Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, let's hear it. Let's hear it, Eileen.
• around the Capitol today about what may or may not happen in the other chamber today in terms of hearing
• And so, this will allow us to hear that legislation and ensure that gets over there to the Senate and
• It would be Nice to hear the conversations you recognized, Representative Branson.
• There was a request for division that I was unable to hear due to the noise in the chamber.

Bills: SB1687 , HB1687 , HB4431 , HB2894 , HB2979 , HB3262 , HB3298 , HB3369 , HB3431 , HB3462 , SB1226 , SB1876 , SB1916 , SB1920 , HB3467 , HB3498 , HB3500 , HB3521 , HB3581 , HB3650 , HB3673 , HB3764 , HB3767 , HB3781 , HB3800 , HB3831 , HB3834 , HB3941 , HB2749 , HB3970 , HB3972 , HB3979 , HB3980 , HB3981 , HB3996 , HB4095 , HB4104 , HB4191 , HB4248 , HB4298 , HB4338 , HB4427 , HB4428 , HJR1023 , HB3660 , HB3718 , HB4326 , HB3443 , HB3880 , HB3649 , HB3000 , SB1651 , SB504 , SB372 , SB1326 , SB1633 , SB248 , SB1242 , SB1238 , SB423 , SB1989 , SB1286 , SB904 , SB1213 , SB1216 , SB1827 , SB65 , SB1390 , SB259 , SB1944 , SB540 , SB2139 , SB346 , SB1595 , SB1400 , SB1555 , SB1209 , SB2110 , SB1670 , SB1061 , SB2104 , HR1057 , SB1946 , SB1734 , SB1316 , SB1360 , SB1557 , SB1684 , SB2049 , SB1410 , SB2011 , SB1437 , SB1204 , SB1732 , SB1775 , SB2084 , SB1380 , SB1572 , SB1772 , SB1224 , SB710 , SB1338 , SB1266 , SB1303 , SB1307 , SB1562 , SB1794 , SB1191 , SB1983 , SB1832 , SB1448 , SB1534 , SB1593 , SB1597 , SB1630 , SB1489 , SB1726 , SB1796 , SB1806 , SB1877 , SB1451 , SB1553 , SB1632 , SB1423 , SB1425 , SB1502 , SB2180 , SB1725 , SB2182 , HB3003 , HB3004 , HB4434 , HB4324 , HB4342 , HB2137 , HB4432 , SJR50 , SJR52 , SJR53

Transcript Highlights:

• Before we get to our agenda, I would like to go through a few housekeeping items for today's hearing.
• Everyone here must be seated when they are in the hearing room.
• Signs aren't permitted in the hearing room or at the testifiers' table. Please leave signs outside.
• That's when we will hold the probable cause hearing for each complaint as laid out in the House rules
• And in your committee packets, you do have a document titled probable cause hearing schedule.

Committee: House Ethics

Transcript Highlights:

• And I hope you will accept their invitation to come and hear them talk about what's most important in
• Pro Tem, with your permission, the Government Committee is meeting at o'dark 7:00 a.m. in Senate Hearing
• President Pro Tem, Education will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1.
• Judiciary and Elections Committee meeting will be at 1:30 or upon adjournment of floor in Senate Hearing
• With the Senate President's permission, the Public Safety Committee will meet at 1:30 in Senate Hearing

Transcript Highlights:

• We did have a full hearing in business; however, in the hearing some of the committee members had concerns
• chair in the committee, I would ask that we introduce it to go to business so we can have the full hearing
• We had a full hearing on a very similar bill yesterday in committee.
• And I just don't love the whole have a hearing in committee and then, you know, get a somewhat modified
• Representative Redmond: Yeah, I think I did hear those concerns as well, and, you know, if we need, we

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• We will now go into our public hearing prior to hearing the first bill.
• We will now go into our public hearing prior to hearing the first bill.
• The Special Committee on Tourism will open the public hearing with House Bill 2845, sponsored by Representative
• Seeing no further witnesses, that will conclude the hearing on House Bill 2845 with no further business

Committee: House Special Committee on Tourism

Summary: The Special Committee on Tourism met in executive session and approved two bills. House Bill 1756, described as related to “June’s week,” passed unanimously 9-0 after brief discussion. House Bill 1828, which provides funds for memorials and museums dedicated to veterans, also passed unanimously, 12-0. The committee then opened a public hearing on House Bill 2845, sponsored by Representative Lisa Durnell, to designate a memorial bridge for Jared Bennett near Willow Springs. Durnell explained that Bennett died in a 2002 automobile accident, that his family maintained a memorial and stretch of roadway through MoDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program for years, and that the bridge naming would honor his memory with signage paid for by private funds and no fiscal note. Jared Bennett’s father, Craig Bennett, testified in support and shared personal stories about his son, including his love of fishing. Committee members offered condolences and supportive comments, and one member requested copies of written stories about Jared for the record. No one testified in opposition, and the hearing on House Bill 2845 was closed with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will now go into our public hearing prior to hearing the first bill.
• We will now go into our public hearing prior to hearing the first bill.
• The Special Committee on Tourism will open the public hearing with House Bill 2845, sponsored by Representative
• Seeing no further witnesses, that will conclude the hearing on House Bill 2845 with no further business

Committee: House Special Committee on Tourism

Transcript Highlights:

• Do I hear a this through the years. Do I hear a motion for a favorable report?
• At least you can hear me.
• Okay, hear a motion on the amendment. Senator Hatcher? Motion on the... Okay, Senator Butler?
• State, but I wanted us to have the opportunity to hear and to ask questions from those experts to see
• Okay, to hear a motion for final passage. Senator Price? Senator Smitherman seconds.

Bills: SB140 , HB102 , SB133 , SB34

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: Coach Safely Act, youth athletics, noncompliance penalties, Department of Public Health, youth athlete, dual enrollment, high school, community college, university, educational access, high school credit, juvenile court, juvenile delinquency, school notification, student safety, K-12, public schools, private schools, superintendent, principal

Transcript Highlights:

• from us and hearing our concerns.
• I hear you.
• I couldn't hear it.
• previous two hearings.
• So if you all hear, the amendment that we are hearing right now is the bill.

Bills: S0036 , S0620 , S0796 , S0934 , S1080 , S1096 , S1366 , S1536 , S1548 , S1580 , S1588 , S1620 , S1756 , S7034 , S7044

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee first took up SB 354, the “Blue Ribbon Projects” bill, which creates a framework for large planned communities on at least 15,000 contiguous acres with 60% reserved area and a streamlined local review process. Senator McLean presented the bill and a strike-all amendment, and members raised concerns about local control, conservation enforceability, data centers, concurrency, multi-county projects, and whether reserve lands could later be converted. Audubon Florida and 1,000 Friends of Florida opposed the bill, arguing the conservation protections were not permanent enough and that the reserve areas could be changed later; small-county representatives also worried about tax-base impacts. Supporters argued the bill would better manage growth, preserve green space, and provide a more orderly alternative to sprawl. After debate, the committee voted to report the bill favorably. The committee then approved SB 620 on candidate qualifying, which requires candidates for federal, state, county, district, judiciary, school, and school board offices to disclose any non-U.S. citizenship. Amendments added disclosure about whether federal candidates intend to trade stock if elected and adjusted 2026 congressional qualifying procedures in the event of redistricting, including a new qualifying window and petition rules. The bill was reported favorably after brief support from a member of the public and discussion about candidate vetting. The committee also reported favorably CS/CS/CS/SB 1452, a Department of Financial Services bill with amendments addressing My Safe Florida Home notices, condo pilot eligibility, firefighter hiring, unclaimed property, and related financial-services provisions. Next, the committee approved CS/CS/SB 1620, a school board members’ bill of rights. A substitute amendment narrowed the bill to access to records, fiscal transparency, and nondisclosure agreements, while preserving board members’ rights to timely documents, budget information, and public comment, and setting deadlines for records requests. Superintendents and a school board member testified in support, saying the bill clarifies roles and prevents board members from being frozen out. The committee also passed CS/HB 245, which replaces the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material”; one senator supported the terminology change but warned about preserving legal precedent and avoiding appellate issues. The committee then reported favorably SB 1548, an update to the Live Local affordable housing law expanding eligible sites and clarifying setbacks, airport proximity, and fair-housing protections. Finally, the committee took up the veterinary medicine bill creating veterinary professional associates. The bill allows trained master’s-level VPAs to perform limited veterinary services under a veterinarian’s supervision, and an amendment tightened the standard to immediate supervision on premises. Supporters said the measure would expand access to care, especially in rural areas with vet shortages, while opponents argued it added unnecessary regulation. After testimony from veterinary educators and others, the bill continued with support expressed by committee members, including praise for the direct-supervision amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hearing none.
• Hearing none. Um members, uh Okay. Hearing none.
• Uh, vice chair t uh hearing? None.
• Joshua, can I hear a copy of that?
• Can you hear me? Yes. Just want to thank you so much for hearing this measure.

Bills: SB2709 , SB3154

Committee: Senate Agriculture and Environment

Summary: The hearing began with SB 2709, which would require the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to establish rules to enforce the Okami arrival program and strengthen quarantine enforcement for plants, non-domestic animals, and microorganisms. The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council supported the bill, as did DAB, saying it would improve biosecurity and make some provisions mandatory rather than optional. Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines supported the goal but raised concerns about language changing inspections from “may” to “shall” for aircraft, warning of possible federal preemption and operational conflicts unless the bill is clarified to align with federal aviation safety, security, and operational requirements. Committee members questioned DAB about inspection timing, scope, and compliance; DAB said the measure is intended to increase enforcement, improve form completion rates toward a 90% goal, and expand beyond airlines to other entry modes, while also noting plans to restore detector dog use and improve software/AI tools for processing forms. Decision-making on SB 2709 was deferred to February 17 at 3:02 p.m. in Room CR229. The committees then took up SB 3154, an administration measure authorizing the Department of Transportation to assume certain National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities for highway, rail, public transportation, and multimodal projects, with the aim of streamlining environmental review. DOT supported the bill and explained that it would allow the department to work directly with federal resource agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife and SHPO rather than routing everything through federal highways. After brief discussion, the Committee on Transportation voted to pass SB 3154 with technical amendments, and the AEN committee followed with the same recommendation; the measure was adopted with five votes in favor. A later portion of the transcript shifted to SB 2374 on the blue economy. DBED said it supported the concept but noted that it already sits on many working groups and would need resources if a new working group is created. DBED suggested the committee could instead request research through a letter or memo, and said agencies including ADC, HTDC, and Agriculture had already begun internal discussions. Testimony in support came from IMUA Alliance, Hawaii Food Policy, and others, emphasizing the potential for blue economy ventures to support survivors, align with climate and cultural goals, and create economic opportunity. No final vote on SB 2374 appears in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, we can't hear you. Can't quite hear you yet. Still not hearing you. One moment. Mr.
• Can you hear me now? Thank you.
• I think that's where we're hearing some of the public health concerns.
• I think that's where we're hearing some of the public health concerns.
• </c><01:29:50.239><c> about</c> represented that we did not hear about represented that we did not hear

Transcript Highlights:

• c> and</c><00:43:56.800><c> I'll</c><00:43:56.960><c> be</c> hearing this measure and I'll be hearing
• Thank you for hearing this.
• Thank you for hearing this. testimony. Thank you for hearing this. Thank<01:00:35.079><c> you.
• DO will much for hearing this bill.
• Uh and we the committee uh hearing it.

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, for hearing this bill and for giving us an opportunity to talk it through.
• </c> really good chance we're going to hear really good chance we're going to hear the<00:02:50.000><
• That's what we're hearing.
• That's what we're hearing.
• </c><00:56:37.160><c> these</c> officers when I say that we hear these officers when I say that we hear

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• If you couldn't tell, this will be my first committee hearing so far.
• So we're going to hear from a number of agencies today that receive their budget appropriations from
• We appreciate you being here, and we look forward to hearing what you have to say.
• </c><00:35:48.280><c> these</c> judicial officers who are hearing these judicial officers who are hearing
• Members, the next hearing is going to be Monday, January 27, 2025.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• And so this parole or set a hearing.
• </c> for some type of administrative hearing. for some type of administrative hearing.
• </c> &gt;&gt; would you like to hear the amendment? &gt;&gt; would you like to hear the amendment?
• </c> to parole hearings. to parole hearings.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Sorry to hear that. &gt;&gt; Sorry to hear that.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> and</c> hearing this measure, and hearing this measure, and Mahalo.
• But let me hear from you guys, because I've been hearing the exact opposite.
• </c> before the hearing as well. before the hearing as well.
• > bills,</c> we're hearing hearing the other bills, we're hearing hearing the other bills, but<01:07:
• Can you hear me?

Bills: SB3302 , SB2061 , SB2050 , SB2102 , SB2694 , SB2089 , SB847

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Commerce

Summary: The committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on April 9, 2026, and heard testimony on several measures. SB 3302 SD1 HD1, dealing with homemade food products, would require the Department of Health to adopt rules for farm kitchens producing homemade food products that are no more stringent than rules for home kitchens. The Department of Health said it supported the bill with technical amendments, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii also supported it. No opposition was heard. A lengthy discussion focused on SB 2061 SD2 HD1, which concerns a 99-year leasehold residential condominium project and HCDA’s rules for sales, income restrictions, and buyback pricing. HCDA supported the bill and said the House draft clarified unclear provisions and would help move the project to pre-sales. Testimony and committee questions centered on whether the project should remain owner-occupied in perpetuity or allow investor purchases after an initial sales period. HCDA explained that the bill was revised to make the project feasible in the market, that 60% of units would be income-restricted for buyers at or below 140% of area median income, and that the remaining units could be sold without owner-occupancy restrictions. Some members and testifiers expressed concern that the bill had shifted away from the original owner-occupancy vision and could become an investment property model, while others argued the changes were necessary for the project to pencil out and compete with fee-simple developments. No vote was taken during the discussion shown. The committee also heard SB 2050 SD1 HD1, which would allow chiropractic students in accredited programs to engage in clinical practice beginning July 1, 2028. The Hawaii Board of Chiropractic and the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association supported the measure, and one testifier described personal experience with student chiropractic care in California. Members questioned why the board requested delaying implementation until 2030, and the board said it needed more time to develop rules because it meets only a few times a year and rulemaking is lengthy. Finally, SB 2102 SD2 HD1, on industrial hemp in commercial feed, was introduced; the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offered comments, the Department of Health raised concerns about regulating pet food and possible jurisdictional conflict, and a farmer testifying in support suggested narrowing the bill to federally approved livestock feed rather than pet food.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hearing none. Um require would request. Hearing none.
• </c> the hearing that I later watched. the hearing that I later watched.
• </c> businesses because you know we we hear businesses because you know we we hear from<00:58:12.400>
• Uh I believe according to our hearing.
• I didn't hear a question, but go ahead. I didn't hear a question, but go ahead.

Bills: HF3217 , HF2252

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• hearing examiners judicial proceedings.
• </c> Hearing Commission members and hearing Hearing Commission members and hearing examiners<00:05:01.280
• Let's hear from the floor amendment.
• > from</c><01:14:00.200><c> industry</c> Did the committee hear from industry Did the committee hear
• </c> fact hear fact hear from<01:15:32.000><c> a</c><01:15:32.040><c> number</c><01:15:32.520><c> of<

Transcript Highlights:

• You hear that all the time employers.
• I didn't hear any direct specifics.
• It's a wonderful hearing this bill.
• </c> Holman's Table from whom you'll hear Holman's Table from whom you'll hear directly<01:18:21.679>
• c><01:44:07.440><c> Representative</c> this uh hearing already, Representative this uh hearing already

Bills: HF3889 , HF2567 , HF3878

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:00.719><c> you,</c> that are online so they can hear you, that are online so they can hear
• </c> probably hear testimony. probably hear testimony.
• Uh, upon hearing that, I'm actually &gt;&gt; Yes.
• </c><00:48:35.920><c> and</c> Representative Knap and I'm hearing and Representative Knap and I'm hearing
• We'd like to hear please come forward. We'd like to hear from<01:15:10.960><c> you.

Bills: SF0045 , SJ0001

Committee: House Minerals, Business & Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• You hear from the chamber, you hear from building trades that they like these.
• You hear from the chamber, you hear from building trades that they like these.
• You hear from these create good jobs.
• You hear from the<00:38:40.800><c> chamber,</c><00:38:41.119><c> you</c><00:38:41.280><c> hear</c><00
• It just got put in didn't get a hearing.