Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:50:52.520> the<00:50:52.640> Department<00:50:53.000> of<00:50:53.119> egg
• funded then out of the Department of egg funded then out of the Department of egg or<00:50:53.440
• fund<00:50:54.760> and<00:50:54.960> and<00:50:55.119> the<00:50:55.240> Egg
• or would it be def fund and and the Egg or would it be def fund and and the Egg committee<00:50:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're seeing rising property wealth as egg and egg properties are selling higher than normal.
• We're seeing rising property wealth as egg and egg properties are selling higher than normal.
• We're seeing rising property wealth as egg and egg properties are selling higher than normal.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• people coming<00:48:28.319> in<00:48:28.760> to<00:48:29.079> the<00:48:29.640> egg
• <00:48:29.920> form<00:48:30.440> the<00:48:30.559> egg<00:48:30.839> forms
• coming in to the egg form the egg forms coming in to the egg form the egg forms where<00:48:31.520

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint House and Senate agriculture committees met on January 17, 2025, for an informational briefing on biosecurity and invasive species; Chair Kahaloa opened by noting there would be no public testimony. Members introduced themselves, and the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) program manager Chelsea Arnot outlined the purpose of the briefing and the statewide impacts of invasive species, citing examples such as coconut rhinoceros beetle, little fire ant, coquí frogs, albizia, and mosquito-borne disease. She emphasized that biosecurity requires coordinated action across state departments, counties, federal agencies, universities, and communities, and highlighted HISC’s role in funding interagency projects, island invasive species committees, research, outreach, and early detection efforts. Arnot and HISC representatives described major funding and program needs, including a requested $4.25 million increase to HISC to raise its baseline budget to $10 million, support island committee operations, research, biocontrol, marine biosecurity, surveillance, and staffing. They also requested $500,000 for the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab, saying it is critical to invasive ant research and little fire ant response. The briefing also noted HISC’s leverage of federal dollars, including a $4.6 million REPI award with HISC providing the match, and cited successful collaborative eradications and responses, including veiled chameleons on Maui, axis deer on Hawaiʻi Island, and a 2023 coconut rhinoceros beetle response on Maui that prevented further spread. Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture officials then discussed implementation of updated administrative rules effective January 20, 2025, which permanently restrict movement of coconut rhinoceros beetle host material and give the department stronger authority to stop movement of infested material. They reported 2024 import activity of about 50,000 ship and aircraft arrivals, inspection/clearance of 20 million pieces, and 16,000 interceptions, with additional staffing from Act 231 expected to increase interceptions. They also described Act 231 funding and current spending status: about 65% obligated and 52% encumbered, with some funds tied to contracts for CRB and little fire ant response, plus an $800,000 green-waste hauling RFP that had to be reissued because of a flaw. The department said 580 Oʻahu homes and 290 Hawaiʻi Island homes are slated for little fire ant treatment, while Maui and Kauaʻi will focus on survey and outreach. Members questioned how homes are selected for subsidized treatment, whether HISC and the island invasive species committees received Act 231 support, and whether the state should direct how contracted funds are prioritized. Representative Martin raised concerns that the RFP limited eligibility to private pest control companies and excluded more experienced entities such as the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab. Department officials said they would follow up on prioritization and funding details, and noted that emergency proclamations and procurement flexibility could help with rapid response and hiring during invasive species emergencies.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because it feels kind of like a chicken and the egg type of thing that we're expecting services for children

Bills: SB44, SB237, SB248, SB985, SB1204, SB1239, SB1307, SB1360, SB1390, SB1400, SB1405, SB1427, SB1428, SB1732, SB1832, SB1859, SB1989, SB2018, SB2143

Keywords: sales tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, contractors, charitable purposes, state law, ad valorem tax, manufacturing facilities, exemption, battery energy storage, employment, payroll, state tax regulation, tourism, revolving fund, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, real property, fund management, Oklahoma Local Food for Schools, school meals, local food procurement

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't worry about it, and I know it's set up... ...and I know it's set up, and there's a nest egg.

Bills: SB163, SB173, SB155, HB93, SB163, SB173, SB155, HB93

Keywords: State Auditor, property investigations, negligence, loss report, civil actions, Alabama Retirement Savings Program, state-facilitated retirement savings, auto-IRA, automatic enrollment, payroll deduction IRA, retirement savings access gap, private sector workers, small business retirement plan, portable retirement account, Roth IRA, traditional IRA, life-cycle fund, capital preservation fund, financial literacy, Department of Workforce

Transcript Highlights:

• extension<00:10:15.680> professor<00:10:16.000> at<00:10:16.160> the<00:10:16.320> egg
• <00:10:16.560> economics extension professor at the egg economics extension professor at the
• egg economics department<00:10:17.440> in<00:10:17.600> the<00:10:17.760> college
• They might have eggs, meat, cheeses in those boxes.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Recently, we've lost our ability to raise our own eggs for consumption, you know, in addition to beef
• we've lost our ability to raise<01:36:41.440> our<01:36:41.600> own<01:36:41.760> eggs
• <01:36:42.000> for<01:36:42.160> consumption, raise our own eggs for consumption, raise
• our own eggs for consumption, you<01:36:44.080> know,<01:36:44.280> in<01:36:44.400>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee heard and considered a long list of Governor’s messages for appointments to state boards and commissions, including the Board of Dentistry, Barbering and Cosmetology, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board, Elevator Mechanics Licensing Board, Real Estate Commission, Board of Naturopathic Medicine, State Boxing Commission, Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects, Hawaii Medical Board, Board of Physical Therapy, Board of Pharmacy, and the Public Utilities Commission. Most nominees and supporting agencies testified in support, and many nominees simply stood on their written testimony. Several nominees also answered questions about their experience and the issues facing their boards, including dental insurance and Medicaid concerns, condo and real estate disputes, pharmacy regulation and telepharmacy, boxing and MMA rule updates, and medical board service in rural areas. The committee discussed some contested or notable nominations in more detail. Richard Emery’s nomination to the Real Estate Commission drew opposition testimony tied to a condo management dispute, and he responded by emphasizing the need for factual evidence, mediation and complaint data, and better consumer education. Trinette Kahui and Andrea Ushijima were also nominated to the Real Estate Commission, with broad support. For the Boxing Commission, Robin Jumawan described ongoing statutory updates, MMA-related work, and delegation of amateur boxing rules. For the Hawaii Medical Board, Elizabeth Ignacio was strongly endorsed by state and industry witnesses as highly qualified and familiar with rural health issues, while Rebecca Sawai also received support from the board and Kaiser Permanente. In the decision-making portion, the committee moved to advise and consent to nearly all nominees on the agenda. Senator McKelvey stated reservations about Richard Emery due to opposition and possible conflicts, and also about nominees who were not present at the hearing, specifically Corrine Muldrow Soto and Stacie Kealoha Inouye; Senator Lamasao also noted reservations on those absent nominees. The chair disclosed personal acquaintance with Dr. Sawai and Andrea Ushijima. The committee then voted to adopt the recommendations, with the noted reservations and one no vote on GM 697 reflected in the record, and later reconvened to take up Governor’s Message 514/515 for John Etemura as chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission, where additional support testimony was heard from the Governor’s office, DCCA, and former consumer advocacy staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• the third grade agriculture geared at the third grade level<01:10:01.040> and<01:10:01.440> egg
• 01.600> in<01:10:01.840> the<01:10:01.920> class<01:10:02.159> is level and egg
• in the class is level and egg in the class is administered<01:10:03.520> differently<01:10:04.320
• So where you've been asked to hold the egg in the classroom bill for the work?

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, to be cliched, we can't put all our eggs in one basket because there has not been consensus to do
• 50.960> our And to be cliched, we can't put all our And to be cliched, we can't put all our eggs
• 51.359> in<02:39:51.600> one<02:39:51.760> basket<02:39:52.399> because eggs
• in one basket because eggs in one basket because there<02:39:54.160> has<02:39:54.479> not

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><01:01:39.680> land<01:01:39.920> division<01:01:40.400> for<01:01:40.720> egg
• something else that's not actual<01:15:11.840> like<01:15:12.400> growing<01:15:12.880> egg
• actual like growing egg. actual like growing egg.

Bills: SB2603, SB2083, SB2341, SB2306, SB2782, SB2756, SB2161, SB2477

Keywords: Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, state funding, public performances, educational programs, cultural arts funding, historic properties, preservation, inheritance, working group, public-private partnerships, sustainable funding, historic preservation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, construction, state review, burial sites, cultural artifacts, development review, phased review, administrative fees

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2603, which would designate the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as the state orchestra of Hawaii. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the Attorney General’s office, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association, and others. Supporters emphasized the bill’s value to arts education, cultural vitality, and the visitor economy. The chair noted there were also many written testimonies submitted, and the bill was left without questions or action in the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2083, which would create a state-owned historic properties preservation plan working group within DNR. The State Historic Preservation Division supported the bill and said it would help create a statewide database and better planning for state-owned historic properties, while noting its current review work is reactive and project-by-project. The committee asked about duplication and existing consultation processes; SHPD said it already reviews state projects under existing law and has in-house architectural staff. The measure was then set aside after brief discussion, with no vote shown in the excerpt. Next was Senate Bill 2341, which would authorize phased review of certain private-property projects and change SHPD’s review deadlines. SHPD and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development supported the bill, saying it could encourage more proactive, programmatic review and that the current average review time for simple projects is about 56 days. Several opponents, including Sierra Club of Hawaii, Bianca Isaki, Malama Kane Lua, and Tara Roas, argued phased review would delay projects, create conflict, and weaken historic preservation protections, especially for iwi kūpuna and burial sites. Committee members raised concerns about whether the bill conflicted with prior court decisions and asked SHPD for its view; SHPD said it was not a legal question for them and suggested a programmatic alternative. The bill was not voted on in the excerpt. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 2306 on administrative fees for the Bureau of Conveyances. HGEA opposed the measure, focusing on a provision allowing the special fund to be used for qualified contractors, while the Bureau of Conveyances supported the bill as a fee correction that would equalize recording fees between systems. The bureau said specialized technical work sometimes requires outside contracting and that it could consider a contract period; the chair and members discussed the HGEA concern and asked whether the issue could be addressed. No final action was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• . who naturally has or will have a reproductive system designed to produce, transport, and produce eggs
• That would affect their ability to produce eggs.
• Okay, ability to produce eggs, so it's an intentional... ...or unintentional disruption means a surgical
• change that would affect their ability to produce eggs.

Bills: SB 8, HB7, HB15, HB 265, HCR 13, SB 8, HB 7, HB 15, HB 265, HCR 13

Keywords: sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, abortion, healthcare, jurisdiction, civil action, qui tam, prohibition, state law, youth camp, safety regulations, advisory committee, child welfare, health standards, summer camp, camp safety, child abuse reporting

Transcript Highlights:

• They were talking about the price of eggs.
• They're they're talking about the price<01:09:43.520> of<01:09:43.759> eggs.
• <01:09:44.560> That's<01:09:44.799> what<01:09:45.040> they're price of eggs
• That's what they're price of eggs. That's what they're talking<01:09:45.960> about.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that snakes may try to eat the eggs.
• He said the mother bird will defend the eggs even at the cost of its own life.
• <01:26:17.600> This<01:26:17.760> is they will defend those eggs.
• This is they will defend those eggs.
• win and their eggs are saved. win and their eggs are saved.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have eggs in the package now. We still have the powdered eggs; that was a must for keeping.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, two weeks in, eggs are nearly nine dollars at Grocery Outlet in Portland, and the President
• I vote to thank the ranking member for raising the issue of nine-dollar eggs.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not buying eggs, and we're rationing milk.
• We're not buying eggs, and we're rationing milk.
• We're not buying eggs<01:30:41.360> and<01:30:41.520> we're<01:30:41.679> rationing<
• <01:30:43.040> If<01:30:43.199> it eggs and we're rationing milk.
• If it eggs and we're rationing milk.

Bills: HF2436

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• business, maybe trying to buy that first home, as we're heading towards Easter, trying to buy those eggs
• business, maybe trying to buy that first home, as we're heading towards Easter, trying to buy those eggs
• trying<00:30:01.000> to<00:30:01.159> buy<00:30:01.440> those<00:30:01.720> eggs
• c><00:30:02.120> that<00:30:02.240> are<00:30:02.440> now trying to buy those eggs
• that are now trying to buy those eggs that are now you<00:30:03.080> know<00:30:03.799> I<

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met to hear a presentation from the Commissioner of Revenue on Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s tax proposal, with members told no public testimony would be taken because bill language was not yet available. The commissioner said the proposal would lower the statewide sales tax rate by 0.75 percentage points while expanding sales tax to selected professional services such as legal, brokerage, banking, and accounting, with several carve-outs. He emphasized that the plan would not add business-to-business sales taxes, arguing that taxing business inputs leads to tax pyramiding and higher hidden consumer costs. The commissioner said the rate cut would be the first sales tax rate cut in state history and estimated it at about $95 million annually, while the service expansions would raise about $203 million to $205 million annually, for a net increase of roughly $110 million per year. He said the proposal is part of the governor’s broader budget, which he described as addressing long-term structural deficits and funding other priorities such as an R&D credit, an expanded sustainable aviation fuel credit, fraud prevention, and service-member retention bonuses. He also said the carve-outs and exemptions would be reflected in the revenue estimate. Members questioned whether the proposal was truly a tax cut or instead a tax increase, and several asked for a revenue-neutral rate if all or more services were taxed. One member raised concerns about how pro bono legal work with a fee would be treated, and another asked about possible streamlining issues and whether fees are treated as taxes in statute. The commissioner said a fee would be taxable depending on the arrangement and that the department would review the language carefully once drafted. He also said the department would provide more detailed estimates later, including what the rate would be if the tax were made revenue neutral. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Why wouldn't we just kind of put all of our eggs in the Double Up Food Bucks basket because they're already

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Agriculture Committee met for its first 2026 meeting and took up a full agenda of bills focused on food safety, agricultural programs, consumer transparency, and farm-related policy. Early measures included S.592 on a youth and agriculture entrepreneurship summer employment program, which was reported to finance without opposition, and S.1239E, the Food Safety and Technical Disclosure Act, which would require disclosure of certain food ingredients to the state and public and also ban three substances outright. Senator Kavanaugh described the bill as closing a loophole in federal food safety law; Senator Borrello opposed it as a state-by-state approach that could raise costs and disrupt the supply chain, while Senator O’Rourke supported it as a science-based measure with available substitutes. The bill was reported back to the board with one no vote and one without recommendation. The committee also advanced S.1783A on liquefied petroleum/propane fee disclosures, with supporters saying it would prevent consumers from being charged for improper or hidden fees and opponents arguing it should not single out state-related charges; the bill moved to the board. S.4041, creating a sanitary retail food store grant program, was reported to finance. S.4162, relating to the Fresh Connect program and local produce purchases, prompted discussion about whether state resources should instead be concentrated on the Double Up Food Bucks program; sponsors said both programs are needed and that Double Up has capacity limits, and the bill was moved to finance. Later, the committee advanced S.6286A, establishing an agricultural tax viability pilot program tied to agrivoltaics; supporters said it would address a need raised in recent hearings and work with farm groups, while Senator Borrello voted no. The final bill, S.7618 on food safety and quality date label requirements, drew debate over whether New York should act without a federal standard and whether the bill could create confusion or unintended costs, especially for dairy and other perishables. Supporters said the bill would reduce food waste and simplify the many existing date labels without forcing new labeling on those who do not already use it; members also discussed refrigeration references in the bill, and the sponsor said the language could be adjusted. The committee then adjourned and announced that future meetings will be held on the third floor in the new location.

Transcript Highlights:

• that budget. 1009, we're going to have amendments from Senator Wanzek to take care of that to get the egg

Bills: SB2225, HB1619

Keywords: housing, affordable housing, community development, infrastructure improvement, funding grants, long-term care, infrastructure loan, nursing facilities, financial assistance, North Dakota Century Code, 908, all

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met to clear several remaining bills and discussed scheduling around upcoming conference committees. The chair noted that full committee meetings would likely be held after floor session, while Thursday and Friday mornings were being reserved for conference committees. Members also discussed how conference committees would be scheduled and where they would appear on their dashboards. The committee first took up House Bill 1577, relating to wastewater facility grants. Amendments were adopted to create a loan/line-of-credit mechanism through the Bank of North Dakota and the Department of Environmental Quality to keep two canceled federal BRIC-funded projects moving: a lagoon project in Fezenden and a wastewater treatment project in Lincoln. Members emphasized the language was intended to apply only to those projects and to preserve the possibility of federal reimbursement later. The amendment passed 16-0, and the bill as amended received a 15-1 do pass recommendation. The committee then reconsidered House Bill 1009 and adopted an additional amendment transferring the remaining balance in the bioscience innovation grant fund to the general fund, rather than issuing another round of grants. That amendment passed 16-0, and the bill as amended also received a 16-0 do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 1619, creating a long-term care facility loan fund and adjusting an existing medical facility loan program. After discussion, members amended the bill to reduce the long-term care fund cap to $10 million per project, set the interest rate at 2%, extend repayment to 30 years, and align the medical facility loan program to 2% with a 30-year term. The amendment passed 14-2, and the bill as amended received a 16-0 do pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a chicken and egg problem.
• <00:55:19.680> I<00:55:19.920> want chicken chicken and egg problem.
• I want chicken chicken and egg problem.
• So, you know, chicken and egg. So we have this discussion, and it's painful for everybody.
• You know, we do have a chicken-and-egg problem that keeps coming up about our desire to grow and who

Keywords: 916, all