Bills: HB9, SB2069, SB2342, SB2861, SB3123, SB2623, SB585, SB2211, SB2446, SB2919, SB2125, SB2116, SB2999, SB2656, SB2001, SB3169

Keywords: HB9, Hawaii Purple Heart state, Purple Heart, Purple Heart recipients, veterans, military, armed forces, service members, combat wounded, war veterans, military honors, state designation, symbolic legislation, honorary designation, Chapter 5 HRS, Hawaii Revised Statutes, military appreciation, veteran recognition, SB2069, Hawaii housing

Transcript Highlights:

• committee report number 2700, third reading of Senate Bill 2485, Senate Draft 1, relating to solid waste

Bills: HB9, SB2069, SB2342, SB2861, SB3123, SB2623, SB585, SB2211, SB2446, SB2919, SB2125, SB2116, SB2999, SB2656, SB2001, SB3169

Keywords: HB9, Hawaii Purple Heart state, Purple Heart, Purple Heart recipients, veterans, military, armed forces, service members, combat wounded, war veterans, military honors, state designation, symbolic legislation, honorary designation, Chapter 5 HRS, Hawaii Revised Statutes, military appreciation, veteran recognition, SB2069, Hawaii housing

Bills: SB99, SB585, SB2060, SB2069, SB2110, SB2115, SB2152, SB2211, SB2259, SB2315, SB2342, SB2382, SB2442, SB2446, SB2485, SB2544, SB2577, SB2580, SB2861, SB2919, SB3326

Keywords: SB99, Hawaii, Employees' Retirement System, ERS, retirant, retiree rehiring, reemployment after retirement, retirement benefits, benefit suspension, school resource officer, SRO, public school safety, Department of Law Enforcement, DLE, labor shortage, difficult-to-fill position, teacher shortage, charter school, mentor teacher, vacancy rate

Summary: The Committee on Ways and Means met for decision-making only and adopted recommendations on a long list of Senate bills, with no oral testimony taken. Early actions included SB 99 to pass unamended, SB 585 to pass with a date correction to 2015, SB 2060 to pass with amendments involving public project lists, legislative approval for fund transfers, and removal of certain appropriations, and SB 2069 to pass with amendments extending a sunset date and requiring transit-oriented development zoning. The committee also advanced several other measures, including SB 2110, SB 215, SB 2259, SB 2382, SB 2442, and SB 2485 unamended, while SB 2152, SB 2315, SB 2446, SB 2919, SB 2577, SB 2580, and SB 2861 were moved with various amendments, mostly date changes, appropriation blanks, or technical clarifications. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on SB 2211, where Department of Human Services officials explained how the department was covering costs by using restricted funds and shifting Med-QUEST funding, and noted a need for $14 million plus support for $16.5 million in ACA enhanced tax credit subsidies. The chair indicated the bill would move forward with amendments, including blanking the appropriation pending more information on lapses, and the recommendation was adopted. SB 2544 was also amended to remove a specific appropriation and replace it with a blank cap on funds from DUR, and SB 2342 was amended to require projects to be in transit-oriented development zones and to reflect prior committee concurrence. The most extended debate was on SB 3326, which would address utility restructuring. One senator opposed the bill, arguing it could raise rates, worsen reliability issues, and disrupt an existing utility without a clear plan, especially given island-specific conditions. Supporters argued the bill would separate generation from transmission and distribution, create competition, protect union jobs, and respond to aging infrastructure and financial weakness in the utility sector. After recesses and discussion of the Public Utilities Commission’s role, the chair changed the recommendation from pass unamended to pass with amendments requiring the PUC to conduct a study, provide an interim report before the next session, and a final report the following session. That amended recommendation was adopted, and the meeting then adjourned with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• The landfill has been taking in waste from all areas and improperly disposing of it.
• They have accepted PCBs waste from the high school in Malibu that was making the students and teachers
• They have accepted PCBs waste from the high school in Malibu that was making the students and teachers
• sick, nuclear waste from Rockadine, and remains of a hazardous waste incident that happened in Santa
• Hi, Erica Parker with Californians Against Waste, and strong support. Thank you.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation held its first regular hearing of the 2025-26 session, adopted its proposed committee rules on a 5-0 vote, and reinstated a suspense file for bills with fiscal impacts over the committee threshold. The chair explained that only AB 418 would be eligible for an immediate vote, while several other measures would be held for suspense consideration because of budget constraints. AB 330 was pulled by the author. AB 418 by Wilson, which would create a clearer process and administrative remedy for county Chapter 8 tax sales, received support from county tax collectors and housing and taxpayer groups. Supporters said the bill would add transparency, due process, and a noticed public hearing for negotiated sales of tax-defaulted properties, while helping counties dispose of low-value or problematic properties more efficiently. The committee voted 6-0 to send AB 418 to Appropriations. Several other bills were heard and then referred to suspense: AB 27 by Chau, which would exclude Chiquita Canyon landfill relief payments from gross income and protect recipients’ eligibility for public benefits, drew strong support from affected residents and environmental advocates; AB 258 by Conley would increase funding for California fairs, with supporters emphasizing fairs’ emergency-response role; AB 397 by Gonzalez would expand the California Young Child Tax Credit into a broader child tax credit for older children; and AB 398 by Aaron would set a $300 minimum refundable Cal EITC benefit. The committee also heard AB 231 by Tye, which would offer a tax credit to microbusinesses that hire formerly incarcerated people, and it too was referred to suspense after supportive testimony from reentry and small-business advocates.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:32:08.000><c> duties</c> investigations and some nuclear duties investigations and some nuclear
• </c><01:58:01.520><c> Um</c> Seabbrook nuclear power plant. Um Seabbrook nuclear power plant.
• So we have seen nuclear in the queue in recent years, but it's typically existing nuclear plants find
• So we have seen nuclear in the queue in recent years, but it's typically existing nuclear plants find
• We say, "Don't waste your time. If SMR." We say, "Don't waste your time.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• programs that actually fit their needs and that you know what their business is, that you're not wasting
• programs that actually fit their needs and that you know what their business is, that you're not wasting
• That actually fit their needs and that you know what their business is, that you're not wasting their
• This picture shows a nuclear power plant where there are two gigantic cooling towers evaporating water
• At the bottom, there’s a data center getting about one-third of the nuclear power plant’s generation

Summary: The informational hearing focused on California’s future water supply and, in particular, how the state tracks and manages commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) water use, including data centers. The chair and members framed the issue as a “trifecta” of climate-driven supply uncertainty, limited monitoring of CII uses, and rapidly changing industries with significant water demands. Committee members emphasized the need for better data before imposing broad regulations, while also expressing concern about protecting ratepayers and ensuring new large users pay their fair share. Representatives from the Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board reviewed the state’s existing framework: urban water management plans, water supply assessments for large projects, SBX7-7’s 20% by 2020 conservation goals, and the 2018 Making Conservation a California Way of Life law. They explained that process water, including data center cooling water, is statutorily excluded from some conservation targets, and that current CII reporting is aggregated rather than facility-specific. They also noted that local water suppliers and land use agencies retain major responsibility for approving development, while state rules and groundwater sustainability requirements provide additional checks. Committee members pressed the agencies on whether data centers should be treated differently, how recycled water is categorized, whether process water should remain exempt, and whether the state has enough information to understand the water impacts of new facilities. The agencies said they could not recommend specific water sources for individual facilities, but could support community-by-community planning and best management practices. They also said the Legislature could direct additional data collection if needed. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational only. The second panel, from CalWEP and California Water Service, described how suppliers are implementing CII programs in practice. They said CII use varies widely by sector and location, making one-size-fits-all benchmarks difficult. They highlighted tools such as AI-assisted customer classification, mapping of disclosure buildings, outreach guides, and customized rebate programs for high-use customers. Examples included water-saving projects at a hydrogen plant, a commercial laundry, and fire department training systems. Speakers stressed that CII conservation work is resource-intensive, often takes years, and works best when paired with local planning, customer outreach, and targeted incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• programs that actually fit their needs and that you know what their business is, that you’re not wasting
• programs that actually fit their needs and that you know what their business is, that you're not wasting
• That actually fit their needs and that you know what their business is, that you're not wasting their
• And this picture shows a nuclear power plant where there are two gigantic cooling towers evaporating
• And at the bottom, there's a data center getting about one-third of the nuclear power plant generation

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• complete waste of time to spend money and<02:04:33.119><c> time</c><02:04:33.440><c> charging</c><02
• </c><02:51:34.479><c> to</c><02:51:34.720><c> Korea</c><02:51:35.200><c> to</c> nuclear missiles from
• Speaking of nuclear missiles, I know there are a couple others besides me here who remember the Cuban
• We were told in my hometown nuclear war.
• ><c> missiles</c> Yes. with communist nuclear missiles Yes. with communist nuclear missiles trained<02

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It kind of reminds me of nuclear weapons.
• We had an interesting conversation this morning about, uh, about waste, uh, fraud, abuse and waste in
• Um, they are gonna dispose of any waste, all the waste that comes from brackish water clean up, um, is
• Have we identified a site for um the constituent waste? Mr.
• President and Senator, it depends on the kind of waste.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, wastes of our time. Let's move to SB 1665, Israel.
• So, wastes of our time. Let's move to SB 1665 Israel.
• It subjects non-thermal plants and small modular nuclear reactors to the certificate requirement.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard a long series of Senate bills, mostly on third-read consent, covering education, public safety, health, courts, labor, and water. Several bills were briefly explained and then pulled from consent for further discussion, including measures on public records review standards (SB 1078), sexually explicit materials in schools/libraries (SB 1435 and SB 1567), burial costs in death cases (SB 1135), military flags in HOAs/COAs (SB 1184), court-ordered treatment guardianship (SB 1243), standardized state hiring (SB 1665), released-time religious instruction (SB 1741), firearm safety instruction in schools (SB 1424), student participation in extracurriculars after certain convictions (SB 1475), Celebrate Freedom Week (SB 1572), federal scholarship-granting organizations/vouchers (SB 1142), immigration-related arrest notifications (SB 1055), defamation standards (SB 1099), peace officer certification for military police veterans (SB 1107), mandatory reporting of child abuse/neglect directly to DCS (SB 1127), attorney licensing and discipline issues (SB 1148 and SB 1039), concealed weapons on college campuses (SB 1068), and firearm muffling devices/silencers (SB 1069). Members also raised constitutional, policy, and school-safety concerns on several of these bills, while supporters emphasized alternative pathways for students, veterans, and workers, and tighter reporting or licensing rules. Other bills were described without extended debate, including claims against the state for unpaid contracted services (SB 1097), workers’ compensation death benefits for surviving spouses who remarry (SB 1136), burial expense increases (SB 1135), state agency web pages for internal guidance (SB 1586), court-ordered treatment procedures and service of process in mental health cases (SB 1113), medical examiner authorization (SB 1123), tribal MOUs with DCS (SB 1125), controlled-substance scheduling conformity with federal classifications (SB 1188), EMT personal information protections (SB 1193), mammography notice updates (SB 1318), assisted-living referral disclosures (SB 1477), accommodation school GED instruction for 11th graders and students over 16 (SB 1166), credit enhancement board continuation (SB 1422), school district and charter school obligations related to religious release time (SB 1741), school firearm safety instruction (SB 1424), and school civics/freedom-week instruction (SB 1572). The committee also heard bills on CPA certification pathways (SB 1181), insurance adjuster licensing (SB 1415), county voter-registration rules online (SB 1040), campaign address privacy (SB 1259), federal land acquisition notification (SB 1281), water supply/demand assessments (SB 1202), environmental compatibility for power plants and small modular reactors (SB 1418), and groundwater recovery rules (SB 1785). The meeting ended with announcements and a brief recognition of Rep. Stephanie Hamilton with an “Affordability Award.” No final votes are shown in the transcript excerpt; instead, many bills were either left on consent, pulled for later discussion, or flagged for closed caucus. The chair then asked guests to leave so members could hold a closed caucus.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everything from the facility that is waste will be broken down on site, and a lot will be reused or recycled
• You know, if you've got a nuclear center, you've got windmills, or you've got a data center, it's kind

Summary: The Agriculture Committee met with 11 members present and heard no bills for public hearing or executive action. Instead, the committee received a presentation from the Montgomery County R-2 FFA ag issues team on proposed data centers in their county, framed as a mock town hall discussion. The students and panel discussed the project’s scale, including roughly 1,760 acres across two sites, and debated concerns about eminent domain, noise, light pollution, water use, electricity demand, soil and wildlife impacts, recycling of equipment, and tax abatements versus projected school district revenue. The presentation featured sharply divided viewpoints: a county/economic development perspective emphasizing jobs, utility planning, and major tax revenue for schools; a community and environmental perspective raising concerns about farmland loss, groundwater and well impacts, property values, and long-term ecological effects; and a farmer’s perspective opposing the project to protect agricultural land and rural life. The panel cited figures such as about 50 million gallons of water annually, potential school district revenue of about $11 million in the first year of the initial phase and roughly $43 million annually when fully built out, and discussed PILOT payments and the Powering Missouri Growth Plan as ways to offset costs. Committee members then praised the students’ preparation and public speaking, and several offered policy and practical suggestions, including considering local construction labor, emergency service capacity, backup generator noise, and clearer context for water-usage numbers. One member asked what legislation could help, and the students suggested setting environmental-use limits such as water or light-pollution restrictions. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after the presentation and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• a few things I would add to the plan, um, that I saw come up during the session was the study on nuclear
• Energy, uh, commission and just a nuclear energy panel discussion.
• It was one of the bills we passed as well, and I'd just like to get some, um, further discussion of waste

Transcript Highlights:

• This is just going to help the uranium mining industry in Texas and help the nuclear cycle in the state
• which has heard on the previous bill you were discussing TCEQ ability to, the resources they have, wasting
• within the government to... to take advantage of the national change in its direction, at least on the nuclear

Bills: SB1150, SB763, SB1061, SB1146, SB1198, HB279, HB310

Keywords: concrete plants, environmental regulation, permit process, air quality, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, SB 1061, uranium mining, production area authorization, TCEQ, Water Code, groundwater, groundwater conservation district, restoration table value, restoration values, contested case hearing, Chapter 2001, mineral rights, surface owners, notice requirements, environmental permitting

Transcript Highlights:

• that they don't run; they aren't available 24/7 like a gas-fired plant or a coal-fired plant. or nuclear
• I don't want to waste anyone's time, but that is what we would do in that event.
• more dispatchable generation for reliability. ...it's coal, or whether it's gas, or whether it's nuclear

Bills: SB388, SB455, SB917, SB925, SB1006

Keywords: dispatchable generation, electricity, natural gas, ERCOT, energy credits, utilities regulation, renewable energy, arbitration, insurance contracts, surplus lines, Texas law, insurance policy, boiler inspection, boiler safety, inspection report deadline, certificate inspection, authorized inspector, inspection agency, Health and Safety Code, board of boiler rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Like right now, it's not equitable with nuclear, for example, because we don't have a nuclear power plant
• Maybe we ask the waste isolation plant to expand and start.

Transcript Highlights:

• My background is pretty much all safety from four years in the Navy and nuclear-powered Polaris missile
• submarines, handling nuclear weapons.
• years in the all safety from um four years in the Navy<00:40:38.200><c> and</c><00:40:38.480><c> nuclear
• powered Polaris missile Navy and nuclear powered Polaris missile submarines<00:40:41.000><c> handling
• nuclear weapons and submarines handling nuclear weapons and we're<00:40:43.160><c> pretty</c><00:40:

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you want to stop a project like that, to scrub out the waste... you're wasting an enormous amount
• long it takes the money to get out the door for the construction to go, while China is innovating nuclear
• If it's six, seven years on permits, that's just wasted money, wasted time.

Keywords: surface transportation, infrastructure reauthorization, bipartisan collaboration, safety, federal programs, funding challenges, bureaucracy, transportation needs, critical projects, public testimony

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the development of the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. Discussions centered around key principles aimed at improving the safety and reliability of the transportation network, reforming federal programs for efficiency, and addressing the diverse transportation needs across various states. Members emphasized the importance of bipartisan collaboration to streamline processes, eliminate bureaucratic delays, and ensure timely funding for critical infrastructure projects. There were also notable conversations about specific projects and funding challenges, reflecting the urgency for action and commitment to modernizing America's infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> policy, e-waste policy, e-waste stewardship,<00:01:07.439><c> the</c><00:01:07.680><c> lands</c>
• Line 36, there's a new e-waste proposal in the bill, and so line 36 just repeals the old e-waste program
• </c> you'll see the two lines for the e-waste you'll see the two lines for the e-waste program.<00:10
• Article six is the e-waste amended.
• </c><02:05:37.760><c> So,</c> Monaceel nuclear plant in a day. So, Monaceel nuclear plant in a day.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to comment on your comments on fraud and waste and abuse and the estimates of $1.4 billion in
• Brian White, on behalf of General Atomics, a San Diego-based entity that's involved in nuclear fusion
• Chair, members Brian White, on behalf of General Atomics, San Diego-based entity that's involved in nuclear
• We look forward to working strongly support. ...vehicle-based entity that's involved in nuclear fusion

Summary: The committee heard several tax and revenue measures. SB 1277, by Senator Grove, proposed a California Cost of Living Tax Credit modeled on the 2022 middle-class tax refund to provide direct relief to low- and middle-income Californians facing high housing, gas, energy, and general living costs. Supporters said it would help working families, farmworkers, teachers, and others; opponents, including the California Tax Reform Association and the California Teachers Association, argued California already has a progressive tax system, that refundable credits are costly and can be difficult to administer, and that the bill would reduce General Fund revenues and Proposition 98 funding. The bill was held on call after extensive debate and no motion was made at that time. The committee then heard SB 1287, which would create a targeted tax credit to encourage private investment in short-line railroad infrastructure. The author and rail industry witnesses said the credit would support safety, bridge and track upgrades, emissions reductions, freight efficiency, and rural and agricultural supply chains, while opponents argued a direct grant program would be preferable to a tax credit. The bill was accepted with committee amendments and placed on call after a motion to move it forward. SB 1407 would exempt military retirement pay and surviving spouse benefits from state income tax, with the author, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and veterans’ groups arguing it would help retain veterans in California, support second careers, and keep federal retirement dollars in the state. The California Teachers Association and California Tax Reform Association opposed it as another tax expenditure that would reduce General Fund revenue. The committee approved the bill on a due pass as amended vote to the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, with several members voting aye and others not voting, and the bill was placed on call. The committee also heard SB 1349, which directs the Legislative Analyst’s Office to review major tax expenditures and evaluate their costs, beneficiaries, and effectiveness. Supporters, including CTA, AFSCME, cities, counties, and many teachers, said the state needs more accountability for roughly $94 billion in annual tax expenditures and their impact on schools and the budget. The bill was moved with committee amendments and placed on call. Additional measures discussed included SB 1078, authorizing Santa Cruz County to seek voter approval for a temporary local sales tax increase to fund health care and safety-net services; SB 1120, extending the California Competes Tax Credit through 2035 and making it refundable for certain strategic industries; and SB 1275, which would convert the state sales tax on vehicle purchases into a deductible vehicle license fee to reduce Californians’ federal tax burden. SB 1120 and SB 1275 both received support from business and industry witnesses, with no opposition testimony noted, and were moved on call or with a due pass as amended vote as the committee continued through the file.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, there's no prohibition on nuclear waste storage, either. Okay, any other discussion?
• prohibition</c><00:31:18.640><c> on</c> So, there's no prohibition on So, there's no prohibition on nuclear
• <00:31:20.440><c> waste</c><00:31:20.800><c> storage,</c><00:31:21.320><c> either.

Keywords: 916, all