Transcript Highlights:

• </c> wanted to thank you for your service wanted to thank you for your service thank<00:14:45.720><c>
• I serve as a Wildland Fire Protection Forester for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division
• for the Department Protection Forester for the Department of<00:18:20.960><c> land</c><00:18:21.120>
• </c> hame Nei uh addition to the forest hame Nei uh addition to the forest reserves<00:27:03.880><c>
• /c> concerns of land uh lur land use concerns of land uh lur land use Research<00:37:20.319><c> Foundation

Summary: The committee met on March 19, 2025, and heard testimony on several measures before taking up decision-making. Senate Bill 1381, relating to the Hawaii National Guard, received support from the Department of Defense and other testifiers and was recommended to pass as is. Senate Bill 422, relating to education and high school diplomas for veterans, also drew support from the Department of Education, the Military Affairs Council, and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and was recommended to pass as is. Senate Bill 414, relating to restoring access to disaster-affected areas in Lahaina, was discussed with testimony from HHFDC and others; members agreed to amend the bill to refer to the Department of Transportation as the acquiring agency, and the measure was recommended to pass with amendments. The committee then considered Senate Bill 223, relating to fire prevention. The Department of Land and Natural Resources supported the bill but recommended changes to make the wildland-urban interface code a matter for the State Fire Council/State Fire Marshal rather than statute, and noted it lacked authority to mandate fuel reduction work on lands outside its control. Members also discussed community fuel reduction funding, with DLNR indicating that $10 million would be an effective amount and describing current funding for equipment, outreach, and positions. The chair proposed amendments to make fuel reduction on non-set-aside lands permissive rather than mandatory, to allow the State Fire Council to amend the state fire code to include easement holders, and to note a defective date and the funding request in the committee report. The bill was recommended to pass with amendments, with one member voting with reservations. In a later decision-making session, the committee considered Senate Bill 1379, relating to emergency preparedness and Community Readiness Centers, and Senate Bill 371, relating to property damage of critical infrastructure facilities. For SB 1379, the chair proposed an HD1 incorporating the Hawaii Advisory Council on Emergency Management and county emergency management in site-selection criteria, adding geographic resilience considerations, changing the defective date, and noting $10.8 million for site design plus $1.2 million for contract support; the bill passed with amendments, with reservations from some members over county input and funding. For SB 371, the chair amended the bill to remove recklessly/negligently causing damage and require intentional conduct throughout, while leaving other issues for Judiciary review; the bill passed with amendments, with at least one member voting with reservations.

Transcript Highlights:

• on averages we judge it electric service on averages we judge it on<00:05:11.039><c> instantaneous</
• They won't be able to farm their land, probably ever.
• </c> they won't be able to farm their land they won't be able to farm their land probably probably probably
• on land.
• </c><04:11:25.239><c> on</c> Pro all the seafood that is landed on Pro all the seafood that is landed

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• land tax assessment current use forest land tax assessment formula.<00:05:08.080><c> The</c><00:05:08.320
• </c><00:05:15.600><c> land</c> overall fair and equitable forest land overall fair and equitable forest
• ><00:07:57.680><c> and</c><00:07:58.000><c> land</c> that I'm a log buyer, forester and land that I'm
• </c> uses of forest land that are currently uses of forest land that are currently getting<00:27:09.679
• </c> value to forest land, all power to them. value to forest land, all power to them.

Summary: The meeting opened with roll call and approval of the prior minutes, including a requested correction to Thomas Han’s statement about a Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters subcommittee studying the timber yield tax and current use forest land tax assessment formula. The correction was adopted, and the minutes were then approved as amended. The main agenda item was a hearing of landowners on forest taxation and carbon credits. Several scheduled speakers canceled, so the committee received a letter from Ross Karen, a Coos County landowner and forester, who opposed carbon credit sales because of “leakage” and argued that diverse local markets and productive forests are better than carbon sales. Aean Kelly of White Mountain Lumber and the Randolph Town Forest also testified, saying many Coos County landowners and forest managers have declined carbon credit offers because they do not fit New Hampshire’s working-forest tradition. He argued that carbon agreements should be treated on a level playing field with traditional harvesting and that, if they are to be encouraged, they should face a fiscal adjustment comparable to the timber tax. Kelly also gave a detailed history of the timber tax, explaining that it was created in 1948 to replace uneven local property taxation on standing timber, discourage clearcutting, and stabilize the tax base while preserving working forests. He said the tax was intended to be collected when timber is harvested, not to stop logging, and that a later commission found the 10% rate roughly matched the revenue towns lost. In response to questions, he said pre-1948 assessments varied widely by town and tax collector, and that carbon projects today are already being valued by sophisticated models, so he believes carbon should be included in the assessment system. He also said short-term carbon agreements may simply monetize existing forest value, while 100-year agreements raise enforceability concerns. No votes or other formal actions were taken beyond approving the amended minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• > excess</c> or the forest service to remove excess or the forest service to remove excess wild<00:49
• How prevalent is wild horse population in Forest Service lands versus BLM?
• And do you have any comment on how that affects Forest Service lands?
• </c><01:41:11.760><c> service</c> the how that affects forest service the how that affects forest service
• Forest Service lands. >> No other questions? >> Thank you.

Committee: Joint Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Director, to expand on that: when we had the phone call, when I asked the Forest Service, BLM, and state
• Service BLM state land to be on the same phone call they they glad they got on it we had a good conversation
• I think this is across state trust land... ...in the Tonto National Forest, the Bulldog Canyon OHV area
• I think this is across state trust land down in southern Arizona.
• This was on Forest Service land, Forest Service property.

Committee: Joint Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Study Committee

Summary: The Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Study Committee met with a quorum and heard opening remarks from the chair and members emphasizing the need to balance OHV recreation with safety, land stewardship, and coordination among users, agencies, and law enforcement. The chair described recent field observations near Sheep’s Bridge as an example of mixed use on public lands and framed the committee’s work as continuing efforts from prior years to improve mitigation and stakeholder cooperation. Arizona State Parks and Trails presented on the OHV fund and grant program. The agency explained the revenue split among Parks, Game and Fish, and State Land, and reported current fund balances, pending awards, and grant obligations. Officials said they had tightened grant oversight by requiring annual reporting and closing out long-running grants, which returned nearly $4 million to the fund. They also described eliminating informal grant “buckets” so law enforcement, education, mitigation, and trail-related projects compete under the same priorities. A major focus was the new mitigation working group created after a multi-agency call with federal, state, and local land managers. The agency said the group is stakeholder-driven and intended to speed up mitigation projects, including trail maintenance and erosion control, using both grants and contracted crews. Examples included fencing and signage in Bulldog Canyon, a safety and erosion project at Charleau Gap, a culvert project on Coronado National Forest, and a pending Windmill Mountain Ranch project. Officials also reported that law enforcement demand is rising sharply, that match requirements were removed for law enforcement grants, and that grant requests can now extend up to $750,000 over multiple years to help counties hire and retain officers. Members generally supported the changes and asked about long-term funding needs, with the agency saying demand is likely to continue growing and that priorities have shifted toward law enforcement, education, and mitigation over new trail construction.

Transcript Highlights:

• When there is an issue of lumber being stolen, we call forest and lands.
• aren't</c> with forest lands, and there aren't with forest lands, and there aren't significant<04:29
• We think Forest and Lands, we think the rangers do a good job.
• I'm the director of state forester for the Division of Forest and Lands, Department of Natural and Cultural
• I'm the director of state forester for the Division of Forest and Lands, Department of Natural and Cultural

Committee: House Resources, Recreation and Development

Transcript Highlights:

• Forest Service was closing down. Thank you. Is there anyone else with a comment or question?
• Or if the Forest Service asks us during a fire to turn it off, we're completely out.
• We're working with the Forest Service on some simple things, just getting a wider right of way.
• But during the trout fire earlier this year, the Forest Service used that newly cleared right of way
• , Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Office of the National Resource Trustee, etc.

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><03:18:10.319><c> service</c> green light we need the forest service green light we need the forest
• Forest Service has a lot to be questioned about on how they manage lands, because these Forest Service
• </c><03:30:01.120><c> to</c> fault the US Forest Service has a lot to fault the US Forest Service has
• </c><03:30:07.120><c> Service</c> lands because these their Forest Service lands because these their
• Forest Service lands<03:30:07.760><c> are</c><03:30:08.560><c> adjacent</c><03:30:09.319><c> to</c><03

Bills: HR30

Keywords: honor, legacy, Jimmy Carter, human rights, presidential achievements, diplomacy, Georgia, Nobel Peace Prize, James Earl Carter Jr., President Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Plains Georgia, Georgia politics, House resolution, memorial resolution, tribute, condolences, bipartisan, Carter Center, democracy

Transcript Highlights:

• This program is administered by the Florida Forest Service and focuses on maintaining the agricultural
• land base in Florida through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements.
• Florida Forest Service. Florida Forest Service.
• Manage the 1.2 million acres of public lands on 38 state forests and one working ranch preserve.
• the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for reforestation and efforts in the Florida Future Forest Program.

Summary: The Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee met to hear member-led presentations on agency budget requests after prior meetings with the agencies. Representative Barnaby summarized the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ fiscal year 2025-26 request, highlighting major funding for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, Florida Forest Service wildfire and land management needs, citrus disease and research efforts, a new Conner Complex facility and lab, agricultural water and BMP projects, agricultural law enforcement staffing and equipment, maintenance and vehicle needs, and federal grant-related spending. No vote was taken on the department’s request during the meeting. Representative Bartleman presented the Department of Environmental Protection request and said the subcommittee supported it fully. The request emphasized Everglades restoration, water quality grants, springs, harmful algal bloom and red tide response, alternate water supplies, resilience and flood prevention, beach and coral reef restoration, land acquisition and state parks, and cleanup of petroleum, dry cleaning, and hazardous waste sites. Representative Alvarez asked DEP to provide a list of the most contaminated lakes, along with estimated costs, so the committee could prioritize cleanup efforts. Representative Black summarized the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission request, which included additional law enforcement funding in high-demand areas, oyster and reef restoration, habitat restoration, heavy equipment for land management and prescribed burning, a water survival training center, and red snapper data research. Representative Salzman then presented the Department of Citrus request, describing a lean agency budget focused on operations, PALM readiness, marketing and consumer awareness, greening-resistant plant material, and building repairs; the workgroup recommended fully funding the request. The meeting ended with members thanking the chair and staff for the more member-driven budget process, and the subcommittee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> land use and management. land use and management.
• </c> on Fish and Wildlife administered lands. on Fish and Wildlife administered lands.
• </c> school trust lands. school trust lands.
• So, then like con<01:35:47.040><c> con</c><01:35:47.280><c> lands,</c> con con lands, con con lands,
• </c> Lands are a different category. Lands are a different category.

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• lands, which, as you know, we have agriculture and many other interests out there on these forests.
• The Forest Service has been playing an amazing role in the emergency response.
• Service and hopefully realign and reorganize in a way that makes the Forest Service, including forest
• In turn, the Forest Service depends on the capacity of the processors to care for and manage the forest
• Forest Service timber sales as the primary factor. primary factor.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• As you know, we have land banks when you do land development.
• If we don't have forests, we don't have large forests that capture carbon; we have lagoons and salt marshes
• So this would give us an option, much like you have with land banks.
• forests. ...pointed out as a way to sequester carbon through healthy forest practices that enhance biological
• Local solutions are important to on agriculturally zoned land.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Summary: The committee heard several natural resources bills focused on climate, water, wildfire safety, and coastal policy. AB 70 would codify a definition of pyrolysis and allow procurement credit for projects using organic waste to produce pipeline biomethane; AB 30 would authorize E15 gasoline sales in California; AB 66 would create a CEQA exemption for emergency evacuation routes in high-fire-risk areas; AB 399 would let the Coastal Commission consider carbon sequestration and blue carbon demonstration projects; AB 491 would codify state nature-based climate targets; AB 436 would streamline siting and permitting for composting facilities; AB 43 would make permanent state authority to protect federally designated wild and scenic rivers; and AB 580 would extend Metropolitan Water District authority related to the Colorado River Aqueduct. The committee also took up AB 439, which would streamline certain Coastal Commission de minimis plan changes and reporting requirements, and AB 404 was pulled at the author’s request. Testimony was generally supportive on the organic waste, composting, wildfire egress, blue carbon, nature-based solutions, wild and scenic rivers, and water infrastructure bills, with supporters emphasizing emissions reductions, landfill diversion, climate resilience, and local government flexibility. AB 30 drew the most debate: supporters said E15 would lower fuel costs and emissions, while opponents from boating and marine groups warned about engine damage, misfueling, and the need for clearer labeling and continued E10 availability. AB 66 also drew concerns from environmental groups and some members about the breadth of the CEQA exemption and lack of guardrails, though supporters argued it was narrowly targeted to high-risk communities with safeguards. Most measures received due-pass recommendations and advanced on recorded votes, often with broad support. AB 70, AB 30, AB 66, AB 399, AB 436, AB 43, AB 439, and AB 580 all passed out of committee, with AB 491 also moving forward after some opposition from the Farm Bureau and questions about codifying targets in statute. The consent calendar items were approved as well, and the committee adopted its rules before concluding the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pacific Forest Trust is a nonprofit organization working to conserve and restore whole forest systems
• We're pleased to work with Assemblymember Hadwick and Cal Forest to resolve this issue, Makes forest
• Matt Diaz, Cal Forest, in support.
• Trust, and Bolsa Chica Land Trust, in support.
• Big Sur Land Trust and Bolsa Chica Land Trust, in support.

Summary: The committee heard several natural resources bills focused on wildfire resilience, recycling, forest management, and organic waste diversion. AB 442 would remove a requirement that a harvest area be limited to a single watershed for working forest management plans; the author and supporters from the California Forestry Association and Pacific Forest Trust said it would reduce barriers to forest resiliency work, and there was no opposition. AB 623 would require state agencies to report on the use of CEQA and Coastal Act suspensions for wildfire and fuel-management projects after the governor’s emergency proclamation; the author said the bill would provide data on how well the suspensions are working, and it drew support with no opposition. AB 35 would exempt Proposition 4-funded programs from the Administrative Procedures Act to speed implementation of climate, water, wildfire, and environmental projects; the author and a large coalition of local governments, water agencies, conservation groups, and fire organizations argued the exemption would help get funds out faster, while no opposition was present. The committee also discussed AB 3333, which would create a market-development payment to support end users of non-container glass, such as ground glass pozzolan used in cement, in order to divert glass from landfills and reduce carbon emissions. Supporters said the bill would create a productive use for hard-to-recover glass, while opponents from the Glass Packaging Institute, Californians Against Waste, and waste management interests argued it would divert beverage container recycling funds away from the bottle-to-bottle system and could undermine existing recycling investments and recycled-content goals. Members raised questions about the fund’s revenue sources, the purpose of the beverage container recycling program, and whether the bill would amount to “downcycling”; despite those concerns, the bill advanced on a due-pass-as-amended recommendation, with members noting fiscal and policy issues for further work. AB 643 would allow certain diverted organic material used as a beneficial agricultural amendment, including CDFA-licensed fertilizer products made from biosolids, to count toward SB 1383 recovered organic waste procurement targets. Supporters from wastewater agencies and Clean Water SoCal said the change would expand options for meeting procurement requirements and help move biosolids out of landfills, while Californians Against Waste and other opponents argued the bill could expand procurement credit beyond SB 1383’s original intent and weaken investments in composting infrastructure. Committee members questioned what kinds of biosolids would qualify, how the procurement credit would work, and whether the bill could be narrowed to historically landfilled materials; the author said she would continue working with opponents and wait for CalRecycle technical assistance. The committee adopted the bills’ amendments and passed AB 35 with urgency, AB 3333, AB 442, AB 623, and AB 643 to Appropriations, and also approved consent-calendar AB 946. After roll calls, all of the measures were reported out of committee, and the hearing adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It turns out I'm actually in Nebraska with all of the Western states and the Forest Service leadership
• I'm actually in Nebraska with all of the Western states and the Forest Service leadership trying to discuss
• You have a Forest Service program. You have an NRCS program.
• This is one of the benefits the task force brings, where we have Cal Fire, the Forest Service, and Caltrans
• This is one of the benefits of the task force brings where we have Cal Fire, the Forest Service, and

Transcript Highlights:

• It turns out I'm actually in Nebraska with all of the Western states and the Forest Service leadership
• I'm actually in Nebraska with all of the Western states and the Forest Service leadership trying to discuss
• You have a Forest Service program. You have an NRCS program.
• This is one of the benefits the task force brings, where we have Cal Fire, the Forest Service, and Caltrans
• This is one of the benefits of the task force brings where we have Cal Fire, the Forest Service, and

Summary: The joint Senate hearing focused on California wildfire resilience funding, the SB 254 report on natural catastrophe resilience, and how the state should better prioritize community hardening, recovery, and financing. Senators emphasized that catastrophic wildfires have driven major property losses, insurance cancellations, and affordability problems, and several members argued that prevention and home/community hardening should receive far more attention than they have to date. Members also raised concerns about CEQA and other permitting delays, the need for ongoing rather than one-time funding, and whether the state should rely more on the General Fund, utilities, or other sources such as polluter-pays approaches. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the state has appropriated about $4.7 billion for wildfire resilience since 2018-19, with most funding going to forest health, fuels reduction, and related landscape work, while only about $65 million has been specifically targeted to community hardening. LAO also noted that future one-time funding is likely to decline, that GGRF revenues may be limited under the new cap-and-invest structure, and that maintenance costs for treated areas could be substantial over time. Senators pressed LAO on why wildfire resilience is not more often funded through the General Fund and on whether current spending matches the scale of the risk. Cal Fire’s State Fire Marshal described the state’s community wildfire preparedness strategy, centered on home hardening, defensible space, and neighborhood-scale mitigation, and said the SB 254 report aligns with Cal Fire’s direction. He said California has roughly 4 million homes in the wildland-urban interface, most built before modern wildfire-resistant standards, and highlighted recent streamlining that approved 383 fuels-reduction projects in under 30 days during an emergency proclamation. Cal OES described the AB 38 pilot and FEMA hazard mitigation work, saying federal approval delays have been a major barrier and that the state has hardened 155 properties so far through the pilot, with many more in process. The Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force said the state has coordinated more than $6 billion in state and federal investments, treated over 700,000 acres annually, and is shifting toward more regional, data-driven planning and block grants. Task force staff and Cal Fire both said they are moving beyond simple acreage metrics toward models that estimate avoided loss and community risk reduction, but acknowledged major data gaps on parcel-level home hardening and defensible space. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with members discussing possible future legislation and budget changes, including home inspection reforms and continued CEQA streamlining.

Transcript Highlights:

• public service agencies.
• </c> support services. support services. uh<00:07:58.000><c> through</c><00:07:58.160><c> a</c><00:07
• </c> service response. service response.
• </c><00:19:06.240><c> Um,</c> service. It's it's a safety element. Um, service.
• </c> those services. those services.

Bills: HF3738 , HF2295 , HF3520 , HF3666

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: pediatric care, hospital discharge, home care, healthcare accessibility, nursing services, family support, mental health, crisis services, Dakota County, mobile crisis response, public safety, treatment services, rehabilitation, behavioral health fund, client eligibility, home and community-based services, case management, waiver services, county services, disability advocacy

Transcript Highlights:

• And that very preliminary study looked at only the four of the 12 Indian Health Service clinics and looked
• was only successful on two occasions being able to extract some limited data around Indian Health Service
• Thousands of women were sterilized without their The federal government utilizes internet health services
• In 1972, after an eruption of the appendix, I was admitted to Gallup Indian Health Service in Gallup,
• She thinks she's a nurse at Indian Health Service. So I said, 'Was there a question?'

Bills: SM14

Committee: Senate Senate Indian, Rural & Cultural Affairs

Keywords: forced sterilization, coerced sterilization, Indigenous women, Native American women, women of color, reproductive justice, reproductive sovereignty, truth and reconciliation commission, memorial, trauma-informed care, reparative justice, human rights, bodily autonomy, Indian Health Service, Indian affairs, Commission on the Status of Women, survivor testimony, reproductive health access, genocide, transitional justice

Bills: HB443

Committee: Senate Transportation and Energy

Keywords: HB443, Underground Damage Prevention Program, One-Call Notification System, utility locate, dig law, excavation safety, damage prevention, underground utilities, pipeline safety, public utilities, buried facilities, excavation notice, demolition notice, Alabama Public Service Commission, sunset extension, utility protection, locate request, call before you dig, gas pipeline, hazardous liquid pipeline

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:24:52.039><c> you</c> more on these expanded Services you more on these expanded Services you
• services like these are one.
• The band's annual CIFA payment is the primary source for servicing the debt incurred from the land restoration
• ><c> Future</c><00:48:21.920><c> land</c> their land that transfer to Future land their land that transfer
• </c> subdivide the land develop on the land subdivide the land develop on the land and<00:48:29.440><

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm with the State Land Department. I'm with the State Land Department.
• With the State Land Department. We have 9.2 million acres of trust land, lots of trails.
• Service region-wide.
• nearby, on similar BLM lands?
• Now you look at the forest system right now: the national forests don't have a penny toward any kind

Committee: Joint Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Study Committee