Video & Transcript : 'prompt pay' :
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NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Taxation and Revenue Feb 11th, 2026 at 08:37 am
House Taxation & Revenue
Transcript Highlights:
- The cost of housing, rentals, you know, just—I don't know, somebody's making minimum wage, paying for
- And I truly believe, and the data has shown us, that when we put it into our families, it always pays
- It's hard to find someone who's private pay, so that wouldn't be within this qualifying.
- We want to make sure that there's enough tax revenue to pay the bonds for the life of the project.
- Chairman, we're saying that we need 30 years to pay off $3 million. Mr.
Committee:
House House Taxation & Revenue
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Taxation and Revenue Feb 11th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- And I truly believe, and the data has shown us, that when we put it into our families, it always pays
- It's hard to find someone who's private pay, so that wouldn't be within this qualifying.
- One hundred percent of what we collect, however, will retire the bonds and will likely pay those down
- We want to make sure that there's enough tax revenue to pay the bonds for the life of the project.
- Chairman, we're saying that we need 30 years to pay off $3 million. Mr.
Summary:
The committee first heard House Bill 296, which would double New Mexico’s working families tax credit. The sponsor said the bill would increase work incentives, reduce poverty, and could provide families up to about $1,900 more per year, with benefits concentrated among families with children and lower earners. Public testimony from advocacy groups and faith organizations supported the bill. Members asked about foster family eligibility, age eligibility, refundability, and how the credit compared with a prior vetoed proposal. After discussion, a member moved to table the bill, and HB 296 was tabled.
The committee then took up the committee substitute for House Bill 77, a tax credit for rehabilitating vacant or blighted buildings into affordable multifamily housing, with at least half of the credit reserved for rural New Mexico. Supporters from housing, business, construction, local government, and advocacy groups said it would expand housing supply, revitalize downtowns and vacant properties, and help rural communities. Members questioned the certification and recertification process, affordability requirements, and the role of the Mortgage Finance Authority. The sponsor asked to roll the bill to Friday so an amendment could be considered, and the committee agreed to roll HB 77 rather than vote on it.
House Bill 275, authorizing revenue bonds for Hila Regional Medical Center to replace an aging linear accelerator used for radiation cancer treatment, was heard next. The sponsor and supporters said the equipment is essential for cancer care in southwest New Mexico and that patients would otherwise have to travel long distances for treatment. An amendment extending the bond term from 20 to 30 years was adopted after the New Mexico Finance Authority explained declining tobacco-tax revenues and the need to protect against default risk. The committee then gave HB 275, as amended, a do pass recommendation.
Finally, the committee heard House Bill 285, as amended, which clarifies and streamlines the disabled veteran property tax exemption. The sponsor said the bill limits the exemption to a primary residence, clarifies how it applies to multiple owners, and gives veterans more time and clearer procedures to claim or protest the exemption while they await VA certification. County assessors and realtor representatives supported the measure, saying it would reduce administrative confusion and ensure eligible veterans receive the benefit consistently. The committee adopted the bill on a do pass motion. The meeting then adjourned with notice that work would continue on Friday.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- APS reports that they will be able to currently pay for transportation for foster youth.
- They are currently paying for transportation for these funds through Medicaid funds.
- They are currently paying for transportation for these funds through Medicaid funds.
- We hope... ...to currently pay for transportation for foster youth.
- They are currently paying for transportation for these funds through Medicaid funds.
Committee:
Senate House Education
Summary:
The Senate Education Committee began by announcing that SB 210 would be rolled over to Friday and would not be heard. The committee then returned to SB 234, which would provide foster child school transportation funding statewide rather than only for Albuquerque Public Schools. Members adopted an amendment striking the APS-only language and making the bill statewide after testimony from the sponsor, PED, and others that foster youth transportation is a growing issue and should have its own funding stream. The committee discussed how the money might be distributed and whether the $1.2 million appropriation would be sufficient, then voted do pass on SB 234 as amended.
The committee next heard HB 8, which creates a Higher Education Major Projects Fund for large capital projects that are difficult to fund through existing capital outlay processes. Testimony from the sponsor, LFC, HED, and university representatives explained that the bill would support projects such as the UNM School of Medicine, an NMSU multidisciplinary building, student housing, student life projects, and certain Division I athletic facilities, while requiring design readiness, institutional matches, and legislative oversight. Several senators raised concerns about the clarity of the prioritization process, the Division I-only athletics language, the recurring nature of future funding, and the relationship to other capital funding streams, but the committee ultimately voted do pass on HB 8.
The committee then considered SB 243 and SB 244, nearly identical bills for UNM and NMSU that would each appropriate $5 million for student health, student support, nutrition, travel, scholarships, and other athletic department needs. Athletic directors testified that conference realignment, higher travel costs, nutrition demands, and new revenue-sharing/NIL obligations have increased expenses, and sponsors said the bills were intended as one-time appropriations. Some senators questioned whether the requests should be recurring or funded through university revenue rather than the state, but both bills received do pass recommendations. Finally, the committee heard SM 16, as amended, which asks HED to convene a task force to study parenting students in higher education and recommend ways to collect data and improve support. Supporters said better data is needed to understand barriers such as child care and transportation, and the memorial passed with a do pass recommendation. The committee then adjourned until Friday morning.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- So when those bargaining units get their 3% pay raise, that's sort of the pay raise that we follow.
- when those bargaining units get their So when those bargaining units get their 3%<00:13:47.519><c> pay
- that's</c><00:13:48.320><c> sort</c><00:13:48.399><c> of</c><00:13:48.480><c> the</c><00:13:48.720><c> pay
- </c> 3% pay raise that's sort of the pay 3% pay raise that's sort of the pay raise<00:13:49.200><c> that
Committee:
Senate Judiciary
Summary:
The joint Judiciary, Labor, and Technology Committee heard two bills in the morning session and later took up two Judiciary decision-making items. SB 2841 would require human trafficking awareness training for transient accommodation workers. Testimony was generally supportive from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the Department of Law Enforcement, and the Hawaii Hotel Alliance/American Hotel and Lodging Association, which also proposed amendments to preserve existing industry training programs and broaden coverage. Members clarified that the administration wanted DLE to be the lead agency instead of DLIR, while the Attorney General would still handle approval of training programs. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including coverage for third-party contractors and implementation dates, and the measure was adopted with no recorded opposition.
SB 2533 would adjust the salaries of the Campaign Spending Commission’s executive director and associate director to better align with comparable enforcement/compliance positions. The commission supported the bill, saying its salaries lag behind similar offices by about $30,000 and that recruitment and workload have become more difficult, while one testifier opposed the proposal. Members questioned why the bill used the Department of Health as the salary comparator and whether Ethics would be a better benchmark; the committee agreed to revise the bill to peg the salaries to the Ethics Commission instead, blank out the dollar amounts for further review, and note the requested appropriation in the report. The committee recommended passage with amendments, and the measure was adopted.
In the Judiciary decision-making agenda, SB 2203, concerning the use of masks or personal disguises by law enforcement officers, was amended to allow exceptions for officers who are unmasked nearby or who are supporting undercover operations, to change the term to “facial covering,” and to add definitions covering federal, state, and county law enforcement. The committee also set a far-future effective date and passed the bill with amendments. SB 2442, relating to judiciary purchase-of-service contracts with community-based organizations, was also passed with amendments; the committee added a far-future effective date, clarified the consumer price index reference, and noted a recommended appropriation amount of $4.26 million in the committee report. All measures were adopted without recorded no votes or reservations.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Local Government Feb 3rd, 2026 at 10:30 am
Local Government
Transcript Highlights:
- Now, is this the landowner that is renting it out that would have to pay the extra?
- Is it the landowner that is renting it out that would have to pay the excise tax, or is it the company
- Who pays the taxes on that? That's a good question.
- They'd have to pay a penalty or a tax on that for being vacant.
- Energy efficiency measures largely pay themselves back, benefiting customers by lowering energy bills
Committee:
House Local Government
Keywords:
municipal permitting, transit projects, high capacity transit, infrastructure, urban development, residential development, commercial zones, mixed-use zoning, urban planning, state regulations, county ferry district, ferry district, passenger-only ferry, passenger ferry, Puget Sound, Vashon, Seattle, Southworth, county transportation, local taxing authority
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Floor Session Jan 26th, 2026
California Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- for predatory, pay-to-play services.
- for those services if it becomes necessary to pay for those services.
- I cannot choose to pay for someone to assist me with my benefits. This is unique. Can you imagine?
- I'd rather go and pay for someone to represent me. You say, oh, no, no, I'm sorry.
- I think we can all agree that a veteran should not be forced to pay.
Summary:
The Senate convened with a quorum, observed a moment of silence for Alex Prettie, offered prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several visiting groups in the gallery, including UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute fellows and community college representatives. The body approved the Senate journals and then confirmed two gubernatorial appointments: Dr. Hernando Garsohn as Chief Medical Officer at the Emergency Medical Services Authority and Stephanie Weldon as Deputy Director of the Office of Health Equity at the Department of Public Health, both by 39-0 votes.
The chamber then took up a series of third-reading bills. Measures that passed included SB 799 on the South Bay Regional Housing Trust, SB 33 on public contracts and contractor payment claims, SB 222 to streamline permitting for heat pump installations, SB 300 to strengthen protections for minors in AI chatbot interactions, SB 457 on community land trusts and affordable housing, SB 479 allowing certain cities to share information in homeless response teams, SB 719 extending a reporting sunset on automated decision systems, SB 722 protecting mobile home park residents from demolition-related displacement, SB 832 updating the Upper Los Angeles River working group, SB 342 on contractor license lapse rules, SB 490 on inspections of unlicensed treatment facilities, SB 828 requiring better state-local permit verification after the Esparto fireworks tragedy, SB 849 barring physician license renewal after specified sexual misconduct, SB 742 addressing decommissioned electrical lines and wildfire risk, SB 96 on over-amplified streaming and digital ads, SB 677 as a technical cleanup to last year’s housing law, and SB 58 on hydrogen sulfide monitoring and public health. Most of these bills passed unanimously or with overwhelming support; SB 222 and SB 677 drew some no votes but still passed.
The most extended debate centered on SB 694, which would align California law with federal VA accreditation rules for those assisting veterans with benefits claims and impose penalties for unauthorized claims assistance and data access. Supporters argued it would protect veterans from predatory “claim shark” practices and ensure only accredited providers charge fees; opponents said it would reduce veterans’ choice and could limit access to needed help. After a motion to pull the bill from Rules and take it up immediately passed 29-9, the Senate approved SB 694 on a 29-10 vote. The session concluded with unanimous approval of the consent calendar and adjournment until January 27, 2026.
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- And I want you all to pay very close attention because we are expected to make recommendations to JFAC
- People are like, let's not pay it. Sometimes I'm in that same mode as well.
- But when you are talking about this, at times we could say we're not going to pay it.
- Sometimes we could say we're not going to pay it.
- So you're paying a still small amount.
Committee:
House Health and Welfare
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
JLARC – Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee Jan 7th, 2026 at 10:00 am
Transcript Highlights:
- State Patrol was there were several drivers who had multiple cars with installs that the state was paying
- Drivers that are approved for the financial aid program do not pay—their fee is waived.
- The program operators pay these fees, and statute directs how the fee is calculated.
- The program operators pay these fees, and statute directs how the fee is calculated.
- So the overhead term refers to the percentage that we pay from each program to administer the operations
Summary:
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee met on January 7, 2026, approved the December minutes, and adopted an amended work plan. Staff proposed moving the drug take-back program sunset review up to 2026 and delaying the thermal energy network pilot review to 2028, which would free capacity for new studies. Members also discussed active bills that would eliminate two recurring JLARC reports, including one on lodging tax revenue data collection, and the committee adopted the work plan without objection.
JLARC staff then outlined new performance measures for the committee itself, covering effectiveness, efficiency, and quality. The measures include member and legislative satisfaction surveys, presentations to other committees, recommendation follow-up, staff retention, on-time report delivery, peer review results, and national recognition. Members praised the effort and did not take formal action, treating the measures as an ongoing process.
The committee also heard a proposal to improve JLARC’s review of tax preference performance statements by adding a standard rubric in fiscal notes to assess whether a metric matches the policy objective, is measurable, uses reliable data, and allows enough time for evaluation. Members supported the pilot approach. Staff also described planned changes to public records reporting guidance, including opt-outs for low-volume metrics, better validation, targeted outreach to nonreporting agencies, and a survey of records officers.
Two preliminary reports were presented. On ignition interlock devices, JLARC found that only 41% of drivers with a requirement had installed a device, with installation rates rising sharply with income; financial assistance reaches only about 11% of users, and JLARC recommended clearer program goals and stronger coordination between the Department of Licensing and State Patrol. On the drug take-back program, JLARC found that the fee structure tied to operator expenditures limits the Department of Health’s ability to recover oversight costs and recommended public reporting of oversight spending and a statutory change to better align fees with actual costs. Agency representatives generally agreed with the findings, described current coordination and administrative changes, and said they would consider the recommendations. No formal votes were taken on the reports, which will return in final form later in the year.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education Oct 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- and I'm not paying for retirement, but trying to bring that technology in.
- It's not because we don't have space; it's because we don't have the dollars to buy or pay for another
- teacher, or pay for the additional equipment or the supplies that go along with that.
- So when the school district negotiates a pay increase for their teachers...
- So when the school district negotiates a pay increase for their teachers, and in Pinellas County that
Summary:
The Higher Education Appropriations Committee met for its first meeting of the session and heard presentations focused on workforce education in the Florida College System and district technical colleges. Members introduced themselves and discussed their personal connections to higher education, then heard from Department of Education senior chancellor Kevin O’Farrell, South Florida State College president Fred Hawkins, and Pinellas Technical College representative Mark Hunt. O’Farrell outlined the department’s budget request, including increases for adult education, Florida College System program funds, workforce development capitalization grants, apprenticeship and teacher apprenticeship programs, Open Door scholarships, and CAPE industry certification funding. He emphasized record growth in enrollments, completions, dual enrollment, and program offerings, and described grant-funded expansion in fields such as health sciences, manufacturing, logistics, aerospace, and AI-related programs.
Committee members raised concerns about whether current programs match actual labor-market demand, how artificial intelligence may reduce future human labor needs in some fields, and how the state should avoid unwarranted duplication of programs. O’Farrell said the department uses economic forecasts, employer demand data, and a CTE audit process to review programs and phase out those that do not meet performance thresholds. Members also asked for more detail on the teacher apprenticeship model, the transition from technical college clock hours to college credit, job placement and salary outcomes, and the LPN-to-RN pathway. O’Farrell said he would provide additional information later.
Hawkins described South Florida State College’s rural service area, low college-going rates, and difficulty recruiting and retaining faculty and staff because salaries lag behind local market alternatives and nearby school district pay. He said the college has had to turn away students in high-demand programs due to staffing and operational limits, while also noting strong outcomes in nursing, dental hygiene, EMT/paramedic, and radiography. Hunt said Pinellas Technical College serves about 5,000 students annually, including many dual-enrolled high school students, and reported a placement rate above 90% and strong local economic returns. He said many programs have waiting lists and that additional operational funding is needed to meet demand, maintain equipment, and keep pace with salary and cost increases. The meeting ended after public comment was opened and no further business was brought before the committee, and the committee adjourned.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- The resources that the state is paying for are actually going to the people that need the help the most
- Because sometimes I know in my LMHA, they have to pay for it because that's part of the MOU, and they
- When they are indigent, who pays for the... The competency restoration at a private facility.
- , how much we are paying, those details.
- Okay, so then who pays for ... or your services?
Committee:
House Public Health
Keywords:
SB 670, investigational sun protection products, sun protection, sunscreen, FDA approval, clinical trial, phase one trial, patient access, informed consent, physician prescription, Texas Health and Safety Code, Texas Medical Board, compassionate use, experimental treatment, medical freedom, patient autonomy, healthcare regulation, dietitian, dietitians, licensed dietitian
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- Check if you were paying attention. I was paying attention. Thank you for that.
- Check if you were paying It's $100,000.
- Check if you were paying attention.<00:28:46.280><c> I</c><00:28:46.320><c> was</c><00:28:46.400><c>
- paying</c><00:28:46.520><c> attention.
- I was paying attention. attention. I was paying attention.
Summary:
The conference committees met repeatedly on Friday, April 25, 2025, mostly to wait for finance releases and to roll bills to later times. Several measures were deferred or continued, including HB 1007 on HCDA, HB 987 on procurement, HB 620, HB 961, HB 1293, HB 1320, SB 1252, HB 1168, and others, with members often agreeing to reconvene later in the day when releases might be available. One higher education bill, HB 549 on an early learning apprenticeship grant program, was deferred because the requested expenditure of about $12.5 million could not be approved, and HB 563 on the UH Space Science and Engineering Initiative was also deferred after conferees could not reach agreement in time.
Several bills were successfully amended and passed. HB 329 appropriated $2 million for the Mililani work-for-housing project and $2 million for Maui Central Middle School. HB 736 established a wastewater system technology testing pilot program at the UH Water Resources Research Center and included a $745,325 FY26 appropriation. SB 865 created a full-time permanent CTAHR extension position, funded at $76,570 in each of FY26 and FY27 through the Agribusiness Development Corporation. HB 442 funded two pre-nursing pathway positions at UH with $215,552 each year for two fiscal years, and HB 1146 funded UH graduate assistant positions and planning work for Ala Wai Canal debris management and water quality control, with the conferees correcting the FY26 amount during discussion before approving it.
Later, HB 1168 on UH revenue bonds was approved with amendments, setting the bond amount at $30,750,000 and a July 1, 2025 effective date. HB 961, the librarian pilot program, was ultimately approved with a CD1 restoring the original $132,308 appropriation and two FTE librarian positions for a two-year pilot serving one Oahu complex area and one neighbor island complex area. HB 1293 on Department of Education procurement was also approved with amendments to support the DOE’s farm-to-school goals by exempting certain local food purchases under $250,000 from the electronic procurement system and requiring at least three written quotes instead, effective July 1, 2025, with repeal on June 30, 2028. SB 1252 on dementia was later approved with a CD1 funding two full-time positions in UH Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Geriatric Medicine at $525,000 each in FY26 and FY27.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
April 15, 2025 - 10:30 AM
Transcript Highlights:
- HEY WHO IS PAYING YOUR LEGAL FEES? >> AS IT STANDS I WILL BE. >> Rep.
- Tant: ARE YOU PERSONALLY PAYING FOR THEIR FEES OR I WILL BE ARE YOU PERSONALLY PAYING YOUR LEGAL FEES
- >> I AM PAYING FOR PERSONAL REPRESENTATION FOR MYSELF. >> Rep.
- WHO PAYS THOSE? >> THE FOUNDATION. >> Rep. Tant: WHERE ARE THE FOUNDATION DOLLARS COMING FROM?
- Tant: WHERE ARE YOU PAYING FOR THEM? WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- They'll be overweight. ...so that when they're crossing to Mexico, they don't have to pay the cartels
- I understand that the charge, the fee right now to pay when you cross the bridge is $5,000.
- So if you have two trucks, you've got to pay $10,000 aside from what you're paying.
- That we have received, but on the U.S. side, they are exempted from paying a tax on the fuel.
- Because then if you're moving overweight, you're paying more for an overweight permit, whereas...
Committee:
Senate Border Security
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Criminal Justice Apr 1st, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- This deals with the highway Patrol off duty vehicle use right now when the they pay out of pocket or
- This bill clarifies the circumstances under which guests who have not pay their bills may be removed
- But the the individual staying there intends to stay there with a bio for a month by only paying one
- You know, I'm trying to find balance because I understand Senator leaks concerned that someone can pay
- But they also need to charge rent to pay debt service. I get it.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Regulated Industries Mar 4th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We have established a storm reserve funds that utilities can access to pay for restoration costs.
- What we are seeing and I'll cover this on the next couple of slides is the investments are paying off
- I use normally FPL would pay to bring somebody down, put them to work and then have to pay to have them
- That's not enough to pay for.
- So is this really a question of who is going to pay for the hardening and the recovery, whether it's
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- But unfortunately, the veterans, after years of being there and not seeing their pay go up, They move
- on to other agencies, and most law enforcement agencies, including some state ones, pay senior people
- secretary, I think he’ll agree with me, that until we get this staffing under control, until we have pay
- Really worried about losing that job without the necessary sort of hazard pay of what they should be
- So unless we pay them something that they don’t want to risk losing, you know, then Jose Canseco keeps
Committee:
Senate Criminal Justice
Summary:
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met with Vice Chair Smith presiding in Chair Martin’s excused absence. After opening remarks from several senators, the committee heard a presentation from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon on the state’s incentivized prisons program and related population-management efforts. Dixon said the department now operates eight incentivized prisons, which use enhanced privileges and programming for well-behaved inmates, and reported major reductions in disciplinary reports, staff assaults, inmate-on-inmate assaults, and uses of force compared with average institutions. He also described administrative management units for more disruptive inmates, short-sentence correctional institutions for those with less than a year to serve, and a reentry strategy that places inmates closer to home within 18 months of release. Dixon said Florida’s recidivism rate has fallen to about 21 percent, among the lowest in the nation, and emphasized that staffing, programming, and facility repairs remain ongoing needs.
Committee members asked about access to education and workforce training, staffing levels, contraband, technology upgrades, heating and air-conditioning maintenance, and whether incentivized prisons could be expanded. Dixon said educational access is improving but remains limited by eligibility and staffing, that the incentivized facilities are at capacity, and that expansion depends on adding more administrative management unit beds. He also said the department is increasing use of technology, improving maintenance oversight, and continuing efforts to reduce contraband and improve staff recruitment and retention. Several senators praised the department’s work and urged more funding for prison infrastructure and officer pay.
Public testimony largely supported the incentivized prisons model while calling for more seats, better staffing, and broader reforms. Family members of incarcerated people said the facilities were safer, more stable, and better for rehabilitation, though they asked for more programming, better treatment by staff, and clearer access to education and release-related opportunities. A Florida PBA representative emphasized that programs can only succeed with safe staffing levels and better pay and retention for correctional officers. No formal committee vote or bill action was taken, and the meeting ended after public testimony and closing remarks.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- So there's a New Hampshire student pays about 42% of what an out-of-state student pays.
- So there's a New Hampshire student pays about 42% of what an out-of-state student pays.
- Procurement, HR, pay. I our hands on. Procurement, HR, pay.
- You're paying subscription fees.
- </c> do overtime to pay people on weekends. do overtime to pay people on weekends. um<01:58:22.880><c
Committee:
Senate Finance
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
FIN Info Briefing - Mon Jan 13, 2025 @ 9:00 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><01:44:07.800><c> when</c> dockage fees that everybody pays when dockage fees that everybody pays
- </c><01:54:05.920><c> for</c> would actually go to pay for would actually go to pay for redevelopment
- </c> that airports harbors and highways pays that airports harbors and highways pays into<02:01:48.440
- 04:21.040><c> not</c><05:04:21.240><c> to</c> dollars would pay for them but not to dollars would pay
- They'll pay their supplies.
Summary:
The House Finance Committee held an informational briefing with the University of Hawaiʻi, led by new President Wendy Hensel and Vice President for Budget and Finance Calbert Young. Hensel outlined the university system’s scope, student demographics, research activity, and campus missions, emphasizing four strategic priorities: serving Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi, student success, workforce development, and economic diversification through innovation and research. She highlighted the system’s enrollment, research funding, and the roles of Mānoa, Hilo, West Oʻahu, the community colleges, and specialized institutions such as JABSOM and the Cancer Center.
Young then reviewed the budget request, focusing largely on making prior one-time appropriations permanent and supporting recurring needs. Items included funding for Mānoa athletics, the Hawaiʻi Institute for Marine Biology, K-12 teacher education, Pamantasan Council support, Hilo programs, Windward’s mental health technician certificate, Maui’s practical nursing bridge program, and student support positions such as financial aid and admissions counselors. He also described workforce-related requests tied to nursing expansion at Mānoa and West Oʻahu, as well as facilities support at West Oʻahu.
A major portion of the testimony addressed the university’s two Kakaʻako medical facilities. Young explained that declining tobacco settlement and cigarette tax revenues are no longer sufficient to cover debt service for JABSOM and the Cancer Center, so the governor’s budget includes general fund support to supplement those obligations. He also described a regents-approved request not included in the governor’s proposal: expanding the Hawaiʻi Promise financial aid program to the four-year campuses, estimated at about $11–12 million. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><01:16:40.800><c> for</c> and guardians admins admum the pay for and guardians admins admum the pay
- The pay for increased in 18 years.
- You've got to pay your electric bill.
- You've got to pay your electric bill.
- ,</c> the lights on, behind the bill you pay, the lights on, behind the bill you pay, what<02:25:01.520
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Hearing Utilities and Energy Committee and Natural Resources Committee and Transportation Committee Aug 20th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- How much does each consumer in California pay per gallon due to LCFS?
- And I don't want to be paying it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- And I don't want to be paying it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come due.
- And I don't want to be paying it. Thank you. Thank you.
- And I don't want to be paying it. Thank you. Thank you.
Summary:
The joint informational hearing focused on California’s transportation fuels sector, especially the risk of refinery closures, fuel supply stability, and how the state should manage a long transition to cleaner transportation. Committee chairs and agency leaders said California’s fuel market is becoming more fragile as demand declines, refinery capacity shrinks faster than demand, and the state relies more on imports and a smaller number of critical pipelines. Professor Emily Grubert framed the issue as a managed transition problem in which the public already bears much of the risk and should also capture benefits from any state intervention.
CARB Chair Leanne Randolph reviewed California’s climate and air-quality framework, including AB 32, the low-carbon fuel standard, clean vehicle rules, and the state’s at-berth regulation for port vessels. She said these programs are intended to reduce fossil fuel demand while protecting public health, and she noted that California remains in litigation over federal attempts to block some waivers. CEC Vice Chair Sivagunda described the administration’s market-stabilization work, saying the state is trying to preserve fuel supply and investor confidence during a “mid-transition” period. He said the CEC’s recommendations fall into three broad areas: stabilizing the existing fuel system, aligning regulatory tools such as a possible pause on the CEC’s margin cap, and planning for worker and community impacts.
Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucasey outlined the administration’s petroleum market stabilization proposal, centered on returning California crude production to a 125 million-barrel annual stabilization target to support pipeline throughput and domestic supply. The proposal would codify the ban on hydraulic fracturing, validate Kern County’s oil and gas permitting ordinance, create a temporary CEQA exemption for new wells in existing fields paired with a two-for-one plug-and-abandon requirement, and strengthen spill prevention and pipeline safety rules. Several members questioned the CEQA exemption, tribal consultation, environmental review, and whether the proposal would adequately protect communities and workers. Mayor Steve Young of Benicia testified that a Valero refinery closure would sharply reduce city revenue and jobs, while also creating redevelopment and remediation challenges; he said the city wants a cleaner future but needs time and support to manage the economic loss. No formal vote was taken at the hearing, though CEC officials said a vote on a margin-cap pause was expected at an upcoming business meeting.