Transcript Highlights:

• how can we do that to make it more affordable for our grocers because we love to provide health insurance
• how can we do that to make it more affordable for our grocers because we love to provide health insurance
• And then they break down, and then they cancel their insurance, and the truck is stuck there beside the
• And then they break down, and then they cancel their insurance, and the truck is stuck there beside the

Committee: Joint Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• My insurance company is going to look at that and go, "Go ahead and settle for your deductible." deductible
• It doesn’t take much work because my insurance company is going to say, "Pay you," because it’s not worth
• Chair, if what Senator Share just described with that experience with his insurance company happened,
• you would You would have a great bad faith lawsuit against his insurance company because that means

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• I do ask, partly because of the insurance situation, and I want to make sure that this is not in any
• way inhibiting you from getting insured because I know it's a pool and everything.
• make sure that we're putting that in a context where a lot of these people, yeah, they may not be insured
• , but also some of them may be on Medicaid, they may be insured, and maybe it's just an accident or something

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• For insurance purposes, for flood insurance purposes, you can signify through a licensed surveyor that
• In order to not be required to have flood insurance, and that's the problem.
• While it is true that LOMAs and LOMRs are requested to show insurance companies that the structure may

Bills: SB 1 , HCR20 , HR131 , HR133 , HR135 , HR136 , HR137 , HR144 , HR145 , HR146 , HR149 , HR150 , HR151 , HR152 , HR158 , HR161 , HR162 , HR163 , HR165 , HR166 , HR168 , HR169 , HR170 , HR175 , HR178 , HR127 , HR129 , HR130 , HR132 , HR134 , HR138 , HR139 , HR140 , HR141 , HR142 , HR143 , HR153 , HR154 , HR155 , HR156 , HR159 , HR160 , HR164 , HR167 , HR172 , HR173 , HR176 , SB1 , HB8 , HB15 , HB27 , SB5

Transcript Highlights:

• really relish sometimes, and where we can purchase dentures and hearing aids, things that medical insurance
• things that dentures and hearing aids, things that medical<00:32:36.080><c> u</c><00:32:37.200><c> insurance
• </c><00:32:38.720><c> And</c> medical u insurance cannot pay for.
• And medical u insurance cannot pay for.

Summary: A joint informational briefing of the House Committee on Labor and the Senate Committee on Labor and Technology was held on August 19, 2025, to hear testimony on the Office of Community Services’ proposed Community Services Block Grant state plan for federal fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Ray Domingo of OCS explained that the plan is intended to maintain federal CSBG funding and focuses on compliance monitoring, coordination among community action agencies and state agencies, and strengthening partnerships. He also reviewed the program structure, noting that Hawaii’s four CAAs serve low-income residents, that the state must pass through at least 90% of the grant to CAAs, and that Hawaii received about $3.8 million in FFY 2025, with allocations to HCAP, Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, Kauai Economic Opportunity, and Maui Economic Opportunity. He said statewide CAAs reported serving 40,980 individuals in FFY 2024. Representatives from each CAA testified in support of the plan and described how CSBG functions as flexible “glue” funding that supports overhead, fills gaps, and helps leverage other public and private resources. HCAP’s Robert Piper said the grant helps sustain its broad service network, including Head Start, job training, weatherization, shelter, food assistance, and energy programs, and emphasized its tripartite board structure and annual service to about 20,000 people. Hawaii County’s Chad Hosigal highlighted support for senior farmers market coupons, Meals on Wheels, and transportation services. Kauai Economic Opportunity’s Mabel Fujiuchi said the agency fully supports the plan and described CSBG as nucleus funding that helps support shelter, Meals on Wheels, weatherization, mediation, and other services, including assistance for homeless families and special needs items such as dentures and hearing aids. Maui Economic Opportunity’s Gay Sabonga described CSBG’s role in disaster response after the 2023 wildfires, including shelter transitions, document recovery, housing and utility assistance, bridge grants for small businesses, youth prevention programs, and employment services. Committee members asked about the stability of future federal funding, the frequency of federal assessments, and how satisfaction scores in the state plan were measured. OCS said federal funding information has been mixed and uncertain, that communication with federal partners has been limited and informal, and that the federal assessment website appears outdated; staff said assessments are done every two years. On the satisfaction metric, OCS said the score was 92 out of 100 and believed it reflected participant responses, though they offered to follow up with more detail. No votes or formal actions were taken at the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because what I do know is that their insurance costs have gone up about 700% since this passed.
• She's been in inpatient insurance. I'm sorry, say that again. We had health insurance.
• Health insurance? So that's what you're asking, how we covered the medical and the psychiatric?

Bills: HB4 , HB20

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2853, which would allow the UT System Board of Regents to adjust the University of Texas at El Paso student union fee above the current statutory cap, subject to student approval, to help fund a new student union building. Senator Blanco explained the bill and the committee substitute, there were no questions or witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending subject to the call of the chair. The committee then heard House Bill 610, which would limit severance payments for terminated independent school district superintendents to six months’ salary and benefits. Senator Paxton described large severance payouts and said the bill had passed the House overwhelmingly. There were no witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the bill was left pending. A lengthy hearing followed on House Bill 4623, which would waive school district immunity in certain cases involving negligent hiring, supervision, or employment of professional school employees who commit abuse or related misconduct against students. Senator Paxton and several witnesses, including survivors and parents, argued the bill was needed to address cover-ups, delayed reporting, and repeated failures to remove dangerous employees; some members raised concerns about liability caps, litigation, and how the bill would interact with the Tort Claims Act. The committee also heard from TEA staff and employee-group witnesses who discussed possible injunctions and stronger no-hire protections. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 4, an accountability and assessment bill that would restore A-F ratings, change the state testing system, and replace STAAR with shorter, more instructionally useful assessments. Senator Bettencourt explained the committee substitute, including annual ratings, limits on taxpayer-funded lawsuits, and a phased-in testing redesign with beginning, middle, and end-of-year assessments. Testimony was generally supportive from education and business groups, though some witnesses favored norm-referenced testing while others emphasized criterion-referenced, TEKS-aligned assessments; one witness noted social studies assessments were restored in the bill. The hearing concluded with additional invited testimony and no final vote reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• really need a combination of the Marshall Plan and a moonshot, or else literally our homeowners insurance
• Prop 4 capital as an equity cushion, essentially a reserve that bond buyers would view as a form of insurance
• An insurance product like this could leverage perhaps three times additional capital from private markets
• An insurance product like this could leverage perhaps three times additional capital from private markets

Summary: The committee heard several energy and utilities bills, with testimony largely focused on wildfire mitigation, affordability, clean energy planning, and utility accountability. AB 706, by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, would create a fund to support projects that use forest biomass waste from wildfire mitigation and forest restoration; supporters said it would reduce open burning and emissions while providing reliable renewable power, and the bill later passed 13-0. AB 39, by Assembly Member Zbur, would require larger cities and counties to adopt electrification planning strategies for transportation and buildings; it drew broad support from clean energy, labor, environmental, and local government advocates and passed 9-0. AB 1167, by Assembly Member Berman, would restrict investor-owned utilities from charging ratepayers for lobbying, promotional advertising, and similar shareholder-benefit expenses; supporters framed it as an affordability and transparency measure, while utilities argued the bill was overly broad and already covered by existing rules. It passed 7-0, with some members not voting and the roll left open. The committee also considered AB 1417 on offshore wind community funding transparency, which was amended to remove new fees and instead require reporting on developer support for local and tribal community capacity-building; opposition was withdrawn and the bill passed 9-0. AB 367, by Assembly Member Bennett, would require water districts in high fire-risk areas of Ventura County to have backup power, full tanks during red flag warnings, and hardened facilities; water agencies opposed unless amended due to cost and liability concerns, but the bill passed 10-0. The consent calendar, including multiple additional measures, was approved 11-0. Other bills drew more divided testimony. AB 745 would allow securitization to finance utility undergrounding and prohibit a return on equity for undergrounding projects; supporters said it would lower ratepayer costs, while utilities warned it would effectively discourage undergrounding and could raise other rates. The bill passed 7-4 and was left on call. AB 1423 would apply reliability standards to publicly funded EV chargers installed before 2024; supporters said taxpayers should get functioning chargers, while charging-network representatives objected to retroactive requirements and possible conflicts with existing agreements. It passed 13-0. AB 388 would create a narrow exception to utility regulation to facilitate green hydrogen projects using private power lines; supporters said it would unlock low-cost renewable hydrogen and jobs, while utilities raised concerns about customer protections and grid planning. It passed 12-0. The committee also began hearing AB 825, which the author said would address the high cost of financing major transmission and generation buildout, but the transcript cuts off before the full presentation and action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• to obtain best and final offers from bidders and to rebid certain contracts, requires additional insurance
• When a patient pays upfront costs, usually a co-insurance, sometimes they discover that they have been
• because they pay what the provider at the time of their appointment believes is their appropriate co-insurance
• And then after all the charges are paid through their insurance companies, sometimes they've overpaid

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and moments of silence, including tributes related to the FSU campus shooting, Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, John Thrasher, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and visiting student and community groups. The chamber then moved into special order bills and adopted a resolution honoring Coach Abdur-Rahim. A number of measures were taken up and passed, including child care and early learning provider regulation updates, false reporting/swatting penalties, health care billing and collection protections, hazardous walking conditions for schoolchildren, young adult housing support for foster and homeless students, the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, trust fund interest rules for IOTA accounts, transportation-related changes, public records exemptions for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate court clerks, municipal water and sewer utility rates in Miami-Dade, motor vehicle offenses involving obscured plates and impersonating law enforcement, trespass at large-scale ticketed events, refund of patient overpayments, stem cell therapy standards, insulin administration by direct support professionals and relatives, pre-arranged transportation services, and the Uniform Commercial Code update for digital assets. Several bills were amended before passage, often by substituting House companions and adopting late-filed amendments. The transportation bill was significantly revised to remove speed-limit increases and utility-related provisions while adding beach equipment removal, flood-wake enforcement, expectant mother parking permits, and local regulation of micromobility devices; it passed 37-0. The trust fund interest bill drew the most debate, with supporters arguing it right-sized a volatile funding stream for legal aid and opponents warning it would sharply reduce support for legal aid organizations; it passed 28-10. The municipal water and sewer rate bill also prompted extended debate over fairness, fiscal impact, and accusations of racism, but passed 36-2. Public records exemption bills for AHCA investigators, JQC employees, and appellate clerks passed with varying margins, with supporters emphasizing safety and anti-doxing protections. One bill on cardiac emergencies and another on education were temporarily postponed. Most measures were adopted by wide margins, often unanimously, after brief sponsor explanations and little or no debate. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the late USF coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and recognized several visiting groups in the gallery. After completing the day’s special order calendar, the Senate recessed for lunch until 1:30 p.m. or on call of the President.

Transcript Highlights:

• As more services and credentials become digitally accessible, such as mobile boarding passes, insurance
• are dealing with, and some of the reporting requirements that go on because of FEMA, they're in. insurers
• , and many other FEMA, TDEM insurers, their constituents.
• The parties involved exchange insurance information and they may file a report online if they wish.

Bills: HB2034 , HB2436 , HB3010 , HB3033 , HB3138 , HB3177 , HB3426 , HB3686 , HB3858 , HB4176 , HB4257 , HB4264 , HB4804 , HCR98

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: groundwater, foreign ownership, national security, water permits, environmental health, deadly conduct, firearm, recklessness, peace officer, prosecution, Penal Code, Texas laws, disaster recovery, infrastructure, rural communities, grants, state funding, emergency management, HB 3033, Texas Department of Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• resulting from non-compliance shall not be recorded on a person's traffic abstract and used for insurance
• 03.240><c> for</c> a person's traffic abstract and used for a person's traffic abstract and used for insurance
• :04.760><c> the</c><00:38:04.920><c> third</c><00:38:05.240><c> part</c><00:38:05.880><c> uh</c> insurance
• purposes the third part uh insurance purposes the third part uh requires<00:38:07.040><c> a</c><00:38

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard several transportation and public safety measures on March 28, 2025. SB 1195 would prohibit parking within certain distances of crosswalks and intersections, direct parking fine revenue to the Safe Routes to School special fund, and remove the need for signs or curb markings in some cases. The Department of Transportation, Department of Health, and Ulupono Initiative supported the bill, emphasizing improved visibility, pedestrian safety, and funding for school-route improvements; written testimony included both support and one opposition. No vote was taken during the hearing segment provided. The committee also heard SB 1102 on the aircraft rescue firefighting unit chief, which would set term-based appointment provisions for the airport division’s fire chief. DOT supported the measure, saying it would give the director flexibility to select leadership and adapt to changing needs, while a member asked about current removal procedures for underperforming employees. The bill was presented as a management and leadership measure, with no action taken in the excerpt. SB 1216, addressing noisy mufflers and safety inspection requirements, drew DOT support in principle but concern that existing rules already cover inspection standards and that enforcement after inspection remains difficult; DOT also described a planned noise-detection camera pilot on Oʻahu. Testimony included support from neighborhood and advocacy groups and opposition from three individuals. For SB 30, which would require helmets for moped riders under 21, DOT and HPD supported the bill, citing crash data and injury prevention; testimony was evenly split overall, with six in support and six in opposition. SB 344 would require helmets for skateboard users under 18; DOT supported it, and a DOT witness explained current helmet rules for other devices such as e-bikes, scooters, and motorcycles. SB 1095, increasing decal size limits for special number plates, drew DOT concerns that larger decals could interfere with plate readability and automated enforcement. SB 1522 would make proof of filing required vehicle-transfer notice forms a complete defense to actions arising from the vehicle’s later use or abandonment; the Judiciary said it had no position on the bill’s merits but objected to language requiring new court forms and raised access and legal-advice concerns, while Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services supported the measure. The committee then heard SB 597, extending the deadline for the Administrative Driver’s License Revocation Office to issue written review decisions. The Attorney General and DOT supported the extension, citing limited toxicology capacity and shipping delays for testing, and several law enforcement and public health entities also supported it. In contrast, the ADLRO hearing officer testified with serious concerns about due process, warning that eliminating or delaying the review process could create constitutional problems, disproportionately burden people without attorneys, and jeopardize thousands of cases. Finally, SB 1285 proposed a tiered revocation system for DUI arrests; ADLRO strongly opposed it on due process grounds, while DOT supported it as a safety measure and the Hawaii Public Health Institute commented that evidence is lacking for standalone mandatory revocation and suggested stronger impaired-driving standards instead. The committee had not yet taken final action in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's been a lot of work done. and price transparency, lowering health care costs, and making insurance
• But I'll tell you right now that Even if we put a magical laminate insurance card, no personal cost to
• when most insurance companies do not cover services that are provided by a physician who is not. board
• So I've actually gone outside of insurance. completely. I do what's called direct primary care.

Bills: HB713 , HB827 , HB932 , HB499 , HB510 , HB163 , HB296 , HB879 , HB913 , HB163 , HB296

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: healthcare, maternal health, reporting requirements, Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, health provider immunity, workplace violence, nurses, grant program, healthcare facilities, safety measures, safety, nursing, grants, healthcare safety, verbal abuse, physical abuse, nurse empowerment, occupational therapy, licensure, interstate practice

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, I mean, I think there's basically only one account: the Family and Medical Benefit Insurance account
• c> there</c><00:10:00.320><c> there</c> There is ample funding in the Family and Medical Benefit Insurance
• Unemployment insurance is being drawn at the same time as paid family medical leave; that's against the
• Unemployment insurance is being drawn at the same time as paid family medical leave; that's against the

Bills: HF11

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: Minnesota Paid Leave, paid family and medical leave, family leave, medical leave, implementation delay, premium collection, employer premiums, state payroll tax, workforce, labor, benefits administration, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, employer notice, seasonal employees, private plans, actuarial study, outreach and education, employee rights, reinstatement

Transcript Highlights:

• tax, 243-14 or fuel tax, 247D-6.5 for conveyance tax, 21-8 for a vehicle surcharge, and 431:7-24.6 insurance
• semicolon or colon SE uh 431 uh semicolon or colon SE uh 7-24<01:01:55.920><c> six</c><01:01:56.240><c> insurance
• </c> 7-24 six insurance 7-24 six insurance tax<01:01:58.640><c> uh</c><01:01:58.880><c> and</c><01:01

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• 1012A AND SUBSTITUTE THE IDENTICAL SENATE Senator Bailey moves to discharge from the Committee on Insurance
• Senate Print 9497, Fernandez, an act to amend the Insurance Law.
• Calendar 1362, Assembly 6561B, Assembly Member Weprin, an act to amend the Insurance Law.
• SENATOR FERNANDEZ MOVES TO DISCHARGE FROM THE COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE, ASSEMBLY BILL 1428 AND SUBSTITUTE
• Calendar 1489, Assembly 1428, Assembly Member Forrest, an act to amend the Insurance Law.

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and then processed a series of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate bills, which were so ordered. Several bills were also recalled from the Assembly, had reconsideration votes taken, and were restored to the third reading calendar after receiving 58 ayes. Amendments were received on a number of bills, and those measures retained their place on the calendar. The main business of the day was Privileged Resolution 2318, sponsored by Leader Stewart-Cousins, honoring Senator Michael Gianaris with the President Pro Tempore and Senate Majority Leader’s Legislative Legacy Award. The resolution and floor remarks reviewed his long career in the Assembly and Senate, his role as Deputy Majority Leader and floor leader, and his work on housing, criminal justice, voting rights, labor, environmental, consumer, transit, animal welfare, and other major legislation. Members from both parties spoke at length, praising his strategic skill, mentorship, humor, and influence, while also noting his support for younger members and his commitment to family. Several senators described personal experiences showing Gianaris’s mentorship and political guidance, and many referenced his Greek American identity, Queens roots, and interests such as Star Wars and the Mets. Senators also emphasized that he was leaving on his own terms to spend more time with his wife and daughters. The resolution was adopted with broad support, and Gianaris then spoke in response, reflecting on nearly 30 years in state government, the major laws passed during his tenure, and the relationships he built in the chamber.

Transcript Highlights:

• City Council. 118A investments are largely safe, fixed-income investments that are collateralized, insured
• should be registered with the SEC and that 80% of the investments must be federally guaranteed or insured
• This is in the unemployment insurance chapter and modifies the way liens are recorded and how notice
• 52:05.480><c> in</c><00:52:05.680><c> the</c><00:52:06.160><c> unemployment</c><00:52:06.760><c> insurance
• </c> Um this is in the unemployment insurance Um this is in the unemployment insurance chapter<00:52:

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Truck insurance costs have skyrocketed in recent years due to frivolous lawsuits and what we call nuclear
• Many insurance carriers have simply left the trucking market.
• Many insurance carriers have simply left the trucking market.
• >> Um, I would like to pass the bill for the insurance portion to get discussed to the commerce committee
• portion to get discussed to insurance portion to get discussed to the<01:26:01.040><c> commerce</c><

Transcript Highlights:

• Neil Clark, on behalf of Insurance Auto Auctions, also moving to neutral.
• As we know, insurance rates are also negatively impacted by red light violations.
• This eases insurance burdens because it no longer deals with points on your driver's record, nor your
• insurance.
• It should reduce fines, fees, and insurance burdens.

Summary: The committee heard several AI- and consumer-protection-related bills, with extensive testimony from authors, supporters, and industry opponents. SB 53 by Senator Wiener would create transparency requirements for large AI developers, including disclosure of safety and security protocols, reporting of critical safety incidents, whistleblower protections, and the CalCompute public cloud. Supporters said it is a narrower, transparency-based follow-up to last year’s vetoed AI safety bill, while opponents argued it still relies too much on company size, could expose trade secrets, and should be narrowed further. The committee approved SB 53 on a do-pass-as-amended vote to Appropriations, with the roll held open for absent members. SB 766 by Senator Allen would codify the FTC’s Cars Rule and create a three-day cooling-off period for certain used-car purchases, along with stronger disclosure rules on pricing, add-ons, and government affiliation claims. Supporters said it would save consumers money and time and help buyers avoid bad deals, while dealer and industry groups said amendments addressed many of their concerns. Several former opponents moved to neutral, and the committee passed SB 766 unanimously as amended to Appropriations. SB 7 by Senator McNerney would regulate automated decision-making systems in employment by requiring notice, human review for discipline and termination, and limits on predictive behavior analysis. Labor and consumer advocates supported the bill as a safeguard against biased or overly automated workplace decisions, while employer and industry groups raised concerns about scope, notice burdens, and the predictive-analysis ban. The committee passed SB 7 to Appropriations on a 4-2 vote, with the roll held open. SB 833, also by Senator McNerney, would require human oversight of AI used in critical infrastructure, along with training and system assessments; it drew limited opposition focused on scope, and the committee passed it as amended to Appropriations on a 5-0 vote, also holding the roll open. Later, the committee took up SB 11, which would address AI-generated voice, image, and video cloning and deepfakes by clarifying likeness protections, requiring consumer warnings, and addressing misuse and evidence tampering. Supporters framed it as a targeted response to nonconsensual deepfakes, while industry groups said recent amendments improved the bill but still had concerns about penalties and warning language. The committee also heard SB 720, the Safer Streets Act, which would let cities opt into a revised red-light camera system that shifts from driver to owner liability, removes facial identification, makes violations civil rather than criminal, and directs revenue toward transportation safety projects; the author presented the bill, but the transcript ends before any final action on SB 720.

Transcript Highlights:

• Higher prices from the hospitals lead to higher insurance costs and a less robust health care system.
• Higher prices from the hospitals lead to higher insurance costs and a less robust health care system.
• Higher prices from the hospitals lead to higher insurance costs and a less robust health care system.
• Higher prices from the hospitals lead to higher insurance costs and a less robust health care system.
• costs and a less robust Health Insurance costs and a less robust Health Care<00:27:56.480><c> System

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Apparently, a school district in New Hampshire did get fined by the IRS for not providing health insurance
• 02.320><c> health</c> by the IRS for uh not providing health by the IRS for uh not providing health insurance
• in compliance with the insurance in compliance with the ACA<01:58:06.800><c> um</c><01:58:07.480><c>
• <01:58:26.520><c> the</c><01:58:26.800><c> with</c><01:58:26.960><c> health</c><01:58:27.280><c> insurance
• </c> covered with the with health insurance covered with the with health insurance so<01:58:29.920><c

Summary: The committee reviewed selected House Bill 2 provisions, focusing first on the group two pension reform language and whether it matched prior legislation and the fiscal note. Members discussed two main issues: the treatment of extra and special duty pay in the pension calculation for employees hired before 2011, and the annuity multiplier after 15 years of creditable service. Several members said the HB 2 language was intended to restore prior law and protect against pension “spiking,” while others worried the draft and fiscal note may not have fully reflected current law, potentially affecting the cost estimate. The discussion repeatedly emphasized the need to avoid underfunding or double counting and to make sure Finance had the correct actuarial assumptions. No vote was taken; the committee agreed to flag the issues for Finance and to clarify the fiscal note. Members also discussed the vested-rights language, which was described as an explicit definition of vesting and a restriction on future legislative changes to compensation calculations after three years of service. Some viewed it as a policy protection with no immediate fiscal impact, while others noted it had been included in prior legislation and should be clearly understood before the bill moved forward. The committee also briefly referenced prior pension legislation, including House Bill 436 and House Bill 727, and noted that HB 2 was being used to carry forward related pension repair provisions. The committee then turned to an OPLC-related section transferring building, plumbing, electrical, and fuel gas inspector positions from OPLC to the Department of Safety’s Fire Marshal’s office. Testimony explained that the nine inspector positions are funded from the licensing fund, and that the move was justified as a public-safety function better aligned with the Fire Marshal’s mission because the inspections are statewide code-enforcement work rather than facility-specific licensing work. The discussion ended with a note that the remaining HB 2 changes run through 2034 and a brief announcement about memorial arrangements for C.J. Gerard.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in Land Court, the state actually, um, you know, insures title, um, you know, the TCTs, those transfer
• So in Land Court, the state actually, um, you know, insures title, um, you know, the TCTs, those transfer
• 01:00:40.079><c> to</c><01:00:40.280><c> protect</c> Land Court, the state actually, um, you know, insures
• They pay fees, they have insurance, and their guides have to be lifeguard certified, etc., for public
• </c><01:30:30.400><c> their</c> pay fees they have insurance their pay fees they have insurance their

Committee: House Water & Land

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several agriculture, water, invasive species, and land-use bills. HB 299 and HB 1220, both relating to invasive species, drew broad support from the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, DLNR, the Department of Agriculture, C-GAPS, Sierra Club, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union, and others. Testifiers said HISC funding fills gaps between agency mandates, supports research and technology, and helps respond to both terrestrial and marine invasive threats. On HB 1220, C-GAPS described a marine anemone infestation in Kāneʻohe linked to aquarium release and said control and restoration would be difficult without the bill’s funding. A committee member asked for tracking information on the species, and the Division of Aquatic Resources said it maintains monitoring data and annual reports. No opposition was noted on either measure. HB 506, relating to conservation enforcement, also received support from DLNR and Malama Pu‘u Ma. Committee discussion focused on the bill’s scope and how the funding would be used. Members asked about a prior boat purchase mentioned in opposition testimony and about whether mainland vendors were being used; the department said it did not buy that boat and that procurement follows the normal state process, with total bid price including delivery, taxes, and other fees. The department explained that the bill’s funding is primarily for marine enforcement work in nearshore fisheries, including herbivore protection around O‘ahu. HB 915, relating to water use, had mixed testimony. DLNR supported alternative water sources and amendments to the water code, while the Department of Agriculture opposed the bill as drafted, saying its irrigation program is designed for non-potable agricultural use and is not structured for residential or mixed-use development. The Department of Health said it needed more information on its reuse guidelines and noted concern about removing the recycled water manager requirement, which it said helps ensure safe operation and maintenance of reuse systems. Members questioned the bill’s preemption language and whether county or state rules would be displaced, and Agriculture suggested county water agencies might be better suited for some of the proposed uses. HB 502, concerning land use, drew support from the Attorney General’s office, the Land Use Commission, Hawaii Realtors, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Farmers Union, with the Department of Agriculture standing on its written testimony. The Attorney General warned that allowing important agricultural lands to be redistricted through a declaratory ruling process could conflict with the state constitution and recommended excluding IAL from the bill. The Land Use Commission said it has an inventory of IAL lands and did not believe the bill would affect them, and it agreed to the suggested protection. Supporters said the bill could help move lands with limited agricultural value into the rural district, reduce pressure on productive farmland, and better align land use with actual farming potential. HB 929, relating to the agricultural land conveyance tax, received comments from the Department of Taxation and opposition from Hawaii Farm Bureau and Hawaii Realtors; Farm Bureau said it supports preserving agricultural land but was concerned about unintended consequences and questioned whether speculative flipping of ag land is a current problem.