Video & Transcript Research : 'immunization exemptions'

Page 29 of 376
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • Yeah, they're exempt. And so I want to say that really clearly again.
  • Does this exempt small community banks? Yes, Chairman Kolkhorst.
  • We also would not allow the exemption for industrial applications.
  • Also, do they receive sovereign immunity? No. I mean, they're an independent community group.
  • We have sovereign immunity; they don't. Thank you. Okay, I'm not seeing any other lights.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Rules Apr 8th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • that local governments are effectively immune from suit under this provision.
  • Sb 1640, is a public records exemption bill that makes lethality assessment forms confidential and exempt
  • Last year, the legislature enacted a public records exemption.
  • The exemption is necessary to protect protect proprietary business information.
  • Senators. >> Sb 7018 saves from repeal existing public record exemption for any identity.
Keywords: 999, senate, all
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

89th Legislative Session May 24th, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • or allocations and the calculation of the penalty for filing a late application for such an exemption
  • I just... they may be tax-exempt anyway. I don't know who might do this.
  • There should be no confusion or exemption about the rights of students.
  • There's no reason to exempt it from the DEI provisions.
  • , herd immunity is generally, you know, for most vaccines, 95% vaccinated population.
Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, heard an invocation and pledges, and approved several routine motions, including excuses for absent members, permission for committees to meet while the House was in session, and postponements of some bills. The chamber also received a Senate message listing measures passed by the Senate and adopted a memorial resolution honoring the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, with remarks entered into the House Journal after a moment of silence. The House then took up a long third-reading calendar and passed a series of Senate bills on topics including criminal justice and corrections sunset provisions (SB 2405, 2406, 2407), election equipment testing (SB 2166), electric grid reliability and attack-preparedness exercises (SB 2148), firefighter collective bargaining (SB 777), DFPS and foster care procedures (SB 1141 and SB 1398), Medicare durable medical equipment billing (SB 1330), property tax administration (SB 1453), probate cleanup and record transfers (SB 1448 and SB 1839), mental health filing procedures (SB 53), school residency for children in safety placements (SB 226), diabetes-related amputation study (SB 1677), rapid DNA analysis (SB 1723), utility rate transparency and capacity cost recovery (SB 1664 and SB 1856), community supervision eligibility (SB 552 postponed), and other measures. Several bills passed with broad support, while others drew notable opposition and narrower margins, including SB 777, SB 2137, SB 2111, SB 1677, SB 1936, SB 1453, and SB 38. Two bills drew especially extensive debate. SB 2148, dealing with electricity supply chain reliability and tabletop exercises for critical facilities, was discussed as a grid-security measure aimed at coordinating utilities, law enforcement, ERCOT, and the PUC in the event of physical attacks; it passed unanimously. SB 1936, changing how LSD is measured for criminal prosecution from dosage-based to weight-based calculations, prompted extended discussion about lab consistency, carrier mediums, and fairness in charging, with supporters saying it would help crime labs and law enforcement and opponents warning it could distort penalties depending on the medium used; it passed 108-26. The House also passed SB 36, creating a Homeland Security Division within DPS, after questions about overlap with TDEM and the cost of adding personnel. Late in the day, the House debated SB 38 on eviction procedures, with supporters saying it targeted squatters and streamlined removal of unauthorized occupants, and opponents arguing it would make evictions too easy and worsen homelessness; it passed 85-44. The chamber also began debate on SB 37, a major higher-education governance bill that would expand governing-board oversight of curriculum, hiring, and faculty senates; members raised concerns about academic freedom, faculty governance, and the impact on humanities programs, and debate was still underway at the end of the transcript.
AL
Transcript Highlights:
  • the jobs program unless... ...participate in the jobs program unless you meet a qualification to be exempt
  • The exempt child care facilities were down by 55. What happened to a lot of the exempt facilities?
  • The bill provides civil immunity... offices.
  • The bill provides civil immunity to those storing the weapon.
Keywords: 924, joint, all
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • Reducing the reproduction, the immunity, the health of those invertebrates, and over time, that's leading
  • Evolve is FIFRA-25B-exempt and requires no special license. Thank you very much.
  • They're trying to pull some of that back or give further exemptions.
  • They're trying to pull some of that back or give further exemptions.
  • There was a well-known supermarket chain that was closed for almost six, or give further exemptions.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a hybrid hearing on a large slate of bills focused on pesticides, pollinators, rodenticides, mosquito control, invasive species, and local authority over pesticide regulation. Chair Becca Rausch set strict two-minute testimony limits due to the very large number of speakers. Early testimony from Senator Moore and Representative Hawkins strongly supported a bill to restrict second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, citing harms to wildlife, pets, and public health, and noting that California has already adopted a similar model. Testimony also supported a Lowell home rule petition to allow the city to prohibit or restrict these rodenticides, with local officials describing documented raptor poisonings and municipal efforts to phase out use on city property. A major portion of the hearing focused on pollinator protection and neonicotinoid-treated seeds. Witnesses from environmental groups, conservation organizations, academics, and beekeepers argued that neonics harm bees and other beneficial insects, contaminate soil and water, and provide little or no economic benefit in most corn and soybean fields. Several speakers pointed to New York, Vermont, and Quebec as models for restricting treated seeds, and one panel cited research showing only a small percentage of fields benefit economically from the treatments. Support was also voiced for a bill establishing an ecologically based mosquito management program, with advocates criticizing aerial and truck spraying and urging non-chemical, locally tailored approaches. Other testimony supported bills to reform the pesticide board and pesticide regulation process, to give vulnerable municipalities more local control over pesticide use, to protect schoolchildren from pesticides on school grounds, and to respond to invasive species through a centralized state office, coordinator, strategic plan, and trust fund. Many speakers, including representatives from Mass Audubon, MSPCA, the Xerces Society, the Sierra Club, watershed groups, and local wildlife rehabilitators, described impacts on hawks, owls, pets, fish, and broader ecosystems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and committee members generally asked few questions, with the hearing remaining in testimony mode throughout.
WY

Wyoming 2026 Regular Session

Select Committee on Tribal Relations, June 15, 2026 - PM

Select Committee on Tribal Relations

Transcript Highlights:
  • tribal governments and did not give up any rights of the parties, including treaty rights, sovereign immunities
  • <00:02:55.360> rights, parties including treaty rights, parties including treaty rights, immunities
  • <00:02:56.720> including<00:02:57.120> sovereign immunities including sovereign immunities
  • including sovereign immunities<00:02:58.000> or<00:02:58.239> jurisdiction.
  • immunities or jurisdiction. immunities or jurisdiction.
Keywords: 916, all
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

HHS-AEN, HHS-HOU, HHS Public Hearings 03-12-2025

Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:14:40.720> an ocean is there a possibility for an ocean is there a possibility for an exemption
  • for those that are not exemption for those that are not impacting<00:14:45.600> um<00:14:45.959
  • I want to say that natural immunity, not mass killing, but natural immunity and more healthy practices
  • I want to say that natural immunity, not mass killing, but natural immunity and more healthy practices
  • Also, I want to say that natural immunity, not mass killing, but natural immunity and more healthy practices
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The joint hearing covered several bills focused on environmental protection and wastewater management. HB 26 HD 2, relating to environmental protection, drew support from the Department of Health, Reworld, and Energy Justice Network. Supporters said it would preserve existing standards for waste-to-energy facilities, including H-Power, even if federal EPA rules are weakened, while Energy Justice Network urged the state to go further and require stronger pollution controls on older burners at the plant. HB 734 and HB 735, both relating to wastewater systems, received broad support from state agencies, county representatives, realtors, environmental groups, and others. Testimony emphasized reducing the cost of cesspool upgrades, updating rules, and improving coordination between the Department of Health, counties, and the University of Hawaiʻi. Members raised concerns about whether some areas, such as Ewa, should be treated differently if they are not near aquifers or the ocean, but the department said the existing prioritization process already considered statewide conditions and that cesspools generally still affect water resources. On HB 735, the committee discussed the current bedroom-based limits for individual wastewater systems and whether the bill would allow more flexibility for housing configurations, with the department explaining the limits are tied to density and system capacity. HB 879, relating to cesspool conversions, was also supported by the Department of Health, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and several advocacy groups. Testimony said the bill would help low- and moderate-income homeowners in priority areas by increasing grant assistance for cesspool upgrades, but the Department of Health noted it would need three full-time positions to administer the program. Members asked for clarification on the grant amount and staffing costs, and the department indicated the grant cap should remain at $20,000 unless changed. HB 918, relating to labeling of non-flushable wipes, drew support from wastewater and industry groups, including the Association of Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, which said similar laws have passed in other states and that the bill reflects cooperation between manufacturers and wastewater officials. The Department of Health and county officials supported the concept but said enforcement and outreach would require additional staff, and senators questioned whether the state could effectively enforce the labeling requirement without a national standard.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Community Affairs Feb 3rd, 2026

Community Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • against discrimination in land-use decisions involving affordable housing and waiving sovereign immunity
  • We have enacted one of those exemptions in Marion County, the county where I'm from.
  • These public records exemptions are...” “...related to a data center.
  • These public records exemptions are similar to the current exemptions for economic development projects
  • In your close, if you might address how you may perhaps even further limit that time of the exemption
Summary: The committee heard several housing, local government, utility, and transparency bills. SB 1342 on transportation infrastructure and land development regulations, by Sen. Rouson, was presented as a housing-affordability measure modeled on the Live Local Act for transit corridors. After adopting an amendment that removed the bill’s compelling-governmental-interest language in enforcement provisions, the committee heard testimony from local-government and housing interests both supporting and opposing the bill’s zoning preemption approach. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also reported favorably CS/SB 1614, by Sen. Leek, which was amended to remove stormwater and code-enforcement spending provisions and to tighten restrictions on local governments seeking state appropriations after audits or without required affirmations. SB 1548, the next Live Local Act iteration by Sen. Claddie Ude, was also reported favorably; it expands where Live Local projects may be located and adds fair-housing protections. SB 968 on home backup power systems, by Sen. McLean, was reported favorably after testimony from builders and energy-related stakeholders, with the sponsor noting he was still working on amendments to refine permit provisions. The committee then approved CS/SB 698, by Sen. Martin, which allows building permits for single-family homes to be issued before septic permits are finalized if application has been made, while still requiring septic approval before occupancy. Builders testified that septic permit delays were causing lengthy project delays and contract cancellations. The committee also reported favorably SB 1320, by Sen. Martin, requiring county tax-increase referenda to include a Department of Financial Services spending analysis if available; the sponsor said the goal was to give voters more standardized fiscal information, while opponents argued existing law already provides similar transparency. SB 484, by Sen. Avila, on data centers, was reported favorably after an amendment adding a knowledge requirement to the foreign-country-of-concern service prohibition; the bill addresses local planning authority, nondisclosure agreements, utility tariff requirements, and water-use limits for large data centers. The committee also reported favorably SB 1118, by Sen. Avila, creating a one-year public-records exemption for data-center location and proprietary information, with testimony split between economic-development supporters and transparency concerns. Finally, the committee took up SB 706, by Sen. Mayfield, preempting naming of major commercial service airports to the state and designating Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport subject to federal and trademark conditions; it was reported favorably after questions about local input and airport naming. The committee then heard extensive public testimony on SB 1134, by Sen. Yarbrough, which would prohibit counties and municipalities from funding, promoting, or taking official actions related to DEI and would create penalties and a private right of action for residents. The sponsor argued the bill was aimed at preventing taxpayer-funded DEI programs and cited examples from Jacksonville and other jurisdictions; opponents said the bill was vague, overbroad, and would chill local programs, public education, and civil-rights-related activities. The transcript ends during continued public testimony on SB 1134, with no final committee action shown in the excerpt.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • We would ask the committee to consider a rider to exempt those employees from the FTE cap so that HHSC
  • We are not immune to the staffing crisis facing all providers today.
  • system to the point where your body can't even produce an immune response.
  • for public school, as well as to be exempted from the bacterial meningitis vaccination for university
  • Texas law requires that those who wish to be exempt provide a notarized copy of the exemption affidavit
Bills: SB1, SB 1
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations Jun 1st, 2026

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • Beginning the fifth year of receiving the exemption, the homesteader will receive the full $250,000 exempt
  • Over time, the $250,000 super exemption and the $50,000 new homesteader exemptions are increased annually
  • to 50, and it exempted school taxes.
  • Any additional homestead exemption beyond the current indexed exemption amount would create a direct
  • Any additional homestead exemption beyond the current indexed exemption amount would create a direct
Keywords: 999, senate, all
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • This would grant them a sales tax exemption, putting them on equal footing with other organizations like
  • Alzheimer's and dementia and other cognitive disabilities would exempt someone from this law.
  • tested subjects and it also provides the different ways they can go through a possibility of being exempted
  • House Bill 4340 is a constituent request bill that would exempt fracked water sales from tax.
  • trust authority of a political subdivision, city, state, or county would be able to pass their tax exemption
FL

Florida 2026 5th Special Session

FL House Floor Session - 2025-05-02 (11:00AM Session)

Florida House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • We will exempt teacher candidates who have successfully completed teacher preparation programs approved
  • amendment retains the entire content of the House bill as passed by this body, with a good cause exemption
  • Also, the legislation provides exemptions to make sure that students who have a disability or a medical
  • admission care services to a patient based solely on the patient's vaccination status, extends sovereign immunity
  • admission care services to a patient based solely on the patient's vaccination status, extends sovereign immunity
Summary: The House took up a series of Senate messages and concurred in several amendments before passing multiple bills. Early actions included unanimous passage of CS/CS/HB 1299 on Department of Health matters, CS/HB 1549 on financial institutions after removing a Senate-added trust-account provision, and CS/CS/SB 768 on foreign ties in business ownership after trimming registration requirements. The chamber also insisted on its housing amendment to CS/CS/CS/SB 184 after the Senate refused to concur. A major portion of the meeting focused on CS/CS/HB 875 on educator preparation. The House adopted an amendment restoring two teacher-prep courses, preserving the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence at Miami-Dade College in partnership with USF, and modifying the teacher candidate testing framework and mentor qualifications. Supporters said it reduced barriers while keeping standards; opponents raised concerns about the remaining “identity politics” language and other provisions. The bill then passed 91-22. The House also passed HB 1101 on out-of-network providers after adopting a House amendment that kept the original bill’s notice and referral provisions with a good-cause exemption, despite objections that it placed too much responsibility on doctors. Later, the chamber approved CS/CS/SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response, with members highlighting debris management, emergency planning, crane safety, and hurricane recovery provisions; it passed unanimously. The House then rejected concurrence in a Senate amendment to HB 1609 on waste incineration, and later spent substantial time debating CS/CS/HB 1115 on education, especially Schools of Hope, expanded co-location authority, funding, transportation, and school-district agreement terms. Critics argued the language was added late and could disadvantage traditional public schools, while supporters said it would expand options for students; the debate continued with the bill still under consideration at the end of the excerpt.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Feb 26th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • House Bill 4126 exempts private property owners from activities that involve dirt bikes and off-road
  • First and foremost, it provides legal immunity to first responders who make these notifications in good
  • there's about $90,000 in utility debt that they've been unable to collect because existing language exempted
  • What this bill does is just clarifying on security guard on a private security guard unarmed exempting
  • Certain persons are exempt from that definition.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Floor Session May 26th, 2026

California House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • AB 1668 simply extends the welfare tax exemption for open space lands.
  • Assembly Bill 2651 by Assembly Member Bonta and others, an act relating to immunizations. Ms.
  • The herd immunity rate is the percentage of the population that must be immunized to prevent disease
  • transmission and thus provide some protection even for those who lack immunity.
  • To ensure herd immunity, parents need school-level vaccination rates.
Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and proceeded through a large House of Origin floor file, with the Speaker repeatedly urging members to be at their desks and keep support bills brief. Early actions included dispensing with the journal, re-referring AB 2285 to the Banking and Finance Committee, and then taking up dozens of third-reading items, with many bills passed by voice or recorded vote and others passed temporarily or retained on file. The floor debated and passed a wide range of measures on land use, housing, labor, public safety, health care, utilities, taxation, and consumer protection. Among the bills approved were measures on land surveyor review (AB 1933), nurse midwife access for pregnant and postpartum patients (AB 1696), historic-district transit zoning flexibility (AB 2415), EV charging infrastructure fees and timelines (AB 1820), foreclosure bidding protections (AB 1957), tribal cannabis commerce (AB 2506), outdoor advertising permitting (AB 2024), commercial building permit timelines and third-party plan checkers (AB 2418), DUI penalties (AB 1685 and AB 1687), utility rate transparency (AB 1715), CalWORKs work-penalty changes (AB 1755), dynamic electricity rates (AB 1787), interior designer licensure (AB 1796), compost labeling and contamination rules (AB 1812), modular housing standardization (AB 1815), small claims limits for businesses (AB 1827), Native American Day as a paid state holiday (AB 1841), hospital staffing and maternity access bills (AB 1868 and AB 1882), protective orders tied to release dates (AB 1889), and a series of public health, missing persons, and teacher credentialing measures later in the file. Several high-profile bills drew extended debate. AB 2624, expanding Safe at Home privacy protections to immigrant service providers, prompted sharp disagreement over free speech and alleged limits on online posting, but supporters said it protected workers facing threats and doxing; it ultimately passed 49-19. AB 2023, creating a framework for regulating AI chatbots used by children, was framed as a child-safety measure after testimony about chatbot-related harms and suicide risks, and passed 58-8. Other notable votes included AB 2208 on Medi-Cal protections against federal cuts, AB 2299 on CalFresh/SNAP losses, AB 2115 apologizing to California Native peoples for historic state harms, and AB 2311 on public hospital physician employment; the transcript ends as the Assembly continues working through the remaining file.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • But I think the carrier has immunity.
  • But I think the carrier has immunity.
  • I will double carrier has immunity.
  • would have immunity. would have immunity. >> Okay,<00:32:11.360> Mr.
  • <01:41:49.199> mentions of the specific exemptions mentions of the specific exemptions mentions
Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the August 29 minutes, and then heard testimony on a bill relating to machine gun conversion devices, often described as Glock switches or auto sears. Representative Jason Nemis presented the bill with Louisville police Chief Paul Humphrey and Lt. Drew Fox, arguing the measure would mirror existing federal law, make possession of these devices unlawful under Kentucky law, and give state and local law enforcement authority to seize and prosecute them without relying solely on federal agencies. They said the devices are small aftermarket or 3D-printed parts that convert semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons and emphasized that the bill would not affect lawful gun ownership. The presenters cited rising seizures and public-safety concerns, saying LMPD and Jefferson County seizures increased sharply from 2023 to 2024 and that the average age of possession had dropped. They argued the devices are used offensively, are inaccurate and dangerous, and have been linked to violent crime. Two Alabama legislators, Representatives Philip Ensler and Russell Bedsole, testified in support based on Alabama’s recent enactment of a similar law. They said local police and prosecutors there had been unable to act effectively because the devices were handled mainly by federal authorities, and they described bipartisan support, immediate enactment, and reported confiscations after passage. Members asked about the bill’s penalty level, the source and manufacture of the devices, the scope of the definition of “conversion device,” and whether the bill could create constitutional problems given ongoing federal litigation over machine gun restrictions. The sponsors said the penalty would be a Class C felony and that the bill was intended to cover only the device attached to the firearm, not tools like 3D printers. They acknowledged that if federal machine gun laws were ultimately struck down, the state law would also be unenforceable. Some members supported the bill as common-sense public safety legislation, while Representative Roberts opposed it on Second Amendment grounds, arguing Kentucky should focus on expanding gun rights rather than adding restrictions already covered by federal law.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee Jul 1st, 2025

Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Transcript Highlights:
  • Recent amendments clarify the timeline for the immunity by specifying that the protections under the
  • and the next committee in the judiciary, but it does concern me a bit that we're doing a blanket exemption
  • don't know if I missed a bit. the committee about changing the language to be instead of a blank exemption
  • I just find self-concern about it, about a blanket exemption even during that period.
  • So it would not be so much a blanket exemption from civil liability, but more something akin to the public
Keywords: 988, house, all
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Senate in Session Feb 11th, 2026

Florida Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I wanted to acknowledge the doctors that are here that helped us work with this, whereas high immunization
  • has been designated by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as National Immunization
  • August 26th,... ...by the Senate of the State of Florida that August 26th is the recognized day of immunization
  • Senate Bill 52 exempts people who provide volunteer armed security for churches and other places of worship
Summary: The Florida Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of introductions recognizing visiting groups and guests, including college students and leaders, health and nonprofit organizations, Catholic Days at the Capitol participants, foreign dignitaries from Morocco, and others. Senators also observed a moment of silence for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, with remarks honoring the Parkland community and the school safety law that followed. The chamber then took up a special order calendar of bills, beginning with several claims bills and local relief measures. SB 14 for Jose Correa against Miami-Dade County passed 37-1, and HB 6517 for A. Sanchez-Mayan against the City of St. Petersburg passed after substitution. HB 6515 for Lordes Latour and Edward Lator against Miami-Dade County also passed 38-1. The Senate then approved SB 52 on volunteer armed security at places of worship (39-0), SB 124 updating Florida Virtual School statutes (39-0), SB 504 on code inspector body cameras (39-0), and SB 506 on related public records (38-1). A lengthy debate centered on SB 7040, which recreates the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund through December 31, 2027. Several senators argued for tighter oversight and supported an amendment by Senator Berman that would have limited fund use and required Legislative Budget Commission approval for continued spending; that amendment failed 12-27. The underlying bill then passed 29-10. Senators also adopted SB 594 on local housing assistance for mobile home owners (39-0), SB 656 strengthening Internet Crimes Against Children programs (39-0), SB 806 creating right-to-repair protections for wireless devices and agricultural equipment (39-0), SB 816 establishing the University of Florida Diabetes Institute (39-0), SM 1186 urging Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure by voice vote, SB 308 creating the Florida Museum of Black History with a late-filed amendment clarifying ex officio nonvoting legislative members (39-0), and SB 572 updating ethics law to include foster children and foster parents, as amended (38-0). The Senate also withdrew SB 1360 from further consideration, certified passed bills to the House, and adjourned until February 19.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

HHS-HOU, HHS-LBT, HHS-CPN, TCA-HHS, AEN-HHS Public Hearings 02-07-2025

Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:39:40.640> a<00:39:40.800> simple Provisions for exemptions a simple Provisions
  • The appropriated funds should go towards healthier programs to improve our natural immunity.
  • The appropriated funds should go towards healthier programs to improve our natural immunity.
  • The appropriated funds should go towards healthier programs to improve our natural immunity.
  • The appropriated funds should go towards healthier programs to improve our natural immunity.
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The joint Housing and Health and Human Services hearing began with Senate Bill 878, which would extend the sunset date for the state rent supplement program for kupuna to June 30, 2028. Testimony was uniformly supportive, including from the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Executive Office on Aging, Catholic Charities Hawaii, and others. Catholic Charities described a waitlist of seniors at imminent risk of homelessness and said the program helps seniors retain housing or secure units with landlord support. Members asked whether the bill would expand the number of households served; staff said the contract allows up to 127 households and that additional pending households could be funded, but applicants must still go through the program process. Both committees voted to pass SB 878 unamended. The committees then heard Senate Bill 1610 on Ohana Zones. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions supported the measure so long as it did not supplant existing funding, and described the funding as supporting homelessness services and wraparound supports. The Department of Human Services and Department of Land and Natural Resources offered comments, with DHS suggesting a definition of “kali” be added for clarity. The committee chair said the bill would receive technical amendments for clarity and consistency and accepted proposed amendments related to including “tales” in the program; the measure was advanced with amendments, with members voting in favor in both committees. In the joint Health and Human Services and Labor and Technology hearing, Senate Bill 1496 on civil rights and website accessibility drew support from disability advocates and organizations, including the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the National Federation of the Blind, the Deaf and Blind Task Force, and the Disability and Communication Access Board. Testimony emphasized the need for stronger state protections amid concerns about federal enforcement, while one testifier raised concerns about jurisdiction, minimum contacts, the use of WCAG 2.1 standards, and the bill’s immediate effective date. The committees decided to pass SB 1496 with technical amendments, including adding a defective date to allow further work before conference, and the recommendation was adopted in both committees. Later, the joint Health, Human Services, and Commerce and Consumer Protection hearing took up Senate Bill 404 on service animals. The Attorney General’s office raised a possible constitutional issue and the lack of an enforcement mechanism, while DHS deferred to other agencies. DCAB supported the bill but recommended amendments to identify an enforcement agency and require notices from professionals and sellers of service-animal or emotional-support-animal paraphernalia. Several advocacy and real estate-related groups testified in support. After discussion, the chair recommended deferring SB 404 for further work because of the Attorney General’s concerns, and the hearing adjourned without a vote on the measure. The final joint Transportation, Culture and the Arts, and Health and Human Services agenda heard SB 1526 on a drug and alcohol toxicology testing laboratory and SB 1492 on mobility management; both measures were advanced with amendments or as-is, with SB 1526 sent forward with technical amendments and SB 1492 moved ahead after members noted blank dollar amounts and requested the Department of Transportation provide figures.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - Water and Natural Resources Nov 18th, 2025

Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • Exemptions mirror what was found in the statute.
  • that I just described, the critical unavoidable use exemption.
  • In other words, receiving an exemption Under the law, it did not exempt you from labeling requirements
  • And in the committee, you said, well, we'll get you an exemption.
  • And causing immune dysfunction.