Transcript Highlights:

• I was thrust into the task of moving out of the cap and into the Jonah Business Center for the renovation
• No sooner had we moved back into this magnificent renovation that we were confronted with the pandemic
• </c><00:16:41.120><c> We</c><00:16:41.360><c> had</c><00:16:41.519><c> a</c> Center uh for the renovation
• We had a Center uh for the renovation.
• </c> Magnificent renovation that we were confronted with the pandemic.

Transcript Highlights:

• exclusively for housing, including common areas, may receive an exemption during initial construction or renovation
• During that initial renovation phase, the property tax exemption applies only to the portions of the
• property tax exemption for low-income rental housing to include during that initial construction and renovation
• During that initial construction and renovation phase, portions of the property that will be used for
• Next, the bill increases the number of years a property may be unoccupied due to construction and renovation

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on a series of housing, education, workforce, and court-related bills. On Substitute Senate Bill 5884, staff described changes to a sales and use tax deferral for redeveloping vacant or underused land into affordable housing, including broader eligible property definitions and lower affordability thresholds in designated areas. Testimony was mixed: builders opposed language they feared could encourage project labor agreements, while Spokane and Kent representatives supported the bill but asked for flexibility on affordability mix requirements. On Senate Bill 6256, which expands a property tax exemption for nonprofit low-income rental housing to include certain co-located community uses during construction and extends the pre-construction exemption period, testimony was strongly supportive from housing nonprofits and local housing partners, with questions focused on clawback provisions. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 6027, which expands allowable uses of local housing and supportive housing sales tax revenue, adjusts a REET exemption timeline, broadens emergency housing definitions, and changes use of the Affordable Housing for All account. County, housing, and nonprofit witnesses said the bill would help preserve housing and services amid federal funding uncertainty, though Snohomish County asked for an amendment to allow rental assistance. Substitute Senate Bill 6018 would revise the Housing Finance Commission’s authority, including direct lending and bond counsel terms; commission staff said it would modernize outdated restrictions and improve financing flexibility. Substitute Senate Bill 6028 would create a revolving loan fund for mixed-income homeownership projects; supporters said it would help smaller infill projects pencil, while staff noted the loans would be subordinate and carry some risk. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 6275 on the community reinvestment program, which would require periodic plan updates, reporting, and a WSIPP study, while also expressing legislative intent to continue at least $100 million annually in the account. Advocates, workforce groups, legal aid providers, and small business owners testified that the program supports communities harmed by past disinvestment and should be made permanent and more accountable. Substitute Senate Bill 5961 would move the Imagination Library program from DCYF to OSPI; early literacy advocates and local partners supported the transfer as better aligned with school readiness. Substitute Senate Bill 5969 would integrate IEP transition plans with high school and beyond plans, and a prior critic said amendments addressed her concerns. Second Substitute Senate Bill 5292 would shift PFML premium rate-setting to the annual actuarial report and raise the reserve target; labor and industry witnesses supported the change, while a policy group opposed the program’s costs. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5868 to add one superior court judge each in Skagit and Yakima counties. Judges and county officials testified that caseloads, population growth, and backlogs justify the additions, and county leaders said they had already budgeted for their share. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5827 would allow service members to use pre-discharge certification to claim veterans’ civil service preference; the sponsor said it would solve a timing problem for transitioning service members. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the transcript, as the meeting consisted of bill briefings and public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Saint Paul Arena re-renovation? Look, I, again, will say this from my perspective on this.
• Saint Paul Arena re-renovation? re-renovation? re-renovation?

Transcript Highlights:

• that is the intention, there is a 2023 fiscal note that outlines the possible cost at that time to renovate
• that is the intention there is a 2023 fiscal note that outlines the possible cost at that time to renovate
• Possible cost at that time to renovate civil bed space to accommodate an additional 75 beds, and then
• necessary to make this happen, the 2023 fiscal note has a cost for construction of those 75 beds to renovate

Bills: HB2408 , HB2434 , HB2725 , HB2728 , HB2729 , HB2730 , HB2731 , HB2732 , HB2733 , SB1192 , SB1398 , SB1399 , SB1494 , SB1557 , SB1813 , SB1821

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Keywords: nursing board, regulatory actions, disciplinary actions, expungement, healthcare professionalism, controlled substances, prescription monitoring, opioid crisis, healthcare regulations, patient safety, prescription drugs, opioids, healthcare, pain management, utilization controls, AHCCCS, Department of Economic Security, social services, welfare programs, vocational rehabilitation

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, so how is the land bank going to generate funds to do the renovations of the property and are they
• funds</c><00:08:12.160><c> to</c><00:08:12.400><c> do</c><00:08:12.479><c> the</c><00:08:12.720><c> renovations
• </c><00:08:13.199><c> of</c> generate funds to do the renovations of generate funds to do the renovations

Committee: Joint Municipalities

Transcript Highlights:

• after December 31, 2025, temporarily reinstates the formerly Act 221 technology infrastructure renovation
• reinstates uh the formerly act 221 technology<00:16:21.839><c> infrastructure</c><00:16:22.440><c> renovation
• </c><00:16:23.079><c> tax</c> technology infrastructure renovation tax technology infrastructure renovation

Summary: The Committee on Labor and Technology heard testimony on several measures. SB 338, relating to taxation, would temporarily reinstate the Act 221 technology infrastructure renovation tax credit and expand eligible technology-enabled infrastructure to include data servers; Tax Department said it had no requested changes, SurfPAC supported the bill, and the Tax Foundation offered comments. Members later advanced SB 338 with amendments, including a report to the Legislature before the 2029 session and technical changes. SB 1491, on departmental data sharing, would add the Department of Taxation to the state longitudinal data system to share aggregated wage data; UH, Hawaii P20, and the Tax Foundation supported it, and Taxation said it could comply as written. The committee amended the bill to also include DBEDT and then passed it with amendments. The committee also considered SB 1156 on sexually explicit deepfakes, SB 853 on an immigration services trust fund, SB 436 on limiting State Fire Marshal service to three terms, and SB 1034 on rest periods in the food service industry. The Attorney General said SB 1156 was unnecessary because existing law already covers AI-created deepfakes, and the committee deferred the bill. SB 853 drew support from DLIR/Office of Community Services and civil rights advocates, but opposition testimony noted substantial public opposition; the committee deferred the measure, saying existing resources from Act 7 made the trust fund premature. SB 436 drew concerns from the State Fire Council representative that term limits would add complications, but the committee passed it with amendments. SB 1034 drew mixed testimony: DLIR stood on comments, the restaurant association supported the intent but suggested changing the five-hour threshold, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association opposed it over the lack of a definition of food service industry; the committee amended the bill to add that definition and passed it with amendments. At the later 3:15 p.m. decision-making-only agenda, the committee deferred SB 730 indefinitely after conferring with the PSM chair, saying it was special legislation needing further work in the interim.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then I get hired to renovate a massive 100-year-old building in St. Louis City.
• And then I get hired to renovate a massive 100-year-old building in St. Louis City.
• And I hope that, as a member of the Capital Commission, please know that we are working with the renovations

Committees: House Local Government , House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Yeah, this is the one that used to be the prison. It's behind the helicop.
• Are we going to renovate all of it, or— >> No.
• ><c> of</c><00:52:03.839><c> it</c> going to renovate all of it going to renovate all of it &gt;&gt;
• </c> &gt;&gt; renovate those buildings. &gt;&gt; renovate those buildings.
• How old is ... renovations. You guys you guys know how renovations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Another thing the Legislature could do is fund facility renovation grants to help convert four-year-old
• it easier to enroll in new children another thing the legislature could do is to fund facility renovation
• We've all heard about the school-to-prison pipeline.

Transcript Highlights:

• Obviously, UTMB uses the prison system. Yes, as a customer, we pay a lot for that.
• Our buildings are structurally sound but require maintenance, renovations, and modernization to align
• laboratory science, expanding the capacity of our undergraduate program in nursing. is funding to renovate
• We appreciate your commitment to investing in renovations of aging building infrastructure. ...structure
• being said, we truly appreciate your investment in our capital infrastructure for major repairs, renovations

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we have established those positions, and we needed time to renovate our offices to make space for
• It took a while to renovate, like, one... I know it takes a while to hire.
• We did the actual complete renovation of an old building.
• But in most of our Oahu and Kauai, we basically renovated our existing space.
• </c><00:21:41.279><c> so</c> everything on hold to do Renovations so everything on hold to do Renovations

Transcript Highlights:

• The existing library is in the tsunami inundation zone, so we do not plan on doing any renovations to
• Thank you very much. plan on doing any renovations to that plan on doing any renovations to that existing
• You established clear standards and design guides for preschool renovations.
• </p> <p>So, the renovations by EOL, those are by...
• Yeah, construction of the renovations, so the designs can keep on going.

Summary: The Committee on Education held an informational/budget briefing with presentations from the State Library System, the School Facilities Authority, and the Department of Education. The chair opened the meeting by outlining the order of presentations and noting that members would hold questions until after all three agencies had testified. The discussion focused on each agency’s priorities for the upcoming biennium and their budget requests. State Librarian Stacy Aldridge described library usage and services, emphasizing strong demand for physical and digital materials, internet and Wi-Fi access, programs, Kanopy streaming, and PressReader. She highlighted digital literacy classes, RFID self-check and smart shelving improvements, and the role of libraries as community hubs. The library’s budget request included an additional $1.2 million for security guards, $48.484 million for FY 26-27 to support popup libraries during temporary closures and other needs, $500,000 for repair and maintenance, $2 million for Kap planning and design, and $25 million each year for lump-sum capital funding. Mallerie Fujitani said the lump-sum funding is needed to keep roughly 50 projects moving and to avoid delays in construction. School Facilities Authority Executive Director Ricky Fujitani explained the agency’s startup history and its programs for preschools, Central Maui schools, and workforce housing. He said the authority is using standardized, prefabricated, programmatic approaches to speed delivery and improve maintainability, citing prior preschool renovations as a successful model. He reported that of $389 million appropriated, $106 million was released, with $81 million for preschools, $20 million for Central Maui schools, and $5 million for workforce housing; he also noted the workforce housing program was reduced after Maui fire-related reallocations. He said the pilot workforce housing site at Mililani High School has been awarded and pointed to University of Hawaiʻi student housing projects as a model. Superintendent Hayashi then began the Department of Education presentation, introducing DOE leadership and outlining the department’s mission to support academic achievement, character development, and student well-being. He noted the department serves more than 152,000 students in 258 public schools and employs over 42,000 people, with nearly 54% of students facing significant challenges. He framed the budget request around the department’s strategic plan to prepare graduates for college, careers, or military service. The transcript ends during the DOE presentation, before any committee votes or formal actions are taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• requesting the sales tax exemption on the supplies and materials used in the reconstruction and renovation
• requesting the sales tax exemption on the supplies and materials used in the reconstruction and renovation
• requesting the sales tax exemption on the supplies and materials used in the reconstruction and renovation
• of two of our indoor sports renovation of two of our indoor sports facilities.<00:16:05.759><c> Uh</
• receive from the revenues of our local sales tax, we plan on having a multi-phase $26.5 million renovation

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• We can't build a new building, but we could renovate the interior of a building.
• We can't build a new building, but we could renovate the interior of a building.
• 00:14:39.839><c> could</c> build a new building, but we could build a new building, but we could renovate
• softscape the interior of a renovate softscape the interior of a building.<00:14:42.240><c> So,</c><
• We could take we could give renovated.

Summary: The Health Services Committee heard a presentation from Dr. Steven Stack, Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, on Kentucky’s Rural Health Transformation Program. He said Kentucky received about $213 million in federal funding, among the highest awards nationally, after a fast application and negotiation process. He emphasized that the grant is time-limited, must be used for the specific goals in the state’s application, and cannot be treated as a general bailout or replacement for existing funding. He also noted the state will use a website, ruralhealthplan.ky.gov, to share the full application, award terms, and future opportunities. Dr. Stack outlined five focus areas: maternal health and prenatal/early childhood supports; EMS and trauma response workforce and transfer capacity; behavioral health crisis care through the EMPATH model and mobile crisis services; oral health access through more hygienists, telehealth, and hub-and-spoke models; and rural community hubs for chronic disease prevention and innovation, including food-as-medicine and healthier lifestyle interventions. He stressed that the program is meant to be transformative, not duplicative, and that it cannot pay clinician salaries, fund new construction, replace EMR systems broadly, or duplicate billable services. He said the state will work with community partners, hospitals, universities, and others, including the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, to begin implementation. Members responded positively overall. Senator Berg praised the award and the goal of integrating care across the state, but raised concerns about access to prenatal care and about possible future changes to water fluoridation, warning both could harm children and rural families. The chair and other members thanked Dr. Stack for the update and congratulated him on the award. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We were a little high for the Milford voters, not only for a CTE renovation, but also to help support
• 00:38:08.800><c> the</c> Um, we would be putting on the ballot CTE only without the high school renovation
• ><00:39:12.079><c> school</c> CTE only without the high school CTE only without the high school renovation
• Um, I'm starting a CIP in renovation.
• </c> for some of our high school renovations. for some of our high school renovations.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on proposed improvements to the New Hampshire State Police gun range and training facility. Commissioner Robert Quinn and Major Brendan Davy said the range is used for realistic, scenario-based training that cannot be replicated at a standard static range, including movement, use of cover, vehicle-based drills, elevation, and training under elevated heart rates and stress. They said the facility is important not only for state troopers but also for local and federal partners, and that it is used regularly for qualifications, requalification, and special unit training. Members asked about specific limitations and costs. Major Davy said the PSTC range is handgun-caliber only because the backstop is not rifle-rated, and local law enforcement can use the State Police range for qualification. Representative Kazinski questioned the size and cost of the project, and Public Works Director Theodore Copper then explained the estimate: $1.5 million for building and site work, plus soft costs, utilities, design, and inflation, bringing the total to $2.3 million. He said the proposed facility would include office space, two classrooms, restrooms, and heating and air conditioning, and that the estimate was reasonable. The committee also heard from Milford School District Superintendent Christy Misho in support of CTE funding. She said Milford has been working for years to secure support for an applied technology center renovation, that prior local bond efforts fell short of the required threshold, and that the district now plans a CTE-only local bond of about $4 million while seeking $10 million from the state. She argued the investment is needed to modernize outdated equipment and support workforce training, and said the district remains committed to the project. In work session action, the committee corrected a prior vote on the Pease Development Authority warehouse removal and replacement project, increasing the amount by $353,300 to $1,973,300 and raising the agency subtotal to $4,155,300. The committee also approved adding two Community College System items: $500,000 for an energy management system and $1.3 million for critical maintenance, for a total addition of $1.8 million. No objections were raised to these motions.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the renovations, everything's itemized. >> The renovations, not the hubs, >> right?
• So the renovations, everything's itemized. >> The renovations, not the hubs, >> right?
• So the renovations, everything's itemized. >> The renovations, not the hubs, >> right?
• So the renovations, everything's itemized. >> The renovations, not the hubs, >> right?
• So the renovations, everything's itemized. >> The renovations, not the hubs, >> right?

Transcript Highlights:

• this bill, we’ve got $10 million secured for the challenge program to support construction and renovation
• Approximately $200 million in total funding secured for housing production, renovation, infrastructure
• across the state, and it's renovation across the state, and it's open<00:29:43.360><c> to</c><00:29:
• </c> funding secured in for housing funding secured in for housing production,<00:30:42.799><c> renovation
• ,</c><00:30:43.440><c> infrastructure</c> production, renovation, infrastructure production, renovation

Transcript Highlights:

• to do some technical assistance with whomever would like to have it, is we can do some targeted renovations
• So if... ...would like to have it, is we can do some targeted renovations.
• And CMS has said, you know, case-by-case basis, that targeted renovations are allowed.
• CMS has said, you know, case-by-case basis that targeted renovations are allowed.

Summary: The committee heard extensive public testimony from youth advocates and others urging stronger action on vaping in Arkansas. Speakers described high rates of youth vaping, the appeal of flavored products and social media marketing, health risks from nicotine and aerosol exposure, and school disruptions. They recommended prohibiting vaping in public indoor spaces, aligning vape rules with smoke-free laws, and expanding prevention and cessation efforts. Committee members praised the students for testifying and encouraged them to continue building support for future legislation. The main presentation was an overview of Arkansas’s Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year federal initiative funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. DFA officials said Arkansas received about $209 million for the first year and could receive roughly $1 billion over five years if performance remains strong. They emphasized that the program must be transparent, locally driven, and focused on transformation rather than operating support, debt relief, or new construction. They outlined four initiatives—Heart, PACT, Rise, and Thrive—covering prevention and community health, provider collaboration and access, workforce development, and technology/telehealth. Officials said applications would open in early May, with all four initiatives expected to launch by June, and that funds would be awarded through a reimbursement-based process with a quick turnaround. Committee members asked detailed questions about eligibility, allowable uses, timelines, and how the program would affect existing providers. Officials said rural eligibility could include providers in urban areas if they serve rural patients, and that existing programs could expand if they did not supplant current funding. They also said the program could support targeted renovations, mobile units, new residency slots, EMS equipment, and clinically integrated networks, but not working capital, permanent new buildings, or food purchases. Members raised concerns about protecting current rural providers, supporting school gardens and farmers markets, and ensuring nonprofits and faith-based groups could participate. Officials said the state would continue technical assistance and that the application review team would include DFA and health leadership. Later in the meeting, DHS presented a Medicaid and CHIP rule implementing federal requirements for incarcerated youth, including 30-day pre-release and post-release coverage, targeted case management, and screening services. The Department of Health also presented a rule updating audiology licensing to reflect recent acts and changing the renewal deadline from June 30 to October 31. Both rules were reviewed without objection, and the committee adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• their fair share in taxes, and this means that the rich should be paying a sales tax on the tools to renovate
• Speaking of renovation of cabins of private jets, Bombardier, who is signed in favor of this bill, announced
• food on the table are being asked to subsidize so that a private jet owner can have a tax-free renovation
• . ...so that a private jet owner can have a tax-free renovation to add a big-screen TV to their private

Bills: SB1165 , SB1206 , SB1212 , SB1291 , SB1347 , SB1516 , SB1554 , SB1649 , SB1689 , SB1812

Committees: Senate Finance , Senate Senate Finance Committee of Reference

Keywords: breast cancer, screening services, health insurance, cost sharing, preventive care, storm damage, catastrophic storm, hail damage, wind damage, roof repair, roof replacement, post-storm repairs, insurance claim, property and casualty insurance, adjuster, public adjuster, contractor licensing, homeowner protections, deductible waiver, insurance fraud prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• Also included is expanding the use. of instructional facility allotments to now incorporate renovation
• I know there's some language in the current bill that would add that back if CTE facilities are renovated
• That's why in this bill there is some IFA dollars for renovations if you have an existing. existing facility
• , you can renovate that for CTE. use and that's up to the Commissioner's approval.

Bills: HB20 , HB 120 , HB20 , HB120

Committee: House S/C on Academic & Career-Oriented Education