Transcript Highlights:

• can support local, smaller-scale banking institutions, which otherwise are out in shark-infested waters
• Our statewide infrastructure funding gap exceeds $100 billion, spanning transportation, water, wastewater
• Our statewide infrastructure funding gap exceeds $100 billion, spanning transportation, water, wastewater
• Cities must borrow money to build infrastructure and facilities, repair bridges, and expand water systems
• of thousands of Washingtonians who build bridges, feed the hungry, protect children, and secure our water

Bills: SB5754

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: public bank, state bank, finance, banking regulations, economic development, state investment, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Motion has been made and seconded by Waters. need to go to governor and counsel.
• Motion has been made and seconded by Motion has been made and seconded by Waters. Waters. Waters.
• Also important to note that three projects submitted to this committee involve Land and Water Conservation

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Capital Project Overview Committee met at 9:00 a.m. and first approved the September 29 minutes. The committee then considered University System of New Hampshire Capital Project 260001, a $70 million request involving two residence hall renovation projects at UNH. UNH officials said the work is needed to address aging 1970-era buildings, including heating, plumbing, and other deferred maintenance, and to improve student recruitment, retention, and living conditions. Members asked about the construction timeline, which was estimated at about four years, and about enrollment decline, which was estimated at roughly 15% over 10 years. The committee approved the project after discussion, with members noting the buildings’ age and need for repair. The committee next heard Capital Project 26003 from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for Cannon Mountain. Commissioner Sarah Stewart and staff described an $893,000 tranche, part of a larger effort to address deferred maintenance at the mountain, including guest facilities, lift infrastructure, a passenger ramp for scenic chairlift use, snowmaking improvements, a line replacement, a pump rebuild, and operations equipment. Members asked about the $6 million bonding limit established in 1999, and the department said it appears insufficient and may need updating in the future. The committee approved the Cannon Mountain request. The department also provided an informational update on the Cannon Mountain aerial tramway. Officials said a structural engineering firm is analyzing towers, terminals, and footings, with the goal of confirming the existing infrastructure can support a new tram system and refining bid specifications. They said the work is on track, with an updated cost estimate expected in January and a bid targeted for May. Members asked about the limited number of manufacturers capable of doing the work and whether the project could be delayed; the department said it is in active discussions with the likely bidders and pre-qualifying them. The meeting ended with brief discussion of informational reports, including a question about apparent delays in some New Hampshire Veterans Home projects, which staff said they would follow up on, and the committee adjourned with the next meeting set for March 16 at 9:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Waters. that we've designed it so that should that we've designed it so that should the<00:08
• &gt;&gt; Senator<00:09:25.360><c> Senator</c><00:09:25.760><c> Waters.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Senator Senator Waters. &gt;&gt; Senator Senator Waters.
• Motion by Senator Gray, second by Senator Waters to adopt FIS-25257.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met with replacement members noted at the start and took up one emergency item from the Department of Health and Human Services: approval to accept and expend $2 million to support SNAP recipients during the federal shutdown. Commissioner Lori Weaver and CFO Nathan White explained that USDA/FNS had notified the state it would not receive November SNAP funds, affecting about 74,000 recipients. The department said it activated a contingency plan to contract with the New Hampshire Food Bank to expand mobile food pantries, targeting SNAP households and prioritizing locations based on need, with evening and daytime access and outreach through mail, text, email, social media, partner organizations, and a shutdown webpage. Committee members asked about timing, locations, reimbursement, and whether the state would be repaid by the federal government. Department staff said the food bank would likely need about a week to mobilize once the contract was approved, and that the contract would be cost-reimbursement based, with faster turnaround than usual but not advance payment. White explained the money would come from excess Medicaid Enhancement Tax revenue from state fiscal year 2025, which can be used only for Medicaid purposes under state law and SB 249, allowing general funds to be shifted to the food bank contract. Members also asked about other affected programs; the department said WIC had funding through November 10, energy assistance was expected to continue through December, and school breakfast/free and reduced lunch were not impacted. Members discussed broader public outreach, including a possible PSA and use of the New Hampshire Food Bank’s network of 417 partners, and one member suggested religious leaders or the governor might be better positioned to make donation appeals. The committee then voted unanimously to adopt the item (motion by Senator Gray, second by Senator Waters). The meeting ended with notice of the next meeting on November 21 at 11:00 and a motion to adjourn, which was approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• they believe when it comes to the health of their children, because now we have just muddied the waters
• President, I don't like our school children growing up thinking that food comes from a grocery store and water
• We're going to get blown out of the water because of inheritance taxes and everything else.
• If a person really wanted to make a good living, they would sell their farms, maintain the water rights
• I will fight for their water.

Transcript Highlights:

• entities such as K-12 and higher educational institutions, counties, municipalities, tribal entities, and water
• institutions, 19 tribal, 23 judicial, 18 entities within the judiciary and legislative as one, and water
• Water and wastewater cybersecurity is something that we picked up during the last federal administration
• Based on the risk and the profiles, we have selected 73 water and wastewater authority systems for us
• For example, if, once again, this is just an example, if water authorities are not using multi-factor

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Several committees are here this month: LFC, our Water and Natural Resources one, and LHHS next week.
• started with this committee, I found out that in Chile they have Mercedes de Agua. but it was grants of water
• So we're dead in the water for a few years. So we decided to give them compensation.
• Not really; they kind of said it was for... they needed land and water and whatnot, but it was mostly
• A lot of the times they do that because of the fact that the code co-ops, the water authorities, and

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• osteopathic medicine and, at her clinic, along with taking time off at Deep Eddy Pool, one of the greatest watering
• One of my favorite watering holes. Dr.
• osteopathic medicine and at her clinic, along with taking time off at Deep Eddy Pool, one of the greatest watering
• One of my favorite watering holes. Dr.
• In my office, DeAngelo oversaw Education K-16, local government and water, and agricultural and rural

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation by Senator West, approved the previous day’s journal, and then adopted several recognitions, including Senate Resolution 625 honoring the McLennan Community College Dance Team for winning two 2025 National Dance Alliance national titles. The chamber also recognized University of Texas Rio Grande Valley interns, the doctor of the day, and the San Antonio Coalition for Veterans and Families. The governor’s withdrawal of a Texas Lottery Commission nomination was received and the nomination was returned, and the Senate appointed numerous conference committees on pending bills. The body then took up and passed several measures, often by suspending the rules and the constitutional three-day rule. Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23 were concurred in House amendments as part of property tax relief, with supporters emphasizing homeowner savings. House Bill 20 creating the Applied Sciences Pathway Program passed after a floor amendment and was described as a way to expand career and technical education and help students earn industry certificates in high-demand trades. House Bill 2594 passed to expand venue options for prosecuting certain theft and cybercrime cases, and House Concurrent Resolution 167 was adopted to correct a typo in House Bill 1314. The Senate also concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 9, Senate Bill 40, Senate Joint Resolution 5, and Senate Bill 6. SB 9 and SJR 5 were presented as major bail-reform measures, with supporters saying they would strengthen public safety, clarify appeal procedures, and give judges and prosecutors more tools in serious cases; the debate included questions about records, counsel, and the standards for denying bail. SB 40 dealt with nonprofit bail-bond funding, and SB 6 addressed electricity and data-center growth. The chamber also passed House Bill 423 on digital asset service provider reporting and auditing, with amendments adding protections for cryptocurrency kiosks and a technical correction. Additional bills passed included House Bill 4690 on motor fuel standards, House Bill 1094 on transportation protection agreements, Committee Substitute for House Bill 2731 on roadside vendors and solicitors in certain border counties, Committee Substitute for House Bill 127 on protecting higher education from foreign adversaries and trade secret theft, and House Bill 549 on airway clearance devices at public school campuses. The Senate granted or requested conference committees on a long list of other measures, including HB 4, HB 145, HB 493, HB 2974, HB 3071, HB 3372, HB 3556, and multiple Senate bills. The session ended with adjournment until the following Friday morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• I worked in quite a few interesting areas, such as Deepwater. ...water and unconventionals, and I hold
• The geothermal process is different from traditional geothermal because traditional geothermal needs water
• We bring the water. We need hot rocks.
• We inject the water into the hot rocks, and we generate electricity.
• Pardon me, conventional battery systems, not geothermal systems, not water stored behind a dam.

Bills: HB111

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House File 2563, a bill for an act relating to legacy appropriating money from outdoor heritage, clean water
• ><00:13:00.160><c> clean</c> money from outdoor heritage, clean money from outdoor heritage, clean water
• 01.360><c> trails,</c><00:13:01.680><c> and</c><00:13:01.839><c> arts</c><00:13:02.079><c> and</c> water
• , parks and trails, and arts and water, parks and trails, and arts and cultural<00:13:02.639><c> heritage
• Uh, she'd have a little something sweet, and she'd ask me to go get her a cup of hot water for tea, and

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• become greener by minimizing their energy consumption and their production of solid waste and air and water
• biodegradable bottles, it was to, instead of the plastic bottles at the county's events, work with water
• County's<00:31:33.080><c> events</c><00:31:33.480><c> work</c><00:31:33.799><c> with</c><00:31:34.159><c> water
• </c> County's events work with water County's events work with water fountains<00:31:34.760><c> and</

Committee: House Tourism

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And when we wade into the waters of restricting people from either their employment or their secondary
• And so, you know, it's hard for me to support a bill That kind of wades into those waters, and this is
• And when we wade into the waters of restricting people from either their employment or their secondary
• support a bill And so, you know, it's hard for me to support a bill that kind of wades into those waters
• leach down to the water table, as well as the air, depending on the types and materials... ...leached

Summary: The committee began without a quorum and heard several bills in subcommittee format. AB 1546, which would increase penalties for repeat DUI offenders by allowing a third DUI within 10 years to be charged as a wobbler, requiring a fifth DUI to be a felony, and lengthening ignition interlock and license revocation periods, drew strong support from law enforcement and district attorney groups and opposition from public defenders and reform advocates who argued the bill would further criminalize substance use and mental health issues. No vote was taken because there was no quorum at the time. AB 1595, aimed at standardizing post-conviction procedures for wrongful conviction claims and clarifying courts’ authority to consider new evidence, was supported by innocence and public defender organizations and opposed by district attorneys, who said existing habeas law is already clear and that the bill would add complexity and burden courts. AB 292, which would impose mandatory jail time for repeat felony domestic violence offenders within seven years, was supported by sheriffs, prosecutors, probation officers, and local governments, but opposed by domestic violence survivor advocates and public defender groups who warned it would not deter abuse and could criminalize survivors and divert resources from services. AB 1816, allowing courts to extend probation up to one additional year for sex offenders who have not completed required treatment, drew support from probation and law enforcement groups and opposition from public defenders and civil liberties advocates concerned about longer supervision, technical violations, and barriers such as poverty and treatment access; the committee later took a roll call and passed the bill 3-1, with one member not voting, sending it to Appropriations. After quorum was established, the committee also passed AB 1627, which would bar people with misconduct in immigration enforcement from becoming California peace officers, and AB 1927, which would create a misdemeanor for falsely impersonating a bail agent to solicit bail, both on due pass motions to Judiciary/Appropriations as amended. AB 1854, a shield-law measure expanding protections for reproductive and gender-affirming health care providers, patients, and related businesses from out-of-state legal process, was supported by the Attorney General’s office and reproductive rights groups and opposed by anti-abortion and family policy organizations; it was moved on a due pass motion to Judiciary. The committee then heard AB 1872, which would make repeat adult swatting offenses a felony/wobbler and require restitution for property damage, with support from law enforcement, prosecutors, and civil liberties advocates and opposition from public defenders and justice reform groups who argued the bill would not deter conduct and could disproportionately affect people with mental illness or undocumented status. A motion to advance AB 1872 was made, but the transcript cuts off before any final vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's water soluble. It moves quickly. Under THC, that cannabinoid plant... It moves quickly.
• It's like trying to help people pick up water with their hands. It isn't going to work.
• theft. marijuana taxes are facing as water theft.
• Alcohol is water-soluble, apparently, and you get so much and you pee and you throw it up.
• They actually provide a product, a commodity in this case, of water. They collect fees.

Bills: SB 5 , SB 11 , SB 12

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, human trafficking, trafficking victim, compelling prostitution, affirmative defense, criminal defense, coercion, force fraud or coercion, sexual exploitation, victim protection, Penal Code, Texas criminal law, prosecution, party liability, affirmative defense statute, survivor rights

Summary: The Senate Committee on State Affairs took up Senate Bill 5, which Senator Perry described as a ban on intoxicating THC consumer products while preserving legal CBD, CBG, hemp seed, hemp seed protein powder, and hemp seed oil products. Perry argued that most retail THC products are already illegal under federal law, that the industry has used loopholes and misleading labeling to sell high-potency products, and that regulation would be ineffective because chemists can quickly alter formulations. He also said the bill would steer people with medical needs toward the Texas Compassionate Use Program (T-Cup), which he and other supporters described as the proper physician-guided alternative. Committee members and witnesses repeatedly discussed the distinction between legal hemp-derived products and intoxicating THC products, and Perry said the bill would not touch non-consumable hemp uses such as fiber and clothing. Invited testimony came from law enforcement and medical witnesses who supported the bill. Texas Police Chiefs Association representative Steve Dye, Kaufman County District Attorney Early Wiley, and Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne all said regulation would be too costly, too complex, and ultimately unenforceable, while a ban would be clearer and easier to enforce. They cited overloaded DPS labs, the need for expensive private testing, limited police and prosecutor resources, and the difficulty of keeping up with constantly changing cannabinoids and out-of-state products. Hawthorne and Wiley described raids and investigations involving warehouses, retail stores, cash seizures, and products they said were marketed to young people and often mislabeled or imported from other states. They also said the bill would help law enforcement by creating a clearer legal line and protecting legitimate CBD/CBG businesses. Dr. Lindy McGee, speaking for the Texas Medical Association and Texas Pediatric Society, testified that retail THC products pose serious risks to children and adolescents, including addiction, impaired brain development, psychosis, suicide attempts, self-harm, accidental toddler ingestions, and possible long-term cognitive effects. She said there is no effective medication treatment for THC addiction comparable to nicotine cessation tools, and she supported restrictions such as child-resistant packaging, no marketing to minors, and age limits, while opposing criminal penalties for possession by minors. Senators asked follow-up questions about brain development, memory, dementia risk, pregnancy, and cardiovascular effects. No vote was taken during the portion provided, and the committee continued with invited testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Senator David Waters, committee.
• People think, 'Oh, well, I mustn't have watered it too much, not watered it enough, or whatever.'
• have watered it too much,<01:33:05.920><c> not</c><01:33:06.080><c> watered</c><01:33:06.400><c> it<
• /c><01:33:06.560><c> enough</c><01:33:06.800><c> or</c> much, not watered it enough or much, not watered
• This is the language that Senator Waters brought us.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 74, which would require state agencies, especially the Department of Environmental Services and other permitting agencies, to report more detailed data on permit applications, approvals, denials, pending applications, and permits taking longer than 90 days. The sponsor’s representative and a lawyer who helped draft the bill argued that the legislature needs comprehensive permitting data to evaluate whether current timelines are reasonable and whether regulatory delays are burdening property owners and economic activity. They said the information should already be tracked within existing budgets, despite a fiscal note claiming additional staff would be needed. A Business and Industry Association representative supported the bill, saying better data is needed to understand actual permitting timelines and to help streamline the process, especially in light of housing and development concerns. Members asked whether the bill was simply collecting data without a clear next step, and the response was that the data would allow lawmakers to judge whether existing deadlines, extensions, and exemptions are justified and whether changes to permit timelines are needed. Several members agreed the information would be useful and that agencies should already be tracking it. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 74 on a roll call, with the motion approved and the bill placed on consent for further consideration, with a note that it would go to finance for review of the fiscal note. The committee then took up Senate Bill 196, which would raise the threshold for certain in-house construction projects handled by the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services and two other departments from $500,000 to $1 million, described as an inflationary update. The sponsor said the department’s existing staff can handle these smaller renovation-type projects and that the bill should not require new positions; the deputy adjutant general later confirmed the department does not need additional staff and said the projects are typically roof, boiler, and similar repairs. Members asked about a fiscal note suggesting new positions and about revenue/expenditure impacts, and the sponsor explained that the fiscal note language appeared to reflect an earlier draft and that the budget effect is largely a shift in where the work is performed. The committee recessed briefly for the deputy adjutant general’s arrival, then continued discussion of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is unlike other environmental laws like the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act.
• It is unlike other environmental laws like the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act.
• It is unlike other environmental laws like the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act.
• Is it the monitoring section of the Safe Drinking Water Branch?
• Is it the monitoring section of the Safe Drinking Water Branch?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint informational briefing focused on restricted use pesticides in Hawaiʻi, with Senate and House members opening the meeting and explaining that the session was intended to hear expert presentations and community concerns. Fern Holland outlined the background for the briefing, describing how restricted use pesticides differ from general-use products, why state-level regulation matters, and how community advocates have sought disclosure and protections for years. She summarized 2019 reporting data, saying a small number of users accounted for most reported use, with especially heavy application in North Central Oʻahu and on the west side of Kauaʻi. She highlighted concerns about applications near schools, homes, and coastlines, and identified 1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium as among the heaviest-used fumigants. She also noted concerns about highly hazardous pesticides, some banned in other countries, and the lack of research on long-term combined exposure to multiple pesticides. Greg Takashima of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture described the department’s pesticide program and regulatory authority under FIFRA and state law. He explained the distinction between general-use and restricted use pesticides, the certification requirements for applicators, and the department’s role in tracking RUPs from sale through use. He reviewed the branch’s functions in enforcement, education and certification, registration and technical review, and laboratory analysis, including inspections, complaint response, market surveillance, product registration, groundwater review, and outreach on drift reduction and integrated pest management. He also noted staffing and funding limitations, saying the branch lacks a toxicologist and long-term monitoring capacity, and compared Hawaiʻi’s resources to California’s much larger pesticide regulatory program. Takashima thanked the legislature for passing Act 231 the prior year and said the department supports the measure as it moves forward this session. Dr. Lee, speaking for the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and as a former member of the Kauaʻi Joint Fact-Finding Task Force, said pediatric guidance has shifted from focusing on acute poisoning to recognizing chronic low-level pesticide exposure as a concern. He cited AAP publications linking pesticide exposure to cancer, brain tumors, leukemia, birth outcomes, neurobehavioral effects, and asthma, and said pediatricians are now encouraged to advise families on reducing exposure and to support right-to-know measures and buffer zones around schools and public gathering places. He also described the Kauaʻi task force’s work, saying it found the west side of the island to be an unhealthy community but could not prove causation because of missing drift, geospatial, and biomarker data. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, questions were held until after presentations, and the department expressed support for Act 231.

Transcript Highlights:

• and mineral resources the land water and mineral resources the Minnesota<00:53:59.400><c> Geological
• Resources, MDH water well management and drinking water divisions, MPCA remediation staff, and MDA pesticide
• and water resources mdh water<00:54:54.200><c> well</c><00:54:54.520><c> management</c><00:54:55.000
• ><c> and</c><00:54:55.200><c> drinking</c><00:54:55.559><c> water</c> water well management and drinking
• water water well management and drinking water divisions<00:54:56.799><c> mpca</c><00:54:57.720><c>

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Charlotte was a water baby, and we called her Sharky for her love of the water and her big, toothy smiles
• Hawaii needs more water safety champions.
• </c><00:35:03.720><c> safety</c> friend Hawaii needs more water safety friend Hawaii needs more water
• And what happens is they put me as a director in the water. They put me as a producer in the water.
• </c> environmental investments in water environmental investments in water Wildlife<03:42:07.680><c>

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will come to order. Good morning.
• With no additional bills, this meeting of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee is adjourned

Summary: The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee met with a quorum present and heard one non-consent bill, SB 832 by Senator Allen. The bill would update the statute governing the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group to reflect its ongoing role, require it to meet at least annually to review implementation of the revitalization plan and possible amendments, and adjust membership to ensure representation from the city council district with the most Upper L.A. River miles. Senator Allen and sponsor April Bird of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority described the measure as a minor but important update to support continued implementation of the 2020 revitalization plan, which identified 300 projects and has 18 currently underway. Committee members asked about the change from meetings every two years to every year, and the author explained that the bill would codify a more regular schedule after a prior budget change had set the interval at two years. Senator Stern expressed support, noting the complexity of coordinating city, county, and MRCA interests and the need for the working group to support future project funding and planning. No opposition was presented. Senator Laird moved the bill, and the committee voted 6-0 to pass SB 832 to Senate Appropriations. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've farmed, that's a water horn. We've been there, we bought the home farm in 1960. My dad did.
• A $16 million Replaced several old steam boilers in our basement with newer hydronic hot water boilers
• The contours have been redone so water doesn't flow right into the building.
• The contours have been redone so water doesn't flow right into the building.
• access road or water supply, radio communications, how are we going to get a fire truck into certain

Committee: Joint Government Finance Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• growth to support growth in our communities, again especially water infrastructure, where growth is
• that's obviously outside of our the budget you have before you, but that is our main tool for that water
• I think so are you talking about clean water? Are you talking about coastal communities or both?
• You're talking about clean water or are you talking about coastal communities or both?
• areas because there's water availability is just not there, right?

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The hearing opened the FY27 budget process with remarks from the Senate and House Ways and Means chairs and testimony from Governor Healey and Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz. The chairs emphasized fiscal caution amid choppy revenue growth, rising health care and education costs, and federal uncertainty, while the governor framed House 2 as a $62.8 billion budget that grows spending by about 1% without new taxes or fees and aims to protect core services while advancing affordability. The administration said the budget uses efficiencies, program integrity, and Fair Share surtax revenue to support education, transportation, housing, child care, health care, and public safety, and it also filed a supplemental Fair Share bill using surplus FY25 funds. Much of the questioning focused on the federal “OB3” tax law and the administration’s separate proposal to delay or phase in certain corporate tax changes, especially research and experimental deductions, to avoid in-year budget shocks. Members also pressed the administration on Fair Share allocations, with the governor and secretary explaining that operating-budget surtax spending is weighted more toward education while supplemental spending is more transportation-focused, and that combined spending is roughly balanced overall. The administration highlighted Chapter 70 aid, special education circuit breaker funding, rural school aid, local aid, child care, the MBTA deficit, regional transit authorities, and a new HHS transportation line item as part of the broader transportation strategy. Several members raised concerns about Chapter 70 equity, rural districts, municipal overrides, out-migration, housing affordability, public housing repairs, and the MBTA Communities Act. The governor and secretary said they are open to further discussion on school funding formulas, PILOT, and municipal aid, and stressed housing production, energy affordability, and workforce development as key responses to out-migration. On energy, the governor defended an all-of-the-above approach, including renewables, gas, and exploration of nuclear, while saying she would continue pushing utilities and regulators to reduce ratepayer costs. The governor also said fire safety grants would not be withheld for noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Act, and members discussed public safety, housing, and local grant impacts in that context. Other topics included the Bright Act and higher education capital investments, with the administration saying it is preparing to support campus infrastructure across the public higher education system and that the bill is intended to strengthen Massachusetts’ competitiveness and retain graduates. Members also questioned cuts to the PCA program and EAEDC, and the governor responded that the state’s PCA program remains strong but is under pressure from large federal health care reductions. No votes were taken; the session was a hearing on the governor’s budget proposal and related policy bills, with the administration taking questions and offering explanations of its recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Music] We are convening this morning's joint hearing for the Committee on Tourism and the Committee on Water
• I have myself and Vice Chair Templo, and for the Committee on Water and Land, we have Chair Hashimoto
• ><00:19:21.960><c> protect</c><00:19:22.240><c> our</c><00:19:22.960><c> land</c><00:19:23.360><c> water
• </c><00:19:23.679><c> wildlife</c> fee to protect our land water wildlife fee to protect our land water
• I mean, we've got 1.3 million acres of forest lands that we maintain, three miles of ocean waters, and

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing of the House Committees on Tourism and Water and Land was held on March 20, 2025, on SB 1396 SD3 HD1, which would raise transient accommodations tax revenues beginning in 2027, impose a $20 per-night tax on stays booked through loyalty or rewards points, and dedicate funds to DLNR for natural resource protection, management, and restoration. The Office of the Governor, DLNR, DBEDT, the Hawaii State Energy Office, Tax Department, Hawaiian Home Lands, HI-EMA, the Climate Advisory Team, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, HCDA, the Hawaii Ocean Legislative Task Force, Resource Legacy Fund, KUA, and the Hawaii Tourism Authority all testified in support or with comments, generally emphasizing the need for dedicated funding for environmental stewardship, resilience, wildfire and climate preparedness, and community-based projects. Several supporters cited polling showing broad visitor willingness to pay additional fees to protect Hawaiʻi’s resources, and DLNR and the Attorney General noted the bill aligns with broader state land-management and fire-safety priorities. Opposition came from the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi and the Maui Chamber of Commerce, which argued the bill unnecessarily raises the TAT, places more burden on visitors and visitor-dependent businesses, and could harm Maui’s still-recovering economy. The Activities and Attractions Association of Hawaiʻi initially marked opposition but then said it had misunderstood the bill’s relationship to another measure and asked to resend testimony. Expedia Group did not oppose the TAT increase itself but raised operational concerns about the new tax on loyalty-point redemptions, calling it novel and difficult to administer. The American Hotel Lodging Association and Hawaiʻi Hotel Alliance were listed as having no comments present. Testifiers also suggested amendments, including dedicating the revenues to a special fund, ensuring community grants, and clarifying administrative provisions. One testifier urged the bill be used to fund hurricane shelters and stronger building standards, while another emphasized that the measure should support people and disaster resilience as well as environmental protection. During questions, members asked for the polling methodology and for a breakdown of current TAT allocations; staff indicated they could share the survey memo and began identifying existing statutory remittances. No vote or final committee action was taken during the excerpted portion of the hearing.