Transcript Highlights:

• the success of polluters, actually, that are doing what they're supposed to do and reducing their emissions
• these regulations and studies indicate standard models can often overestimate low-level agriculture emissions
• The more problematic addition is exempting agriculture motor vehicles 10 years or older from emissions
• You know, that one fee, we've gotten more efficient on emissions.
• Yeah, a Class A source is a completely different level of emissions that most all cottons don't fall

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It deletes the limitation of one year of workers' compensation that is credited towards one retirement
• I looked into that at the end of the year, and no one is quite sure where that limitation came from.
• It deletes the limitation of one year of workers' compensation that is credited towards one retirement
• I looked into that at the end of the year, and no one is quite sure where that limitation came from.
• demand means there's fewer emissions demand means there's fewer emissions from<04:59:37.040>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 216, which Representative Carol Maguire described as a fix to a workers’ compensation/retirement “glitch.” The bill would remove the current limit that only one year of workers’ compensation time can be credited as retirement service time. Maguire argued the limit is arbitrary and affects only a very small number of grievously injured workers, while committee members asked about the fiscal impact, available data, and whether the change could affect workers’ compensation rates or incentives. Mark Kavar of the New Hampshire Retirement System said Labor could not provide data on how many people exceed a year on weekly indemnity benefits, so the fiscal note used a conservative estimate that could be scaled down; he also explained that workers’ comp is not earnable compensation, which is why service credit stops after a year, and noted that many long-term cases move into disability retirement or lump-sum settlements. The committee closed the hearing, entered executive session, and voted ought to pass on HB 216 by a 13-0 roll call, sending it to consent and noting it would also go to Finance. The committee then acted on House Bill 85, adopting Amendment 0037 and then voting ought to pass as amended by another 13-0 roll call. The bill was described as allowing second-year respiratory therapy students to work under supervision using the skills they have already learned, with support from the Hospital Association and no opposition noted. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 267, the animal chiropractors bill. Members said the bill had been approved previously but was vetoed because of a defect; the problem has now been corrected, and the bill is intended to reduce delays caused by requiring veterinary referrals before chiropractors can treat animals. The committee voted ought to pass 13-0 and placed the bill on consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• these cottage legal abuse industries in their infancy, it leads to demands by them for higher policy limits
• inflation and the scale of externalities that a ride imposes, things like congestion and traffic emissions
• This also could serve as a way to incentivize mode shift and reduce emissions in the state.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Financial Services Committee heard testimony on several insurance, transportation, and labor-related bills. Senator Edwards supported bills addressing app-based delivery workers, arguing that food-delivery drivers should be treated as employees with protections and mileage reimbursement, and that a small surcharge on app-based deliveries could raise revenue for the Commonwealth and localities. Kevin Brousseau of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO also backed the delivery-worker bill, saying it would preserve employee status, add data transparency, and create a process for challenging deactivations. MAPC supported a bill to change transportation network company fees from a flat per-ride charge to a percentage-based assessment, saying the current fee is outdated and that a higher fee could raise more transportation revenue and help address congestion and emissions. A large portion of the hearing focused on auto insurance and collision repair issues. Insurance industry witnesses supported a bill to limit attorney’s fees in PIP cases by giving insurers 30 days after a complaint is served to pay amounts due without fee exposure, arguing that PIP litigation has surged, is clogging courts, and is being driven by out-of-state firms. They also opposed auto body labor-rate bills, saying the market is already adjusting and that a statutory floor is unnecessary. In contrast, auto body shop representatives and the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts urged favorable action on bills to raise and regularly update collision repair labor rates, saying current reimbursement levels are far below market, have not kept pace with inflation or vehicle technology, and are making it hard to retain workers and keep small shops open. One witness also supported a bill to limit insurance surcharge points for low-damage accidents or minor moving violations. Committee members asked questions about deactivation rights for delivery workers, the mechanics of the PIP litigation issue, and the gap between body-shop and mechanical labor rates. Testimony emphasized that current auto body reimbursement rates are around the mid-$40s per hour, while mechanical work can be reimbursed at much higher rates, and that advisory-board discussions have produced only limited progress. At the end of the hearing, the chairs asked if anyone else wished to testify, then moved to close the hearing; the motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a one-minute-per-testifier time limit.
• She had no family, no resources, limited English. She was terrified.
• <00:03:15.159> in had no family no resources limit in had no family no resources limit in
• for hearings there 90minut time limit for hearings there will<00:37:25.079> be<00:37:25.200><
• <00:37:26.520> for<00:37:26.680> all will be a 1 minute time limit for all will be

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Housing and Health and Human Services hearing began with Senate Bill 878, which would extend the sunset date for the state rent supplement program for kupuna to June 30, 2028. Testimony was uniformly supportive, including from the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Executive Office on Aging, Catholic Charities Hawaii, and others. Catholic Charities described a waitlist of seniors at imminent risk of homelessness and said the program helps seniors retain housing or secure units with landlord support. Members asked whether the bill would expand the number of households served; staff said the contract allows up to 127 households and that additional pending households could be funded, but applicants must still go through the program process. Both committees voted to pass SB 878 unamended. The committees then heard Senate Bill 1610 on Ohana Zones. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions supported the measure so long as it did not supplant existing funding, and described the funding as supporting homelessness services and wraparound supports. The Department of Human Services and Department of Land and Natural Resources offered comments, with DHS suggesting a definition of “kali” be added for clarity. The committee chair said the bill would receive technical amendments for clarity and consistency and accepted proposed amendments related to including “tales” in the program; the measure was advanced with amendments, with members voting in favor in both committees. In the joint Health and Human Services and Labor and Technology hearing, Senate Bill 1496 on civil rights and website accessibility drew support from disability advocates and organizations, including the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the National Federation of the Blind, the Deaf and Blind Task Force, and the Disability and Communication Access Board. Testimony emphasized the need for stronger state protections amid concerns about federal enforcement, while one testifier raised concerns about jurisdiction, minimum contacts, the use of WCAG 2.1 standards, and the bill’s immediate effective date. The committees decided to pass SB 1496 with technical amendments, including adding a defective date to allow further work before conference, and the recommendation was adopted in both committees. Later, the joint Health, Human Services, and Commerce and Consumer Protection hearing took up Senate Bill 404 on service animals. The Attorney General’s office raised a possible constitutional issue and the lack of an enforcement mechanism, while DHS deferred to other agencies. DCAB supported the bill but recommended amendments to identify an enforcement agency and require notices from professionals and sellers of service-animal or emotional-support-animal paraphernalia. Several advocacy and real estate-related groups testified in support. After discussion, the chair recommended deferring SB 404 for further work because of the Attorney General’s concerns, and the hearing adjourned without a vote on the measure. The final joint Transportation, Culture and the Arts, and Health and Human Services agenda heard SB 1526 on a drug and alcohol toxicology testing laboratory and SB 1492 on mobility management; both measures were advanced with amendments or as-is, with SB 1526 sent forward with technical amendments and SB 1492 moved ahead after members noted blank dollar amounts and requested the Department of Transportation provide figures.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mentioned yesterday that I was going to limit this hearing to an hour.
• I mentioned yesterday that I was going to limit this hearing to an hour.
• I am probably going to, when I get back, we're probably going to limit testimony to about five, six minutes
• the border of the county or wherever they're built because of different laws and regulations on emissions
• that you brought up that I was going to wait and mention, but I am going to bring it up, is the emissions

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• really are, because in the interest of hearing from everybody, and by the way, we have this room for a limited
• So we really are going to firmly, or nicely, but firmly, limit people to three minutes each.
• And these are not—remember, we're limited to two...
• The stories of your constituents, and these are not—remember, we're limited to two minutes—that's the
• Why don't we hear a few two-minute limit, but welcome. Thank you very much.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy opened its hearing with testimony on several broadband, towing, and rideshare-related bills. The first major issue was H. 3470/S. 2259, which would add data privacy and integrity protections for transportation network driver information. Rideshare drivers and labor advocates strongly opposed the bill, saying it would delay implementation of Question 3, which Massachusetts voters approved to give rideshare drivers a path to unionize. Drivers described low pay, deactivations, harassment, safety risks, and the need for a union to negotiate fairer working conditions. Legal and labor experts testified that the bill was largely duplicative of existing law and regulations and would unnecessarily postpone drivers’ organizing rights. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee also heard extensive testimony on broadband affordability and access bills, including S. 2318/H. 3527 and related measures. Supporters, including legislators, digital equity advocates, senior advocates, and service providers, said low-income households need a permanent affordable broadband option after the federal Affordable Connectivity Program ended. They argued that internet access is now essential for jobs, school, health care, housing, and daily life, and supported a flat-rate low-income plan around $15 per month with protections such as no installation fees or termination fees. Opponents from cable and wireless industry groups argued the bills would impose artificial price mandates, discourage investment, and reduce consumer choice, noting that providers already offer discounted programs. The committee also heard support for broadband deployment and pole-attachment streamlining bills, with providers and municipal broadband advocates saying permitting delays and pole access bottlenecks slow expansion and raise costs. Additional testimony covered H. 3566, which would exempt municipal broadband projects from surety bond requirements, and towing-related bills including S. 2235, H. 3507, H. 3516, and H. 3482. Insurance and anti-fraud witnesses supported stronger towing protections, saying some towers charge excessive fees and hold vehicles hostage, while one witness urged broader consumer safeguards. The hearing ended after the chairs shortened testimony to fit the room schedule, asked for final comments on remaining bills, and then adjourned by motion and voice vote.

Bills: SCR53, HB259, HB267, HB478, HB548, HB555, HB617, HB670, HB672, HB797, HB848, HB917, HB921, HB1096, HB1103, HB1166, HB1195, HB1230

Keywords: payable-on-death accounts, transfer-on-death accounts, estate planning, beneficiary designations, Louisiana law, task force, inheritance, nonprobate transfers, excavation, demolition, infrastructure repair, BEAD Program, utility damage, construction coordination, contact point, home inspectors, board membership, licensing, term limits, Louisiana State Board

Transcript Highlights:

• However, I feel like with limited public health dollars, We have to choose our battles wisely.
• I think there are other areas where we probably should focus these dollars since they are limited.
• Many other states have adopted very similar limits. Some are more strict in this.
• Just limits the amount of THC in each edible and each package in order to protect kids.
• Again, this does not limit how much a person Can buy it. Just limits how much can be per package.

Bills: SB1421, SB1427, SB1484, SB1503, SB1553, SB1557, SB1564, SB1566, SB1567, SB1591, SB1642, SB1794, SB1837, SB2044

Keywords: mental health, nonphysical intervention, training, youth care, conflict resolution, staff training, pediatric screenings, type 1 diabetes, health care providers, parental consent, reimbursement, state funding, public health, medicolegal investigation, medical examiner, coroner, sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, sudden unexpected infant death, SUID

Transcript Highlights:

• 06.640> not concerning the child including both not concerning the child including both not limited
• c> the<00:21:07.600> education,<00:21:08.559> health<00:21:08.799> care, limited
• :46.720> not concerning the child including but not concerning the child including but not limited
• the<00:21:47.679> education,<00:21:48.240> healthcare<00:21:48.640> and limited
• to the education, healthcare and limited to the education, healthcare and religious<00:21:49.200>

Bills: HB19, HB170, HB171, HB173, HB174, HB19, HB170, HB171, HB173, HB174

Keywords: Ebony Alert, missing youth, public safety, law enforcement, racial equity, HB170, supplemental appropriations, Education Trust Fund, Alabama education budget, school funding, K-12 education, local boards of education, textbook adoption, school buses, school safety, charter schools, summer programs, afterschool programs, reading intervention, college and career readiness

Transcript Highlights:

• Jessica Bowman, Kekier Opioid emission commission. I can't say it all.
• Jessica Bowman, Kekier Opioid emission Jessica Bowman, Kekier Opioid emission commission. commission.
• Um, Kentucky's once per decade limit would be a national outlier.
• Um, Kentucky's once per decade limit would be a national outlier.
• once per decade limit would be a national<00:14:46.639> outlier.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes, and then took up several administrative regulations. The first was an Office of the Attorney General regulation creating an online submission process for an annual certification report to replace prior quarterly notarized certification forms; there were no amendments or questions. The main discussion centered on Personnel Cabinet regulations 101 KAR 2:034, 2:102, 3:015, and 3:045, which include staff-suggested technical amendments and address state employee compensation and leave. The compensation provisions clarify salary and rehiring/demotion rules, increase critical position premiums from one to three, and update weekend premium and ACE award practices. The leave provisions would provide up to six weeks of paid leave per 10-year interval for birth, adoption, foster placement, or a serious health condition, and allow one paid adverse-weather day per year with supervisor approval. Staff explained that annual and sick leave already accrue and roll over, and that the new six-week benefit was intended as an additional enhancement tied to the 10-year and 20-year sick-leave milestones.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we limited it to within the next decade.
• So, we limited it to within the next decade.
• So, we limited it to within the next decade.
• So, we limited it to within the next decade.
• So, we limited it to within the next decade.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 1979, acting Comptroller Hood took a crucial step in rolling back guidance at the OCC that limited
• I just have a few examples since we're limited on time.
• But there's no time limit. And I don't have to file electronically. I can send them a letter.
• companies having capital outflows to the Chinese-backed companies like Corporate Amperect Technology Limited
• while currently, the law requires a certain distribution, if you will, of dollars for low and no emission

Keywords: financial regulations, SEC, Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Transit Administration, nominees, Empowering Main Street in America Act, capital formation, economic growth

Summary: The committee meeting focused on several nominees within key financial institutions, including discussions surrounding the SEC, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Comptroller of the Currency. Notable dialogue included concerns over regulatory balance, with various members emphasizing a need to streamline regulations to foster innovation while ensuring accountability and safety for investors. The importance of the proposed 'Empowering Main Street in America Act' was highlighted as a means to facilitate access to capital for small businesses, underlining the current administration's approach towards financial regulations.

Transcript Highlights:

• certain points when we've got testifiers in the future, as we move along, we'll probably have some time limits
• Time limits potentially to make sure that we stay on target today.
• Large data sets and error modeling, or effluent limit calculations, or even taking the first crack at
• Food puts pressure on our landfills and is a significant source of methane emissions.
• They've said this is a school trust parcel that does not have access that limits its ability for any

Bills: HF1587, HF2293, HF2218, HF1208, HF1482

Keywords: HF1587, Cass County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, DNR, condemnation, eminent domain, state land, surplus land, public waters, tribal land transfer, federally recognized Indian Tribe, tribal ownership, land conveyance, no consideration, land appropriation, natural resources, U.S. Highway 2, Section 27 Township 145 North Range 28 West, land return, Tribal sovereignty

Transcript Highlights:

• However, I can speak in terms of CARB, and it's for their mobile source program to basically limit and
• restrict and propose regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The new program builds upon the successes of the limited-term General Funded program, the Clean California
• We find that, given the limited General Fund available, the Legislature should have a high bar in approving
• responsibility, and we find this distinction particularly important in a year in which there are limited

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on transportation agency budget proposals and did not take any votes. The first major discussion focused on the Motor Vehicle Account shortfall and a proposed one-time $166 million transfer from the Air Pollution Control Fund and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to offset California Air Resources Board mobile source costs. Department of Finance and the LAO described the account’s long-running structural deficit, driven largely by employee compensation growth and REAL ID-related workload, while members criticized the use of Proposition 4, GGRF, and other one-time or redirected funds as backfills and urged a longer-term solution that addresses both revenues and expenditures. The committee then heard Caltrans’ request for $25 million in General Fund support to create a Clean California Community Cleanup and Employment Pathway Grant Program. Caltrans said the program would build on the prior Clean California effort by funding local litter and graffiti cleanup, community engagement, and workforce pathways for vulnerable populations. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposal, arguing that local litter abatement is not a core state responsibility and that one-time funding is unlikely to solve persistent local cleanup needs. Several members echoed those concerns, while public commenters split between support for the cleanup/employment model and calls to instead restore funding to the Active Transportation Program and transit operations. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requested that California administratively recognize Tahoe’s federally designated population figure for state formula-based transportation funding, which would raise the population count used in formulas from 40,000 to 145,000. The agency said the change would not request new money but would better align state formulas with federal law and support a shared regional funding framework; members appeared generally supportive, though they noted the need to phase in the change to reduce impacts on other regions. The final presentation was on High-Speed Rail. The LAO reviewed the authority’s project update report, noting that it did not fully meet statutory requirements and that key details are still pending in a supplemental report expected later in the summer. The LAO said the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment still shows an estimated roughly $7 billion funding gap, with no specific plan to close it, and highlighted risks from federal review, inflation, and uncertain GGRF revenues. High-Speed Rail Authority staff said they are conducting a bottom-up review of scope, schedule, ridership, and costs, expect to provide updated information by late summer, and are exploring public-private partnerships and other financing strategies. Members stressed that no further funding commitments should be made until the updated analysis is available.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our FY 26-27 budget proposals are limited in number and are well tuned to the fiscal realities of our
• Our FY 26-27 budget proposals are limited in number and are well tuned to the fiscal realities of our
• Our FY 26-27 budget proposals are limited in number and are well tuned to the fiscal realities of our
• our FY 2627 budget proposals are limited our FY 2627 budget proposals are limited in<00:04:52.840
• Before, we were limited to just working in areas that would have public water supply benefits.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That increase carbon emissions. For these reasons, I respectfully urge a no vote on 1056.
• Limits opportunities for positive activities like leadership, arts, volunteering, work, and sports.
• This has been reduced to a conversation of is probation good or bad, should it be limited?
• And the second thing that's being overlooked is this bill is limited only to wards of the state.
• Right now, adults on probation have a cap, have a limit on how long you can be put on probation.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Could actually create a negative emission portfolio for those fleets.
• We've got a temporary limit increase to 61.6, 5 million. So when going back to.
• And so this this does help to reduce the state's overall carbon emissions significantly.
• I got reaction probably tells me it's probably fairly limited, but I could be completely facing the wrong

Transcript Highlights:

• In order to hear as much from the public within the limits of our time, we will not permit conduct that
• Testimony will be limited to four minutes in support and four minutes in opposition.
• Testimony will be limited to four minutes in support and four minutes in opposition.
• state's... ...geothermal power plants, AB 1016 supports the state's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy met as a subcommittee because a quorum was not present, and the chair announced 16 measures on the agenda, nine of them on consent. The committee then took up AB 1016 by Assemblymember Gonzalez, which would create a five-year pilot program allowing certain counties with geothermal elements in their general plans to locally permit geothermal plants up to 150 net megawatts through 2030. The author and Imperial County representatives argued the bill would streamline a duplicative permitting process, support local control, and bring jobs, tax revenue, and clean baseload energy development to Imperial County, which they described as facing high unemployment and poverty and having significant geothermal potential. Supporters included Imperial County officials, Rural County Representatives of California, Independent Energy Producers, and local community representatives. They emphasized the county’s long history of geothermal permitting, its planning efforts, and the economic benefits of projects that could support schools, health care, and community colleges. Opposition came from labor organizations including the California State Pipe Trades Council, Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers, California Coalition of Utility Employees, State Association of Electrical Workers, and State Building Trades. Their main concern was that shifting permitting from the California Energy Commission to local governments could remove the skilled-and-trained workforce requirement that currently applies to CEC-permitted projects. Committee members asked about that labor issue, and the author said he intended to work with the opposition coalition to ensure local workers are prioritized and that projects use skilled, trained, California-licensed labor. The discussion ended with the bill still under consideration; no vote was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And all three of those countries depend on some form of emission in the CCS.
• It's why your terms are limited in this position as a representative.
• It's why senators' terms are limited. It's why the president is limited.
• It is why the governor is limited. It is about self-determination.
• So I might be limited if I don't pressure test the pipe high enough; I'm limited to that pressure test

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• liquor licensing regulations, that is most relevant here, as language to the Dram Shop statute to limit
• least one federal law called the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, or FIRRMA, which limits
• The bill defines the term as airborne emissions resulting from the burning, heating, or vaporizing of

Keywords: 1182, all