Transcript Highlights:

• It redirects a portion of budget stabilization fund investment earnings to the parity fund.
• take money from people living in a neighborhood and stuff, then you need to have a base level of education
• like no other, the data center industry, when those dollars could otherwise be used to fund roads, education

Committee: House House Commerce Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee took up a series of Senate bills, beginning with SB 1421, a contentious measure restricting financial institutions and check cashers from accepting certain identification from unauthorized immigrants and limiting remittance transfers without proof of lawful status. An attempted strike-everything amendment by Rep. Villegas would have redirected the bill to authorize tax-deeded property sales for affordable housing, but the committee rejected that amendment. After public testimony both for and against the underlying bill, the committee voted 6-2 to give SB 1421 a due pass recommendation. The committee then approved SB 1254, which revises Industrial Commission of Arizona statutes, including renaming certain positions, shifting boiler and elevator oversight, and requiring fee schedules to be posted online. It also passed SB 1515, which creates a public safety parity fund for retention pay and benefits for DPS and corrections employees using investment earnings from the budget stabilization fund; supporters cited vacancies, turnover, and pay gaps, while opponents argued the state should fund raises through the general fund. Both bills received due pass recommendations after amendment adoption and roll call votes. Other measures considered included SB 1206, which restricts adjusters and contractors from soliciting work during active loss events or emergency responses, with an exception for essential services; SB 1563, which continues the Barbering and Cosmetology Board and lowers certain fee caps; and SB 1649, which creates a digital assets reserve fund, though an amendment to turn it into a transparency measure on employers receiving public assistance was rejected. The committee also passed SB 1290 after rejecting an amendment on emergency price controls and adopting a Carter amendment clarifying HOA executive sessions may be closed only for discussion without action; testimony on that bill focused heavily on HOA transparency versus privacy concerns. Finally, the committee approved SB 1670, a contractor licensing preemption bill, and SB 1671, which continues the Department of Gaming and related commissions and updates reporting and conflict-of-interest requirements, with the department supporting the continuation and amendment language.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are trying to educate our public. We're putting out publications. We started those years ago.
• We're trying to slow the spread and we're trying to stabilize or lower the prevalence.
• I have one highlighted there: public education, outreach, and engagement.

Summary: The meeting began with roll call, approval of the agenda, and approval of the prior minutes, followed by a presentation from Julie Grenwald of Louisiana Hunters for the Hungry. She described the nonprofit’s work collecting and distributing protein to food banks and agencies statewide through freezer clean-out days, deer donations processed by more than 50 processors, fish donations through Venice Marina, and a paused-but-planned-to-reopen feral hog program. Members asked about processor locations, signage, exotic species, funding, sponsorships, and disease safety; Grenwald said the program is protected under Louisiana’s Good Samaritan Law and that wildlife and fisheries agents help connect processors and promote the program. She also noted the organization is looking for more partners and ways to expand access and awareness. The task force then received an update from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on chronic wasting disease testing. Jonathan Bordelon reported more than 2,800 samples collected and over 2,300 results returned, with nine positives to date: eight in Tensas Parish and one confirmed new detection in Concordia Parish from a hunter-harvested deer. He said the Concordia positive triggered the state’s CWD response plan, including a declaration of emergency and a future rulemaking process to adjust control-area boundaries. Members asked about symptomatic deer, harvest trends, and whether the disease appears to be spreading along the river; Bordelon said most positives were asymptomatic hunter-harvested deer and that harvest numbers remain near record highs. William McKinley of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks then gave an extensive presentation on Mississippi’s CWD experience. He said Mississippi has had 529 detections across 18 counties since 2018, with prevalence rising from about one in 500 samples to roughly one in 40 this year, and that some counties near the Tennessee line are seeing severe impacts. He described Mississippi’s surveillance system, voluntary sampling, taxidermist partnerships, targeted tags for properties near positives, bans on feeding and baiting in CWD zones, and research on environmental contamination, raccoons, and strain differences. Members asked about high-fence enclosures, live deer movement restrictions, Tennessee’s regulations, environmental testing capacity, and whether more aggressive measures or LSU research capacity could help Louisiana; McKinley said the disease is expanding despite management efforts and emphasized early detection, rapid response, and continued interstate coordination.

Transcript Highlights:

• They appealed to the Board of Education, and the Board of Education gave us the choice of continuing
• </c> um the first thing about educational um the first thing about educational assistance<01:29:36.159
• </c> members of the Ways and Means Education members of the Ways and Means Education Committee.<02:21
• </c><02:21:34.399><c> I'm</c> State Department of Education. I'm State Department of Education.
• </c> the middle level education. the middle level education. &gt;&gt; Understand?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• million tons of organic waste that must be diverted from landfills, and support long-term market stability
• While we certainly appreciate the author's intent to address electric affordability and rate stability
• How long will it take to actually bring it down and stabilize some of our rising costs?
• How long will it take to actually bring it down and stabilize some of our rising costs?

Summary: The committee heard several energy, water, and utility bills, with extensive testimony on cost, ratepayer impacts, and climate or reliability goals. SB 919 by Senator Grayson would extend the biomethane monetary incentive program through 2030 and support renewable natural gas development by reducing interconnection cost barriers. Supporters said RNG helps methane reduction and organic waste diversion, while opponents, including TURN and environmental groups, argued the bill could shift costs to ratepayers and subsidize combustion-based fuels, especially dairy digesters. The author said committee amendments removed the rate-basing provisions and instead urged the CPUC to act quickly on its pending decision; the bill was left for a later vote. SB 931 by Senator Laird would reauthorize the Diablo Canyon Community Impact Mitigation Program through 2030. Supporters said San Luis Obispo County and local schools rely on the funding for emergency preparedness and public safety, while TURN argued the extension would add about $47 million in statewide ratepayer costs and should instead be paid from existing PG&E deal revenues. Members discussed the bill as a continuation of the 2022 Diablo Canyon agreement, and the author said the measure simply restores the five years omitted from that deal. The committee also heard SB 1215 by Senator Cortese, which would direct the CPUC to set deployment targets for EV charging in multifamily housing. Supporters said renters and apartment residents are largely shut out of home charging, and that prior utility programs showed the model can be cost-effective and beneficial to ratepayers. The bill was amended to address affordability, ratepayer benefits, and limits on major system upgrades. SB 1295 by Senator Stern would create a framework for using distributed batteries and other local resources to solve grid constraints more cheaply than traditional infrastructure. Supporters said it could improve reliability and reduce costs by targeting batteries where they provide the most grid value, while utilities said they were open to continued discussion. SB 1359, also by Senator Stern, would require the CPUC to more carefully evaluate major gas infrastructure investments and alternatives such as electrification before approving new spending. Environmental groups supported the bill as a guardrail against stranded assets, while gas utilities opposed it, warning it could undermine the obligation to serve, create safety and reliability risks, and retroactively change the rules for approved investments. On water policy, SB 1125 by Senator Menjivar would create a statewide low-income water rate assistance program upon appropriation. Supporters said about 1.6 million households have water debt and that affordability is a statewide issue, not just a problem for disadvantaged communities. Some members raised concerns that the bill lacked a funding source and that state mandates, such as chromium-6 treatment requirements, already strain local water agencies; the author and supporters responded that the bill includes administrative caps and transparency measures and is intended to work alongside future funding. The committee then heard SB 1098 by Senator Pérez, which would restrict the use of utility memorandum and balancing accounts by requiring exceptional circumstances, adding sunset dates, and creating cost-sharing or lower-return rules for certain spending. TURN and other supporters said the accounts allow utilities to recover costs after the fact with too little discipline, while Edison and PG&E opposed the bill, arguing that some costs are unpredictable and that the CPUC already has a formal review process. SB 1125 was moved to Appropriations with a roll call, and the roll was left open for additional votes; the other measures were discussed with no final committee actions announced in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• ways are not lost through adverse possession or prescriptive claims, thereby preserving access, stability
• prescriptive claims, thereby<00:24:12.160><c> preserving</c><00:24:12.920><c> access,</c><00:24:13.560><c> stability
• </c><00:24:14.120><c> of</c> thereby preserving access, stability of thereby preserving access, stability

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• mission in our community is to provide emergency assistance to help families provide a sense of stability
• families provide a assistance to help families provide a sense<01:07:54.640><c> of</c><01:07:54.760><c> stability
• 56.160><c> to</c><01:07:56.280><c> live</c><01:07:56.520><c> a</c><01:07:56.600><c> life</c> sense of stability
• as not to live a life sense of stability as not to live a life of<01:07:57.200><c> daily</c><01:07:57.520

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that economic stability strengthens stewardship and keeps knowledge and responsibility right here
• 00:26:00.720><c> And</c><00:26:00.880><c> that</c><00:26:01.120><c> economic</c><00:26:01.679><c> stability
• And that economic stability families.
• And that economic stability strengthens<00:26:02.720><c> stewardship</c><00:26:03.200><c> and</c><00:

Bills: HB1881 , HB2218 , HB1956 , HB2151 , HB1845 , HB1844 , HB2103 , HB2424 , HB1650 , HB376 , HB2599 , HB1861

Committee: House Water & Land

Keywords: land use, ropeway, transportation, state regulation, government exemption, DLNR, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Board of Land and Natural Resources, BLNR, public lands, public trust resources, community co-management, co-management agreement, community-based organization, Native Hawaiian, malama aina, ahupuaa, subsistence, cultural resources, religious practices

Summary: The committee on Water and Land met on February 10, 2026, with Chair Mark Hashem outlining strict testimony rules and noting a time constraint because of later hearings and floor session obligations. The committee then took up several bills, hearing mostly supportive testimony on HB 1881 relating to land use, HB 2218 relating to DLNR/community management, and HB 1956 relating to freshwater waves, while HB 1845 relating to the Land Use Commission drew legal concerns and opposition. HB 2151 relating to building materials had no substantive testimony presented in the excerpt, and the committee moved through it quickly. On HB 1881, testimony focused on protecting North Shore lands from overdevelopment. A supporter described the area as valuable precisely because it remains largely undeveloped, and a member asked whether the bill’s restrictions on “finculars” would affect existing or future private residential installations; the response suggested the bill was aimed at future commercial uses and that grandfathering or personal-use exceptions might be possible, but the exact wording would need legal refinement. HB 2218 received broad support from OHA, DLNR, Kua, Sierra Club, Hui Maka Aana, the Honlay Initiative, and others, who said the measure would expand community-based co-management across DLNR divisions, build on existing park partnerships, and produce real benefits such as better stewardship, safer access, local jobs, and stronger community trust. Members asked about the bill’s five-year review structure, how multiple community groups would be handled, and whether the model could apply to ocean or nearshore areas; DLNR said the board would retain authority, agreements would be non-exclusive and subject to review, and the department was still working through how the approach would function across different divisions and marine settings. For HB 1956, the Attorney General offered technical comments, urging clearer definitions of “residing” and “freshwater way,” clearer timing for citations and arrests, and more explicit procedural safeguards and agency roles. On HB 1845, the Attorney General and Land Use Commission raised concerns that the bill could conflict with constitutional protections for important agricultural lands and could not be reconciled with existing voting requirements; the LUC also said commissioners cannot vote by proxy under sunshine law and warned that the bill could allow too few commissioners to approve major boundary changes. Members questioned how the bill would work in counties without designated important agricultural lands, and the LUC explained that Kauai is the only county to have completed the IAL process, while the broader statutory process remains county-driven and has been the subject of litigation. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• confirm a person's eligibility to drive without further medical review if they meet certain long-term stability
• meet further medical review if they meet certain<00:04:39.320><c> long-term</c><00:04:40.080><c> stability
• </c> certain long-term stability certain long-term stability criteria<00:04:42.280><c> currently</c><

Bills: HF2382 , HF639 , SF1075 , HF1243 , HF1087 , SF1360 , HF739 , HF2337 , HF1220 , HF712 , HF1219

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: accident reporting, law enforcement, data privacy, contracted service providers, public safety, HF639, Minnesota driver license, Department of Public Safety, driver medical review, loss of consciousness, voluntary control, seizure, nonepileptic seizure, epilepsy, antiseizure medication, physician statement, medical certification, commercial driver, CDL, medical examiner's certificate

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think we're proposing some dynamic changes by doing the OA report, stabilized licensing funding
• The CPR though and first aid used to go towards educational hours, but that no longer qualifies.
• The CPR though and first aid used to go towards educational hours, but that no longer qualifies.
• These are some of their top challenges: staff education requirements.
• We look at their incarceration rates, their prisons, their health care costs, and education.

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I mentioned that the individuals inside the restricted area want to cooperate in hopes that it stabilizes
• But I think it's a great venue to get people educated on what we're dealing with because it's going to

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee continued discussing recommendations for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance and response in Louisiana’s wild and captive deer herds. Members and staff reviewed current surveillance results, noting that LDWF had met goals in 32 of 64 parishes and that voluntary hunter-harvest sampling was falling short in other areas. Several ideas were raised to improve sample collection without making it broadly mandatory, including incentives for hunters, taxidermists, and possibly processors; use of DMAP properties and mobile sampling units; and targeted sampling of older bucks and other higher-risk animals. Members also discussed whether to use parish-level or other geographic control areas, and whether to mirror aspects of Arkansas’s approach, including testing to reduce or remove restrictions when prevalence remains low. The committee also heard from LDWF and LDAF about captive herd surveillance and reporting. LDAF described its licensed deer facilities, a 2024 positive in Jeff Davis Parish that led to depopulation and quarantines, and follow-up testing that has remained negative at quarantined farms. Witnesses said the agencies currently share information informally and through USDA/NVSL channels, but there is no specific law or regulation requiring 24-hour notification between agencies. The Wildlife Federation and several members recommended mandatory enrollment in the USDA herd certification program, mandatory reporting of positives, and clearer coordination between LDWF and LDAF. Members also discussed the cost of testing, with LDWF saying USDA grants covered diagnostic testing for the last two deer seasons, while department self-generated funds covered earlier costs. A major portion of the meeting focused on how to respond when a positive wild deer is found. Some members favored immediate restrictions, while others argued for keeping existing season rules in place through the season and using the positive as a trigger for intensified sampling, with the goal of avoiding unnecessary penalties and encouraging hunters to submit samples. There was also discussion of whether baiting should be prohibited, allowed during hunting season, or phased based on testing results, with Arkansas’s statewide baiting allowance and county-based disease management zones used as a comparison. The chair emphasized that no final recommendation would be adopted at this meeting; instead, staff was directed to compile the discussion and written recommendations for consideration at the April meeting, when the committee expects to vote and the commission may need to act quickly through its notice-of-intent or emergency rule process before the next hunting season.

Transcript Highlights:

• This will also stabilize funding for our veteran services, mental health, and developmental disability
• men and women stationed at JBLM, families visiting students at UW, WSU, Gonzaga, or other higher education

Bills: HB2559 , HB2135 , HB2133 , HB2442

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: affordable housing, local government funding, housing programs, community development, financial assistance, adaptive housing, disabled veterans, tax preferences, housing affordability, retail sales tax, property tax, senior citizens, tax exemption, permanent legislation, local government, tax authority, sales tax, use tax, real estate excise tax, REET

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to balance our short-term profitability with long-term stability.
• would be remiss if I did not mention the Carolina Gamecocks, with that many kids who need to be educated

Committee: Senate Finance Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I think the goal of this bill is to try to balance the needs of developers to have some stability
• So, I think the goal of this bill is to try to balance the needs of developers to have some stability
• So, I think the goal of this bill is to try to balance the needs of developers to have some stability
• So, I think the goal of this bill is to try to balance the needs of developers to have some stability
• I'm not sure how long you've been an educator, but we greatly appreciate your gray hair.

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This has been a work in progress, an education for me working on this bill.
• I just wanted to to<03:46:52.640><c> educate</c><03:46:52.960><c> the</c><03:46:53.120><c> committee.
• You can agree to educate the committee.
• </c> healthcare, education, and innovation. healthcare, education, and innovation.
• ><c> of</c> The strength and stability of The strength and stability of Manchester's<04:25:49.840><c>

Committee: House Public Works and Highways

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It was one we originally started with and, through negotiation with the Department of Education, added
• Because there is a reality in education. And it's a two-tiered reality.
• The organization made a single executive responsible for DEI and education, but subsequently changed
• Our bill does not touch higher education or educational efforts, Senator. All right.
• And so if that is the case, we are putting far too much trust in our education system.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, introductions, and a moment of silence honoring service members killed in the conflict in Iran, including Florida native Captain Cody Cork. The chamber then moved through a special order calendar, taking up several bills on education, public safety, insurance, health, and local government policy. Many measures were accompanied by sponsor explanations and supportive remarks from members, often emphasizing constituent impacts, public safety, and administrative efficiency. The first major bill, SB 1062 on speech and debate education, was expanded through a delete-all amendment and passed 37-0 after extensive floor debate praising debate programs as a civic and educational tool. SB 1072 created an anti-Semitism task force in the Attorney General’s Office; an amendment clarified that criticism of Israel is not prohibited, and the bill passed 37-0. SB 1230/HB 1019 addressed PFAS “forever chemicals,” especially in firefighting foam, with phase-outs, testing, enforcement, and exceptions for certain federal, military, and emergency uses; it also passed 37-0 and was dedicated in memory of former firefighter Joe Casello. SB 1706 expanded the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program with tighter eligibility rules, and SB 186 required broader seizure-response training and seizure action plans in schools; both passed unanimously. The Senate also approved SB 598 updating funeral and cemetery regulation, SB 990 authorizing protected cell captive insurance companies, SB 554 modernizing nonprofit corporation law, SB 560 streamlining foster care medication and oversight procedures, SB 684 easing electronic signature requirements for total-loss vehicle and vessel titles, and SB 778 revising forensic client services for certain defendants with intellectual disabilities or autism. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including SB 432, SB 928, and SB 620. Most of these measures passed by votes of 36-0 or 37-0 after brief debate or no debate. The most contentious item was SB 1134 on official actions of local governments related to DEI. The sponsor argued the bill would stop taxpayer funding and promotion of discriminatory or indoctrinating DEI practices, citing examples from several counties and cities. Multiple amendments sought to narrow penalties, protect good-faith officials, and preserve local proclamations and observances, including LGBTQ Pride Month and other cultural events, but those amendments were rejected. Debate centered on vagueness, local discretion, and whether the bill would chill legitimate government activity. The transcript cuts off during questioning on the underlying bill, before final disposition is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first has to do with proposing additional enrollment standards related to financial stability, being
• enrollment standards uh related<01:09:45.759><c> to</c><01:09:46.400><c> financial</c><01:09:47.120><c> stability
• </c><01:09:48.000><c> being</c> related to financial stability being related to financial stability being
• Senator Hoffman and I, and others, were in a room trying to fix housing stabilization, and we fixed it
• Senator Hoffman and I, and others, were in a room trying to fix housing stabilization, and we fixed it

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The committees resumed discussion of amendments to a bill dealing with licensing moratoria, change-of-ownership rules, and related provider oversight issues. Amendment A8 would prevent a licensing moratorium for certain intermediate care service settings from blocking a new license when the change is due to a change of ownership, including temporary licenses and transitional licenses. Department of Human Services staff said they were still reviewing the language but explained the department’s concern was maintaining program integrity and ensuring owners go through full change-of-ownership review so the agency can see who owns a provider and check compliance history. Senators supporting the amendment argued it would keep legitimate businesses from being harmed by a moratorium and could help preserve providers when ownership changes or family members take over after a death. A8 was adopted on a roll call, with both committees voting in support. Amendment A9, also on the moratorium topic, would exempt a change of ownership from the moratorium so long as it does not increase license capacity or service scope. The department said it needed more analysis to avoid unintended consequences, but the amendment was added to the working bill. Amendment A10 proposed a more detailed, data-driven framework for the moratorium and included a provision about refunds after implementation; department staff said the language would add cost and would require technical assistance, while senators emphasized the need to address licensure backlogs and avoid making provider delays worse. A10 was approved by the committees, though not unanimously. Amendment A11 would have set standards for how the commissioner designates provider types or program areas as moderate or high risk, with added transparency criteria. The department said the commissioner already has that authority and raised concerns about federal requirements and the state’s corrective action plan, and Senator Hoffman withdrew the amendment. Amendment A12, offered by Senator Fateh, would preserve remote supports by removing bill language that repealed the service and would add safeguards for remote overnight supervision, including staffing ratios to ensure emergency response times can be met. Several senators supported keeping remote services as an important, cost-effective option amid workforce shortages, while the department said it had program integrity concerns and supported the governor’s proposal to remove the service. The committee nevertheless advanced A12, with members noting the need to balance safety and integrity with access to services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Measures such as this help stabilize operations, retain institutional knowledge, and maintain continuity
• We've continued to meet critical infrastructure needs while maintaining stability in Kauai operations
• We've continued to meet critical infrastructure needs while maintaining stability in Kauai operations
• We've continued to meet critical infrastructure needs while maintaining stability in Kauai operations
• We've continued to meet critical infrastructure needs while maintaining stability in Kauai operations

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• first saw it in Feeding Our Future, then we saw it in autism centers, then we saw it in housing stabilization
• <01:34:00.320><c> it</c><01:34:00.480><c> in</c><01:34:00.639><c> housing</c><01:34:00.960><c> stabilization
• </c> then we saw it in housing stabilization then we saw it in housing stabilization and<01:34:02.320
• This building was named in the FBI housing stabilization affidavit for the extensive network, a very
• similar network of fraudulently providing housing stabilization service providers.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• In my time as a domestic violence educator, I reiterated to many folks that repeated violations by a
• In my time as a domestic violence educator, I reiterated to many folks that repeated violations by a
• that I do think it's important that we codify and create a private right of action more for the education
• of our law Enforcement education of our law Enforcement Officers<01:31:25.639><c> um</c><01:31:25.920
• outreach court resolves cases and connects participants with social services to help them regain stability

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first considered House Bill 1324, which would require the Judiciary to contract for legal services for residential tenants in landlord-tenant disputes and allow attorneys, paralegals, and law students to provide those services, with an appropriation. The Department of the Attorney General recommended removing reference to Hawaii Public Housing Authority tenants because HPHA eviction proceedings are administrative and could conflict with the bill. Hawaii Appleseed and other testifiers strongly supported the measure, citing studies showing much higher tenant retention when counsel is available, and suggested adding notice of the right to counsel at key points such as rent increases, eviction notices, and lease signing. The committee adopted amendments, including the Attorney General’s suggested change and a technical amendment, and passed the bill out with a recommendation to move it forward; members voted aye, with one member voting with reservations and several excused. The committee then heard House Bill 126 on property forfeiture, which would increase transparency and accountability in civil asset forfeiture by clarifying covered property, changing disposition rules, and removing language requiring liberal construction of the forfeiture act. The Attorney General said forfeiture remains an important law enforcement tool and that the bill would not impair its use. The Office of the Public Defender supported the measure but argued civil forfeiture is broadly problematic because many people cannot meaningfully challenge it and are not entitled to counsel. Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill, saying forfeiture is useful in fighting illegal activity and that added procedures would delay enforcement and reduce operational funding from forfeiture proceeds. Community Alliance on Prisons, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and other supporters urged reform or abolition of civil forfeiture, citing transparency concerns and the risk of abuse. No vote on HB 126 was taken in the portion provided. The final measure discussed was House Bill 166, which would require the state to defend professionally licensed or certified state employees in certain civil actions, allow employees to hire their own counsel at their own expense, and set a process for the Attorney General to transfer or withdraw representation if the state declines to defend. Testimony from the Hawaii Association for Justice and labor representatives was in strong support, describing the bill as a negotiated clarification that balances employee protections with accountability and noting it had passed previously but died in conference. The transcript cuts off before any committee action on HB 166.

Transcript Highlights:

• Colorado has already demonstrated leadership through PERA, through higher education DC plan design, and
• ,</c> well-designed financial education, well-designed financial education, combined<00:28:06.960><c>
• </c> that to make sure that they're educating that to make sure that they're educating people<00:52:42.800
• them on all the different educating them on all the different nuances.<00:52:49.040><c> So,</c><00:52
• Does not include general wellness education, instruction, or guidance that is intended to promote overall

Keywords: 981, all