as Londonderry, Claremont, and other communities with aging or inadequate facilities. He also said the current aid structure, including paying 80% upfront and 20% at completion, concentrates too much spending at once and limits how many projects can be funded. Several committee members asked about the fairness and structure of the program. Representative Maguire questioned whether aid should be distributed more broadly to all districts rather than only a few selected projects, and Representative Luneau noted that the committee would also be considering related bills on catastrophic aid, special education aid, and the school foundation formula. Cahill responded that building aid has historically been targeted to property-poor communities and that the state should be a reliable partner in school construction. He also said the bill includes a small retroactive component for communities that built during the moratorium, which he described as a compromise. Testimony in support came from Representative Cluder, who described Claremont’s Stevens High School project as a case where a bond issue narrowly failed and the city later had to fund renovations without state aid, contributing to high property taxes. He said the bill would help property-poor communities and urged passage. Tony Weinstein of New Market also supported the bill, saying his community had serious facility and safety needs, had moved forward with scaled-back renovations during the moratorium, and still faced debt-service burdens without state participation. Robert Thompson, superintendent in Hampstead, testified that his district needs an addition for overcrowding, safety, and special education space, and said building aid would help reduce out-of-district placements and transportation costs. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It’s also part of the reason why we’re so invested in workforce-related programs, short-term programs
• It’s also part of the reason why we’re so invested in workforce-related programs, short-term programs
• It’s also part of the reason why we’re so invested in workforce-related programs, short-term programs
• <c> our</c> programs, our chemistry program, our programs, our chemistry program, our music<01:11:50.159
• One of the aligning the program.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard updates from the chancellors of the state university system and the community college system on ongoing restructuring, collaboration, and enrollment trends. The university system said its office move to the NHTI campus is ahead of schedule and should save students about $250,000 a year while creating revenue for the community college system. Both systems described continued work on transfer pathways, direct-admit outreach, shared advising, and broader efforts to shrink footprints, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency in response to declining enrollment and demographic pressure. A major topic was a possible federal change to Pell Grant eligibility that would require students to enroll in at least 7.5 credits. The chancellors said most community college students are part-time because of work and family responsibilities, and that the change could affect roughly 2,000 current Pell recipients and make it harder for students to afford or sustain enrollment. Members also discussed how the state’s governor’s scholarship statute largely benefits full-time students, suggesting possible future statutory changes. The chancellors explained how credits typically work, noting most courses are three or four credits and that students would likely need to add an entire course to meet the proposed threshold. The committee also discussed the broader higher education landscape, including declining high school cohorts, competition among New England institutions, and the need to right-size capacity. One member raised concerns about the health of regional campuses such as Plymouth and Keene; the chancellors said incoming enrollment is down at UNH and Plymouth and holding at Keene, attributing the trend to demographics rather than one campus drawing students away from another. They emphasized the importance of community colleges, adult learners, and short-term workforce programs as part of the state’s future education mix. Finally, the committee touched on the value of the university system’s research enterprise. The chancellor said about $250 million a year flows into the university system in federal research grants, with about $9.5 million currently under stop-work orders from federal agencies. She said the immediate concern is not DEI-related but federal cuts and possible caps on indirect cost recovery. Members noted that the R1 research designation supports business partnerships, student opportunities, and economic development projects such as West Edge in Durham.

Transcript Highlights:

• federal program has tax credits and tax incentives as part of the program.
• And that federal program has tax credits and tax incentives as part of the program.
• (TAP), and the Capital Infusion Program (SIP).
• The Small Business Assistance Programs, which are one of the largest programs across the state, include
• We want to ensure the program continues to include trusted community-based nonprofit providers.

Summary: The committee met as a subcommittee until quorum was established, then took up a series of bills on business, professions, health, cannabis, and consumer protection. AB 72, creating an electric vehicle economic opportunity zone in Riverside County, drew questions about whether the state should target one region over others, but supporters argued it would help bring EV manufacturing and related jobs to the Inland Empire. The bill passed on a 8-1 vote to Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement. AB 685, which would create the Small Business Resiliency and Innovation Fund to support technical assistance and capital infusion programs, drew broad support from small business networks and chambers, but some groups raised concerns that the June amendments could affect eligibility and that the funding should be clearly supplemental rather than replacing existing support. The author said discussions were ongoing, and the bill passed 10-0 to Senate Appropriations. The committee also approved AB 173, a resolution, on a 7-0 vote, and AB 1760, a Dental Practice Act cleanup bill sponsored by the Dental Board, on a 10-0 vote. AB 1637, which would limit changes to physician-authored medical records and make unauthorized alterations a misdemeanor, was supported by physicians and labor groups who said it would protect patient safety and professional accountability; it passed 10-0 to Senate Appropriations. AB 1785, allowing online sales of pseudoephedrine products with existing age and quantity safeguards, passed 10-0. AB 1973, expanding the ability of advanced practice clinicians to perform procedural abortions within their training, drew strong support from reproductive health providers and strong opposition from anti-abortion witnesses who raised safety concerns; after questions about training and oversight, it passed 7-3 to Senate Appropriations. The committee then considered AB 2025, requiring disclosure when rental listings use digitally altered or AI-staged images. Supporters said it would prevent renters from being misled, while the California Apartment Association said it was working with the author on implementation; the bill passed 8-1 to Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies and Consumer Protection. AB 2697, allowing drive-through cannabis sales with local approval and security requirements, was supported by cannabis businesses and operators as a way to improve access and compete with the illicit market, while narcotics officers opposed it over ID verification and public safety concerns; it passed 7-3 to Senate Appropriations. Finally, AB 2249, responding to a state audit on cannabis packaging attractive to children by defining prohibited imagery and creating a public rubric and pre-review process, received support from the cannabis operators association and the state auditor’s office, while small independent farmers raised concerns that some categorical bans could sweep too broadly. The transcript cuts off during that bill’s opposition testimony, and no final action on AB 2249 is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• By investing fifth... ...as UGA, our key local aid program.
• In fact, in FY26, we did not fund the C-3 program at $150 million.
• But the C-3 program, which we're...
• But the C-3 program, which was a COVID-era program, was originally funded through so-called ARPA dollars
• , but only part of a program.

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Placement Services Program, which is a very helpful program for people that get jobs when they might
• This program we needed to...
• Which is the IPS program.
• They do support this shift in funding from the EE program to the IPS program because of a surplus in
• The program works. People do depend on it.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the department's division of program the department's division of program quality<00:43:47.839><
• </c> different types of child care programs different types of child care programs and<00:58:44.559><
• In New Hampshire, it's programs.
• </c><01:00:37.119><c> the</c> a childare program can sink it. the a childare program can sink it. the
• Um, is there a program for that?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met with DHS Chief Financial Officer Nathan White to receive an update on the department’s budget lapse and vacancy rates. White explained the difference between the “back-of-the-budget” reduction and lapse assumptions, saying DHS is facing a current biennium reduction of about $23 million and estimating roughly a $60 million general fund lapse in state fiscal year 2025, compared with about $13.5 million the prior year. He said DHS’s lapse is driven largely by program utilization, labor market conditions, contract spending, and statutory carry-forwards in areas such as Medicaid and developmental disabilities, which tend to produce a smaller lapse in the first year of the biennium and a larger one in the second year. He also noted that the House and Senate budgets differ on some operating items, including Medicaid rates, with the Senate having struck a House proposal to reduce rates by 3%. Members questioned White about whether DHS ever spends down lapse money on last-minute purchases. He said the department does not engage in that practice, though it does retain some flexibility in its facilities budget for emergencies. He also described the process for transferring funds within and between class lines, including the need for fiscal committee approval above statutory thresholds, and gave examples such as moving funds to cover overtime in the SYSC budget and to ensure Medicaid payments for nursing facilities. White said such transfers are public and transparent and are reviewed by the governor and Executive Council. The committee then discussed DHS staffing. White said the department has a little over 3,200 authorized positions, with a vacancy rate around 14.5%, and that a hiring freeze had been imposed a few months earlier while exempting direct care positions. He said DHS is planning for about a $30 million general fund reduction to personnel, equivalent to just under 400 positions, and is managing postings centrally to stay within budget by July 1. In response to questions about the loss of about $80 million in federal funds, White and Associate Commissioner Patricia Tilly said DHS avoided layoffs by shifting staff into vacant positions, but that the cuts affected community contracts, public health workers, laboratory work, and some IT/data projects. Tilly said roughly 20 positions were affected, most were reassigned, a few staff left voluntarily, and the department has less flexibility going forward if more federal funding ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• And similar, additionally, the formalized mentorship program.
• And similar, additionally, the formalized mentorship program.
• Our policy analysts and program evaluators, we've had really...
• school internship program.
• All right, committee, moving on to the Tour Guide program.

Committee: Joint Legislative Procedure and Arrangements Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Title I supports a number of our teachers for our high-set program, high-school equivalency program.
• I know that program is really successful.
• Not on this program. We partner with them on other things.
• Generally, it's a return rate to prison after successful program completion or after program failure.
• This program totals $24.3 million.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This aligns with that program.
• SAVE program.
• , also known as the Double Up Food Bucks program, through SNAP.
• , also known as the Double Up Food Bucks program, through SNAP.
• , also known as the Double Up Food Bucks program, through SNAP.

Summary: The meeting covered a long series of House bills across health, commerce, education, elections, government, and veterans issues, with many measures described as consent-calendar items. In health and human services, members discussed updates to radiology technology standards, a tribal Medicaid waiver bill, an emergency medicine study committee, fetal death certificate and remains-transfer requirements, a physician assistant licensure compact, dementia care telemonitoring funding, and SNAP error-rate reduction and eligibility oversight. Sponsors generally framed these bills as technical updates, workforce or access improvements, cost savings, or support for families and vulnerable populations, while some bills drew brief questions about implementation or opposition. In commerce and finance, the committee heard bills on mobile food vendor licensing, earned wage access services, CPA certification, cash acceptance by retail businesses, unmanned aircraft regulation, timeshare salesperson licensing, social credit score restrictions for lending, and a ban on state assistance to the International Criminal Court. Sponsors emphasized reduced regulation, consumer protections, transparency, and state sovereignty. The committee also considered tax and retirement-related measures, including conformity with the Internal Revenue Code, ASRS technical changes, and a 529 plan update that also addressed Roth IRA rollovers. Education and school governance bills focused heavily on school district oversight and transparency. Members discussed patriotic youth group presentations in schools, school board term limits and mandatory training, bond-advisor requirements, restrictions on school districts buying operating charter or private schools to affect funding formulas, conflicts of interest on the School Facilities Oversight Board, public meeting and travel disclosure rules, limits on long-term school property leases, job-order contracting caps, and a computer science proficiency seal. Sponsors repeatedly argued these bills would improve accountability, prevent misuse of public funds, and increase public access to school board decisions. The meeting also included elections, veterans, government, and other administrative measures. These included changes to sample-ballot mailing deadlines, a requirement that courts ask about veteran status at first appearance, a veterans awareness study, broader military leave protections, SAVE database verification for voter registration and licensing, U.S.-sourced election equipment requirements, Electoral College affirmation, justice court due-process protections, library trustee reporting deadlines, adult protective services reporting cleanup, and procurement transparency. No final floor votes were taken in the excerpt, and most items were presented for questions or moved through consent with brief sponsor explanations and occasional opposition noted in committee testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• for all ages and abilities, including early childhood education and health and wellness programs, Programs
• for all ages and abilities, including early childhood education and health and wellness programs, Programs
• This was an online program within the Gallup McKinley schools.
• Nixon trains new doctors as program director of O NNM.
• Maybe now still is the best ER program in the country.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• programming throughout the state of Hawaii, which includes Arts in the Schools Program, professional
• </c><00:07:47.440><c> specialist</c> who's our arts program specialist who's our arts program specialist
• So this is a really robust program.
• So, just to inform people about the arts and schools program, it's an arts residency grants program that
• program.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, the paramedic program operation line is increasing to $19,053,743.
• So that's a program that was run by DART for at least a couple decades.
• So this program was started, I think, 30 or 40 years ago. And that amount, and Mr.
• program providing breakfasts, as well as activities at their center.
• as part of the SNAP and WIC program. ...as part of the SNAP and WIC program, and I believe this was

Committee: Joint Finance

Summary: The Joint Finance Committee met to review and vote on the fiscal year 2027 Grants and Aid Act, which was expected to be pre-filed as Senate Bill 337. Members first reviewed Section 1, covering county seat payments, paramedic operations, senior center allocations, senior center transportation, and Homeland Security grants. They approved Section 1 after discussion of how senior center transportation is being moved from DART to grant-in-aid and how some organizations can appear in both the senior center formula and the general aging category. The committee then worked through Section 2, which included one-time appropriations and the various grant categories for aging, arts/historical/recreation, economic housing or labor services, family and youth services, health or disability services, and neighborhood and community services. Members discussed several specific items, including New Castle County reassessment-related funding, Friends of Cooch’s Bridge, Slaughter Neck Community Action Organization, Plastic-Free Delaware, Love, Inc. of the Delmarva, and the Southern Delaware Horse Retirement Association. One aging line for Slaughter Neck was reduced back to flat funding after members questioned a large increase, and the revised category total was adjusted accordingly. Each of the Section 2 subcategories was then adopted. Section 3, covering fire companies and public service ambulance companies, was approved with increases across apparatus, ambulance, rescue truck, aerial truck, rescue boat, substation, and insurance rebate equalization funding. Section 4, for veterans organizations and youth programs such as Boys State, Girls State, and Trooper Youth Week, was also adopted. The committee then approved the epilogue sections, which included eligibility, audit, payment, and reporting rules; special provisions for the Wilmington Senior Center contingency; conditions tied to several one-time appropriations; withholding funding from Merri-Dell Volunteer Fire Company pending a corrective report; and reprogramming $1,485,000 from a prior SMART food program appropriation toward SNAP/WIC-related food access initiatives. The meeting ended with remarks thanking staff and noting that it was likely the last JFC meeting for two members, followed by adjournment.