Transcript Highlights:

• To address any such conduct, I'll direct the individual to stop and warn them that if they continue,
• They ask questions such as, do you provide health care? Have you ever been debarred?
• And I do appreciate your careful consideration of policy.
• You're careful consideration of policy.
• And with that, we'll adjourn this meeting. you're careful consideration of policy.

Committee: House Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• So we want to make sure that we are taking care of our employees so that they can then in turn take care
• The more value in other city services.
• Medical Service.
• We have services; counties carry out the services that y'all mandate.
• You all know that no services are more important than our emergency services.

Bills: HB17 , HB23 , SB 10

Committee: House Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> equally share responsibility in caring equally share responsibility in caring for<00:41:13.400><
• </c> um all of these uh service um all of these uh service projects<00:56:04.559><c> have</c><00:56:05.559
• </c><00:56:11.119><c> of</c> that have gone in this direction of that have gone in this direction of
• </c><03:46:29.439><c> in</c> create a fund uh uh for Debt Service in create a fund uh uh for Debt Service
• </c> create barriers to midwe free care create barriers to midwe free care that's<03:54:40.760><c> critically

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Human Services talks a lot about wrap-around service supports for our kids.
• She said Human Services talks a lot about wrap-around service supports for kids, and what they know is
• Human Services talks a lot invest in.
• Human Services talks a lot about<00:20:32.360><c> wrap-around</c><00:20:32.880><c> service</c><00:20:
• ,</c> around wrap wrap-around services, around wrap wrap-around services, holistic<00:21:35.600><c> supports

Transcript Highlights:

• I provided my name, county, and made a truthful material statement based on my direct knowledge.
• My son comes home each day to a caring home.
• This bill is a step in the right direction. I ask that the committee vote do pass on HB 120.
• I've been to urgent care twice because of his student assault.
• I encourage ...that their safety, their lives, their service matters.

Bills: HJR6 , HJR7 , HB120 , HB60 , HB151 , HR1 , HM13 , SB40 , SB104

Committee: House House Judiciary

Summary: The committee first heard two related House Joint Resolutions sponsored by Representative McQueen. H.J.R. 6 would equalize the legislature’s 60-day and 30-day sessions into two 45-day sessions, remove the germaneness requirement from the second session of a biennium, and clarify veto-override language. H.J.R. 7 would keep the current 60-day and 30-day session lengths but make the same germaneness and veto-override changes. Supporters argued the measures would modernize the legislature, improve internal control of the agenda, and make the flow of work more efficient; opponents warned of more bills, lobbying fatigue, and reduced public participation. Both resolutions were moved on due pass and passed the committee 8-0. The committee then heard House Bill 120 on limiting student restraint and seclusion in schools. The sponsor and LESC staff said the bill arose from a stakeholder working group and would clarify definitions, prohibit dangerous practices such as mechanical, chemical, and prone restraint, require training and school safety plans, improve reporting to parents and the Public Education Department, and strengthen oversight. Testimony from educators, disability advocates, parents, and state officials strongly supported the bill, describing harmful and sometimes underreported restraint and seclusion incidents and emphasizing the need for clearer rules and de-escalation training. Some members raised concerns about implementation, definitions, teacher safety, and whether the data were sufficient; the sponsor and staff said the bill was meant to give teachers tools and minimum standards, not to require intervention in every situation. The bill passed on a due pass motion 9-1. Next, the committee considered House Bill 60, which would add certain crimes against peace officers to the Victims of Crime Act so officers injured in the line of duty would receive the same notification, participation, and restitution-related rights as other victims. The sponsor and the district attorney supporting the bill said it was a public safety measure with negligible cost and would also extend protections to affected family members. Support came from law enforcement, business, and public safety groups. Members asked about whether the officer must know the assailant is a peace officer, how the rights would work if the officer is also a witness, and how restitution interacts with workers’ compensation; the sponsor said the bill applies when the officer is acting in the lawful discharge of duties and the defendant knows the person is an officer. The committee passed HB 60 unanimously, 11-0. Finally, the committee began hearing House Bill 151, a committee substitute on the childhood sexual abuse statute of limitations. The sponsor said the bill, called the Survivor’s Justice measure, would extend the time for survivors to file claims from age 24 to age 58, add public actors to the bill’s scope, and create an administrative compensation fund supported by an appropriation, with $12.5 million already in the budget and a request for another $12.5 million. The sponsor explained that the change reflects the average age at which survivors come forward and that the bill is part of a long-running effort to address childhood sexual abuse claims.

Transcript Highlights:

• THAT'S WHAT DROVE US TO PRIVATIZING FOOD SERVICE.
• TO TAKE CARE OF MY STAFF.
• WE DO A GREAT JOB TAKING CARE OF OUR KIDS AND THAT IS HOW WE LOOK AT THEM. THEY ARE OUR KIDS.
• SO WE ARE ASKING OUR STAFF TO BE EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA WITHOUT TAKING CARE OF THEM.
• SO WE CAN CARE FOR THEM. THE SECOND IS TO ADD BEDS.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I’m rising in support of a bill to take care of the children.
• And I want to direct my comments to two groups while I speak here today.
• And so this is a step in the right direction. It's well overdue.
• And so this is a step in the right direction. It's well overdue.
• The people of Paradise did not care who came to their aid.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then moved through a long floor file of bills. Early measures passed with little or no debate, including AB 698 on local transfer taxes and affordable housing analysis, AB 456 on mobile home sales, AB 1129 on reportable infant health conditions, AB 69 on Fair Plan insurance notices and voluntary market searches, AB 357 on expedited student and faculty housing permits, AB 383 on firearms code cleanups, AB 426 on drones interfering with emergency response, AB 825 on energy affordability and transmission financing, and AB 699 on ballot transparency for local tax and bond measures. Most of these bills passed unanimously or with strong bipartisan margins, while AB 825 drew the most extended debate over whether it would lower costs or expand state control of energy infrastructure; it ultimately passed 45-5. The most contentious item was AB 84, which would strengthen oversight of non-classroom-based charter schools and tighten accountability for charter spending and operations. Supporters argued it was needed to stop fraud and misuse of public education dollars, citing major scandals and audit findings, while opponents warned it would harm legitimate charter schools, reduce educational options, and disproportionately affect rural and special-needs students. Several members said they supported the bill only to keep negotiations going, and others urged more targeted or delayed action. After extensive debate and multiple amendments, the Assembly passed AB 84 on a 41-22 vote. The chamber also took up AB 610, a housing bill that would require cities and counties to disclose planned housing restrictions and limit new constraints for three years after housing element approval. The author framed it as a certainty and transparency measure to help address the state’s housing shortage, while noting continued discussions with local governments and housing advocates. The transcript ends with the bill’s presentation and request for an aye vote, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you very much, Representative Cincinatti, and thank you for your service.
• The Organic Act created the Forest Service.
• Forest Service is public land. BLM's public land. State land is state trust land.
• I don't care for eminent domain, and that's the reason this— I don't care for eminent domain, and that's
• So these funds, I'm hoping... ...it just keeps moving in that direction.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 180, a disaster-funding measure that was amended with a substitute adding reporting requirements for the Natural Disaster Revolving Fund, creating a new funding “waterfall” that could draw first from the executive orders for disaster fund, then the appropriation contingency fund, and then the revolving fund, and removing language tied to the end of a fiscal year. The sponsor said the bill clarifies which disaster funds may be used for natural and non-natural disasters, limits and structures executive authority, and improves transparency. Supporters included the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts and the Village of Ruidoso; DFA raised concern that the transfer language could unintentionally create a deficit and threaten bond obligations. After questions about non-natural disasters, executive orders, and the fiscal impact, the committee voted do not pass on the original bill and do pass on the committee substitute. House Bill 158, dealing with the Government Results and Opportunity Expendable Trust, was amended with a technical change replacing “expendable trust” with “program fund” in several places. The bill would require agencies receiving GROW appropriations to submit accountability and evaluation plans to the state budget division director and LFC director. Sponsors said they had worked with DFA and tried to address concerns raised in a prior veto message. There was no public opposition, and the committee approved the bill as amended. House Bill 271 proposed a one-time $100 million general fund appropriation to the Office of Natural Resources Trustees for public land expansion and restoration, plus up to $30 million for state matching funds for political subdivisions with approved federal disaster assistance. Supporters from outdoor recreation, conservation, wildlife, and local government groups said the bill would help restore fire- and flood-damaged lands, expand access, and support rural economies; opponents or skeptics raised concerns about land management, tax base loss, tribal consultation, and whether the state should acquire more land given New Mexico’s already high public-land percentage. After extended debate, the committee tabled the bill. Finally, House Bill 246 was heard as a Lincoln County/Ruidoso floodplain mitigation bill. It would provide state matching funds so local governments can leverage federal Emergency Watershed Protection dollars to buy out and rehabilitate repeatedly flooded properties, with the goal of reducing future disaster risk. The sponsor and county officials said the program is voluntary, based on pre-disaster valuation, and intended to help residents relocate while restoring floodplains; supporters from conservation and recreation groups said it could become a model for disaster recovery. Committee members asked about property priority levels, voluntary participation, ownership after acquisition, and climate-related planning. The discussion ended with the sponsor describing the bill as a Lincoln County-specific effort tied to ongoing flood recovery and forest-management concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• State statute requires DOH to inspect acute care hospitals on average at least every 18 months.
• is that the legislature should consider specifying the maximum amount of time allowed between acute care
• The adverse event reporting program can be a vital tool for health care facilities to incorporate into
• Those enhancements would include the development of APIs and services so that integration can be direct
• We are hoping to have that adopted on December 11th at the Technology Services Board meeting, and I'm

Summary: JLARC met on December 3, 2025, with a quorum present and approved the September 17 minutes. The committee first voted to suspend the 2026 lodging tax expenditure report for one year, citing the report’s self-reported nature, limited use, and the availability of State Auditor accountability audits; members also discussed introducing legislation to remove the biennial report from statute. JLARC then approved renaming its I-900 subcommittee to the “Committee to Hear SAO Performance Audits,” while keeping the opening script that explains the committee’s work stems from Initiative 900. The committee then heard follow-up presentations on the Department of Health’s hospital oversight audit and the Liquor and Cannabis Board’s cannabis market study. JLARC staff reiterated that DOH was late on most hospital inspections, could not verify third-party inspection standards, did not review adverse event reports, and had limited public accessibility for hospital data. DOH presented a draft strategic management plan with goals to improve inspection timeliness, accreditation oversight, complaint access in preferred languages, adverse event analysis, and data reporting; it said it had improved on-time inspections from 28% to 49% and planned updates in 2026, but members pressed for firmer deadlines and expressed concern that language-access improvements could take too long. LCB staff said its current cannabis tracking system remains limited because it is self-reported, but the agency has improved processing and is seeking about $9 million over two biennia for a new traceability system; members asked about plant tagging, staffing, and whether the system would improve revenue and oversight. JLARC staff also briefed the committee on follow-up tools for tracking audit recommendations, including a new “resolved/not yet resolved” framework and improved web dashboards and landing pages. The committee then received the annual public records reporting summary, which showed 236 of more than 2,300 agencies reported, with about 484,000 requests received, 465,000 closed, and $127 million spent fulfilling requests; staff said they are working with OFM and others to simplify some reporting guidance for 2025. Finally, the committee adopted the proposed final report on the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, which found OPDP meets statutory responsibilities but should have its mandate updated and its performance measures better tied to outcomes. The meeting ended with the start of the 2025 tax preference performance reviews, covering several preferences including natural gas transportation fuel, travel agents and tour operators, nonprofit low-income housing development, multi-purpose senior centers, disabled veteran adapted housing, trade convention attendance, and several agricultural-related preferences; staff summarized whether each preference met its objective and noted where the Citizens Commission on Tax Preferences endorsed or commented on JLARC’s recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• participant services the way we need to.
• And we don't consider subsidized child care...
• In child care, as Eric highlighted, child care is normally one of the largest benefit cliffs that...
• So first, states set their child care subsidy.
• And you can direct your Department of Human Services to apply for Medicaid and SNAP waivers to address

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The committee first heard from Arkansas Workforce Connections and the Department of Commerce about a package of nine federal waivers submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor under WIOA and Perkins. The officials said the waivers would give Arkansas more flexibility over governance, funding, affiliate centers, and program rules, and that the state expects a response by August 29. They said the package is modeled more closely on Louisiana’s approved waivers than on states with more denials, and outlined a possible transition plan if approved, including a transition committee, policy changes, board training, staffing, and follow-up legislation. Members asked about whether the waivers would affect services for people with disabilities; the officials said not directly, because the waivers focus on WIOA Titles I and III rather than vocational rehabilitation under Title IV. The committee then focused on “benefit cliffs” and work disincentives in safety-net programs. Researchers from the Georgia Center for Opportunity and the Alliance for Opportunity explained how earnings loss rates from taxes and benefit phaseouts can exceed 50%, 75%, or even 100%, making additional work or promotions financially unattractive. They presented Arkansas-specific modeling showing multiple cliffs and stacking effects across SNAP, Medicaid/CHIP, LIHEAP, WIC, reduced-price lunches, child care, and housing assistance, and argued that child care and health coverage create some of the largest disincentives. They suggested policy options including SNAP demonstration waivers, child care subsidy redesign, TANF outcome-based funding, Medicaid premium assistance and health savings accounts, and a possible small-scale pilot to test a more integrated safety net. Heather Webb of Arkansas Family Alliance and Molly Palmer of the Heart of Arkansas United Way added testimony from families, employers, and nonprofits. Webb described a working mother who lost Medicaid and a housing subsidy as her income rose, saying the cliff left her stressed despite earning more. Palmer said Arkansas’s ALICE population often works multiple jobs and still cannot meet basic living costs, and that employers report recruitment and retention problems when workers face benefit cliffs. Members asked for more data on savings and program impacts, and the witnesses said they could provide Arkansas-specific modeling and scenario analysis. The meeting ended with discussion of public-private partnerships, employer-sponsored insurance premium assistance, marriage penalties, and the need to coordinate or consolidate fragmented programs before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We pray that they be given guidance, direction, instruction, and counsel concerning the problems and
• And that is what makes meaningful service. That is what makes leadership.
• mission, that love is part of the mission, and that accountability is not separate from service.
• This part of the mission and that accountability is not separate from service.
• It is one of the clear signs that service is real.

Transcript Highlights:

• Joseph Love is a board-certified surgeon specializing in acute care surgery in surgical critical care
• Senator Stewart, do you care to vote? Senator McIntosh, do you care to vote?
• Senator Grellner, do you care to vote? Senator Jett, do you care to vote? Thank you, sir.
• Senator Alvord, you care to vote. Senator Stanley, you care to vote.
• Senator Pugh, you care to vote. Senator Daniels, you care to vote. Senator Alvord.

Bills: SB1627 , SB227 , SB366 , SB1193 , SB1433 , SB1450 , SB1481 , SB1749 , SB1810 , SB1812 , SB1921 , SB1948 , SB2044 , SB2178 , SB169 , SB1877 , HB1409 , SB1266 , SB1432

Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, offered prayer, and recognized several guests, doctors, nurses, pages, student shadows, and visitors in the gallery. Members also adopted a motion to request the House’s consent for the Senate to adjourn for more than three days, with Senator Hicks opposing the motion because of the number of bills still available for consideration. The motion passed. The chamber then considered several bills. Senate Bill 1627, a cleanup measure to eliminate duplicate criminal code sections and clarify the law for legal research, passed 45-0 and was advanced as an emergency. Senate Bill 227, dealing with gross production tax and ad valorem taxation on oil and gas means of production, drew extensive questioning and debate over possible revenue impacts, county assessors, schools, and economically at-risk wells; it passed 37-9. Senate Bill 366, which gives charter schools a first right of refusal to buy or lease public school buildings sold or leased by districts, also generated debate over local control and lack of resale guardrails, and passed 40-6 as an emergency. Later, Senate Bill 1193 to remove general fund carryover caps for school districts passed 46-0 as an emergency after supporters argued it would reduce “use it or lose it” spending and allow more local flexibility, while opponents questioned fiscal effects and accountability. Senate Bill 1433, the Guidance Transparency Act requiring agencies to publicly disclose guidance documents in a searchable database, passed 37-7 after concerns about attorney-client privilege, administrative burden, and whether guidance could function like law. Senate Bill 1450, expanding relief from fines, fees, and court costs for certain people in the criminal justice system, was advanced and passed unanimously; Senate Bill 1481, increasing minimum recess time for K-5 students from 20 to 40 minutes, was advanced as an emergency measure; Senate Bill 1810, allowing expert testimony in human trafficking cases, passed 45-0; Senate Bill 1812, requiring school districts to make benchmark testing information available to parents, passed 46-0 as an emergency; Senate Bill 1921, increasing OSBI background-check fees, passed 39-7; and Senate Bill 1948, updating fireworks laws and limiting county restrictions on private outdoor consumer fireworks displays, was taken up with significant safety and local-control questioning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Regarding child care, we need a lot of information on child care positions because we don't get that
• About child care, how things are going, and what needs to be done.
• People who want to do child care and become teachers.
• Because it's not tracked at Six Directions or in any of the local schools that we get.
• I am here representing the high school of Six Directions Indigenous School.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> going in the direction of your vision. going in the direction of your vision.
• ,</c><01:34:31.520><c> housing,</c> jobs, new jobs, services, housing, jobs, new jobs, services, housing
• </c> Murph's community service was legendary. Murph's community service was legendary.
• </c> life-saving cardiovascular care. life-saving cardiovascular care.
• </c> but a lifetime spent caring for others. but a lifetime spent caring for others.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><04:29:18.159><c> and</c><04:29:18.319><c> service</c> needed to repair the service and service needed
• He directed me to Amy Newberry.
• I thought you went above and beyond to help me get directed in the right direction. Thank you.
• The Human Services G was self-support. time the Human Services time the Human Services G<05:15:09.958
• So you call a call center, they use their care management tool only to find out that you need a service

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented its capital budget process and priorities, explaining how agencies assess facility needs, rank projects, and submit requests to the governor’s office. DAS described its Plant and Property division, which maintains 96 state buildings, and Public Works, which develops detailed cost estimates for selected projects. Officials said the governor’s office has traditionally narrowed requests into priority tiers, but this year all projects were estimated, creating more work and less detail. They also emphasized that the capital budget book functions as legislative intent and can be binding on how approved funds are used. On the substance of the request, DAS highlighted several priorities: continued funding for the state ERP system upgrade to the cloud, with about $5 million requested for sustainability and related Treasury functions; emergency fund and annex renovation work; a sprinkler replacement at DMV; and elevator repairs at the main building. Karen Rocky also identified maintenance projects that rose in priority after a facility condition assessment, including HVAC work for Portsmouth Circuit Court and Coos County Courthouse, boilers and controls for Carroll County and Lebanon Circuit Court, brick repointing at the main building and annex, window replacement at Spalding, and Brown building elevator replacement. Officials noted that the governor’s proposed capital budget included fewer DAS projects than in past years and no projects for the Bureau of Court Facilities. The committee also discussed lapses and reprogramming of prior appropriations. DAS said the first eight projects approved in 2023 remain under construction and should be extended, while many 2021 projects are delayed because of ARPA-related workload and broader construction backlogs. Members reviewed a 2019 project list and agreed to lapse project number 49, the Spalding roof project, with about $81,000 remaining. DAS also said some small 2019 balances, including courthouse generators, a boiler, cooling and controls, roof and exterior repairs, and the State House Annex elevator, could be redirected through Capital Budget Overview toward the Hillsboro County South Cell Block project. The hearing ended with questions about project schedules, ARPA deadlines, and the division of authority between DoIT and DAS for the ERP system.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c> care.
• We're supposed to take care of our care.
• It's critical care.
• It's critical care.
• General Services.

Bills: SB2198 , SB2140 , SB3055 , SB3090 , SB3091 , SB3092 , SB2761

Committee: House Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• provider, access to comprehensive high-quality health care services is our mission at Mokai Drugs on
• </c> committee as a rural healthc care committee as a rural healthc care provider<00:11:48.200><c> access
• Care Services is our highquality Health Care Services is our mission<00:11:52.320><c> at</c><00:11:52.480
• </c><00:17:28.919><c> ctor</c> salary and Fringe for a direct ctor salary and Fringe for a direct ctor
• Up next, the City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services, Director K.

Committee: House Higher Education

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on January 31 and heard six bills. The chair opened by outlining committee practices, including giving at least 72 hours’ notice for hearings, releasing testimony by 5:00 p.m. the day before hearings, and deferring bills needing substantive HT1 changes so members would not vote “blind.” Members briefly thanked the chair for the transparency approach before moving to the agenda. HB 223 would create a Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy special fund and workforce assessment fee to support a pharmacy center. Testimony from the Board of Pharmacy, the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo College of Pharmacy, Mokai Drugs, and others generally supported the measure, emphasizing workforce data, rural access, student loan repayment, and retention. The committee later advanced HB 223 with amendments, including leaving fee amounts blank for further discussion and inserting a defective date, and the motion passed unanimously. HB 940 would appropriate funds for the rat lungworm lab at UH Hilo; HB 546 would establish the Aloha Intelligence Institute at UH to advance AI; HB 549 would create an early learning apprenticeship grant program; HB 1172 would add the Department of Taxation to the Statewide Longitudinal Data System for wage-data sharing; and HB 1320 would require UH to collect and publicly report graduate outcome data and create a dashboard. Testimony on these bills was largely supportive, with some privacy concerns raised on HB 1172 and a request to protect taxpayer confidentiality. In decision-making, the committee passed all five bills with amendments, generally deleting or blanking appropriations and FTEs for Finance Committee review, adding defective dates for further discussion, and in HB 549 adding a statement that the program is a matter of statewide concern. The committee recessed briefly for decision-making and then adopted the chair’s recommendations on each bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because we've taken care of the problem at home. I agree.
• thing, everybody, I feel confident in saying this, not to make an assumption on this bias, genuinely cares
• For item 4, driver's license service improvement. 4 A is driver's license staffing for operations and
• Item 16 is revised Rider 29, driver's license service reporting to modify reporting requirements.
• Uh, the last one is item 18 is to revised writer 37, Crime Laboratory Services to remove, uh, to remove

Transcript Highlights:

• that they're already servicing...
• My question is, if there's already an existing service territory, they're already committed to servicing
• If there's already an existing service territory, they're already committed to servicing that territory
• Why would they need a property tax deduction in an area they're already servicing?
• They'll take care of themselves. So I'm imploring you to please help us.

Committee: House Utilities

Transcript Highlights:

• I guess I really don't care.
• </c> service by Wildcat Transit bus service service by Wildcat Transit bus service this<03:15:57.880>
• </c><03:34:57.720><c> for</c><03:34:57.880><c> their</c> care for their property care for their care
• We don't care.
• or private service, or private service, um.

Committee: House Housing