Transcript Highlights:

• However, under current Texas law, utilities that hire third-party contractors for projects like tree
• Without this change, if a tree trimmer accidentally drops a tree on a home while working along power
• lines, the utility, not the tree trimmer, bears that financial responsibility.

Transcript Highlights:

• Vineyards and orchards also use them to keep birds off of their trees and their berry bushes.
• also use them to keep birds off<00:04:09.920> of<00:04:10.040> their<00:04:10.200> trees
• <00:04:10.720> and<00:04:10.840> their<00:04:10.959> berry off of their trees
• and their berry off of their trees and their berry bushes<00:04:12.760> since<00:04:13.000>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• community observed Tu Bishvat, the day on the Jewish calendar where we celebrate the new year for trees
• It seems strange to celebrate spring, but even today the trees are indeed producing sap on the inside
• community observed Tu Bishvat, the day on the Jewish calendar where we celebrate the new year for trees
• It seems strange to celebrate spring, but even today the trees are indeed producing sap on the inside

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• consideration by the House: the House bill relative to the prevention of home insurers from forcing tree
• Second reading of the bills: an act relative to the prevention of home insurers from forcing tree removals

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and adopted a congratulatory resolution honoring Oxford Fire Chief Laurent R. McDonald for 45 years of public service. Members also adopted an order creating a special joint committee on initiative petitions to review petitions transmitted by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. In addition, House Bill 862, providing for the recall of elected officers in the town of Sharon, was passed to be enacted. The House then acted on several procedural and scheduling matters. It suspended Joint Rule 12 to send three petitions to committee, and the Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reported a group of local and special bills for consideration, including measures on home insurers and tree removal, housing for families with pets, public safety in Stoneham, community housing funds in Chatham, the Provincetown rental housing trust fund, a disability pension for Christopher Taylor, and a sick leave bank for Sonia Felix. These bills were ordered to a third reading. The House also welcomed visiting students from Four Rivers Charter Public School and the Medfield Girls Soccer State Champions. On third reading, the House passed to be engrossed four police-age waiver bills for Antonio Perez, Sherell Malas, Jonathan Telford, and Jose Ortiz, all directing the Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age requirement. The chamber also observed a moment of silent tribute for the late Honorable Francis J. Larkin of Hopedale, recognizing his long career in public service, law, and education. Finally, the House adopted an order to meet again Monday at 11 a.m. and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Maybe one way to think about the benefits application is that it’s sort of like a tree.
• We have a continuous bonding workflow that is really what I’d call the trunk of the tree.
• We’re still building some branches off of that tree.
• we're still building some of the tree we're still building some branches<00:20:15.039> off<00
• <00:20:16.480> right branches off of that of the tree right branches off of that of the tree

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How much do we got to account for that if I decide just let go hog and plant some trees?
• How much do we got to account for that if I decide just let go hog and plant some trees?
• How much do we got to account for that if I decide just let go hog and plant some trees?
• How much do we got to account for that if I decide just let go hog and plant some trees?
• If I decide just let go hog and plant some trees, that was the difficulty in the past.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They fixed all the sidewalks that got ruined by trees uprooting.
• Sidewalks that got ruined by trees uprooting. Sidewalks that happened— ...trees uprooting.
• The azalea trees that have been left—they got rid of one of the only white workers there, a guy named
• Ben, who knew how to take care of trees.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on April 8, 2025, and first took up several local bills that were presented briefly and then approved without public opposition. HB 4035 would merge the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District and the Lee County Mosquito Control District, contingent on approval by voters in both districts at the 2026 election; it passed 15-0. HB 307 would extend to county property appraisers the same authority tax collectors already have to use salary savings for employee bonuses or incentives, and it passed 17-0 after testimony from property appraisers and their associations in support. HB 4047 and HB 4049 would adjust assessment caps for the Fort Pierce Farms Water Control District and the North St. Lucie River Water Control District, respectively, with inflation indexing, annual increase limits, and referendum approval requirements; both passed unanimously. The committee also adopted an amendment to the committee substitute for HB 1169, a broader water management district bill covering quorum and meeting rules, lobbying restrictions, ad valorem taxing authority for certain capital projects by referendum, budget reporting, bidding preferences, and additional oversight and funding information; the amended bill passed 16-0 and was reported favorably with committee substitute. The final and most heavily debated item was HB 4079, which would dissolve the Town of White Springs and return it to unincorporated Hamilton County. The sponsor argued the town had a pattern of mismanagement, including financial problems, audit findings, canceled elections, and public safety concerns, and said dissolution would lower taxes and preserve services through the county. Committee members asked about the town’s finances, audits, law enforcement, fire protection, debt, and whether the county could absorb services and liabilities. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters of dissolution cited audit findings, alleged illegal gambling operations, double taxation for law enforcement, high administrative costs, and intimidation at meetings. Opponents, including current and former town officials and residents, said the town had made progress, had corrected audit issues, maintained reserves, and was working to restore services and governance; they asked for more time and pointed to an upcoming election. No vote was taken on HB 4079 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And also the proximity to the water and the proximity to an area I didn't grow up in, which is trees—lots
• of trees, a totally different landscape.
• And also the proximity to the water and the proximity to an area I didn't grow up in, which is trees.
• So the proximity to the water and the proximity to an area I didn't grow up in, which is trees, a lot
• of trees, a totally different landscape.

Summary: The subcommittee began with an informal “college day” exercise in which members described what careers and colleges they would choose if starting over, often citing factors such as program reputation, location, cost, graduation rates, employment outcomes, and family or personal interests. Members mentioned a range of possible paths including law, aviation, education, construction management, psychology, social work, criminal justice, nursing, intelligence studies, and the arts. Several also highlighted the value of historically Black colleges and universities, dual enrollment, and career/technical education. The chair used the exercise to frame the meeting’s broader focus on Florida’s higher education pathways and student outcomes. Dr. Kathleen Plinsky of Valencia College then gave an overview of the Florida College System and Valencia’s role in it, emphasizing Florida’s statewide articulation and transfer framework, open-access mission, affordability, and workforce alignment. She described Valencia’s record enrollment, high retention, large share of first-generation and working students, and partnerships such as Direct Connect to UCF, Osceola Prosper, and Open Door grants for short-term training. Members asked about guaranteed transfer, apprenticeships, enrollment trends, student demographics, out-of-state residency, county scholarship costs, dual enrollment outcomes, and barriers to expanding career dual enrollment. Dr. Plinsky said the system supports transfer and acceleration well, but funding constraints limit growth in some areas; she also noted that dual enrollment participation is high and that Valencia’s affordability and student support efforts have driven recent enrollment gains. Dr. Jim Clark of Florida State University followed with an overview of the State University System, describing its governance, performance-based funding, low tuition, and strong graduation and research outcomes. He highlighted FSU’s enrollment, research profile, transfer student success, FSU Health, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, partnerships with K-12 schools and Tallahassee State College, and efforts to expand nursing and medical education to address workforce shortages. After the presentations, the committee heard from a panel on student acceleration and mobility: Shannon Mercer of the Department of Education explained the Office of Articulation, the statewide course numbering system, FASTER records, the 2+2 transfer model, specialized AA transfer degrees, and credit for industry certifications, military, medical, and law-enforcement training. Panelists from Kaiser University, Florida State University, and Pinellas County Schools described their institutions’ roles in transfer, advising, career pathways, apprenticeships, and dual enrollment. No formal votes or bills were taken up in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They consulted with communities about urban trees along streets.
• with communities about um Urban trees with communities about um Urban trees along<04:45:25.798><
• with dead particularly oak trees with dead particularly oak trees um<04:57:44.680> I<04:57
• This is a book, Big Trees of Northern New England: Short Hikes to the Biggest Trees in Northern Massachusetts
• example so this is a book um Big Trees example so this is a book um Big Trees of<05:04:44.080>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority officials, led by Executive Director Rob Dapice, briefed legislators on the agency’s structure and funding. They explained that the authority is created by state law but is not a state agency, its debt is not state debt, and it is governed by a board appointed by the governor and approved by the Executive Council. The discussion focused on the Affordable Housing Fund and the lead paint hazard remediation fund, including how state appropriations and federal resources are combined to finance affordable rental housing and lead abatement work. Dapice said the Affordable Housing Fund is used as gap financing for multifamily affordable housing projects, typically alongside federal tax credits and tax-exempt bonds, and that state dollars leverage roughly 2:1 to 10:1 in additional federal and private investment, averaging about 4:1. He said the fund has received historic appropriations in recent budgets, including $30 million over the last two biennial budgets and an annual $5 million set-aside from the real estate transfer tax. He also said the fund is usually structured as 0% interest, deferred loans rather than grants, with repayments returning to the fund if projects generate cash flow. Members asked about rents, oversight, staffing, revenues, and whether the programs had added positions. Dapice said affordability restrictions generally last 30 to 99 years, rents are tied to income limits and capped so tenants pay no more than 30% of income, and compliance staff inspect properties regularly to verify income eligibility and rent limits. He said the organization has about 130 to 135 employees, down from about 145, with no new positions added because of the appropriations. He estimated total revenues at roughly $300 million, with administrative budget around $22 million, much of it pass-through grant money. On lead paint remediation, he said the state first appropriated $6 million in 2019, plus $1 million in ARPA funds, and that the program has cleared more than 500 units. He said the federal grant program is not annual or predictable, with a recent award of about $7.75 million, and that the maximum federal grant per unit is $177,000, typically paired with up to $100,000 in state loan support. He also noted that the program can address homes before a child is poisoned if lead hazards are identified, but that cases involving an already exposed child are a higher priority. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• This hearing will explore policy and legislative opportunities to maximize negative emissions from trees
• rainfall is slowed, collected, and stored on land by the spongy soils created by wild forests and trees
• Trees also pump the water back out of the ground and breathe it out as mist that creates clouds, which
• Without wild forests and trees to provide these services, the 50% of all land rainfall that comes from
• our fresh drinking water and rainfall for agriculture on Earth depends on intact wild forests and trees

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on bills related to land use, zoning, permitting, municipal governance, and homelessness. Early testimony focused on a home rule petition for Ipswich to remove a residency requirement for a town manager, with supporters saying it would broaden the applicant pool and help fill a vacant permanent manager position. Another panel backed legislation to change the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s governance so ratepayers in surrounding communities would have representation, arguing the current board structure leaves many users without a voice in rate-setting and capital decisions. Several housing and zoning bills drew testimony. Senator Keenan and the Home Builders and Remodelers Association supported a bill to toll the one-year period for acting on a variance while an appeal is pending, saying appeals should not consume the time needed to implement approved projects. Representative Murray and the Real Estate Bar Association also testified on broader zoning reforms, including changes to undersized lots, merger rules, hearing deadlines, appeals, and variance standards; they argued the proposals would reduce delay and uncertainty and help housing production. Committee members questioned whether shifting zoning appeals from de novo to closed-record review would limit new evidence, and the witnesses said the change would speed cases while preserving limited opportunities to supplement the record. The committee also heard testimony on bills to end the criminalization of homelessness. Representatives, advocates, and shelter organizations said local camping bans and fines are counterproductive, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision, and urged a statewide response centered on housing and public health rather than punishment. Other municipal bills included remote participation in open town meetings for Wayland and a statewide local option, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett charter changes, and Cambridge’s request to use automated parking enforcement and mail parking tickets. The hearing also included testimony supporting fairground zoning flexibility, a Shrewsbury solar siting bill, and an Inspector General bill clarifying county land disposition procedures by requiring written notice to DCAM and a defined response period. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We kill a lot of trees and I'm guilty of that because I have to mock things up.
• We kill a lot of trees and I'm guilty of that because I have to mock things up.
• We kill a lot of trees and I'm guilty of that because I have to mock things up.
• We kill a lot of trees and I'm guilty of that because I have to mock things up.
• We kill a lot of trees and I'm guilty of that because I have to mock things up.

Bills: SB115, SB131, SB93, HB319, HB163, HB268, SB115, SB131, SB93, HB319, HB163, HB268, HB181, HB153, SB132, SB26, SB189, SB196, HB140, SB197, HB117

Keywords: SB115, Alabama, impersonating a peace officer, peace officer, law enforcement impersonation, police impersonation, unauthorized police officer, fake cop, certification revoked, certification suspended, Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission, APOSTC, Class C felony, law enforcement hiring, appointment of officers, federal law enforcement, arrest authority, public order, criminal offenses, Judiciary Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Instead, she and two other little girls were knocked out of a tree and died.
• She told me a— A girl from Hadley's cabin had been found in a tree miles downriver.
• She said, "No dad, Hadley's in a tree."
• Unfortunately, my daughter's family tree will no longer grow because of a lack of preparation, detection
• They climbed up in a tree, and the water got to his waist. He said, "This is probably..."

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They’re really good at foraging about two to three miles from their hives, and they really like trees
• , tree pollen, and tree nectar a lot.
• Watkins: They’re really good at foraging about two to three miles from their hives, and they really like trees
• , tree pollen, and tree nectar a lot.

Keywords: 00:00 - Introduction 00:15 – Attendance Roll Call 03:15 -- House Bill 186 09:59 – Roll Call Vote 11:51 – HB 370 22:55 – Roll Call Vote 24:45 – HB 304 28:47—Roll Call Vote 30:13 – HB 391 43:09—Roll Call Vote, 958, all

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 186, which would streamline food-service rules for churches and nonprofits providing meals to homeless shelters and people displaced by natural disasters. Representative Duvall said the bill is meant to remove unnecessary kitchen and plumbing requirements so organizations can safely serve simple meals in emergencies. Members discussed food safety, whether the bill applies only in declared disaster situations or also to homeless shelters, and whether training should be offered; Duvall clarified that the disaster and homelessness provisions are separate and that food must still be safe and wholesome. After discussion, the committee took a roll call vote and House Bill 186 passed with favorable expression. The committee then heard House Bill 370, a Department of Agriculture reorganization measure sponsored by Representative Payne. Payne and Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell said the bill would move the Division of Farm Safety and Rural Health and create an Office of Economic Development to better support programs such as Food Is Medicine, rural health, farmer mental health, and farm safety. Members asked about the removal of references to shows and fairs, whether the bill would affect livestock shows and county fairs, and whether any new funding was included; Payne said the department would still support shows and fairs, the change was about efficiency and focus, and no new funding was specified because budget decisions come later. Discussion on House Bill 370 also highlighted the department’s broader economic role, including agricultural economic development and outreach tied to the new USDA secretary’s visit to Kentucky. The committee then voted and the bill passed with favorable expression. Finally, the committee began House Bill 304 on soybean assessment language. Representative Bivens and soybean association representatives explained it as cleanup language related to the soybean checkoff and a contingency if the federal checkoff changes. Members asked whether a referendum had already occurred and whether producers supported the measure; the witnesses said the referendum had already taken place and that soybean producers and the association supported it, while one member noted the state may increasingly need to adjust to federal changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate, we'd like to present this gift we have of the State House that you can put on your Christmas tree
• We have of the State House that you can put on your Christmas tree. Thank you.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several ceremonial resolutions. Members adopted resolutions commending Anticoagulation Forum Incorporated for recognizing May 2025 as Hypertension Awareness Month, the New England Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation for recognizing March 2025 as Kidney Disease Awareness Month, and C.R. Lyons and Sons Funeral Direction on its 100th anniversary. The chamber also adopted a resolution commending the South Boston Citizens Association for its observance of the 249th anniversary of Evacuation Day. Senator Collins spoke at length about the historical importance of Evacuation Day, Boston’s role in the American Revolution, and the South Boston Citizens Association’s long-running efforts to preserve and promote that history. Tom McGrath, president of the association, thanked the Senate and said the holiday should be restored as a state holiday. The Senate also welcomed Irish Cabinet Minister for Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, who discussed Irish-American ties, Irish companies operating in Massachusetts and the U.S., and the importance of maintaining cultural and economic links. The Senate further recognized guests including Lieutenant Jeffrey Diyadh, newly appointed legislative liaison to the State Police, the Hamilton-Wenham girls’ cross-country team, 2024 MIAA Division III state champions, and visitors from the North Attleboro Council on Aging. No substantive legislation was debated; the session consisted of recognitions, guest introductions, and ceremonial actions. The Senate adopted an order to meet again on Monday at 11:00 a.m. and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• After retiring from the private sector, he became a tireless volunteer for forestry education and tree
• forestry became a tireless volunteer for forestry education<00:58:53.520> and<00:58:53.839> tree
• education and tree planting efforts. education and tree planting efforts.
• 1500 hour volunteer hours each year 1500 hour volunteer hours each year promoting<00:59:31.359> tree
• planting<00:59:31.920> and<00:59:32.160> wise<00:59:32.559> forest Promoting tree

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation by Reverend Jod Gun, whose prayer was journalized by unanimous consent. The chamber then recognized several guests, including representatives from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, who were present for a resolution honoring Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week, as well as former Delegate and physician Dan Moheim, Towson University students, a veteran guest, and parents and young children visiting for Maryland Family Network’s Day in Annapolis. The Senate adopted a resolution recognizing the National Alliance on Mental Illness for its advocacy on tardive dyskinesia screening, early detection, and treatment, and designated May 5–9 as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week. The resolution was read and adopted without objection. The chamber also unanimously welcomed the guest groups and thanked them for their service and advocacy. In second-reader action, the Senate advanced several bills with committee amendments adopted without objection. Senate Bill 113, the Longevity Ready Maryland Act, was amended to refine aging-related planning, website reporting, and Commission on Aging membership, then ordered to third reading. Senate Bill 123 updated the membership of the Oversight Committee on Quality of Care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and was also sent to third reading. Senate Bill 336 extended the Task Force on the Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances for one year and added an HBCU representative. Senate Bill 394 expanded expedited partner therapy to bacterial vaginosis and added licensed certified midwives as authorized practitioners. Senate Bill 444 changed certificate-of-need requirements for certain intermediate care facilities, and Senate Bill 461 conformed the SNAP Heat and Eat Program to federal eligibility rules; both were advanced to third reading. The Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee then took up Senate Bill 108, which would authorize the Maryland Department of the Environment to impose administrative penalties for certain water, wetlands, dam, and riparian-rights violations and expand administrative enforcement tools. Several senators raised concerns about the scope of the bill, its effect on shoreline restoration, dams, stormwater and wetlands enforcement, and whether it could allow penalties without adequate process or encourage payment instead of correction. The floor leader responded that the amendment requires notice, an informal meeting, and consideration of good-faith efforts before penalties are imposed in certain cases, and said the bill does not change permit requirements. The debate continued as members sought clarification on how the bill would apply to private dams, HOAs, farmers, and shoreline projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in Bell County, that’s over 100,000 trees on 148 acres.
• So, in Bell County, that’s over 100,000 trees on 148 acres.
• So, in Bell County, that’s over 100,000 trees on 148 acres. million dollars uh back in the 2022 million
• <00:32:49.120> In<00:32:49.320> Leslie<00:32:49.720> County, Trees on 148 acres
• In Leslie County, that was 64,000 trees on 95 acres. And in Knox County, 50,000 trees on 76 acres.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:26 Approval of Minutes 00:02:27 LIHEAP Presentation and Public Hearing 00:02:42 Conservation Opportunities in Kentucky 00:29:52, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up a public hearing and presentation on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Shannon Hall of the Department for Community Based Services and Rick Baker of Community Action Kentucky explained that LIHEAP is a 100% federally funded block grant that helps low-income households pay heating and cooling bills, avoid utility disconnects, and support weatherization. They outlined the program’s components, eligibility limits, seasonal application periods, and recent participation figures, including tens of thousands of households served through the summer cooling, fall subsidy, winter crisis, and spring subsidy components. They also described weatherization priorities, the partnership with Kentucky Housing Corporation, and the role of Community Action agencies in administering the program statewide. Members asked about Assurance 16, the balance between need and available funding, summer cooling assistance, weatherization measurement, renter versus homeowner participation, and whether federal changes could affect LIHEAP. Hall and Baker said Assurance 16 supports energy-burden reduction through education, case management, and conservation strategies; that funding has generally been sufficient in recent years but crisis funds have sometimes been exhausted quickly in the past; and that summer assistance is primarily electric utility support. They also said weatherization uses return-on-investment testing and that Kentucky still has a large backlog of homes needing service. On federal funding, they said the recently passed federal bill did not directly cut LIHEAP, but future appropriations could still affect it, and any major reduction could leave a gap the state might need to consider filling. The committee approved the minutes and later approved the LIHEAP finding of fact; no members of the public signed up to testify. After concluding LIHEAP, the committee heard a presentation from Heather Jeff of The Nature Conservancy on conservation opportunities in Kentucky. She described the organization’s voluntary land-protection work and highlighted the Cumberland Forest project, a conservation easement on about 55,000 acres in Bell, Knox, and Leslie counties supported in part by a $3.875 million state appropriation. She also reported on mine-land reforestation, elk habitat work, and the rapid allocation of a $2 million appropriation for the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Jeff emphasized the economic value of conservation for tourism, hunting and fishing, agriculture, forestry, bourbon, and flood protection, and said the group is finalizing a Kentucky conservation needs assessment and related feasibility research.

Transcript Highlights:

• heat desert, I was looking at Arizona, and there was a study that came up where Arizona had planted trees
• in order to mitigate heat, and they were the wrong trees.
• So I started asking the questions: do we know what kind of seeds that... ...and they were the wrong trees
• Are we making sure that those trees that we plant are actually going to produce shade?
• So this allows for... ...whether or not the trees live or die.

Bills: AB52, AB76, AB163, AB388, AB483

Keywords: health insurance, claims process, insurance regulation, admin penalties, healthcare access, cannabis, cannabis establishment, medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis, advertising regulations, packaging requirements, unlicensed cannabis activities, state prosecution, confidentiality, Cannabis Compliance Board, disciplinary proceedings, mental health, counseling, interstate practice, telehealth

Transcript Highlights:

• And there was a tree always there that marked where that grave was.
• And I heard Commissioner Reid speak of his grandfather being buried under a big elm tree just yesterday
• And there was a tree buried by hand.
• And there was a tree always<00:17:31.840> there<00:17:32.080> that<00:17:32.400> marked
• under a big elm tree just yesterday. under a big elm tree just yesterday.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My goal and what I'm thinking this helps us do is it helps, I guess, sort of prune the tree.
• sort<00:52:48.800> of<00:52:48.960> prune<00:52:49.280> the<00:52:49.440> tree
• if it were sort sort of prune the tree if it were sort of<00:52:51.440> prune<00:52:51.599>
• > the<00:52:51.760> tree.
• So um we get rid of a of prune the tree.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know there's a lot of questions, but on our side, obviously, the trees are almost gone. Yeah.
• the the trees are is almost gone. Yeah. the the trees are is almost gone. Yeah.
• No, we do have something, Senator, for landscape trees.
• We don't have protocol for the fruits and vegetables and the trees.
• We just have a treatment for the trees now. We don't have a treatment for the food.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard House Bill 643, House Draft 2, which would create short-term management initiatives and appropriate funds for the coconut rhinoceros beetle response program. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive. Committee discussion focused on biocontrol efforts, including fungus and virus-based treatments, the need for a biosecure facility, and the timeline for testing and range studies. Department of Agriculture officials said initial testing is underway at the University of Hawaii, but full testing requires a higher-biosafety facility that is not yet available on island. Members also discussed funding levels, the possibility of a mobile facility, and whether the work could be accelerated. The committees later voted to pass HB 643 unamended. The committees also heard House Bill 736, House Draft 1, which would establish a three-year wastewater system and individual wastewater technology testing pilot program at the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center. Supporters said the bill could help certify new, lower-cost decentralized wastewater technologies and reduce the cost of cesspool upgrades while improving water quality. University of Hawaii witnesses explained that the center would test technologies, collect samples, analyze results, and provide reports to the Department of Health for certification. Members raised concerns about whether the program would help communities facing immediate wastewater issues, the length of the testing timeline, and whether technologies like the Genki ball could be included. The committee was told the pilot would likely test one technology at a time over about nine months each, though multiple tests could run in parallel later. The committees voted to pass HB 736 unamended. After those measures, the joint committee moved to an AEN-only agenda and began hearing STR 111 / SR 92, which declares a public health emergency relating to climate change and calls for statewide coordination on cross-sector solutions. Testimony in support came from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Public Health Institute, and others. Supporters said climate change affects public health through heat, wildfire risk, invasive mosquitoes, and other impacts, and argued that the response should involve agriculture, planning, transportation, and emergency management, not just the Department of Health.