Video & Transcript : 'fertilizers' :

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FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Regulated Industries Mar 19th, 2025

Regulated Industries

Transcript Highlights:
  • increases the risk of long-term health complications, particularly carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting fertility
Summary: The committee began by postponing SB 1742 on condos until the following week, then took up SB 1298 on building construction. Senator Simon said the bill would require continued education for long-licensed building professionals, clarify interagency sharing of building officials, limit residential inspectors to one- and two-family homes, revive a paid internship for residential planning examiners, modernize permit signatures, and clarify contractor responsibility when work changes hands. The bill drew supportive waivers and was reported favorably. Members then considered SB 940 on third-party restaurant reservation platforms. A delete-everything amendment was adopted to target bots and unauthorized resale of restaurant reservations, while preserving direct restaurant-platform relationships and requiring consumer contact information when reservations are made through noncontractual platforms. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and Booking Holdings supported the measure, and CS/SB 940 was reported favorably. SB 638 on home inspectors also passed after the sponsor explained it would raise education requirements from 120 to 200 hours, add instruction on building code, wind mitigation, four-point and insurance inspections, and require $300,000 in errors-and-omissions coverage; it was reported favorably. The committee next approved SB 960 on elevator accessibility, allowing additional shorter support rails while keeping the existing 42-inch rail requirement. SB 196 on foods containing vaccines or vaccine materials was amended to address mRNA language and cosmetics safety standards, with the committee adopting amendments and then reporting the bill favorably. SB 1418 on heated tobacco products was amended to clarify the definition of heated tobacco products and exclude other forms such as hookah; it also passed favorably. The committee also recommended confirmation of a block of board and commission appointees. Finally, SB 1262 on construction contracting was amended to add contractor continuing-education topics, strengthen penalties for unlicensed activity, create a standardized disciplinary reporting system, and require timely refunds and project completion standards; it was reported favorably with support from the Florida Home Builders Association. SB 1304 on solar facilities was then approved after extensive testimony from rural county commissioners and local officials who argued that utility-scale solar on agricultural land has grown without sufficient local oversight and that decommissioning rules are needed to protect farmland and communities. The bill would repeal the current by-right treatment of solar facilities on ag land and authorize counties to adopt decommissioning ordinances; it was reported favorably after a technical amendment.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

March 4, 2025 - 04:00 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • At Mosaic, we help the world grow the food it needs, and the fertilizer we produce is responsible for
Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee met for its first meeting of session and heard four bills. HB 209, the State Parks Preservation Act, would limit development in state parks and require stronger public notice and participation for land management plan changes. Members discussed protections for cabins and existing lodging, and an amendment aligned the bill with the Senate and clarified conservation-based recreational uses. Support came from Audubon Florida, Nature Conservancy, and others, and the bill was reported favorably with committee substitute after a unanimous roll call. HB 143 would create a Florida Resilient Buildings Tax Credit for new construction and retrofits that meet LEED-based resiliency standards, with a new advisory committee under DBPR to help administer the program. An amendment moved the process under DBPR, added UCF and FIU to the advisory council, and made technical conforming changes. The bill drew supportive testimony from a Boca Raton city council member and was reported favorably with committee substitute, with one no vote. HB 295 would direct DEP to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan based on its 2020 recycling report, including education, market development, and recommendations for statutory changes. Testimony emphasized that the plan would be voluntary and would not impose costs or mandates on homeowners or businesses. The bill passed without amendments and was reported favorably. HB 585 would let owners of former phosphate mining lands record notice and obtain a Department of Health radiation survey to support a narrow defense against strict liability claims; an amendment clarified the notice content and limited the definition to mined lands, not gyp stacks. The bill drew extensive questions about notice, radiation thresholds, disclosure to buyers, and liability scope, but supporters from Mosaic, the Florida Chamber, and a health physicist argued it would improve transparency and help redevelop lands. It was reported favorably with committee substitute, with one soft yes and one no vote.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

89th Legislative Session Mar 4th, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Wally relating to health benefit plan coverage for certain fertilization procedures for certain government
FL
Transcript Highlights:
  • Are they doing the right kind of fertilizer application? A check to see what they signed up to do.
WY

Wyoming 2026 Regular Session

Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, June 11, 2026 - AM

Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • ,</c><00:27:56.880><c> but</c><00:27:57.200><c> also,</c><00:27:57.919><c> you</c> that affect fertility
  • , but also, you that affect fertility, but also, you know,<00:27:58.159><c> the</c><00:27:58.320><c>
  • c> just one of the many diseases that just one of the many diseases that affect<00:31:22.000><c> fertility
  • ><c> in</c><00:31:22.799><c> cattle</c><00:31:23.919><c> um</c><00:31:24.240><c> that</c> affect fertility
  • in cattle um that affect fertility in cattle um that requires<00:31:25.279><c> the</c><00:31:25.520>
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Tuesday, June 9, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Alongside his wife, Samantha, they started the Bundle of Joy Fund to advance access to fertility treatments
  • Alongside his wife, Samantha, they started the Bundle of Joy Fund to advance access to fertility treatments
Bills: HB7892 , HR1352 , HB5408 , HR1140 , SB2 , HR1345
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Tuesday, June 30, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • First, we were given the largest stretch of fertile farmland in the world, which runs right through Kansas
  • Fertile soil alone does not create prosperity. A river A river does not create prosperity.
  • Yes, America was blessed with fertile land, mighty rivers, abundant resources, and a people willing to
Bills: HR1399 , HCR108 , HR1398
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • Nitrates, often introduced from runoff from fertilizers, can cause cancer, as well as a rare condition
  • Farmers gravitate to the opposite of barren: fertile.
  • The fertile crescent, 5,000 years ago, was Babylon, and it's facing exactly the same kind of ecological
Summary: The hearing covered a broad set of environmental and water-related bills, with much of the testimony focused on blue economy and circular economy proposals, drought management, drinking water safety, flood resilience, and water infrastructure funding. Supporters of bills such as H. 987 and H. 988 described grant programs for blue economy workforce development, research, small businesses, and public education about a circular economy. Other speakers backed measures on coastal erosion research, recreational boating dredging, cranberry water-right transfers, sand mining oversight, and a voucher program for home water filtration in PFAS-impacted communities. Several elected officials and advocates also urged passage of bills to require private well testing, improve school drinking water safety, and address sand mining pollution and PFAS contamination. Water supply and drought issues drew extensive testimony. Senator Eldridge and others supported legislation to let the state, through DEP and the drought management task force, impose regional water-use restrictions during droughts and make the task force permanent in statute. Advocates from watershed groups, farms, and environmental organizations said the current town-by-town approach is inconsistent and ineffective, and they described drought impacts on rivers, farms, private wells, and wildfire risk. A related bill on private wells was supported as a way to help homeowners test and remediate contaminated wells, especially in rural areas without public water. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to allow the Lynnfield Water District to join the MWRA, with local officials saying the move would help address PFAS and other contamination and improve supply reliability. Another major panel supported a water infrastructure funding bill, arguing that aging drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems need major new investment, including support for PFAS treatment, sewer rate relief, biosolids research, and regional interconnections. Members asked about costs, funding sources, and the relationship to existing revolving loan funds; witnesses said the bill would need to be paired with future bond funding and new revenue ideas. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chairs repeatedly invited written testimony and noted the large number of speakers.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • And I had read articles about what a great fertilizer that chicken waste is.
  • And I had read articles about what a great fertilizer that chicken waste is.
  • Senator Steve Rawlings continued: I had read articles about what a great fertilizer that chicken waste
Summary: The committee approved the minutes from its June 4, 2025 meeting and then heard a series of presentations focused largely on housing and land-use policy. Senator Robbie Mills and Representative Josh Bray discussed two 2025 housing measures: Senate Bill 50, which would create residential infrastructure development districts to help local governments finance infrastructure for new housing developments through special assessments and local debt, and House Bill 7, which would let local governments identify development areas and rebate new property tax revenue to developers as an incentive for housing growth. They said Kentucky faces a statewide housing shortage of roughly 210,000 units, projected to grow if building patterns do not change, and argued that regulatory relief and financing tools are needed to increase supply. Representative Rebecca Rymer presented House Bill 371, which would require local permitting when an industry’s residual waste landfill is located in a different county from the industry itself. She said current law lets such landfills bypass local review, leaving host counties with no say despite road impacts and other local burdens. She said the bill would preserve the existing exemption when the landfill and industry are co-located, and noted support from KLC and KO. Representative Steve Doan also described House Bill 806, a statewide backyard chicken bill that would allow domesticated hens, prohibit roosters, set a minimum of six hens that local governments could not go below, and preserve local authority over setbacks, sanitation, maintenance standards, and egg sales. He said it would override outright local bans but not HOA restrictions, and cited a current Northern Kentucky dispute and ADA litigation as reasons for the proposal. The committee then heard a broader discussion on housing and land use from Charlie Gardner of the Mercatus Center and Nolan Gray of California YIMBY and the Bluegrass Institute. They outlined categories of land-use regulation, described the recent growth of state-level housing reforms nationwide, and cited examples such as ADU legalization, smaller lot sizes, reduced parking minimums, streamlined permitting, and single-stair or other building-code reforms. They argued that housing shortages are a statewide concern, that localities often have incentives to block growth, and that state intervention can reduce costs and uncertainty without compromising health and safety. Members asked about the housing shortage estimate, the effect of red tape on safety and local authority, and how state reforms could be phased in; the presenters said reforms often include lead time, can be targeted to larger jurisdictions, and should focus on reducing time and cost while maintaining basic standards.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Fiscal Policy Apr 22nd, 2025

Fiscal Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Some suggestions, I believe, would be limiting the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
  • Some suggestions, I believe, would be limiting the use of pesticides and fertilizers to prevent runoff
  • into the amendment, to say, potentially define as any and all activities that require pesticides, fertilization
Summary: The committee took up a series of criminal justice, health, and public safety bills, with several measures reported favorably after brief sponsor presentations and mostly no opposition. CS for SB 1782 on dangerous excessive speeding, CS for SB 306 on Medicaid provider network access, CS for SB 716 on mandatory minimums for certain sexual offenses by registered offenders, CS for SB 1084 on intimate image dissemination and digitally forged images, and CS for CS for SB 1604 on corrections-related litigation and sentencing changes all passed the committee. Members also approved CS for SB 1838, which increases protections for court officials from tampering, harassment, and retaliation, and CS for SB 1252, which directs FDLE to study a statewide pawn data database. CS for SB 468 on fleeing or eluding, CS for SB 490 on off-duty concealed carry for certain officers, and CS for SB 890 on blood clot screening and treatment also received favorable votes, with SB 890 drawing supportive testimony from the bill sponsor, medical and patient advocates, and family members affected by blood clots. The most extensive debate centered on CS for CS for SB 1804, which would create a capital offense for adults trafficking children under 12 or mentally incapacitated persons for sexual exploitation. Senator Martin defended the bill as a response to especially heinous crimes and argued it fit within constitutional punishment principles, while several members raised concerns about the Eighth Amendment, the risk of lengthy and costly litigation, and the possibility of retraumatizing victims. The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers testified in opposition, citing moral objections, due process concerns, and constitutional precedent; the bill nevertheless was reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 572, the “Pam Rock Act,” which tightens dangerous-dog rules, adds enclosure, microchip, insurance, and penalty requirements, and allows stronger enforcement actions after serious attacks. The Rock family and animal control supporters testified in favor, describing the bill as a response to fatal dog attacks and urging stronger accountability for owners. For SB 572, members discussed insurance requirements, the role of local authorities in classifying dangerous dogs, and whether the bill would affect ordinary pet insurance or only liability coverage after a serious attack. The sponsor said the measure is not breed-specific and is aimed at dogs that have already caused significant harm. The committee also heard testimony from family members of Pam Rock and other victims, along with supporters from animal control and sheriff’s offices. All of the bills taken up in the meeting that were voted on were reported favorably, and no roll-call votes failed.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on State and Local Government - 03/13/25

State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • 34.880><c> agricultural</c> advisory Council the agricultural advisory Council the agricultural fertilizer
  • <00:09:36.399><c> research</c><00:09:37.040><c> and</c><00:09:37.360><c> education</c> fertilizer research
  • and education fertilizer research and education Council<00:09:39.399><c> the</c><00:09:39.600><c> behavior
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Finance Division I (02/28/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • So that deals with fertilizers, pet foods, and there are a lot of those products.
  • Any animal feed product or any fertilizer that's registered in the state of New Hampshire has to come
  • But fertilizers, as I say, liming agents, pet food, seed—there's a whole lot of variety of things there
  • that's registered in the fertilizer that's registered in the state<04:32:37.319><c> of</c><04:32:37.399
  • as I say lming agents but fertilizers as I say lming agents pet<04:32:51.920><c> food</c><04:32:53.040
Summary: The committee reviewed the Department of Corrections budget, with the chair initially noting that the overall numbers looked close to fiscal year 2024 spending, except for federal funds. Department officials explained that prior ARPA expenditures and delayed revenue recognition had distorted the comparison, and that the corrected general fund spend was about $169.7 million. Members then focused on whether the budget’s staffing assumptions were realistic, especially the shift from overtime to full-time lines and the use of vacant positions to offset overtime costs. The department said it is leaning on vacancy savings, but would return for additional appropriations if unforeseen staffing problems arise. A major portion of the discussion centered on recruitment, retention, and staffing levels. Officials reported a 42% vacancy rate in enforcement ranks, down from 51% in January 2023, with 28 new officers headed to the next academy and 33 new hires already tracked. They said overtime is more expensive than regular staffing because of benefits and that it takes about 11 months for a new hire to break even. Members also asked about the split between incarcerated and supervised populations; the department said it oversees about 1,970 inmates in facilities and just over 4,000 people in the community, with 77 positions supervising the community population and the inmate population remaining the most expensive area. The committee also discussed how sentencing and statutory changes affect incarceration levels, including misdemeanor/felony thresholds and theft thresholds, with the department agreeing that such changes can significantly affect prison and jail populations. Members asked about education and recidivism, and the department said base education is the most important foundation, followed by vocational training, while noting that many incarcerated men lack a high school diploma. The department also described a $1.3 million reduction in contracted forensic evaluation services, explaining that these evaluations are court-ordered competency assessments and are not statutorily required to be provided by DOC. Finally, members reviewed victim services funding and staffing, including VOCA-supported positions, and the department explained that a new victim witness specialist would help support survivors at parole hearings and safety planning.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee 4/9/26

Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • fermentation to process with green hydrogen to produce sustainable aviation fuel and zero-carbon fertilizers
  • zerocarbon</c> sustainable aviation fuel and zerocarbon sustainable aviation fuel and zerocarbon fertilizers
  • .<00:28:13.840><c> And</c><00:28:14.080><c> number</c><00:28:14.320><c> three,</c> fertilizers.
  • And number three, fertilizers.
Bills: HF3217 , HF2252
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee 3/11/26

Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • . >> With regards to the programs within pesticide and fertilizer management, there are adequate funds
  • within Um, with regards to the programs within pesticide<00:28:22.240><c> and</c><00:28:22.399><c> fertilizer
  • </c><00:28:22.880><c> management,</c> pesticide and fertilizer management, pesticide and fertilizer management
Bills: HF3965 , HF3704 , HF3260 , HF3718
NH
Transcript Highlights:
  • There are other things we need to look at that we're not doing, including sampling fertilizers to see
  • at that we're not doing, including at that we're not doing, including sampling<01:33:23.040><c> fertilizers
  • c> to</c><01:33:23.840><c> see</c><01:33:24.000><c> if</c><01:33:24.159><c> people</c> sampling fertilizers
  • to see if people sampling fertilizers to see if people are<01:33:24.560><c> getting</c><01:33:25.520
Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 74, which would require state agencies, especially the Department of Environmental Services and other permitting agencies, to report more detailed data on permit applications, approvals, denials, pending applications, and permits taking longer than 90 days. The sponsor’s representative and a lawyer who helped draft the bill argued that the legislature needs comprehensive permitting data to evaluate whether current timelines are reasonable and whether regulatory delays are burdening property owners and economic activity. They said the information should already be tracked within existing budgets, despite a fiscal note claiming additional staff would be needed. A Business and Industry Association representative supported the bill, saying better data is needed to understand actual permitting timelines and to help streamline the process, especially in light of housing and development concerns. Members asked whether the bill was simply collecting data without a clear next step, and the response was that the data would allow lawmakers to judge whether existing deadlines, extensions, and exemptions are justified and whether changes to permit timelines are needed. Several members agreed the information would be useful and that agencies should already be tracking it. The committee then voted to pass Senate Bill 74 on a roll call, with the motion approved and the bill placed on consent for further consideration, with a note that it would go to finance for review of the fiscal note. The committee then took up Senate Bill 196, which would raise the threshold for certain in-house construction projects handled by the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services and two other departments from $500,000 to $1 million, described as an inflationary update. The sponsor said the department’s existing staff can handle these smaller renovation-type projects and that the bill should not require new positions; the deputy adjutant general later confirmed the department does not need additional staff and said the projects are typically roof, boiler, and similar repairs. Members asked about a fiscal note suggesting new positions and about revenue/expenditure impacts, and the sponsor explained that the fiscal note language appeared to reflect an earlier draft and that the budget effect is largely a shift in where the work is performed. The committee recessed briefly for the deputy adjutant general’s arrival, then continued discussion of the bill.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Taxes - 03/12/25

Taxes

Transcript Highlights:
  • We worked with the NRCS and ran water lines, planted and fertilized new forages, and fenced in hayfields
  • :36:08.320><c> lines</c><01:36:09.239><c> planted</c><01:36:09.600><c> and</c><01:36:09.719><c> fertilized
  • </c><01:36:10.199><c> new</c> water lines planted and fertilized new water lines planted and fertilized
Committee: Senate Taxes
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Higher Education - 03/06/25

Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • well management and drinking water divisions, MPCA remediation staff, and the MDA pesticide and fertilizer
  • :41:46.480><c> MDA</c><01:41:47.000><c> pesticide</c><01:41:47.639><c> and</c><01:41:47.800><c> fertilizer
  • </c> and the MDA pesticide and fertilizer and the MDA pesticide and fertilizer division<01:41:49.760>
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

AEN-EEP-AGR Informational Briefing 02-24-2025

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • , whether we're buying them off the shelf or we're just buying them straight from an irrigation fertilizer
  • :34:43.040><c> irrigation</c> them straight from an irrigation them straight from an irrigation fertilizer
  • 45.040><c> area</c><01:34:45.920><c> why</c><01:34:46.119><c> aren't</c><01:34:46.400><c> you</c> fertilizer
  • Supply area why aren't you fertilizer Supply area why aren't you guys<01:34:47.280><c> teaching</c><
Summary: The joint informational briefing focused on restricted use pesticides in Hawaiʻi, with Senate and House members opening the meeting and explaining that the session was intended to hear expert presentations and community concerns. Fern Holland outlined the background for the briefing, describing how restricted use pesticides differ from general-use products, why state-level regulation matters, and how community advocates have sought disclosure and protections for years. She summarized 2019 reporting data, saying a small number of users accounted for most reported use, with especially heavy application in North Central Oʻahu and on the west side of Kauaʻi. She highlighted concerns about applications near schools, homes, and coastlines, and identified 1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium as among the heaviest-used fumigants. She also noted concerns about highly hazardous pesticides, some banned in other countries, and the lack of research on long-term combined exposure to multiple pesticides. Greg Takashima of the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture described the department’s pesticide program and regulatory authority under FIFRA and state law. He explained the distinction between general-use and restricted use pesticides, the certification requirements for applicators, and the department’s role in tracking RUPs from sale through use. He reviewed the branch’s functions in enforcement, education and certification, registration and technical review, and laboratory analysis, including inspections, complaint response, market surveillance, product registration, groundwater review, and outreach on drift reduction and integrated pest management. He also noted staffing and funding limitations, saying the branch lacks a toxicologist and long-term monitoring capacity, and compared Hawaiʻi’s resources to California’s much larger pesticide regulatory program. Takashima thanked the legislature for passing Act 231 the prior year and said the department supports the measure as it moves forward this session. Dr. Lee, speaking for the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and as a former member of the Kauaʻi Joint Fact-Finding Task Force, said pediatric guidance has shifted from focusing on acute poisoning to recognizing chronic low-level pesticide exposure as a concern. He cited AAP publications linking pesticide exposure to cancer, brain tumors, leukemia, birth outcomes, neurobehavioral effects, and asthma, and said pediatricians are now encouraged to advise families on reducing exposure and to support right-to-know measures and buffer zones around schools and public gathering places. He also described the Kauaʻi task force’s work, saying it found the west side of the island to be an unhealthy community but could not prove causation because of missing drift, geospatial, and biomarker data. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, questions were held until after presentations, and the department expressed support for Act 231.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee 2/20/25

Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • water well management and drinking water divisions, MPCA remediation staff, and MDA pesticide and fertilizers
  • MDA divisions mpca remediation staff and MDA pesticide<00:55:00.440><c> and</c><00:55:00.799><c> fertilizers
  • </c><00:55:01.799><c> division</c><00:55:02.359><c> as</c> pesticide and fertilizers division as pesticide
  • and fertilizers division as well<00:55:02.640><c> as</c><00:55:02.839><c> many</c><00:55:03.200><c>
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Finance (02/11/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • apart looking for worms and spread it out more than I'd like, but I've always had a good amount of fertilizer
  • amount</c><00:54:32.559><c> of</c> I've always had a good amount of I've always had a good amount of fertilizer
  • 54:33.599><c> doing</c><00:54:33.799><c> it</c><00:54:33.920><c> for</c><00:54:34.079><c> 50</c> fertilizer
  • and been doing it for 50 fertilizer and been doing it for 50 years<00:54:35.680><c> anything</c> years
Summary: The Finance Committee held a hearing on House Bill 619, which would appropriate $1 million to the Solid Waste Management Fund for matching grants to municipalities and businesses for waste diversion projects, with 50% of the money prioritized for food waste diversion. Representative Karen Ebel, the sponsor, said the fund would help New Hampshire meet its solid waste diversion goals, preserve landfill capacity, and support composting, recycling, and related local business activity. She cited New London’s composting program as an example, saying 172 families participated and 32 tons of food waste were diverted in 2024, reducing tipping and trucking costs. Committee members asked about possible alternative funding sources, including a surcharge on landfill tipping fees. Ebel said many other states use such surcharges to fund recycling and solid waste programs, while New Hampshire relies on general funds. She also said the current fund balance was about $900,000 because some money had been used for staffing, and that the grant program was still in rulemaking. Questions also focused on how household composting works and whether municipalities could generate revenue from compost; Ebel said participation is optional, most programs use buckets and transfer stations, and the main benefit is cost savings from reduced disposal rather than compost sales. Testimony in support came from the New Hampshire Municipal Association and the Northeast Resource Recovery Association. Both said municipalities are interested in food waste diversion and composting, that these programs can reduce long-term disposal costs and property tax pressure, and that there is growing demand for technical assistance and grant support. The Northeast Resource Recovery Association said food waste makes up about 24% of municipal and business waste, that fewer than two dozen communities and fewer than two dozen businesses currently offer such services, and that a City of Lebanon pilot program saw about 30% savings by composting on site. The Department of Environmental Services said it was not taking a position but is working on rulemaking for the grant program and expects strong interest from municipalities, private composters, farmers, and anaerobic digester operators. No vote or final action was taken at the hearing.