Transcript Highlights:

• We're hoping that a couple of these proposed solutions just offer more flexible pathways to continue
• We're hoping that a couple of these proposed solutions just offer more flexible pathways to continue
• So this is intended to... ...give a flexible pathway, still relying on that incentivization of local
• So what's recommended here is to, again, offer a flexible pathway for them to maybe just update that
• Alternate programming spaces were also discussed.

Summary: The Capital Budget Committee heard presentations from the Department of Commerce, the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), and a consultant on the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) study. Commerce officials described their agency’s role in housing, energy, local government, broadband, and other capital programs, and reported on a $5 million pilot under Senate Bill 5200 that used trusted community messengers and technical assistance to help historically excluded organizations prepare for capital funding. They said 18 organizations received direct support and 79 smaller projects were also funded, but emphasized that statutory match rules, reimbursement-based payments, site-control requirements, insurance and audit costs, and extensive contracting rules remain major barriers. Commerce outlined efforts to expand outreach, digital modernization, internal contracting improvements, tribal MOUs, and innovation centers, and members asked about small business support, housing program placement, and outreach to Eastern Washington and communities of color. RCO described its grant programs for recreation, conservation, education, and salmon/orca recovery, and reviewed equity work done before and after a 2021-23 proviso. The agency had already created a small-communities carve-out in youth athletic facilities, piloted stipends for advisory committee members, and reduced match requirements where allowed. Under the proviso, RCO completed an equity review and a planning program that funded 54 projects across 34 counties, with many applicants being new or long-absent grantees. Staff said the review led to changes in scoring criteria, clearer application guidance, more objective data measures, expanded technical assistance, and targeted community engagement. Members asked about application burden, project sizes, outreach, and how the agency is broadening participation and representation on advisory committees. The final presentation summarized a planning study on SCAP, which examined rising construction costs, fragmented grant programs, local funding barriers, and uneven district capacity. The report recommended nine major changes, including stronger planning support, a new minor-modernization category, a mechanism to use unused funds more quickly, an education-specification prototype, a SCAP enhancement program for low-capacity districts, acceptance of non-SCAP funds, phased modernization, streamlined D-form and reimbursement processes, and revisions to the SCAP formula to better account for grade-band differences, enrollment projections, and regional cost factors. Additional recommendations included ongoing monitoring and evaluation, facilities-impact reviews, matching SCAP increases to construction-cost inflation, earlier locking of funding estimates, flexible program spaces, and updated statewide building-condition assessments. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• third pathway, data-driven The third pathway, data-driven attendance<00:18:42.480> strategies,
• > included<00:19:11.520> 30 in this pathway has included 30 in this pathway has included
• > districts<00:20:18.960> have Across these pathways, 43 districts have Across these pathways
• The cases enrollment in the pathways.
• alternative school day. alternative school day.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Building those pathways, experiential hands-on learning pathways is critical.
• Building those pathways, experiential hands-on learning pathways is critical.
• It needs a clear pathway.
• <01:32:04.800> pathways<01:32:05.360> into<01:32:05.760> the growth of alternative
• pathways into the growth of alternative pathways into the workforce.<01:32:07.199> When<01:32

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• see, as a result of improving fuel economy, improving diversification of the energy supply, and alternative
• fuel choices, that the overall transportation... ...supply, alternative fuel choices, that the overall
• What steps has CARB been taking to identify alternative sources of funding so that we can reopen these
• This could include potential changes to the ACF rule or alternative means.
• So we're recommending that the department report both on some other alternative options that could be

Summary: The committee hearing focused heavily on CARB’s broad trailer bill request for regulatory fee authority. Finance and CARB argued the proposal would let CARB develop fees to recover reasonable costs for implementing and enforcing regulations, while the LAO recommended rejection because the authority was too broad, could apply to an entire division of code, and would delegate core legislative taxing/fee-setting power without enough guardrails. Members from both parties raised concerns about the breadth of the authority, accountability, affordability impacts, and whether the Legislature would be put in an up-or-down position after CARB had already developed regulations. CARB responded that fees would still go through a budget change proposal and legislative approval before collection, and cited existing examples such as transport refrigeration units and commercial harborcraft fees. The committee then reviewed CARB’s request for permanent resources to implement SB 905 on carbon capture, utilization, storage, and carbon dioxide removal. CARB said the Legislature had previously authorized limited-term positions and funding, but it had struggled to recruit and retain staff with specialized regulatory and technical expertise, and that the work had included pre-rulemaking contracts, technology review, and permit-related preparation. Members questioned the pace of work, the use of limited-term positions, and whether additional permitting authority would be needed. CARB said it hoped to begin rulemaking later in the year if permanent resources were approved. Members also discussed the cap-and-trade spending plan, noting lower-than-expected auction revenues but higher interest earnings, and the need to monitor the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and possible May Revision changes. The committee then heard overviews of the zero-emission vehicle package, the Community Air Protection Program, demand-side grid support, and e-bike incentives. CARB described ongoing investments in community-based transportation equity, drayage trucks, harbor craft, and other clean technology demonstrations, while members pressed on affordability, program duplication, and whether enough funding was being directed to incentive programs. No formal votes were taken during the portion provided, and the chair repeatedly indicated that the hearing was intended to surface concerns for later budget negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• To date, we have better pathway here.
• <00:56:16.559> ways<00:56:16.880> to cost and benefits of alternative ways to cost
• other senator has an alternative other senator has an alternative third-party<01:15:37.280> report
• from anyone today were any alternative from anyone today were any alternative solutions<01:40:31.520
• <01:42:30.960> um the discussions on alternatives um the discussions on alternatives um because

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As the Commonwealth reflects on its future, agriculture is a keystone, we believe, to any pathway.
• Agriculture is a keystone, we believe, to any pathway into a stable and sustainable future.
• recently, the governor just submitted an energy affordability bill that proposes to eliminate the alternative
• recently, the governor just submitted an energy affordability bill that proposes to eliminate the alternative

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The meeting was the final session of the Special Commission on Agriculture in the 21st Century, convened to adopt its final report. The chairs described the report as the product of extensive public engagement, research, and collaboration, focused on challenges and opportunities for Massachusetts agriculture, including climate resilience, farmland access, workforce development, food security, and farm viability. Several members and stakeholders thanked the chairs and staff for the multi-year process and emphasized the value of hearing directly from farmers and industry participants. Senator Barrett offered a detailed set of draft corrections and concerns for the record, including the report title, outdated references, repeated definitions of MDAR, the need to better reflect suburban communities, and a possible tension between recommendations supporting anaerobic digestion and a governor’s proposal affecting the alternative portfolio standard. The chairs noted that comments had been circulated for written review and said substantive feedback would be considered, while also indicating the document was nearing finalization. The commission then held a roll call vote and unanimously voted to adopt the final report, with all members present voting yes. The chairs said the final report would be formatted, published online, and distributed to stakeholders and the public, with a public rollout and media briefing planned for the fall. They also noted that the report was intended to support related legislation already filed or expected to be filed in the Legislature.

Transcript Highlights:

• pathways and overcoming teacher pathway pathways and overcoming barriers<00:49:51.520> to<00:
• <00:51:03.760> for replicate this residency pathway for replicate this residency pathway for
• And their final pathway was a focus on undergraduate pathways and especially supporting a pathway from
• I love nontraditional pathways into teaching. I think it’s great.
• <01:00:55.280> I nontraditional pathways into teaching.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• benefits, and strengthen career pathways benefits, and strengthen career pathways for<00:17:34.640
• training, could we instead alternatively training, could we instead alternatively potentially<01
• Next bill, House Bill 2416 relating to the maritime youth apprenticeship pathway program.
• <02:03:36.000> This youth apprentichip pathway program.
• This youth apprentichip pathway program.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committees heard testimony on HB 1872, which would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program to help early childhood providers participate in approved apprenticeship programs, require annual reporting, and appropriate funds. Testifiers in support included the University of Hawaiʻi, the Executive Office on Early Learning, the City and County of Honolulu, Commit to Keiki, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi, the Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network Speaks, Parents for Public Schools of Hawaiʻi, and Kīʻoka Family Learning Centers. Supporters said the bill would reduce financial barriers, strengthen recruitment and retention, improve compensation and career pathways, and help address child care shortages and workforce instability. The committee then voted to pass HB 1872 with amendments, including an HD1 and a defective date to allow further discussion. The committee next took up HB 2489, which would appropriate funds for the University of Hawaiʻi to establish a bachelor’s degree program in American Sign Language interpretation, with a longer-term plan for a master’s program. Testimony in support came from the Disability Communication Access Board and the University of Hawaiʻi, and members also heard detailed support from DECAP and other advocates describing a statewide shortage of ASL interpreters, long waiting lists for ASL courses, and the need for locally trained interpreters who understand Hawaiʻi’s cultural and community needs. Witnesses said the shortage affects schools, courts, hospitals, emergency services, and other settings, and that the program could be expanded through articulation with other campuses. The committee voted to pass HB 2489 with amendments, again using an HD1 and defective date. After those two measures, the committee moved to HB 441 on campus safety, which would require students, including transfer students, to complete training on federal laws and university policies regarding sexual misconduct before initial registration and would change how often training is provided to students and employees. The University of Hawaiʻi stood on its written testimony, while supporters including IMUA Alliance and other testifiers urged passage, citing survivor experiences, national best practices, and the need for prevention before harm occurs. No vote on HB 441 was reached in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:38.240> to several years ago as an alternative to several years ago as an alternative
• Some alternative methods include the BCA, private companies, and local law enforcement.
• proposal allows existing alternative proposal allows existing alternative background<01:14:52.400
• <01:15:07.440> are enforcement these alternatives are enforcement these alternatives are cheaper
• excuse me the legitimate Alternatives excuse me the legitimate Alternatives<01:15:21.120> I<01

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• There are two other pathways that are shown sequentially in order to do anything other than path A.
• There are two other pathways that are shown sequentially in order to do anything other than path A.
• <00:15:52.600> that Zone there are two other Pathways that Zone there are two other Pathways
• permit um unlike the other Pathways permit um unlike the other Pathways shown<00:28:17.519> um
• <01:13:14.000> is possible or is the other alternative is possible or is the other alternative

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The informational briefing focused on the City and County of Honolulu’s effort to site a replacement landfill for Oahu before Waimanalo Gulch landfill closes in 2028. Department of Environmental Services officials outlined the solid waste system, including curbside collection, convenience centers, transfer stations, H-POWER, and the existing landfill, and explained that H-POWER reduces the volume of waste going to the landfill by about 90%. They reviewed the siting history, including the 2019 Land Use Commission deadline, the 2020 enactment of Act 73 with landfill setback and conservation-district restrictions, and the 2021-2022 landfill advisory committee that evaluated six sites but recommended none because they were within the Board of Water Supply’s no-pass zone. The city said it ultimately selected a site in central Oahu, on agricultural land near Wahiawa and the Dole Plantation, as the best legally permissible option and described it as requiring about 150 acres, with 90 acres for the landfill itself. City officials also described the proposed landfill design and safeguards, emphasizing a modern sanitary landfill with double liners, leachate collection, groundwater monitoring wells, and post-closure monitoring. They said the ash from H-POWER is dry and that leachate would be pumped to a wastewater treatment plant. They stated the site is away from residences and groundwater wells, accessible by highway, and can be permitted under state and federal rules, though they acknowledged that a full environmental review, public hearings, and multiple permits would still be required. When asked whether the new landfill could be operating before the 2028 closure date, the city said it did not yet know and that an extension of Waimanalo Gulch might be needed if the new site is not ready in time. The Board of Water Supply strongly opposed the city’s decision to site a landfill above Oahu’s freshwater resources. Its representative said the agency’s mission is to protect safe, dependable water for the future and that it had disapproved all six previously proposed sites because they were located over freshwater aquifers. In response to questions from legislators, the Board said it could not guarantee the liner system would remain impermeable forever and warned that leachate can contain hazardous chemicals, including so-called forever chemicals. The Board characterized the proposal as a long-term risk to the island’s drinking water supply and compared the decision to past infrastructure choices that later proved problematic. No votes or formal actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Fortunately, lower-cost alternatives like generics and biosimilars offer the same clinical results as
• Despite having many safe, effective, lower-cost alternatives available, we are not using them to their
• does allow for higher levels of intervention for those who are gravely disabled, in practice that pathway
• than comprehensive... and the person is is not in imminent danger, there is no clear or reliable pathway
• does allow for higher levels of intervention for those who are gravely disabled, in practice that pathway

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several measures, beginning with SB 331 by Sen. Menjivar, which would require large-group health plans to cover hearing aids for children. The author and supporters described the bill as a long-running effort to address a developmental emergency and reduce out-of-pocket costs for families, while opponents were absent. Testimony from parents, advocates, medical experts, and organizations emphasized the importance of early access to hearing aids; committee members voiced strong support, and the bill was moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations, with several members requesting to be added as coauthors. The committee then heard SB 608, also by Sen. Menjivar, to expand access to condoms in school-based health centers and related settings and to prevent barriers such as ID checks. Supporters, including students and school health advocates, argued the bill would improve sexual health and reduce stigma, while opponents from family and faith groups argued it would undermine parental authority and normalize early sexual activity. The bill was supported by committee members and moved forward on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. Next, SB 971 by Sen. Choi proposed community-based healthy aging partnerships for older adults, with testimony from the California Senior Legislature and supporters from aging and dementia organizations. The measure was described as voluntary and focused on connection, independence, and local collaboration; there was no opposition, and the committee moved it on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 869 by Sen. Weber Pierson, which would require warning icons and statements on chain restaurant menus for beverages with very high added sugar content. Supporters framed it as a transparency and public health measure, while restaurant and beverage industry representatives opposed it unless amended, citing cost and menu-space concerns; the bill was nevertheless moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations after a roll call vote, with some members voting no and the measure placed on call. The committee also considered SB 950 by Sen. Weber Pierson, aimed at ensuring timely coverage of FDA-approved, medically necessary treatments for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease on commercial plans. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association and a patient advocate, said the bill would reduce delays and barriers to care, while health plan representatives opposed it over step therapy and utilization-management concerns. Members discussed the limited treatment window and the need for early access, and the bill was moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. In addition, SB 490 by Sen. Umberg would set timelines for DHCS investigations of unlicensed sober living homes and allow counties to assist if the department cannot act in time; supporters from Anaheim and a patient-brokering survivor described serious abuse and oversight gaps, while county behavioral health representatives opposed the county role as an unfunded and potentially liability-creating burden. After discussion, the bill was also moved on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1037 by Sen. Weber Pierson on health insurance affordability and rate review, with supporters arguing it would tie premium increases more closely to affordability targets and public reporting; the transcript cuts off before the committee completed action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:17:42.799> for it creates um stronger pathways for it creates um stronger pathways for
• starting a student in their CTE pathway starting a student in their CTE pathway or<00:31:38.480>
• Uh, the ILP plays a central pathway?
• we are building out an Ames pathway we are building out an Ames pathway coursework<01:10:33.120>
• for younger children, can be a great alternative.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so this really created a structured pathway for communities to prepare for advanced nuclear energy
• Are there lower-cost alternatives available? Will the project improve reliability?
• The second is the ingestion pathway.
• The pathway extends about 50 miles in a radius around the plant.
• As soon as it is approved, then it comes out for public comment and follows that similar pathway for

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the way the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership program works, uh, like Mr.
• They would just go over, for, for example, a welding pathway held at a neighboring district.
• So they're pooling resources essentially to, um, to fund these shared pathways.
• all the, the, uh, pathways that we've, uh, added to the bill.
• It's trying to provide a meaningful career pathway.

Bills: HB20, HB120

Keywords: fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations, higher education, LGBTQ studies, DEI studies, program prohibition, educational policy, HB120, Texas, Texas Education Code, public universities, public colleges, queer studies, gay studies, lesbian studies

Transcript Highlights:

• And when I'm up in Duluth, they have this great alternative newspaper filled with ads.
• And when I'm up in Duluth, they have this great alternative newspaper filled with ads.
• And when I'm up in Duluth, they have this great alternative newspaper filled with ads.
• And anyways, I I can't believe the Twin Cities can't support such another alternative newspaper.
• <00:54:08.560> to um to make sure that pathways to um to make sure that pathways to prosecute

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't believe that this is the right pathway to get there.
• Yes, we're in an alternative reality here, where Republicans are controlling the legislature.
• So we, through this bill, will create a pathway for by-right... ...into housing.
• The alternatives are more tents. The alternatives are more people on the streets.
• The alternatives are more tents. The alternatives are more people on the streets.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 1157, the Affordable Rent Act, which would lower California’s annual rent cap, remove the single-family home exemption, and eliminate the sunset on existing tenant protections. The author and supporters argued that renters are facing severe affordability pressures, especially in single-family rentals, and that stronger statewide rent stabilization is needed to prevent displacement and homelessness. Opponents, including apartment, building, and property-owner groups, said the bill would discourage housing production, harm small landlords, and override a deal they said was intended to be temporary while the state focused on building more housing. Public testimony on AB 1157 was extensive, with many renters, tenant advocates, labor groups, and community organizations speaking in support, while many landlords, business groups, and property-owner representatives spoke in opposition. Committee members were split: some praised the bill as a necessary response to the rent crisis, while others warned it could reduce investment and worsen the housing shortage. The committee ultimately voted 7-5 to pass AB 1157 to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The committee then approved the consent calendar, including AB 413, AB 1152, and AB 1275, on a 9-0 vote. It also heard ACA 3, which would require the University of California to make available a limited number of down payment loans for eligible long-term support staff who are first-time homebuyers. Supporters said the measure would help lower-wage UC workers afford homeownership and improve retention, while UC and other opponents argued the proposal was duplicative of existing state programs, unnecessary, and potentially harmful to UC finances. The discussion focused on financing mechanics and the relationship to CalHFA, but no final vote on ACA 3 was included in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chairman, for Senate File 47, increase of pathway scholarship awards, do pass.
• increase of pathway scholarship awards do<00:22:40.080> pass.
• if you're not enrolling as your pathway if you're not enrolling as a<00:25:41.279> full-time<
• <00:26:12.159> careers, careers, alternative careers, careers, alternative careers, alternative
• timelines where it's not a alternative timelines where it's not a simple<00:26:15.360> four-year,

Bills: HB0076, HB0102, HB0115

Keywords: annexation, landowner rights, municipal law, city planning, property, local government, artificial intelligence, synthetic sexual material, child protection, self-harm, criminal liability, cardiac emergency, defibrillator, school safety, training, public health, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• being the um better alternative being the um better alternative perceived<00:24:35.360> to
• The demand for RWAs as opposed to figuring out pathways to tokenize assets.
• So these are kind of the four pillars. to develop um pathways uh regulated to develop um pathways uh
• 07.520> products<01:45:08.000> into pathways to launch US products into pathways to launch
• pathway to comply with bank secrecy, KYC, or customer CIP programs.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Stable Token Study Commission held its first regular meeting, welcomed all remaining appointed members, and completed brief introductions from legislators and agency designees. The chair outlined the commission’s plan to use the first part of the enabling legislation as a “level-setting” discussion, focusing this meeting on the basics of blockchain, the current landscape for stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, and leaving blockchain-based trust for a later meeting. No votes were taken. The main presentation came from Deanna Bario Zales of the Global Blockchain Business Council, who described stablecoins as increasingly converging toward fiat-backed or asset-backed models, with algorithmic designs viewed more cautiously. She said stablecoins are being used for payments, remittances, DeFi activity, cross-border transfers, retail use in high-inflation markets, and treasury functions, while noting risks such as peg instability, reserve transparency, counterparty and network risk, and possible capital flight from weaker banking systems. She cited growth in supply, wallet activity, and transfer volume, and said U.S.-pegged stablecoins dominate the market, with USDT and USDC leading. Zales also discussed tokenized real-world assets, describing them as digital representations of physical assets that can enable fractional ownership, liquidity, and faster settlement. She said the market is growing quickly, with institutional participation from firms such as BlackRock and Franklin Templeton, and projected continued expansion. She closed with an overview of regulatory developments, emphasizing the new U.S. stablecoin framework under the Genius Act, the proposed Clarity Act, OCC guidance, and similar regimes in the EU, UK, UAE, Singapore, Japan, and elsewhere, all of which she said are shaping compliance requirements and market development.

Transcript Highlights:

• What is the alternative then? What is the intervention that we have?
• Zero removals to alternative campuses and only one referral.
• DAPs are a pathway to the already broken juvenile system, and I cannot emphasize this enough.
• I know if I act up, I like being better. whether an OC or an alternative placement.
• It established a military pathway grant program providing $50,000 per district to support J.R.

Bills: HB6, HB27, HB 123, HB210, HB213, HB222, HB610, HB 1085, HB1481, HB6, HB27, HB123, HB210, HB213, HB222

Keywords: mental health, telehealth, public schools, discipline management, behavioral interventions, financial literacy, high school education, curriculum requirements, economics, personal finance, HB 123, kindergarten readiness, early literacy, early numeracy, reading screening, math screening, foundational literacy, foundational numeracy, dyslexia screening, reading intervention

Transcript Highlights:

• And that program—it got an odd name because it doesn't necessarily fit Central Valley Salinity Alternatives
• So what we are positioned in our most recent draft is to have an alternative pathway called Healthy Rivers
• It also recognizes the opportunity for improving EVs and alternate technologies that are clean for the
• don't believe I heard, has to do with... ...touched on, I don't believe I heard, has to do with Pathways
• I've worked with Commissioner Gunda extensively on the development of the Pathways initiative, which

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee first handled several governor’s appointments not required to appear, approving Anthony Surich to lead the California Housing Finance Agency, Craig Snelling to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, Nicholas Mueller to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission, and the referral of bills to committees, each by 4-0 votes. It then heard testimony on the appointment of Jereen DiDamo to the State Water Resources Control Board. DiDamo highlighted priorities including water-use efficiency, SGMA implementation, groundwater recharge, ecosystem restoration, and expanding safe drinking water access, noting the number of Californians without safe drinking water had fallen from 1.6 million to 800,000 since 2019. Senators focused heavily on the safe drinking water program, consolidation of failing systems, funding, domestic wells, SGMA, and the Bay-Delta plan. Supporters praised her practical, collaborative approach and work on drinking water; opponents from environmental and tribal groups argued the board had favored agricultural and urban interests and had not acted quickly enough to protect the Delta and fisheries. The committee ultimately voted 4-0 to advance the appointment to the full Senate. After a brief recess, the committee took up the appointment of Siva Gunda to the California Energy Commission. Gunda said California is managing three major transitions at once—decarbonizing the grid, electrifying transportation and buildings, and winding down petroleum and natural gas—and emphasized planning, transparency, and coordination across agencies and the West. Senators questioned him about Kern Energy and the impact of refinery compliance burdens, the state’s transportation fuels plan, Diablo Canyon, fuel imports, and affordability. Gunda said the Energy Commission has supported exemptions or potential exemptions for small refineries, that current planning assumes Diablo Canyon retires in 2030 without creating reliability problems if new resources continue to come online, and that most new capacity has been storage and solar. He also said California still imports a significant share of crude and refined products, with costs affected by global markets and shipping. The committee approved his appointment 4-0 to move to the full Senate.