Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this meeting is being held Thursday, January 29th, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 229 at
• hearing of the year, This meeting is being held Thursday, January 29th, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in Conference
• And a notice will be posted on the Legislature's website. This is the first hearing of the year.
• And a notice will be posted on the Legislature's website.
• . in conference room 2026 at 9:30 a.m. in conference room 229. 229. 229.

Bills: SB2004, SB2039, SB2042, SB2043, SB2044, SB2132

Keywords: outdoor advertising, billboards, public safety, penalties, community pollution, elections, campaign finance, business entities, political activity, regulation, liability, non-natural persons, insurance, captives, examination, regulations, policyholders, dormant captive, tax exemption, Hawaii revised statutes

Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee opened its first hearing of the year with remarks from Chair Jared Kohole outlining hearing procedures, a two-minute testimony limit, rules for remote testimony and decorum, and a revised testimony-publication pilot that keeps 96-hour notice but returns to a standard 24-hour testimony deadline. He then moved through the agenda, beginning with SB 2004 on outdoor advertising, which would increase penalties for violations of billboard and outdoor advertising laws. Testimony on that measure was limited; Henry Curtis of Life of the Land was first up, and written support was noted from Hawaiian Electric and the Outdoor Circle. The committee then heard SB 2039 on election campaign finance, which would prohibit certain business entities from engaging in campaign finance activities. The Attorney General’s office offered comments and did not take a formal position at the hearing. Several proponents testified in support, including Josh Frost, Tom Moore of the Center for American Progress, Hapa/Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, and Common Cause Hawaiʻi, all arguing the bill would curb corporate and dark-money influence and return elections to the people. Moore distinguished between regulating corporate “rights” and limiting corporate “powers,” and said the state can redefine the powers it grants corporations. In questions, Senator McKelvey asked whether the bill could be expanded to include unions; the Attorney General said he would need to get back with legal analysis, while Moore said his preferred approach would include all entities and that leaving out nonprofits or unions would create problems. Members also discussed whether the bill would affect PACs, and Moore explained that the proposal would prohibit corporate and dark-money flows into PACs while leaving individual political giving and existing political committees in place. The committee then moved on to the next measure. SB 2042, relating to insurance, was heard next. The bill would reduce the unimpaired minimum capital and surplus required of class 4 sponsored captive insurance companies under certain circumstances. The DCCA Insurance Division said it stood on its written testimony, and the Hawaii Captive Insurance Council testified in support, describing the change as a narrow, risk-based adjustment that would not affect the commissioner’s authority where actual risk resides and would help keep Hawaii competitive. The committee noted additional written support and proceeded without a vote or final action in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON SENATE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL JUSTICE APPROPRIATIONS IN HOUSE JUSTICE BUDGET
• ANYONE WISHING TO ADDRESS THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE?
• MEMBERS, PLEASE WATCH FOR OUR NEXT MEETING NOTICE. AS A REMINDER WE ARE ON A ONE HOUR NOTICE.
• IF THERE IS NO FURTHER BUSINESS OF THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE SENATOR WRIGHT MOVES THAT

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have one thing we noticed that needed to be moved that I noticed in review of the March 18th minutes
• yes uh uh Mr chair I have move<00:00:55.280> them<00:00:55.879> we<00:00:56.000> noticed
• that there was one move them we noticed that there was one thing<00:00:57.039> that<00:00:57.160
• <00:00:58.600> I thing that needed to be moved that I thing that needed to be moved that I noticed
• [Laughter] I was looking for Representative Pete Johnson if he noticed the cupcake.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The Conference Committee on Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations and House Justice Budget
• Is there anyone wishing to address the conference committee?
• Members, please watch for our next meeting notice. As a reminder, we are now on a one-hour notice.
• If there is no further business of the conference committee, Representative, Senator Wright moves that

Summary: The conference committee on Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations and House Justice Budget Subcommittee met briefly to exchange budget conference materials. The House, through Vice Chair Mani, presented its first counteroffer, including budget items, proviso language, back-of-bill language, implementing bill language, and conforming bill language related to judges. Chair Garcia acknowledged the offer and said the committee had made progress, especially on judges, and would review and respond to the House proposal. Members emphasized the goal of reaching agreement and avoiding a budget “bump.” No public comment was offered, and no substantive debate or amendments occurred during the meeting. The committee reminded members that future meetings would be on one-hour notice. The only action taken was adjournment, moved by Representative/Senator Wright and approved without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Senate appoint a new committee of three to serve with a like committee from the House as a conference
• Your Senate is at zero, but our intent is we will have conversations at conference committee.
• The Attorney General will review the notice to ensure compliance. Page 6.
• On the statement of purpose, you'll notice it was $33,000.
• Madam President, the Conference Committee on Senate Bill 2133.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present and handled a mix of conference committee appointments, appropriations bills, policy bills, and House amendments. Early in the session, the chamber appointed conference committees for SB 2399 and for House-amended SBs 2213 and 2354, and also named conference committees for HB 103, HB 1308, and HB 1169. The Senate then took up several appropriations measures, including HB 1612, which creates the North Dakota Center for Aerospace Medicine at UND; the Senate adopted an amendment shifting the funding to a one-time $250,000 Community Health Trust Fund appropriation with a required $250,000 match from other sources, and the bill passed 39-7. HB 1193, the “Back the Blue” grant, was amended to make the funding one-time and focus on officer retention, then passed 41-5. HB 1329, a government spending database proposal for school districts, was amended into a legislative study and passed 42-4. HB 1020, the water budget, received extensive amendments reducing and reallocating funding across major water projects, adding studies and oversight changes, and passed 45-0 with the emergency clause. HB 1581, a tribal tourism grant, also passed 40-6. The Senate rejected HB 1330, which would have authorized divestment from direct investments in Chinese companies; after debate over the prudent investor rule, trade impacts, and whether the bill singled out one nation in law, it failed 20-26. HB 1534, limiting property valuation increases, and HB 1266, adjusting the disabled veterans property tax credit, both failed unanimously or nearly so after committee recommendations against them. HB 1566, which would have created a regulatory framework for a product discussed as kratom, was amended on the floor to convert it into a study and then passed 31-15. The chamber also passed HB 2241 on charter schools after a House amendment changed the funding formula to the statewide average from the prior year, and HB 2022, the indigent legal counsel budget, after House changes added funding flexibility, offset lost fee revenue, and included a study on a public defender office. The Senate concurred in several House amendments and then passed a number of Senate bills. SB 2375, allowing joint negotiations between dental providers and insurers under Attorney General oversight, passed 44-2. SB 2251, clarifying that open records requests during state audits should be referred to the audited agency, passed 46-0. SB 2159, related to nuclear energy research, passed 43-3 after House amendments required Industrial Commission approval and consultation with the radioactive waste advisory council. SB 2155, changing gratis antelope license rules, passed 30-16 after debate over landowner rights and tag distribution. SB 251, setting fees and an audit for the Private Investigative and Security Board, passed 44-2. SB 2280, the prior authorization health insurance bill, passed 43-3 with a House-added study and consumer protections. SB 2023, the Racing Commission budget, passed 41-5 after a House change made internship funding one-time. SB 2232, changing prenatal substance exposure reporting requirements and related toxicology rules, passed 44-2. SB 2241, authorizing public charter schools, passed 39-7. The session ended while the Senate was still processing SB 2022’s final passage vote, but the bill had already cleared concurrence on House amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Notice of hearings of the Office of Tobacco, Alcohol Control, Department of Revenue, time frame for notice
• of hearing, method of notice.
• Can I give notice for tomorrow? Tomorrow, okay. Thank you. Mr.
• Gives notice to call House Bill 59 for Thursday the 7th. Without objection.
• To confer on the disagreement to Senate Bill 149 by Senator Foil.

Bills: HR244, HR245, HR246, HR247, HR248, HR249, HR250, HR251, HCR101, HCR102, HR223, HR224, HR225, HR226, HR227, HR229, HR230, HR231, HR232, HR234, HR235, HR236, HR237, HR238, HR239, HR240, HR241, HR242, HR243, HCR94, HCR95, HCR96, HCR97, HCR98, HCR99, HCR100, SCR31, SCR33, SCR35, SCR37, SCR56, SCR57, SB171, SB251, SB252, SB353, SB367, SB433, SB461, HR170, HR191, HR206, HR207, HR208, HR217, HCR11, HCR53, HCR60, HCR66, HCR68, HB66, HB153, HB165, HB326, HB387, HB454, HB455, HB484, HB513, HB603, HB660, HB719, HB762, HB766, HB793, HB802, HB816, HB833, HB940, HB947, HB950, HB975, HB1028, HB1039, HB1051, HB1053, HB1080, HB1201, HB1215, HB1228, HB1251, HB1252, SCR2, SB26, SB28, SB29, SB30, SB41, SB44, SB64, SB84, SB87, SB93, SB98, SB107, SB118, SB142, SB192, SB195, SB199, SB219, SB222, SB234, SB241, SB255, SB275, SB277, SB292, SB294, SB306, SB314, SB482, SB233, SB326, HR171, HCR49, HCR65, HCR72, HR37, HCR64, SCR19, SCR3, SCR6, SCR18, SCR11, SCR22, HB64, HB68, HB92, HB130, HB258, HB633, HB801, HB89, HB341, HB451, HB456, HB579, HB595, HB621, HB818, HB841, HB1064, HB1101, HB1191, SB47, SB82, SB106, SB206, SB210, SB248, SB305, SB376, SB397, SB441, SB2, SB19, SB24, SB50, SB70, SB96, SB101, SB103, SB104, SB114, SB122, SB159, SB160, SB173, SB180, SB182, SB260, SB412, SB418, SB424, SB442, SB460, SB476, SB1, SB23, SB32, SB42, SB43, SB46, SB51, SB110, SB113, SB150, SB154, SB161, SB218, SB220, SB221, SB253, SB289, SB310, SB351, SB399, SB404, SB502, HCR32, HB955, HB284, HB617, HB730, HB926, HB1125, HB1194, HB1203, HB798, HB998, HB1084, HB1223, HB646, HB824, HB901, HB79, HR20, HR74, HB59, HB306, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB682, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB911, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1234, HB1240, SB89, SB68, SB149

Keywords: disclosure, local law, public notice, legislative transparency, Artists at the Capitol Day, art education, Louisiana Art Education Association, recognition, community engagement, House Resolution 247, HR247, Laura Lewis, birthday commendation, 104th birthday, centenarian, longevity, St. James Parish, Louisiana House of Representatives, Mount Calvary Baptist Church, ceremonial resolution

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, heard a prayer from Pastor Neil Bernard of New Wine Christian Center, and recognized a number of visiting groups and observances, including AMI Kids, Mother’s Day, the Hungarian Settlement Cultural Association, Pro-Life Day at the Capitol, the American Cancer Society and Cancer Action Network, Municipal Day for the Louisiana Municipal Association, Recreation and Parks Association Day, St. John Day, Hoopla basketball activities, Main Street program participants, Leadership North Shore, the Lack of Seeing High School basketball team, Literacy Champion recognition, Orleans Parish Sheriff Michelle Woodford, and LACE Day for chamber executives. Majority Leader Steve Scalise also addressed the chamber, praising recent economic investment in Louisiana, coastal restoration funding, and the state’s improved national reputation. The House received Senate messages and Legislative Bureau reports on numerous Senate bills, many of which were referred to committee or laid over, and several House and Senate resolutions were introduced or adopted, largely commemorative or study-related measures. The chamber then took up several House bills in regular order. HB 89, concerning district attorney retiree health insurance coverage in the Third Judicial District, was amended and passed 87-5. HB 451, dealing with ATC notice procedures, passed 98-0 after technical amendments. HB 456, revising workers’ compensation petition requirements and allowing employers broader access to disputed claims, drew extended debate over whether it would burden injured workers; it passed 67-30. HB 579, expanding the Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights and related confidentiality and complaint provisions, passed 98-0. HB 595, requiring local authorities to respond timely to permit-related matters affecting natural resource development, passed 92-3. HB 621, requiring recycling of decommissioned renewable energy components and updating waste rules, passed 99-0. HB 818, requiring school systems to publish annual assessment schedules and related testing information, passed 98-0. Additional bills considered included HB 841, creating a code of conduct for landmen negotiating pipeline easements and authorizing penalties for bad-faith conduct, which passed 98-0; HB 1060, establishing a two-year domestic violence intervention court pilot program in the 19th Judicial District with coordinated services and data collection, which passed 86-13; and HB 1101, a workers’ compensation measure defining maximum medical improvement, adjusting benefit durations, and addressing misrepresentation and fraud, which was under debate at the end of the excerpt. Throughout the floor session, members repeatedly emphasized that the bills were intended to clarify procedures, improve transparency, or address public safety and economic development, while opponents of some measures raised concerns about added burdens on workers or injured claimants.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today we have a wonderful presentation from our friends from the National Conference of State Legislatures
• I am a policy associate with the National Conference of State Legislatures Elections and Redistricting
• I like to go to all the different conferences if I have the time.
• And what I noticed was about, and I'm just—this is my own spotty memory.
• think any conference, NCSL, any of you guys, had anything on AI.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Arizona House Advanced Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Committee heard a presentation from Adam Cook Hook of the National Conference of State Legislatures on recent AI policy trends across the states. He described how AI has rapidly become a major legislative issue, with all 50 states plus several territories introducing AI bills in 2025, and noted that states have created AI-focused committees, task forces, inventories, impact assessments, procurement rules, and government pilot projects. Examples discussed included state efforts in Colorado, Kentucky, West Virginia, Hawaii, Arkansas, Ohio, and others, along with NCSL resources such as its AI legislation database and policy toolkit. Much of the discussion focused on deepfakes, elections, and synthetic media. Hook said many states have enacted disclosure requirements or prohibitions for AI-generated political messaging, and have also passed laws addressing sexually explicit deepfakes, nonconsensual intimate images, and commercial use of a person’s likeness, voice, or image. Members asked about the best state approaches to protecting likeness rights, how parody and satire affect deepfake laws, and whether such laws can avoid First Amendment problems. Hook pointed to recent court cases in California and Hawaii that struck down some deepfake laws as overly broad, especially where they lacked parody/satire exceptions or allowed too broad a private right of action. The committee also asked about practical government uses of AI, including retrieval-augmented chatbots used by agencies such as Montana’s Ethics Commission and the Ohio Secretary of State to help answer public questions or guide election officials. Hook said states are pursuing both regulation and innovation, citing comprehensive laws in Colorado, Utah, California, and Texas that combine disclosure, risk assessment, and anti-discrimination requirements with innovation efforts such as sandboxes and state support for AI research. No bills were heard or voted on, and the meeting ended with the chair thanking the presenter and adjourning the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will instead potentially reconvene later today, and we will give you as much notice as we possibly
• We will instead potentially reconvene later today, and we will give you as much notice as we possibly
• later today, and we will give you<00:01:24.440> as<00:01:24.520> much<00:01:24.760> notice
• we<00:01:25.400> possibly<00:01:26.000> can<00:01:26.440> on you as much notice
• as we possibly can on you as much notice as we possibly can on that.<00:01:27.560> Uh<00:01:27.840

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're uh status conferences.
• the commissioner must provide notice the commissioner must provide notice within<00:42:55.240>
• > administrative notice must include the administrative notice must include the administrative
• > making<00:53:05.200> sure um drafted about notice, making sure um drafted about notice
• <00:53:09.520> also providers always getting notice also providers always getting notice also

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> The sponsor yields. >> To date, there have not been any further joint budget conference committees
• Do you expect those conference committees to meet before these bills are finalized?
• that we can just disregard the requirements in New York State law that we utilize joint budget conference
• This conference, our conference, cares about renewable energy. We care about the environment.
• IS, IN THIS CONFERENCE, WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY ENVIRONMENTAL In this conference, we take very seriously

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and then moved through a series of budget-related and ceremonial items. The chamber accepted Rules and Finance Committee reports and took up several budget extender and budget implementation bills, including the main appropriations extender and later a transportation, economic development, and environmental conservation budget bill. Senators questioned the sponsor extensively about the status of the remaining budget bills, the use of messages of necessity, and the absence of joint budget conference committees. The extender bill passed 59-2, and later budget-related measures were advanced after reconsideration and amendment. A major portion of the session focused on the environmental and energy provisions in the budget bill, especially changes to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Senators debated extending emissions targets, the role of cap-and-invest, utility affordability, ratepayer impacts, and the structure of a proposed blue-ribbon commission. Supporters said the changes were needed to give the state more time to implement the law and to protect affordability, while opponents argued the bill was a political delay that would not lower energy costs and relied too heavily on subsidies and future planning. The bill also drew questions about electric vehicle rebates, thermostat control programs, emergency diesel generation for Micron, and how imported electricity and out-of-state emissions would be treated. The Senate also adopted several previously adopted resolutions honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, India Independence Day, the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame, and the 50th anniversary of Interfaith Works of Central New York. Senators spoke in support of each resolution, highlighting the contributions of Black legislators, Indian-American communities, veterans, and refugee and interfaith service organizations. The Veterans Hall of Fame ceremony was specifically noted as a chamber event, and guests were recognized from the floor and gallery. In addition, the Senate restored recalled bills to the third reading calendar through reconsideration votes and amendments, including a highway law bill and another recalled bill, and then stood at ease for scheduled conferences and a Veterans Hall of Fame ceremony before resuming session. The transcript ended with discussion of a separate bill affecting automobile insurance serious-injury standards, with questions about what claims would remain available and whether the change would improve affordability.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're here in Conference Room 325 at the State Capitol, and today is April 17th, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
• In that case, an appropriate notice will be posted.
• notice will be posted. notice will be posted.
• And if you notice, the lawyers in the Senate also voted against this resolution as well.
• And if you notice, the lawyers in the Senate also voted against this resolution as well.

Bills: SCR120, SCR71, SCR164, SCR41

Keywords: rangelands, pastoralists, pastoralism, ranching, ranchers, paniolo, livestock, grazing, grasslands, land management, conservation, sustainable agriculture, agriculture, Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity, University of Hawaii, ecosystem services, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, Hawaii counties, International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Transcript Highlights:

• Burgess:I'M GOING TO CALL THE FIRST PRE-K-12 EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE TO ORDER.
• Persons-Mulicka: MEMBERS I MOVE SENATOR BURGESS BE NAMED CHAIR OF THE APPROPRIATIONS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
• PERSONS-MULICKA BE NAMED VICE CHAIR OF THE PRE-K-12 EDUCATION BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.
• SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES, MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE SHOULD LOOK FOR THE POSTED MEETING NOTICES, WE
• ARE ON A ONE HOUR NOTICE AND WITH THAT SENATOR BRADLEY MOVES WE RISE AND ARE TEMPORARILY ADJOURNED.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The conference committee report has passed.
• The conference committee report has passed.
• The conference committee report has passed.
• Conference committee report. Thank you.
• The conference committee report has passed.

Keywords: 964, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Reconvening our conference committee on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025, at 1:30 PM here in Conference Room
• Chair, we are working on a proposed draft conference draft.
• Opening our conference committee meeting here on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025, at 1:45 PM in Conference
• Thank you, Senator, for opening up on this conference.
• We are adjourned. - I'm convening this joint conference committee hearing.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Conference Committee on Appropriations will come to order.
• We still have one hour notice. Hopefully it works for everybody.
• No further business before the Conference Committee, Representative McClure moves we adjourn.
• We still have one hour notice. Hopefully it works for everybody.
• No further business before the Conference Committee, Representative McClure moves we adjourn.

Summary: The Conference Committee on Appropriations met to exchange and accept several budget offers. The Senate accepted the House offer on criminal and civil justice, the justice budget, and related projects. The House accepted the Senate offer on transportation, tourism, and economic development, but with one change: it would remove $500,000 for the Historic Markland House restoration and redirect that amount to the City of Marathon Workforce Housing Project, bringing that project to $1.25 million. No public testimony was offered on these acceptances. The committee then heard explanations of Senate offers for pre-K-12 education and administered funds. For pre-K-12, the Senate proposal included a 1.59% overall increase in total funds per FTE, fully funded the new academic acceleration option supplement at current levels, added $101 million for teacher salary increases, and maintained current law for K-12 scholarship programs. For administered funds, the Senate offer included a 2% pay increase for all state employees with a $1,000 minimum, and a 10% pay increase for state law enforcement and firefighters, or 15% based on years of experience. The committee also received the public education capital outlay project funded list. There was no public testimony on the education offers, no further comments from members, and no votes were taken. The meeting adjourned, with notice that there would be no additional meetings that evening and that the next day’s meetings would not begin before noon.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to go ahead and call the first Pre-K-12 Education Appropriations Conference Committee meeting
• Members, I move that Senator Burgess be named chair of the Appropriations Conference Committee on Pre-K
• moves that Representative Persons-Mulicka be named vice chair of the Pre-K-12 Education Budget Conference
• Senators and representatives, members of the audience should look for the posted meeting notices.
• We are on a one-hour notice.

Summary: The first Pre-K-12 Education Appropriations Conference Committee meeting was called to order, and the committee organized by naming Senator Burgess as chair and Representative Persons-Mulicka as vice chair without objection. Both chairs gave brief opening remarks expressing optimism about working together to produce a strong education budget for Florida’s next fiscal year. Senator Burgess then presented the Senate’s first offer on the budget, proviso, the back of the bill, and SB 2510. He explained that the offer was laid out in the far-right columns of the spreadsheets and that the Senate had tried to close out issues where possible and move closer to the House on remaining differences. He also noted that the Senate’s FEFP offer continues to align with SB 7030 while discussions on scholarship bills continue. The committee was told that the offer documents focus on significant policy or language differences, while technical or budget-only items are grayed out for later update. After the offer was presented, there were no questions and no public testimony. The meeting then moved to a temporary adjournment on a one-hour notice.

Transcript Highlights:

• Read the Conference Committee report for Senate Bill 2506E.
• Read the conference committee report for Senate Bill 2508E.
• Read the Conference Committee report for Senate Bill 2508E.
• Read the message and conference committee report for HB 503E.
• Bill 5301 as amended by the conference committee report.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• take up House Bill 935 off the notice take up House Bill 935 off the notice calendar<00:15:58.399
• notice calendar for immediate<00:16:26.079> consideration.
• Now, member from Pownal on our notice calendar is the committee of conference report on House Bill 952
• Uh we went into conference report.
• for immediate notice calendar for immediate consideration?

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House began with several announcements and recognitions, including a lengthy tribute to Representative Carolyn Brangan of Georgia on her retirement and years of service, followed by remarks from Brangan explaining that she is leaving to care for her husband during cancer treatment. Additional members offered brief reflections, including one on the end of the session and another welcoming students from Founders Memorial School to the gallery, and a member from Brattleboro highlighted a collaborative mural in the card room titled “These Green Hills, Vermont State Symbols and Personal Reflections.” The body then took up its calendar. It adopted Joint House Resolution 12, authorizing limited remote voting in joint committees through the remainder of the calendar year, with an ADA-related accommodation for members physically present but unable to access a meeting room. The House also suspended rules to take up and concur in the Senate amendment to House Bill 935 on emergency management. The committee report described grant programs for emergency response and technical rescue, new definitions and shelter-planning language centered on “whole community,” a wildland fire response task force, and an emergency rulemaking provision requested by the Agency of Natural Resources; the committee approved the Senate proposal on an 8-3 straw poll, and the House concurred. The House next adopted the conference committee report on House Bill 952, the capital construction and state bonding budget adjustment bill. The report explained changes made in conference, including shifting funds to cover a higher-than-expected bid for the St. Johnsbury facility, restoring some funding for maintenance at the women’s correctional facility in Chittenden County, and setting aside $750,000 toward planning for Wi-Fi installation in correctional facilities. It also noted a lease-related language change for a Vermont Huts project at Little River State Park, with notification to the institutions committee chairs. The House then took up Senate Bill 64 on optometrists’ scope of practice; the committee presentation supported allowing specially credentialed optometrists to perform certain minor surgical, laser, and injection procedures, citing improved access, safety, cost, and workforce development, and the bill was read for second reading with committee recommendations for concurrence.

Transcript Highlights:

• The section allows a lender making a mortgage loan to give notice of default via first-class mail and
• is provided, to institution, if notice is provided, to close<00:13:37.279> a<00:13:37.519>
• filing an initial or renewal notice. filing an initial or renewal notice. renewal<00:22:24.000><
• c> notice<00:22:24.400> under<00:22:24.799> section renewal notice under section renewal
• after the date of notice of termination. after the date of notice of termination.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is our Friday, February 6, 9:00 a.m. agenda, and we are in State Capitol Conference Room 325.
• In that case, an appropriate notice will be posted.
• case, an appropriate notice will be posted. posted. posted.
• So, just know that this conference room.
• So, I've conferred with enterprise zone.

Bills: HB1621, HB1880, HB1831

Keywords: pesticides, environmental impact, agriculture, 1,3-dichloropropene, chlorpyrifos, land management, wastewater compliance, state funding, survey issues, 910, house, all

Summary: The joint committees on Agriculture and Food Systems and Energy and Environmental Protection heard three bills. HB 1621 would create a conservation, agriculture, and soil health incentive program under the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, with annual reporting and funding. Testimony was broadly supportive from the Climate Commission, University of Hawaiʻi, Hawaii Farmers Union, White Alliance for Progressive Action, and the Farm Bureau, and the bill was described as a way to advance soil health and support producers. HB 1880 would prohibit, beginning in 2027, the use of pesticides containing 1,3-dichloropropene (such as Telone). The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offered written comments, Hawaii Farmers Union supported the ban citing drift and health concerns, and the Farm Bureau opposed it, arguing growers need such tools; the bill also drew discussion about crop rotation and other pest-management practices. HB 1831 would authorize funding to address survey deficiencies and wastewater compliance issues on certain non-agricultural parklands; the Attorney General’s Office warned the bill as written may violate the U.S. Constitution’s contract clause and suggested revisions, while the department and Farm Bureau supported the measure’s intent. The committees later took up decision-making and voted to pass all three measures with amendments, with the effective dates changed to July 1, 3000 and HB 1831 amended to reflect the Attorney General’s suggested changes. The Agriculture and Food Systems committee then heard HB 1572, which would establish a four-year restorative aquaculture development program to streamline permitting, expand infrastructure and workforce capacity, create pilot sites, and convene an advisory council. The Attorney General noted a technical issue about whether council members would be compensated, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Farmers Union all expressed support for streamlining aquaculture and promoting restorative aquaculture. Members asked about the bill’s focus on restorative aquaculture, and the department said the program would give the area dedicated resources and a framework. The committee also heard HB 219, which would temporarily reestablish the coffee berry borer pesticide subsidy program and manager position; the department, Waimea Coffee Association, Farm Bureau, and Farmers Union supported it. HB 2139 would fund University of Hawaiʻi research on treatment methods for the Queensland longhorn beetle. Testimony from DLNR, the invasive species council, university researchers, farmers, and the Farm Bureau emphasized the beetle’s spread and damage to trees and crops, and described nematode biocontrol as promising but labor-intensive and in need of more research and scaling. Members asked whether the funding was for research rather than a position, whether the current nematode approach is sufficient for large orchards, and whether other controls are being explored; the response was that the bill funds testing and that more work is needed, including local production of nematodes if the method proves effective.