Transcript Highlights:

• So it is in our testimony as one of our primary concerns, and I hate to use the word concern because
• I’d like to close my testimony with a quote that’s become very central to my work today: ‘The best time
• I’d like to close my testimony with a quote that’s become very central to my work today: ‘The best time
• happen<00:46:43.000><c> I'd</c><00:46:43.119><c> like</c><00:46:43.240><c> to</c><00:46:43.359><c> close
• I'd like to close my testimony with<00:46:44.359><c> a</c><00:46:44.480><c> quote</c><00:46:44.760><

Committee: House Agriculture & Food Systems

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• similar to our buyback and short appreciation restriction, whereby it is in second position to the primary
• So the first mortgagees, or the first lenders, interest for closing the property would be protected.
• revolving fund to include purchasing equity and for-sale housing development projects and interim primary
• for purposes other than to make a down payment for the purchase of a residential property or to pay closing
• </c> a residential property or to pay closing a residential property or to pay closing costs,<01:26:39.199

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint House committees on Housing and Education heard HB 1713, HD1, which would repeal school impact fees and transfer remaining balances in the school impact fee and certain fair share accounts to the school facilities special fund. The Department of Education testified in opposition, while the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, the Attorney General’s office (with comments and suggested constitutional amendments), the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the School Facilities Authority, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, NAP Hawaii, Avalon Development Company, Mark Development, Maui Chamber of Commerce, Housing Hawaii’s Future, Landis Research Foundation, BIA Hawaii, and others testified in support. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered comments. The DOE said the bill would weaken a key tool for matching school facilities to residential growth, while supporters said the current program leaves funds unused or restricted in ways that limit their effectiveness. A lengthy discussion followed about the difference between the older school impact fee program and the separate fair share agreements tied to land use entitlements and change-of-zone approvals. DOE Deputy Superintendent Jesse Suki explained that fair share funds are tied to the district where they were collected, may be too small to build a full school on their own, and are held until needed for projects such as Core Ridge, Central and West Maui, and other planned schools. Committee members pressed DOE on why funds had remained unspent for years, how much money was in the accounts, and whether the department had reviewed audit findings about the program. Members also questioned whether homeowners ultimately bear these costs through developers passing them along. The committee did not take a vote during the portion of the meeting provided. The discussion ended with members and DOE debating whether the current statute should remain in place, whether past entitlements should be affected, and whether the bill should be amended to better address remaining construction-related obligations and the use of collected funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• The House Standing Committee on Primary and Secondary Education will come to order.
• I watched the floor pretty closely on bills filed and I noticed when this bill was filed there were a
• I watched the floor pretty closely on bills filed and I noticed when this bill was filed there were a
• <00:15:55.839><c> the</c><00:15:56.000><c> floor</c><00:15:56.320><c> pretty</c><00:15:56.639><c> closely
• </c><00:15:56.959><c> on</c> I watched the floor pretty closely on I watched the floor pretty closely

Committee: House Primary and Secondary Education

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There was heavy damage to US 27 South in Somerset, and the roadway was closed for a section spanning
• So, just in closing, I do want to say that KYTC is committed to Laurel County's recovery and cleanup.
• So, just in closing, I do want to say that KYTC is committed to Laurel County's recovery and cleanup.
• So, just in closing, I I do want week.
• Um, it's going to close on October 1st. The implementation status of HJR46.

Keywords: 00:00:39 Roll Call 00:02:57 Severe Weather Damage 00:39:00 Work Zone Safety 00:47:12 Local Assistance Road Program 01:10:18 Admin. Regs 01:15:37 Aviation Impact Study, 958, all

Summary: The committee’s first interim meeting opened with roll call, a quorum, and a briefing from Transportation Cabinet officials on the Cabinet’s response to severe weather and tornadoes in Kentucky, especially the May 16–17 storms that caused deaths and widespread damage in Pulaski and Laurel counties, with an additional tornado noted in Washington County. Secretary Jim Gray, State Highway Engineer James Ballinger, and District 11 engineer Chris Jones described how crews in all 120 counties were placed on alert, how roads were cleared of debris, and how KYTC coordinated with emergency management, law enforcement, local governments, and utilities to restore access and power. They reported major impacts on roads, signals, and other infrastructure, including the EF4 tornado path through Pulaski and Laurel counties, and said KYTC also helped with debris hauling, airport cleanup, and delivery of water and meals. The officials gave specific recovery figures for Laurel County, including 1,800 loads of construction and demolition debris hauled, about 11,000 tons and 22,000 cubic yards removed, with roughly 50% of vegetative debris cleared at that point. They said all state roadways in Laurel County were reopened, the London-Corbin Airport was returned to flight operations by Sunday, and a transition plan was underway for Laurel County Fiscal Court’s contractor to take over debris operations. Gray also noted that KYTC had helped issue replacement IDs, licenses, registrations, and titles at no cost in disaster areas, and said the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund had raised nearly $1.5 million from more than 6,000 donors. Members praised KYTC staff as first responders and thanked them for their quick response and coordination. Several legislators recounted local impacts in Washington, Pulaski, and Laurel counties, including blocked roads, rescue challenges, looting concerns, and the scale of property damage. One member asked how KYTC inspects bridges and infrastructure after disasters to check for hidden damage, and officials said the process depends on the event and can include bridge inspections and checks of tall infrastructure such as light poles. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the primary sponsor and I filled out the proper paperwork with the clerk.
• I<01:29:35.720><c> am</c><01:29:35.880><c> the</c><01:29:36.000><c> primary</c> I am the primary I am
• the primary primary<01:29:38.400><c> sponsor</c><01:29:38.880><c> and</c><01:29:39.000><c> I</c><01:
• out the primary sponsor and I filled out the proper<01:29:40.000><c> paperwork</c><01:29:40.680><c>
• <c> Education,</c> To Primary and Secondary Education, To Primary and Secondary Education, Senate<01:

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Agritourism is a primary activity. Agritourism is a secondary<00:03:28.920><c> activity.
• And 25% should not be too bad if you compare it to the primary agriculture.
• And 25% should not be too bad if you compare it to the primary agriculture.
• From a standpoint of the visitor industry, that's where the primary revenue stream comes from.
• I think my primary is necessary.

Committee: Senate Agriculture and Environment

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees met on March 19, 2025, to hear HB 966 HD2, which would create statewide standards for agricultural tourism in counties that adopt ag-tourism ordinances. The bill would require registration with county planning departments, require ag-tourism to remain tied to an active farming operation, and end the activity when the agricultural use stops except in limited circumstances. Testimony from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, the Agribusiness Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kualoa Ranch, and the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council was generally supportive of the bill’s intent, with several witnesses emphasizing that agritourism can help farm viability, food security, and public education about agriculture. The Hawaii Farm Bureau and several other testifiers supported agritourism but urged strong guardrails, minimal statewide standards, and deference to county home rule. They said agriculture should remain the primary activity, warned against adding burdens to farmers and ranchers, and suggested better enforcement and agricultural expertise within county planning departments. Phil Weber and others argued for objective standards, such as minimum revenue or work-performed thresholds, annual reporting, and clearer compliance tools, and cautioned that the bill’s termination exemption could be too broad if not tightened. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on whether the bill should apply to Department of Agriculture lands, especially ag park lands, and to DLNR lands. Department of Agriculture staff explained that ag park lands currently do not allow agritourism, while non-ag park lands under Act 90 allow limited related activity tied to farm production, with revenue limits and other conditions. Members and witnesses debated how to define and measure agritourism, how to enforce county rules, and whether to exempt ag park parcels or otherwise clarify that existing DOA rules would control. No vote or final action was taken during the hearing, and the chair requested follow-up language from DOA to address possible exemptions and clarify the bill’s application.

Transcript Highlights:

• Seeing no one, we will close this item.
• “That program just closed about a month ago.
• That program just closed about a month ago.
• Many organizations have closed since COVID.
• We'll be tracking this closely.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• increase their connection to the community and enable and empower those that speak Haitian Creole as the primary
• this decrease that the voter turnout is maybe in relation to an increase in Haitian residents whose primary
• welcoming folks that have had the opportunity to become naturalized citizens, folks that have their primary

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and adopted a congratulatory resolution honoring Anna Karaz on her 100th birthday. It then took up and passed several local bills, including a measure authorizing bilingual ballots in English and Haitian Creole for the town of Randolph. The sponsor spoke in support, describing the bill as a home rule petition intended to improve access, civic participation, and voter turnout for Randolph’s growing Haitian Creole-speaking population. The bill was read a third time and passed to be engrossed. The Senate also passed a bill authorizing the Milford Select Board to appoint a highway surveyor. It received a Ways and Means report on House No. 4683, relative to teacher preparation and student literacy, recommending amendment by substitution of the text in Senate document No. 2924; the chamber suspended the rules to consider the order forthwith and adopted it. The Senate further suspended rules to process several Senate petitions and local matters, and then enacted bills amending the Provincetown charter, establishing the appointed town clerk position in Avon, and authorizing Westwood to reissue and grant certain alcohol licenses. Later, the Senate referred a House petition concerning retirement benefits for Valeria Dorazio to the Committee on Public Service after suspending Joint Rule 12. It then adopted an amendment substituting a new draft for a Plymouth bill, changing it to validate and confirm certain acts and proceedings of Plymouth officials, and passed the bill to be engrossed. The session also included remarks congratulating Sweet Paws Rescue on its 15th anniversary and upcoming facility move, followed by a motion to adjourn in memory of Gerard W. Moynihan, which was adopted after a moment of silence. The Senate adjourned to meet again the following Monday at 11 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, you think we'll be close. Yes, sir. Very good. Thank you very much.
• Uh you think we'll be close. &gt;&gt; Very good. Uh you think we'll be close.
• Uh, this is there's not a close second.
• </c> very closely very closely um<01:26:27.160><c> to</c><01:26:27.280><c> this</c><01:26:27.440><c>
• "So, do y'all have any closing statement? Again, we so appreciate you coming.

Keywords: 0:00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 0:00:28 Approval of Minutes 0:00:40 Information Items 0:01:13 Rpt from Postsecondary Institutions 0:26:46 Project Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 0:30:53 Lease Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 0:39:20 Rpt from OFM – KIA 0:52:42 Econ Development – EDF Grants 0:55:15 OFM Debt Issues 0:58:43 Informational Discussion 1:44:36 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including a quorum call, approval of minutes, and informational items on school district financing and KCTCS equipment purchases. It then considered two KCTCS capital projects after initially rolling them together and later unrolling them: a Fire Commission Fire Academy maintenance building project that had grown from an original $2 million authorization to $4.7 million because of design changes, soil issues, and higher mechanical costs, and a $1.5 million renovation of the Blake Lee building at Somerset Community College for a health science simulation lab. Members questioned the large cost increase on the fire academy project and the adequacy of front-end due diligence, while KCTCS said the project was bid and ready to proceed and that a 15% contingency had been included. Both projects were approved by roll call vote, with the Blake Lee project ultimately approved after the committee unrolled the items and took them separately. The committee next heard and approved a University of Kentucky public-private partnership for the Hamburg East Medical Office Building, a five-story, 220,000-square-foot facility with a not-to-exceed budget of $275 million. UK said the project is intended to expand outpatient access, consolidate some services, and support projected growth in patient volume; the building will house multiple specialties, urgent care, therapy, imaging, and a retail pharmacy. Members asked about possible community uses, consolidation of services, and whether the project would free up other space, and UK said it hopes to consolidate some services and free campus space. The project was approved by roll call vote. The committee then approved three UK lease renegotiations: a specialty pharmacy and infusion services lease at Wellington Way in Lexington, a Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences lease at Conte Terrace, and a College of Social Work lease at McGrath Park Way. Members asked about rising lease rates, occupancy, and whether space needs should be reduced; UK and the lessor’s representative said the pharmacy space remains busy, the ophthalmology lease was lower than before, and the social work lease had been negotiated down from a higher request. The committee also approved a Department of Military Affairs project amendment for a Mutual Field Maintenance Shop Restoration project, increasing federal funding by $1 million to $4.5 million because of higher construction costs, and approved a Kentucky State University Shanty Hall renovation project funded by bond and HBCU Title III funds. Finally, it approved a new lease for the Office of Mines and Minerals in Pike County, a new lease for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Pulaski County, and a lease renewal for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Kenton County after questions about rent increases and office utilization; the cabinet said the Kenton County space still has limited vacancy and remains in use by field staff. The meeting ended as the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority began presenting six sewer and water loans and six cleaner water program grant reallocations, with members agreeing to roll those items for later consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Slezak, closing words. Thank you, Chair Fransen.
• Representative Slezak, closing words. Thank you, Chair Fransen.
• this project out to make sure close this project out to make sure Duluth<00:29:49.640><c> doesn't</c
• </c><00:58:01.080><c> thoughts,</c> you have any final closing thoughts, you have any final closing thoughts
• Okay, closing comments, Representative Berkel. Uh, thank you, Madam Chair. We switched chairs.

Bills: HF4156 , HF3835 , HF3995 , HF4383 , HF4091 , HF4084 , HF4311 , HF198 , HF4486 , HF4302 , HF4309 , HF4032 , HF3855 , HF3673 , HF4265 , HF4012 , HF4339 , HF4298 , HF3852

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: infrastructure, wastewater, stormwater, Buhl, state bonds, appropriations, economic development, water infrastructure, grants, capital investment, funding, state regulation, Frazee, North River Drive, infrastructure improvements, HF4383, Minnesota capital investment, bonding bill, Department of Natural Resources, DNR

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh just real quick, I closing remarks?
• I'm a practicing primary care physician in the Twin Cities and an adjunct professor teaching clinical
• I'm a practicing primary<00:13:31.840><c> care</c><00:13:32.040><c> physician</c><00:13:32.400><c> in
• </c><00:13:32.480><c> the</c><00:13:32.560><c> Twin</c> primary care physician in the Twin primary care
• </c><00:31:58.400><c> on</c> accustomed to partnering closely on accustomed to partnering closely on

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Kraft asked, “Do you want to close your amendment?”
• </c> thank if you want to have some closing thank if you want to have some closing comments<00:30:14.360
• </c><00:36:21.599><c> obstacles</c> operators one of the primary obstacles operators one of the primary
• In closing, I urge your support for House File 303.
• Do you have any closing comments? Yes, I think it's a good bill.

Bills: HF198 , HF269 , HF185 , HF303 , HF305 , HF189

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: HF198, shared time pupils, shared-time enrollment, nonpublic school, private school, public school, career and technical education, CTE, secondary credit, school funding, state aid, education finance, Minnesota Statutes 126C.01, compulsory attendance, school district, education policy, HF269, Spicer, Minnesota bonding bill, capital investment

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, 140 is pretty close to market. So is the anticipation? >> Yeah.
• It has to be your primary residence. You have to be a first-time homebuyer in most cases.
• </c> cover [clears throat and snorts] closing cover [clears throat and snorts] closing costs<00:53:48.400
• </c><02:00:40.239><c> Um,</c> seen it happen close to my district.
• Um, seen it happen close to my district.

Bills: HB1604 , HB1713 , HB1722 , HB2270 , HB2401 , HB2515 , HB1979 , HB1593 , HB1743 , HB2122 , HB1756 , HB1837 , HB1729

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: agriculture, housing, workforce, land use, zoning, public-private partnerships, tax credit, school impact fees, impact fee exemption, school facilities authority, residential development, housing shortage, affordable housing, infill housing, land dedication, fee in lieu, school construction, developer exactions, fair share contributions, education contribution agreement

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1604, which would create an agricultural workforce housing group within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to address shortages of farmworker housing. The department said it supported the bill’s intent but emphasized that the group’s early work should focus on gathering data and surveying farm operators to assess actual demand, to avoid “mission creep.” Testimony from the City and County of Honolulu Office of Economic Revitalization, Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Housing Hawaii’s Future, and the Maui Chamber of Commerce was in support, with one witness suggesting a housing advocacy nonprofit be added to the working group for balance. The committee then discussed HB 1713 on school impact fees, which would clarify exemptions for certain affordable housing projects and exempt new residential developments of fewer than 100 units. The Attorney General’s office said the bill should define “low to moderate income households” because that term is not defined in chapter 302A. HHFDC, the School Facilities Authority, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and others supported the measure, arguing it would reduce administrative burden and remove barriers to housing. Members questioned whether the bill should instead repeal the school impact fee entirely; supporters said they also favored full repeal but viewed this bill as a more feasible step. The School Facilities Authority also explained that about $28 million in school impact fees had been collected across four districts and none had yet been spent, and discussed how recent nexus requirements limit how the funds can be used. HB 1722, relating to residential condominiums, drew extensive testimony and questioning. HCDA supported the bill and explained that it amends the 99-year leasehold pilot program created by Act 97 of 2023 by reducing owner-occupancy restrictions from 100% of units to 60%, allowing some rental or subleasing flexibility for the owner-occupied units, and permitting up to 40% of units to be sold to qualified residents after being on the market for more than 60 days. HCDA said the original restrictions, combined with rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and competition from nearby projects, made the pilot project difficult to market and finance; it said the changes are needed to make the project feasible and competitive. Supporters including AP Hawaii, Kila LLC, and project representatives said the amendments would help make the demonstration project in Kakaʻako viable. Some members raised concerns that the changes could weaken long-term affordability and questioned why certain ownership language was being deleted if rentals would still be restricted. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• framework author has called in primary framework author has called in an<00:08:04.000><c> interview<
• This account includes analyzing historical events through primary sources and multiple perspectives.
• Members, we are going to conclude our list of testifiers, so public testimony is now closed.
• </c> we'll and public testimony is now closed we'll and public testimony is now closed uh<00:40:43.000
• At this time, we'll close public testifying and open up to member questions.

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Seeing no one, we will close this item.
• That program just closed about a month ago.
• Many organizations have closed since COVID.
• Many organizations have closed since COVID.
• We'll be tracking this closely.

Summary: The committee opened with the State Controller’s Office May Revision requests, including funding for Fiscal book-of-record stabilization, a Broadcom IDMS licensing adjustment, the California State Payroll System, ACFR reporting automation, and $3 million for unclaimed property outreach. Testimony emphasized progress on Fiscal becoming the state’s accounting book of record in July, faster ACFR publication, and the move to electronic unclaimed property claims. Members asked about the size of the unclaimed property fund and how quickly money is transferred to the General Fund; the Controller’s office said about $15 billion is held, with most excess transferred regularly, and the LAO noted the fund is the General Fund’s fourth-largest revenue source. No concerns were raised by Finance or the LAO, and the item was closed after no public comment. The committee then heard the administration’s proposal to tax prewritten digital software and software-as-a-service, with Finance saying it would modernize sales tax treatment and raise an estimated $450 million General Fund and $560 million local revenue in 2026-27. The LAO supported modernizing the tax but suggested broader digital goods coverage and a business-use exemption; industry and taxpayer groups opposed the proposal, warning of higher costs for consumers and businesses. Members also heard CDTFA’s administrative request tied to the proposal, plus a separate CDTFA budget reduction reflecting lower operational needs; that reduction was presented as a savings item and drew positive reactions. Next, the committee considered federal conformity for “Trump accounts,” which would align California tax treatment with federal rules for tax-deferred children’s accounts and avoid tracking burdens for families. The LAO recommended approval, and the item drew no opposition. The committee also heard a proposal to cut the first-year $800 annual business tax to $400 for LLCs, LPs, and LLPs; Finance argued it would lower startup costs and encourage new business formation, while the LAO said the benefit was not well targeted and could subsidize entities that would form anyway. Members discussed the policy tradeoff, and public commenters split between support for small business relief and concern about revenue loss. The final major revenue item was a permanent business tax credit limitation, capping credits at the greater of $5 million per corporation or 50% of pre-credit liability, while excluding the low-income housing tax credit and personal income tax credits. Finance said it would raise significant revenue from large profitable corporations, and the LAO said it was a reasonable option but noted it would mainly affect the R&D credit and could have future implications for programs like California Competes. Public testimony was sharply divided, with business groups opposing the cap and anti-poverty advocates supporting it as a way to recapture revenue. The committee also heard FTB’s CalFile realignment request, which would return most of the direct-file-related resources to the General Fund while retaining a smaller staff to improve CalFile, and the California Arts Council’s request to reauthorize the Keep Arts in Schools voluntary contribution fund, which members and advocates supported despite relatively modest annual donations. The hearing continued with GoBiz proposals on civic media funding, CA RISE reappropriation, and a semiconductor facility reversion, with the LAO supporting the latter two and members raising questions about the civic media program’s scope, outreach, and inclusion of broadcast and ethnic media.

Transcript Highlights:

• that we'd be closing off those solicitations.
• Antoin explained how her course was taught using primary source documents.
• I'll go through this pretty quickly, so please listen closely. Is Nancy Gold here?
• I put that in close and scribe because I think and I flexi marks to get in all sites.
• I think it may be close to many Jewish congregations statewide.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The meeting focused on the commission’s work addressing antisemitism in Massachusetts, including security, education, victim services, and legal responses. A major presentation came from former federal prosecutor Eric O’Sham, who described the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the attack’s planning and execution, the 11 victims killed, the defendant’s white supremacist and antisemitic online activity, the federal prosecution, and the long aftermath for the victim community. Commissioners asked about prevention, radicalization online, security for houses of worship, and how to support victims; O’Sham emphasized the limits of law enforcement when speech is protected, the importance of public education, security grants, and victim-witness support. The commission also heard from Ariel Holman of Agudath Israel, who described a wide range of antisemitic incidents affecting Orthodox Jews, including assaults, threats, vandalism, school harassment, and zoning barriers, and urged expanded security personnel grants, mental health resources, kosher food access, and support for synagogue development. Other speakers included advocates and local officials who supported Holocaust education, the planned Boston Holocaust Museum, cemetery protection, and broader public education efforts, while some public commenters criticized the commission’s focus or raised concerns about definitions of antisemitism and free speech. The meeting concluded with approval of prior meeting minutes and the start of public comment, which was limited to three minutes per speaker due to time constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• RTS is the primary system and the backbone of the TXDMV operations.
• Inflation is a primary driver of cost. And some of the cost increases.
• We will continue to see providers closing, teachers leaving the field.
• In 2024, we had classrooms that were closed.
• If not, public testimony is closed.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> important and then uh we're the primary important and then uh we're the primary agency<00:10:05.200
• We've been working very closely.
• Close to 9,000 hours on the high path response.
• Close to 9,000 hours on the high path response.
• Close to 9,000 hours on the high path response.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so the American Community Survey is our primary demographic instrument, which asks about country
• OK, so the American Community Survey is our primary demographic instrument, which asks about country
• that was imparted upon me as a new legislator for Randolph was the fact that they were very, very close
• Much harder to do that. 18% on race, close to 30% on ethnicity.
• So it's kind of a fairly closed population, as we say in demography, where the numbers are easier to

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on the Census

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on the Census met on December 8 at 9:32 a.m. to examine the dynamics that drive census undercounts and overcounts, with testimony first from Joseph Salvo and then from Susan Strait of the UMass Donahue Institute. Salvo explained the Census Bureau’s two main evaluation tools: demographic analysis, which uses vital records, migration estimates, and Medicare data to produce a national benchmark, and the post-enumeration survey (PES), which compares a separate sample-based count to the census. He said the 2020 census showed a small national net undercount, but larger age- and race-based disparities, including the highest undercount among children ages 0 to 4, higher undercounts for men, substantial undercounts for Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations, and overcounts among some older and college-age groups. He also described how self-response, non-response follow-up, administrative records, proxy responses, and imputation affected data quality, arguing that proxies and imputation were especially weak and that outreach remains critical for 2030. Committee members asked Salvo to clarify the methods and error bands, the role of international migration estimates, and how the PES differs from the census address list and LUCA. He explained that PES is based on a separate sample of blocks and can add units within sampled blocks, but it does not measure units missed entirely from the original address list; LUCA matters because it improves that list before enumeration. He also discussed age heaping, duplicate responses among older adults, and why group quarters and COVID-related disruptions complicated the 2020 count. Senator Driscoll briefly interrupted to describe Randolph’s successful appeal of its 2020 count after an undercount in disability care homes, and Salvo noted that the post-census group quarters review helped correct some missed facilities. Susan Strait then focused on Massachusetts-specific results. She said Massachusetts’ 2020 count was strong overall, with population growth above the national average and a PES-based finding that the state was overcounted by 2.24 percent, though she emphasized that this did not mean all areas were accurately counted. Using demographic analysis, she said Massachusetts had an estimated 4.15 percent undercount of children ages 0 to 4, with the largest county-level undercounts in Hampden, Suffolk, and Essex, and she linked higher child undercounts to lower educational attainment and female-headed households. Strait also reviewed operational metrics showing that Massachusetts had relatively strong internet self-response, but that non-response follow-up relied heavily on household interviews, administrative records, proxies, and imputation in different counties. She highlighted higher proxy use in college-heavy counties such as Hampshire and Suffolk, and said counties with more minority residents were more likely to have population-count-only cases and other indicators of harder-to-count populations. The hearing ended with discussion of how these findings could inform outreach and census planning for 2030.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 108 simply closes the gap and ensures rural communities cannot be taken advantage of simply
• To Primary and Secondary Education: House Bill 779. To Transportation: House Bill 783.
• , House Bill To Postsecondary Education, House Bill 782.<01:03:00.560><c> To</c><01:03:00.640><c> Primary
• To Primary and Secondary Education, 782.
• To Primary and Secondary Education, House<01:03:02.720><c> Bill</c><01:03:02.920><c> 779.

Keywords: 958, all