Transcript Highlights:

• And because the federal tax credits for residential-owned solar systems and battery storage solar systems
• 03.600><c> for</c> And because the federal tax credits for And because the federal tax credits for residential
• 04.480><c> solar</c><01:40:04.800><c> systems</c><01:40:05.199><c> and</c><01:40:05.440><c> own</c> residential
• owned solar systems and own residential owned solar systems and own battery<01:40:06.159><c> storage

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee held an informational briefing on fraud in the community, with presenters from ARP, CoinFlip, HPD, the Hawaii Bankers Association, DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection, and the Department of Law Enforcement. The chair described widespread scams targeting kupuna and other residents, including impersonation of grandchildren, lottery/inheritance schemes, romance scams, online shopping fraud, investment scams, and tech-support scams. Members emphasized the emotional manipulation used by scammers, the difficulty of getting victims to report losses, and the need to educate the public on warning signs and available resources. ARP said scams are an epidemic and highlighted national data showing major losses among older adults, including $4.8 billion lost by people age 60 and over in 2024. ARP focused especially on cryptocurrency kiosks as a growing scam channel in Hawaii, citing 64 complaints totaling $922,000 in 2024 and noting that complaints nearly doubled from the prior year. ARP urged stronger safeguards such as limits on transactions, refunds, live customer support, and a law-enforcement contact for operators, and said its Fraud Watch Network can help victims freeze credit, identify next steps, and track current scams. The chair said he intends to introduce legislation to lower and ultimately eliminate the amount of Bitcoin that can be purchased through ATMs. CoinFlip said it supports consumer-protection regulation and described its compliance practices, including scam warning screens, anti-money-laundering controls, blockchain analytics, wallet pinning, transaction monitoring, and cooperation with law enforcement. The company said it is registered as a money services business, files suspicious activity and currency transaction reports, and holds money transmitter licenses in many jurisdictions. It also pointed to Illinois-style refund protections for new users and said it refunds fees to scam victims, though not the underlying funds. In response to committee questions, members and the company discussed whether crypto kiosks are necessary, how scams can be traced, and whether banks and kiosks can better intervene when suspicious activity is detected.

Transcript Highlights:

• SPGMI forecasts that real non-residential, or business fixed, investment will grow at a rate of less
• SPGMI forecasts that real non-residential<00:10:00.880><c> or</c><00:10:01.200><c> business</c><00:10
• :01.600><c> fixed</c> non-residential or business fixed non-residential or business fixed investment<

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a treatment access program where we provide support for residential or intensive outpatient treatment
• 51:23.560><c> provide</c><01:51:24.040><c> support</c><01:51:24.520><c> for</c><01:51:24.680><c> residential
• </c><01:51:25.400><c> or</c> we provide support for residential or we provide support for residential

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee opened its sixth and final interim meeting with roll call, quorum confirmation, approval of the prior minutes, and a brief change in agenda order to preserve quorum and accommodate presenters’ schedules. Members then moved through several proposed health-related items with limited discussion, and the chair noted the committee would reconvene in January for further conversation. The first substantive item was a proposal relating to utilization controls for non-opioid analgesics in Medicaid. Senator Gerald Neal and Tara Hyde of People Advocating Recovery argued that pain parity is needed so patients can access non-opioid options without prior authorization or step therapy barriers, especially in acute pain situations and for people in recovery. Senator Berg supported the concept and suggested expanding the approach to other prescriptions by allowing physicians to explain why step therapy is inappropriate at the time of prescribing; another member cautioned against unintended cost increases if non-opioid drugs are used as add-ons to opioids. The committee then heard a proposal on physician assistants from Senator Scott and Andrew Rutherford of the Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants. They described a shift from a supervisory to a collaborative practice model, with practice scope set at the practice level, limited Schedule II prescribing authority under guardrails, and permission for PAs to perform driver’s license vision testing. Supporters said the changes would improve rural access, reduce administrative burden, and align Kentucky with neighboring states; a question from Representative Bratcher focused on experience requirements and how the proposal compares with nurse practitioner rules. No vote was taken. Finally, Representative Nancy Tate, Adia Wuchner, and Representative Jason Nemes introduced a 2026 proposal aimed at “protecting vulnerable people.” They described a broad package focused on abortion pill trafficking, marketing to minors, commercial surrogacy, assisted suicide, and organ procurement safeguards, arguing that current law leaves gaps and that additional criminal and civil penalties are needed. The presentation was informational only, with no action taken before the meeting ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• were speaking to who have used Ukaru, even the hospital rehabilitation-type centers who use it, residential
• were speaking to who have used Ukaru, even the hospital rehabilitation-type centers who use it, residential
• were speaking to who have used Ukaru, even the hospital rehabilitation-type centers who use it, residential
• were speaking to who have used Ukaru, even the hospital rehabilitation-type centers who use it, residential

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's distribution sampling, hydrants, house sampling, residential, and then the source sampling.
• 39:54.320><c> sampling,</c> hydrants, there's house sampling, hydrants, there's house sampling, residential
• 55.520><c> and</c><01:39:55.679><c> then</c><01:39:55.840><c> the</c><01:39:56.000><c> source</c> residential
• and then the source residential and then the source sampling.<01:39:57.199><c> Um</c><01:39:58.239><

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Special Committee on Red Hill held an informational briefing at the State Capitol focused on updates from the Navy Closure Task Force Red Hill and NAVFAC Hawaii. Members and Navy officials opened by noting the meeting format, providing public links to tank closure supplement 4 and environmental remediation resources, and thanking Admiral Barnett for attending before his transition. The Navy emphasized that the Red Hill closure effort and the PFAS/PAS environmental remediation effort are separate but coordinated, and that both are long-term undertakings. For the closure effort, Navy officials reported progress on tank cleaning, ventilation, sludge removal, groundwater monitoring, and preparation for pipeline removal. They said supplement 4 to the tank closure plan was submitted in May and outlines the overall closure strategy, post-closure monitoring, and the decision to proceed with closure rather than wait for beneficial reuse decisions. They described completed ventilation of tanks 3 through 8, the start of tank 2 ventilation, removal of 283 gallons of sludge from the first six tanks, and plans to begin pipeline pigging and removal later this year. Officials also said all sludge samples tested so far were non-hazardous and that air monitoring has not shown elevated volatile organic readings during operations. NAVFAC Hawaii then outlined the PFAS/PAS remedial investigation under CERCLA, explaining the cleanup process, the nature of PFAS, and the role of aqueous film-forming foam as a source. The presentation said the Navy began investigating PFAS releases in 2014-2015, that the 2021 Red Hill fuel release led directly into remedial investigation work, and that current activities include quarterly groundwater sampling at 42 monitoring wells, installation of new shallow and deep wells, soil sampling where exceedances were found, fate-and-transport modeling, and human health risk assessments. Officials said data are publicly available on the Red Hill environmental website and that the next restoration advisory board meeting is scheduled for August 27. The Navy also gave a water resiliency update, saying it is upgrading the joint base drinking water system with pump, tank, and cybersecurity improvements and is installing treatment systems for the inactive Navy Aiea and Red Hill shafts ahead of EPA drinking water standards taking effect in 2029. No votes or formal committee actions were taken, as the meeting was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in the middle of a residential neighborhood, you could only put a residence there.
• /c><02:03:00.800><c> middle</c><02:03:00.960><c> of</c><02:03:01.040><c> a</c><02:03:01.280><c> residential
• </c> in the middle of a residential in the middle of a residential neighborhood,<02:03:02.639><c> you

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Amendments to the building code and the residential code correct errors in the current amendment related
• building<00:26:42.080><c> code</c><00:26:42.400><c> and</c><00:26:42.559><c> the</c><00:26:42.799><c> residential
• </c><00:26:43.360><c> code</c> building code and the residential code building code and the residential

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• codified parental rights and responsibilities in two ways: we have legal decision-making authority and residential
• 01:00:08.359><c> and</c> legal decision-making Authority and legal decision-making Authority and residential
• responsibility</c><01:00:10.319><c> and</c><01:00:10.400><c> so</c><01:00:10.559><c> you'll</c> residential
• responsibility and so you'll residential responsibility and so you'll see<01:00:11.079><c> that</c><

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee on the Children and Family Law Committee met organizationally to continue work on family court issues, building on a prior special committee’s report and taking a collaborative approach with the Judiciary. The chair said the group would focus on solutions rather than rehashing public complaints, and identified three main topics for early study: specialization and training of family court judges, the extent to which judges should be bound by the rules of evidence, and whether mediation in family cases should be mandatory or voluntary and what qualifications mediators should have. A fourth concern was also raised about overlap between superior court domestic violence cases and family court custody/support matters, and whether one judge should hear both. Members discussed whether to divide into smaller subcommittees, but the prevailing view was to work as a committee of the whole at first. Most members agreed that additional public testimony was unlikely to add much, though recent concerns could still be emailed to the committee. The committee then heard from Attorney Erin Krian, general counsel for the judicial branch, and Judge Michael Mace. Krian said the judicial branch could provide additional witnesses on mediation and judicial training, including Judge Kissinger, and noted the branch was preparing materials on how other states handle the issues. Mace described the history of the Family Division and said he had reviewed older reports going back to the 1990s. He also outlined current judicial branch efforts, including expanded shadowing for new judges, monthly family-law trainings, and a year-long focus on family law topics. He reported that court rules had been updated to clarify notice requirements for minor guardianship changes, and that the branch had received positive feedback on the family access motion, which provides a statutory timeline and listed remedies for parenting-time disputes. Members also discussed prior committee work on rules of evidence and family court procedures. One member recalled recommending quiet review of any judges who appeared to apply evidence rules inconsistently, and Krian said the administrative judge can review complaints even if they come from a single person. The committee also received a status update on prior initiatives, including a federal grant for guardian ad litem services for indigent litigants in four locations, testing of redesigned court forms, and continued training improvements. The chair scheduled the next subcommittee meeting for April 1 and the full Children and Family Law Committee for April 8, with further documents from committee research and NCSL to be circulated.

Transcript Highlights:

• Getting approval to place her nine-year-old in a residential treatment center.
• :39.119><c> her</c><00:53:39.280><c> nine-year-old</c><00:53:39.760><c> in</c><00:53:40.000><c> residential
• </c> place her nine-year-old in residential place her nine-year-old in residential treatment<00:53:40.880

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• order to build strong communities for our infrastructure, our commercial tax base, and then our residential
• base<01:09:59.000><c> and</c><01:09:59.120><c> then</c><01:09:59.239><c> our</c><01:09:59.440><c> residential
• </c><01:10:00.080><c> we</c><01:10:00.199><c> need</c> base and then our residential we need base and
• then our residential we need people<01:10:00.719><c> in</c><01:10:00.800><c> the</c><01:10:00.960><c

Bills: HF339 , HF1272 , HF2121 , HF2122 , HF1216 , HF1003 , HF2319

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: HF339, Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, nursing homes, long-term care, elder care, workforce standards, certified worker organizations, labor funding, general fund appropriation, worker grants, Minnesota labor law, nursing home staffing, caregiver workforce, section 181.214, HF1272, nursing home, boarding care home, nursing home workers, labor standards, Medicaid-certified facility

Transcript Highlights:

• changes are on page two, and it has to do with providing proof of registration by employees of residential
• proof of registration by<00:02:30.800><c> employees</c><00:02:31.239><c> of</c><00:02:31.400><c> residential
• </c><00:02:32.000><c> facilities</c> by employees of residential facilities by employees of residential

Committee: Senate Elections

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There were a significant number of deficiencies, including relying on seven residential furnaces and
• 00:04:03.879><c> relying</c><00:04:04.280><c> on</c><00:04:04.519><c> seven</c><00:04:04.879><c> residential
• </c> uh between relying on seven residential uh between relying on seven residential furnaces<00:04:05.840

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section two, paragraph D, requires postsecondary institutions to provide academic and residential support
• provide post-secondary institutions to provide academic<00:02:17.280><c> and</c><00:02:17.440><c> residential
• </c><00:02:18.000><c> support</c><00:02:18.840><c> as</c> academic and residential support as academic
• and residential support as needed<00:02:20.200><c> and</c><00:02:20.360><c> on</c><00:02:20.480><c>

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In terms of the bill, I think first that the exemption of installation of residential services could
• 48:47.760><c> of</c><00:48:47.920><c> installation</c><00:48:48.440><c> of</c><00:48:48.599><c> Residential
• </c> exemption of installation of Residential exemption of installation of Residential Services<00:48

Bills: HF47 , HF335

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: telecommunications, installation, certification, safety, underground utilities, HF335, Greater Minnesota, economic development, public infrastructure, grant program, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, business development, infrastructure grants, local government aid, general fund appropriation, rural development, site development, utilities, roads

Transcript Highlights:

• That location is in front of mostly residential properties, far away from the main entertainment and
• visitor-friendly ways to do that. location is in front of mostly location is in front of mostly Residential
• 41.039><c> far</c><01:05:41.319><c> away</c><01:05:41.680><c> from</c><01:05:41.839><c> the</c> Residential
• Properties far away from the Residential Properties far away from the main<01:05:42.160><c> entertainment

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The University of New Hampshire and Durham, Plymouth, and Keene are residential campuses.
• </c><01:14:32.719><c> are</c> and Durham Plymouth and Kean are and Durham Plymouth and Kean are residential
• 33.639><c> campuses</c><01:14:34.639><c> there's</c><01:14:34.840><c> a</c><01:14:35.000><c> law</c> residential
• campuses there's a law residential campuses there's a law school<01:14:36.360><c> um</c><01:14:37.360

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting was the first session of a newly created House Education Funding Committee, which also handles career technical education and higher education legislation. The chair explained that the committee was split off from the larger education committee because of the high volume of bills in the prior biennium, and said its focus would be on education funding policy and related fiscal issues. He noted that the committee had already reviewed major topics with the Department of Education, including the foundation formula, building aid, career technical education, special education aid, catastrophic aid, and higher education funding, and that chancellors from the university and community college systems were scheduled to appear later that morning. The bulk of the meeting was an orientation on committee procedures and decorum. The chair reviewed attendance and replacement rules, hearing procedures, time limits for testimony, and how the committee would handle crowded hearings, early bills, and fiscal notes. He emphasized that hearings are not debates, that sponsors and co-sponsors may present but should not use their position to dominate questioning, and that the chair controls whether additional technical questions are asked of witnesses. He also stressed neutrality, saying members should not display buttons or placards or engage in running debates with testifiers, and that the committee should treat all testimony respectfully regardless of party or viewpoint. Additional housekeeping guidance covered security procedures, use of cell phones and computers during hearings, breaks and hydration in the dry hearing rooms, and courtesy toward the clerk and other staff. The chair also asked members to notify leadership in advance of absences and explained that some bills may require larger rooms or overflow arrangements. No votes were taken and no bills were acted on during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you have a city-owned swimming pool and the lifeguard is looking at somebody drowning and they
• So if there is a, if you have a city-owned swimming pool and the lifeguard is looking at somebody drowning

Committee: House Governmental Oversight, Select

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• without insurance, we should be supporting Representative Holland's bill for a low-cost insurance pool
• for a Representative Holland's bill for a lowcost<00:59:56.400><c> insurance</c><00:59:56.880><c> pool

Bills: HF3131 , HF3436 , HF3106 , HF3241 , HF3531

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: cancer, disability, parking certificates, transportation, state law, school bus, schoolchildren, student safety, traffic safety, stop arm, flashing red lights, amber lights, passing a school bus, 20 feet, vehicle stopping distance, driver duties, school transportation, Minnesota traffic law, school bus law, bus stop signal

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the things that is critical to the administration of justice is that we get a robust jury pool
• One of the things that is critical to the administration of justice is that we get a robust jury pool

Bills: SB2444 , SB2446 , SB2450 , SB2453 , SB2461 , SB2457 , SB2462 , SB2313 , SB2528 , SB2532 , SB2571 , SB2678 , SB2529

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: real property, exemption, attachment, execution, consumer protection, financial security, inflation adjustment, head of family, senior citizens, Intermediate Court of Appeals, judges, Hawaii judiciary, court membership, legal system, presidential preference primary, elections, political parties, Hawaii voting, 2028 election, voting

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on several bills. SB 2444 would raise the real property exemption amount for attachment or execution, which the Attorney General said could create vague retroactivity language and litigation risk; the committee noted the exemption had last been adjusted around 1978. SB 2446 would add a seventh associate judge to the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Judiciary staff testified in opposition, saying recent internal restructuring and a pending vacancy had improved output and that it would be prudent to wait and see the effect before adding another judge. The Public Defender supported the goal of faster appellate resolution but said it would defer to the court’s assessment and had no objection to revisiting the issue later. The committee also discussed current appellate timelines, with staff saying at least 225 days is built into the process before a case reaches a merit panel, and that a two-year delay from panel assignment was realistic under the current structure. The committee then heard SB 2450, which would establish a presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle. The Chief Election Officer said the election would cost about $4 million, less if combined with the regular primary. Several opponents argued the bill would add bureaucracy, duplicate or undermine party-run processes, and waste taxpayer money; one speaker estimated the total cost could be closer to $6 million when county costs are included. Supporters and committee members discussed that the measure would not require parties to use the results and that Hawaii remains one of the few states still using caucuses. The committee also asked whether counties could staff the election and whether the results would be useful given Hawaii’s current primary timing. SB 2453 would require the Office of Elections to include a notice with each ballot that a digital and printed voter information guide is available, with the notice in 32-point font as a separate insert. The Chief Election Officer said the insert would cost about $90,000 and asked for an effective date of January 1, 2027 because mailing preparations for the primary would already be underway. The Disability and Communications Access Board, League of Women Voters, National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, and others supported the bill. The committee also began hearing SB 2461, which would have the Office of Elections prepare a questionnaire for candidates and publish responses online and in the voter guide; the Chief Election Officer said the office did not think it should be the agency to shape campaign questions, though he said it could work if the questions were specified in statute. Finally, the committee heard SB 2457, which would require a criminal conviction before seized property could be forfeited. The Attorney General and Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill, arguing it would prolong cases, increase storage costs, and make forfeiture less effective against crime, especially where owners flee, die, or hide assets through shell companies. The Public Defender strongly supported the measure, saying forfeiture should be tied to convictions and that people challenging forfeiture often lack counsel. The Honolulu Prosecutor also opposed the bill, but said it supported transparency, due process, and even a right to counsel; it argued conviction-only forfeiture would fail in cases involving fugitives, deceased suspects, or hidden ownership structures. The committee questioned what would happen to property if an owner could not be found, and the prosecutor said the outcome would depend on the type of property and could involve abandonment or interpleader proceedings.

Transcript Highlights:

• states that have more accessible policies when so much of Texas has really tried to retain the talent pool
• states that have more accessible policies when so much of Texas has really tried to retain the talent pool

Bills: SB1798 , SB1835 , SB1319 , SB2942 , SB2928 , SB784 , SB1049

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Keywords: higher education, tuition rates, financial support, immigration status, Texas law, SB 1835, resident tuition, nonresident students, scholarship students, public higher education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Education Code Section 54.213, tuition waiver, in-state tuition, out-of-state students, higher education finance, enrollment cap, capacity limit, workforce development area, nonimmigrant visa

Summary: The committee heard several education bills, with most of the discussion focused on Senate Bill 1835, Senate Bill 784, Senate Bill 1049, Senate Bill 2942, and Senate Bill 2928. SB 1835 would raise from 5% to 20% the cap on nonresident students who can receive resident tuition and fees through competitive scholarships at certain regional universities in slower-growing workforce development areas, provided the schools have capacity as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Supporters, including West Texas A&M University, said the bill would help fill underused capacity, attract students who may stay and work in Texas, and support regional workforce needs. SB 784 would strengthen a prior law allowing peace officers’ children to transfer between public school districts for safety reasons by requiring both districts’ approval, making clear that districts of innovation are not exempt, and prohibiting tuition charges. SB 1049 would require districts and open-enrollment charters to excuse students, at a parent’s request, for religious release-time instruction for up to one hour per day and five hours per week; witnesses said the program is constitutional, voluntary, and already operating in other states and some Texas districts. Each of these bills was left pending after testimony, with no public witnesses opposing them. SB 2942 would expand and adjust the state’s adult charter high school pilot program. Senator Creighton said the bill is intended to help the estimated 7 million Texas adults without a high school diploma by removing barriers to expansion, aligning legal protections with ISDs, changing TEA’s disapproval window for expansion amendments to a 30-day period after receipt, and updating funding to reflect part-year attendance. A committee substitute kept the upper enrollment age at 50 and removed a proposed testing change. Testimony from New Heights students and leadership described the program as life-changing, emphasizing that it combines diplomas with career credentials, childcare, transportation, and other supports to help adults stabilize their families and enter better-paying work. TEA witnesses explained the expansion process and said adult charter schools are overseen by the commissioner rather than the SBOE. The committee substitute was adopted, public testimony closed, and the bill was left pending. SB 2928 would set a uniform school start date for public school districts at the third Wednesday in August, while preserving existing district-of-innovation flexibility for current DOI districts and allowing year-round systems to continue. Senator Creighton argued the bill would reduce the patchwork created by DOI exemptions, support students and families, and preserve summer employment and tourism revenue. A committee substitute was adopted. Testimony came largely from tourism, hospitality, and recreation interests, including hotel, water park, zoo, chamber of commerce, and camp representatives, who said later start dates would extend the summer travel season, improve staffing and revenue, and give students more opportunities for summer jobs and camps. Several witnesses cited large economic impacts from tourism and said early school starts reduce August business. Some senators raised concerns about charter schools being excluded and about year-round calendars, but the bill was left pending after testimony.