Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:13.520><c> was</c> in 2022, the cesspool pilot program was in 2022, the cesspool pilot program
• You know what the Department of Health and the city said?
• You know what the Department of Health and the city said?
• You know what the Department of Health and the city said?
• You know what the Department of Health and the city said?

Bills: HB1618

Committee: Senate Agriculture and Environment

Keywords: cesspool conversion, cesspool replacement, wastewater, sewer connection, sewerage systems, septic system, pollution control, water pollution control revolving fund, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, HGIA, low-interest loans, forgivable loans, homeowner financing, environmental infrastructure, public health, wastewater treatment, low- and moderate-income households, revolving loan fund, Department of Health, memorandum of agreement

Summary: The committees held a joint hearing on HB 1618 HD1, which would create and fund a cesspool conversion revolving loan fund administered by the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority to help homeowners upgrade, convert, or connect cesspools. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from state agencies and advocacy groups, with witnesses emphasizing that cost is the main barrier to cesspool conversion and that recent Kona flooding underscored the public health and pollution risks of cesspools. One testifier suggested the fund should actively pursue outside funding sources, and another urged an effective date that would allow counties to contribute sooner. A member raised concerns about whether loans would be affordable and whether other financing tools, such as tax credits, should also be considered; another member opposed the bill as not adequately addressing district-level sewer and septic issues. The committees ultimately recommended passage with amendments, including changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, and the motion was adopted. The joint Judiciary and Ways and Means committees then considered HB 2592 on the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. The chair outlined amendments to clarify that the authority would assume property and liability associated with transferred assets, preserve existing liability rules, transfer conditional use permits if not already transferred, allow lease extensions before transfer, and set reversion triggers if the authority fails to adopt a management plan by June 30, 2028, or administrative rules by December 31, 2029. Members asked about preserving the public trust and whether the amendments would keep the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ role intact; the chair confirmed the fee and board role would remain unchanged. The committees voted to pass the bill with amendments, and the recommendation was adopted. The committees also took up HB 2033, making further amendments to clarify the definition of state, delay certain effective dates, allow rental and U-Drive lessors to avoid liability by identifying renters, delete one section, and add administrative hearing language and bus-camera clarifications. HB 1888 was amended to expand protections for educational workers to include sports officials, define sports official, make intentional bodily harm a felony with enhanced penalties for repeat offenses, and authorize the attorney general to assist with restraining orders. Both measures were recommended for passage with amendments and adopted. Later, several bills were moved with little or no discussion: HB 1515, HB 1713, HB 1718, HB 2022, and HB 2385 were recommended for passage unamended; HB 2375 was deferred; and HB 1741 was amended to reflect Honolulu’s concerns, narrow study requirements, add exemptions and a delayed implementation date, and was recommended for passage with amendments. The committees adopted the recommendations on these measures, with some members noting reservations or prior opposition on certain bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, in some cities, municipally owned utilities adopt increased rates charged to tax-exempt entities
• This occurred in what was once my district; it's now Senator Cole Corps' district, in the city of Magnoir
• I believe he dropped off written testimony to the committee detailing his experience with the city in
• For a small water system that the Honorable Zaffirini has mentioned, under 100 connections, it would
• This water company has been participating in the TOPS program, and we're still struggling.

Bills: HB630 , HB685 , HB1318 , HB2692

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Keywords: outboard motors, certificate of title, vessel regulation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, marine documentation, HB 685, municipal utility rates, water rates, sewer rates, local government code, rate discrimination, tax-exempt entities, sales tax exemption, ad valorem tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, charitable organizations, municipal water service, municipal sewer service, utility billing, public utilities

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with no quorum at the start, but later reached quorum and took up several bills. House Bill 2692, codifying the San Antonio River Authority’s enabling legislation and making non-substantive modernization changes, received brief supportive testimony from the River Authority and was left pending before later being voted out favorably. House Bill 685, which would prevent municipalities from charging higher water or sewer rates to tax-exempt entities than comparable customers, also drew support and was reported favorably. House Bill 1318, clarifying compensation issues when a municipality decertifies part of a retail water utility’s service area, was heard without opposition and passed out of committee. House Bill 630, exempting certain older outboard motors from title requirements, likewise passed and was placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 2497, relating to filtration systems for certain public drinking water systems. Senator Zaffirini described the bill as a response to ongoing secondary water quality complaints, while TCEQ testified that such contaminants are aesthetic rather than health-based and that the water remains safe to drink if primary standards are met. The Texas Rural Water Association opposed the bill as written, arguing filtration may not solve most water quality problems and could be costly for small systems, while a consumer witness from Floresville supported it and described repeated rate increases and brown water after a filtration system was removed. Members discussed narrowing the bill through a committee substitute and emphasized the need for flexibility and technical expertise; the committee substitute was adopted and the bill was reported favorably, with Senator Kolkhorst later asking to be recorded as voting no. The committee also heard Senate Bill 2850, which would create a pollinator task force to study habitat loss, public education, and best practices for protecting bees and other pollinators. Senator Menendez and invited witness Erica Thompson of Texas BeeWorks highlighted major colony losses and the economic importance of pollinators to Texas agriculture, and Environment Texas and the Texas Beekeepers Association supported the measure. Members discussed monarch butterflies, native grasses, milkweed, and conservation efforts, and the bill was reported favorably and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. After testimony, the committee also voted out several pending items, including House Bill 5560 with a committee substitute addressing water-loss penalties and infrastructure improvements, and then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm sure they have it in Kansas City.
• I understand a group of them to Jefferson City to the Capitol.
• I mean, our cities have a limited property tax levy.
• So it's a very limited levy, and so it really impacts our small communities.
• The cities that have that larger sales tax base have really moved to a sales tax.

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and program integrity.
• and program integrity.
• and program integrity.
• And and this program is program.
• </c> constitutional limit for that program. constitutional limit for that program.

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia, their funding mechanism depends in large measure on fees
• derived from tax credit programs that may not survive the next five years.
• It used to be every town, every small town had a factory, you know, who's employing whom.
• I just think it's... be every town, every small town had a factory, you know, who's employing whom.
• I'm like, wow, things are really different in rural Missouri than they are in the city of St.

Committee: House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Summary: The House Agriculture Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2998, with Representative Riggs explaining that most of the bill would be removed in committee substitute and that the remaining provisions would focus on an Upper Mississippi River Basin feasibility study and creating a stand-alone rural development office within DED. Riggs argued the study could explore hydropower, run-of-river technology, and a longer navigation season on the Mississippi, while the rural office would better serve Missouri’s roughly 2 million rural residents and provide a more permanent focus than current staffing arrangements. Committee members asked about why the river has not been used for power before, the cost and timeline of the study, the feasibility of retrofitting old locks and dams, and how the rural office would improve coordination and funding for rural development. Testimony in favor included Lisa Pennett, who urged keeping the coal-related language and said Missouri should protect its remaining coal plants amid growing electricity demand; Mike Sutherland of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, who supported the rural development office and described co-ops’ role in broadband, workforce, housing, and community development across rural Missouri; and MoDOT’s Pamela Harlan, who said the agency would need to coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the river study, estimated the study cost at about $3 million, and said it would likely take about three years. Informational testimony from Missouri Policy Initiative provided data on hydropower nationally, noting that only a small share of U.S. dams generate electricity, many retrofit projects are not viable, and a Mississippi River lock-and-dam project in Missouri and Illinois had recently received a federal permit to study feasibility. The hearing ended with the chair noting the bill would be narrowed in a substitute and then adjourning the committee; no vote was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• derived from tax credit programs that may not survive the next five years.
• It used to be every town, every small town had a factory, you know, who's employing whom.
• It used to be every town, every small town had a factory, you know, who's employing whom.
• I'm like, wow, things are really different in rural Missouri than they are in the city of St.
• And so I just, I appreciate the focus, and hopefully we can find... ...the city of St. Louis.

Committee: House Agriculture

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our predecessors would recognize the danger of these laws, that they are invitations for small, weak
• Members, I really do want to urge us, as we pass this small change, to say that a report is going to
• Also, the League of Minnesota Cities supports HF 286.
• I represent the city of White Bear Lake, and this is a top priority for my community.
• This bill would also authorize the city to fundraise and expend funds for funerals.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> small fines, then it would be fine. small fines, then it would be fine.
• </c> a shortage of supply of of programs a shortage of supply of of programs So,<00:35:54.040><c> that
• </c><00:45:11.280><c> I</c> Opportunity and Reintegration Program I Opportunity and Reintegration Program
• reduced the program significantly reduced the recidivism<00:45:45.480><c> rate.
• </c> she she's implemented more programming she she's implemented more programming and<00:46:20.560><

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Hawaiian Affairs heard several Senate concurrent resolutions. SCR 11, urging Congress to amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, drew support from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and Pride at Work Hawaii, both of which backed the measure as a statement of equality and protection for LGBTQIA+ people. A member also reminded testifiers to keep signs and statements relevant to the measure. SCR 22, recognizing the 50th anniversary of the restoration of Ahu and Aliʻa, had no testimony. SCR 58, calling for a progressive enforcement framework for parking violations in DLNR boating and ocean recreation lots, drew strong support from multiple testifiers who argued that towing is overly punitive, costly, and unfair to beach and harbor users; they favored warnings or smaller citations instead of towing and raised concerns about signage, contract oversight, and the cost of proposed enforcement technology. One member asked about whether DLNR could use HPD or other officers for citations, and the discussion focused on staffing and enforcement authority. The committee then heard SCR 60 SD1, requesting an update on the “Breaking Cycles” study on alternative rehabilitation and restorative justice models on Oahu. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was not present, but the Corrections Reform Working Group strongly supported the resolution, saying the study reflects extensive community outreach and should not be shelved. Testifiers urged the committee to use the report to examine alternatives to a new jail, including diversion, pre-trial reform, probation reform, and renovations to existing facilities, and one testifier suggested amendments to add experts in those areas and technical assistance from the Prison Policy Initiative. Another testifier described Maui’s use of wraparound reentry services, prosecutorial discretion, and programming as an example of reducing incarceration without expanding jail capacity. SCR 184, asking the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission to examine anti-discrimination laws as applied to algorithmic and automated decision systems, had no in-person testimony, with the chair noting one support and one comment submitted. The final measure, SCR 89 SD1, which would create an advisory committee under the Hawaii correctional system oversight commission to develop recommendations on alternative rehabilitation and restorative justice models on Oahu, also had no testimony from the department, but the Corrections Reform Working Group supported it as a way to ensure community input into jail planning. A later testifier echoed concerns about building a large new jail and urged the committee to consider alternatives to incarceration and to include people with expertise in diversion, pre-trial reform, and probation reform. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh the bill programs is important.
• Program students are Maryland.
• does with its other loan programs.
• does with its other loan programs.
• ,</c> Baltimore City ordinance enforcement, Baltimore City ordinance enforcement, amount<01:22:05.520

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Friday, March 20, 2026, 960, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In our early learning silo, we restore the funding for the Gold Seal Program, the Local Match Program
• Waste cleanup programs, $166 million. Resilient Florida program, $110 million.
• and other financial aid programs.
• We did increase the small district factor to take that into account to ensure that some of those small
• That at our discretion, but the program itself, the lunch program is fully funded this year.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> HMOs to administer the Medicaid program, HMOs to administer the Medicaid program, which<00:01:25.759
• The program apparently not considered.
• and</c><00:03:38.640><c> Medicaid,</c> programs, Minnesota Care and Medicaid, programs, Minnesota Care
• </c><00:06:47.680><c> We</c> small monthly payment for that. We small monthly payment for that.
• Under this bill, these programs may end. program integrity director, Tim Omali, program integrity director

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we had a program I created called Rinse and Win to encourage an educational program to properly rinse
• I'm just use in the recycling program?
• Uh, the locals do not have that authority, with a couple of small exceptions for the big cities, but
• Just on that, that's 36 years of having container collection programs.
• </c> of having container collection programs. of having container collection programs.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I just want to be on the record saying that here is forward that for small accounts and...
• concern and outlining requirements on private towing rules for carriers, private property owners, cities
• The Senate amended the bill by extending from January 1st to July 1st, 2027, the date for when a city
• The date for when a city, town, or county must begin updating the rates for private towing of vehicles
• Chair and members, as passed the House, House Bill 2957 prohibits a city, town, county, or this state

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This would be a fairly small appropriation, I hear $750,000 or so, to restart that program and, with
• </c><00:02:11.879><c> within</c> technology testing pilot program within technology testing pilot program
• </c> University of YC Grant college program University of YC Grant college program College<00:02:23.879
• </c> left this would be a fairly small left this would be a fairly small appropriation<00:05:03.560><
• So is our program based on individuals, or is it based on having a program? How does that work?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 1232, which would create a three-year wastewater technology testing pilot program at the University of Hawaiʻi Water Resources Research Center and coordinate testing with state and county agencies. The Department of Health, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and University of Hawaiʻi representatives supported the bill, saying it would help certify new wastewater technologies, lower costs for cesspool conversions, and provide data to the Department of Health. Testifiers said the prior testing effort ended after the departure of Dr. Roger Babcock, and that the new program would use National Sanitation Foundation standards, graduate students, and local wastewater facilities such as Wahiawa. Committee members asked about the $750,000 total cost, the scope of existing research, prior test sites, and whether the program would be tied to individuals or a permanent program. One member raised concerns about the fairness and data basis for sewer conversion decisions in local communities, and the University said it would follow national standards and share results openly. The committee then took up Senate Bill 686, relating to a short-term management initiative for coconut rhinoceros beetle response and related appropriations. The Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaiʻi testified in support, while a county representative and other advocates urged broader statewide coverage, including Kauaʻi, and asked that appropriated funds be usable on any island. Testimony emphasized the need for immediate action, outreach, tree-trimmer training, canopy treatments, K-9 inspections, container fumigation, and biocontrol research. A member summarized the bill’s funding components, including amounts for training, residential palm treatments, response teams, inspections, fumigation, and research, and noted the importance of directing money toward on-the-ground response. Committee questions focused on how much funding remained available, how the agencies would coordinate with DOA, whether the department was prepared to manage all the bill’s functions, and how infestations were being communicated to the public. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 657, which would appropriate funds for the University of Hawaiʻi School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology’s Center for Climate Resilient Development. The Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in strong support, and the Department of Health also supported the measure, noting that it relies on the center’s data to inform decisions and recommendations on projects. The discussion on this item was brief in the portion provided, with no vote or final action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Whereas founded in 1956 by Mama Luisa herself, the restaurant began as a small neighborhood gathering
• But 50% of all homes in the cities of Arizona fall into HOAs, and when you have that many homes falling
• a firefighter, was actually recognized, and they put his name on one of the memorials down at the city
• Yeah, I just met with a lot of stakeholders, cities, and different people.
• We have to pivot and make small changes here and there.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior journal, and introductions of the Doctor of the Day, Dr. Jane Peterson, and a University of Arizona presentation featuring meteorites and space-related materials. The chamber also adopted a proclamation honoring Mama Luisa’s Italian restaurant for 70 years of family ownership and service. After routine committee and Senate message announcements, the House moved into third reading and floor action on a large number of bills. Several bills passed on third reading, including HB 2041 on child neglect, HB 2128, HB 2251 on midwifery, HB 2342 on planned communities/HOAs, HB 2402 on emergency medical services, HB 2403 appropriating money to AHCCCS, HB 2615 on parenting time, HB 2641 on firefighting foam, HB 2673 on incarcerated persons and mental illness, HB 2700 creating a Technology First Study Committee, HB 2951 on subscription cancellation/consumer protections, HB 2991 on minors’ access to technology content, and HB 4070 on human trafficking. Members’ comments reflected support for maternal care, consumer protection, parental controls, public safety, and services for incarcerated people with mental illness, while some members raised concerns about licensing, overbreadth, or unresolved amendments. HB 4018 on county officers failed on a 26-24 vote. The House then reconsidered and sent HB 4018 back to third reading, but a subsequent motion challenging the chair’s ruling on whether a division had been called failed. The chamber also entered additional Committee of the Whole sessions to amend and recommend passage of HB 2136 and HB 2923, both of which were reported out as amended. In later Committee of the Whole work, the House recommended passage of HB 2188, HB 2239, HB 2437, HB 2445, HB 2502, HB 2620 as amended, HB 2931 as amended, HB 4004, and HB 4064, with some bills retained on the calendar and several measures referred to engrossing. The transcript ended while the House was continuing through consent-calendar and additional Committee of the Whole proceedings.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh also uh some insights from the City uh also uh some insights from the City and<00:14:20.880><
• </c> area collects up four different city area collects up four different city drains<00:44:55.160><c
• </c> has to come to the city and state. has to come to the city and state.
• </c> as DLNR has pointed out, is one small as DLNR has pointed out, is one small part part part &gt;&
• . city. city.

Bills: SCR21 , SCR75 , SCR50 , SCR149 , SCR47 , SCR163 , SCR169 , SCR170

Keywords: healthcare, rural clinic, feasibility study, access to care, community health, Volcano community, Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation, emergency services, health assessment, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, health care, interdepartmental collaboration, public awareness, support services, education, health insurance, affordable healthcare, working group, Hawaii Health Plan, Medicaid expansion

Transcript Highlights:

• I was also the mayor of the City of Miami for eight years.
• This program does not help with that. It makes those problems worse.
• If we pick up the phone and call the city of Jacksonville, the city of Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade, wherever
• to small businesses.
• I remember we had a $50 million loan program to small businesses.

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That you oversaw as the Strong Reader program. This program was allocated $581,708.
• That you oversaw on as the Strong Reader program. This program was allocated $581,708.
• I recognize that this is a small program by comparison, but it is still your responsibility to provide
• a book program either.
• a book program either.

Summary: The committee held a follow-up informational hearing on the State Library’s oversight of the statewide Imagination Library program, focusing on how state funds were used by the Strong Reader Partnership (SRP) and whether the program complied with statutory requirements. Chair and Senator Grove repeatedly questioned State Librarian Greg Lucas about delayed document production, the State Library’s decision to allow SRP to continue spending $4.8 million after the 2024 budget changes, and the lack of clear accounting for how many books were actually delivered to children. Lucas said the State Library had sent one demand letter, relied on counsel’s advice, and ultimately received bank statements, invoices, and narrative reports that he said were satisfactory, though he acknowledged the committee should have been given the documents sooner. A major issue was whether SRP and its vendors used state funds for lobbying or influence efforts related to AB 157/SB 157, despite contract language prohibiting lobbying. The committee highlighted invoices and emails involving ChangeCraft and SAGE Strategies that appeared to coincide with legislative activity, while SRP representatives said their work was communications, stakeholder outreach, and board-directed advocacy, not lobbying. Members of SRP also defended their vendor selections and invoicing practices, explaining that the organization was in startup and transition mode, had multiple financial vendors for checks and balances, and was working to build infrastructure, local partnerships, and multilingual outreach capacity rather than directly buying books. The hearing also scrutinized specific expenditures, including roughly $581,000 to Shipyard for marketing and web/digital work, $110,000 to Lotus Financial Solutions, and a $5,000 grant to United Way of the California Capital Region. Senators argued the invoices were vague and the deliverables were not evident, pointing to a simple website, limited social media presence, and no clear evidence that some advertised campaigns ever went live. SRP witnesses said the work was part of a phased plan to establish a statewide foundation and that some assets and documentation had not yet been provided to the committee. No votes were taken, and the hearing ended with the chair emphasizing the need for tighter oversight, clearer documentation, and better accountability for taxpayer funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• L&I administers and enforces a broad range of programs, including the workers' comp program, the Washington
• This bill started with a couple of our programs saying, we all... ...started with a couple of our programs
• For example, our retro program with employers.
• And so we found a couple of our programs who were...
• Most of those have a very small number of workers, less than 50.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several Labor and Workplace Standards bills. HB 2492 would require building and construction apprenticeship programs, beginning in 2027, to include two hours of behavioral health and wellness training covering topics such as suicide prevention, substance use disorder, recognizing distress, peer support, and connecting to resources. The prime sponsor and many labor, apprenticeship, and contractor witnesses supported the bill, describing high suicide and overdose rates in construction and sharing personal stories about losses and struggles in the trades. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then heard HB 2405, a Department of Labor and Industries request bill creating a pilot to allow earlier treatment for PTSD claims in workers’ compensation, including up to 11 treatment sessions before claim adjudication and limited follow-up treatment after closure. L&I and NFIB supported the measure as a way to speed treatment and reduce barriers, while one legal advocate supported it but raised technical concerns about pre-claim treatment and urged more focus on workplace prevention; another witness cautioned against emphasizing psychiatric drug treatment. The bill was heard only; no action was taken. HB 2406 would expand L&I’s ability to send notices electronically, with opt-in/opt-out provisions and some changes to timing rules for workers’ compensation and WISHA notices. L&I supported the bill as a modernization measure, while labor and workers’ advocates opposed changes affecting workers’ compensation notices, arguing that email should not become the default for vulnerable workers who may miss deadlines. HB 2478 would give L&I discretion, rather than a mandate, to investigate wage complaints and allow penalties when the department initiates an investigation; L&I supported it as a more efficient enforcement tool, and the committee discussed how complaints would still be handled and communicated. Finally, HB 2471 would create a state collective bargaining framework for private-sector workers if federal labor law or the NLRB no longer covers them. Supporters said it would preserve organizing and dispute-resolution rights if federal protections fail, while agricultural employers and NFIB opposed it, arguing it would inappropriately apply to agriculture and small businesses, could disrupt perishable harvests, and should rely on secret-ballot elections rather than card check. No votes were taken on any of the bills in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• All come from Otero County, the city of Alamogordo, and those cities in Otero County.
• All come from Otero County, the city of Valmogordo, and those cities in Otero County.
• He's into programming. He knows four languages.
• The STEM programs that New Mexico Tech offers are quite amazing.
• The National Teacher of the Year program is the oldest and most prestigious national honors program in

Keywords: 996, all