Transcript Highlights:

• these next series of slides, I'll be going over JR security classification processes and how that interfaces
• This slide shows a little bit about how classification and placement interfaces.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 1544, which would require DCYF to study and improve the risk assessment tool used in child abuse and neglect investigations, including better identifying family strengths and needs, substance use-related risk, and service needs, and to certify the tool every three years. Staff explained the bill and noted it had passed the committee unanimously in substitute form last year. The prime sponsor, Representative Rule, said the tool would help reduce bias and support better decisions about child safety. Members raised questions about whether the bill would require new data systems or create a fiscal impact, and DCYF testified that the recertification process would focus on evidence-based literature and fidelity to the tool, though the agency acknowledged limitations in its data system. Support testimony from Partners for Our Children and DCYF emphasized that the current tool is not evidence-based and that the department is piloting the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale. The hearing on HB 1544 was then closed. The committee then received a lengthy work session from DCYF on juvenile rehabilitation. Juvenile Rehabilitation Assistant Secretary Jennifer Redman and security classification administrator Jeff Endermark described a growing JR population that is older, serving more adult-sentence youth, and projected to rise to about 481 by 2031. They said Green Hill School remains crowded, Harbor Heights is being brought online as a short-term option, and Echo Glen is near safe operational capacity. They explained JR’s classification system, behavior management process, and the role of multidisciplinary teams in placement decisions, as well as the expansion of community transition services (CTS), which uses electronic home monitoring for eligible youth. Staff described CTS eligibility, supervision expectations, and examples of successful placements, but also said the program needs more after-hours staffing and community supports. Members questioned the validity and equity of the risk tools, the availability of community resources, the impact of behavior policies and escapes, the use of single bunking, and broader concerns about lawsuits and sexual abuse in the system. JR reported an escape rate increase from 1.78 per 100 youth in 2001 to 3.92 in 2025 and said additional capacity and staffing are still needed. The committee then heard House Bill 2219, which would allow child care centers more flexibility in mixed-age grouping during parts of the day and waive repeated DCYF pre-service orientation for people who have already completed it. The prime sponsor, Representative Ortiz-Self, said the bill is meant to ease burdens on small providers. Testifiers from SEIU 925, a family child care provider, the Washington Child Care Centers Association, a child care center director, and the Children’s Campaign Fund supported the bill as a practical way to improve staffing flexibility and reduce duplicative licensing requirements, though one association asked that the bill’s daily time caps on mixed-age grouping be revised or removed. The committee then heard House Bill 2253, an agency-request technical corrections bill for DCYF licensing. Staff said it would allow child-specific licenses for certain relatives under interstate placements, exempt kinship caregivers from blood-borne pathogen training, remove licensing exemptions for physicians and lawyers, allow termination of inactive licenses, revise crisis residential center staffing ratios, and eliminate state monitoring requirements for the Washington School for the Deaf residential program. Members asked about how inactivity would be defined and whether the School for the Deaf inspections had historically produced savings. DCYF said the bill would help right-size licensing workloads after budget cuts and would let the agency work with stakeholders to define inactivity in rule. Testimony from DCYF, Community Youth Services, and Partners for Our Children supported the bill, especially the staffing ratio fix for crisis residential centers and the child-specific licensing changes for relatives.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have an office of small business in the airport itself that interfaces with the county small...
• We have an office of small business in the airport itself that interfaces with the county small business

Summary: The Transportation Committee met to consider two bills and then held a lengthy discussion on Florida airport infrastructure. SB 246, presented by Senator Rodriguez on behalf of Senator Gruters, would authorize a UFC specialty license plate, with proceeds supporting the UFC Foundation’s charitable work. A UFC Foundation representative described community beneficiaries and said the plate would help raise funds for local charities. With no questions or debate, the committee voted SB 246 favorably. The committee also took up SPB 7012, a Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles public-records exemption bill that would remove the October 1, 2026 repeal date for certain active investigatory records. Senator Avila moved to submit it as a committee bill, there was no objection, and it was reported favorably as a committee bill. The remainder of the meeting focused on the Comprehensive Airport Infrastructure Program. FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue outlined Florida’s aviation system, the department’s airport funding programs, and the state’s role as a financial partner in safety, capacity, preservation, and economic development projects. He said Florida has 128 public-use airports, 21 commercial-service airports, and four large-hub airports, and noted that airport funding is largely supported by gas-tax-related revenues, with additional support from documentary stamp revenue and other fees. He also discussed the new airport infrastructure planning requirements created last session and said all required airports had submitted plans. Committee members asked about the loss of aviation fuel tax revenue, workforce development, project timelines, and how FDOT prioritizes funding, with Perdue emphasizing safety, preservation, capacity, economic return, and matching funds. A panel from Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa international airports then described major capital programs, passenger growth, and funding needs. The airports highlighted terminal expansions, parking, baggage systems, airfield rehabilitation, people movers, and other modernization projects, along with the importance of maintaining aging facilities while accommodating growth. They said FDOT and FAA grants are helpful but increasingly insufficient for runway and taxiway costs, and several panelists said passenger facility charges and other revenue tools are important to future self-sufficiency. Members also asked about workforce shortages, small-business participation, landing-fee negotiations, and non-aeronautical revenue. The panel said workforce challenges are most acute in trades and maintenance, small-business programs are active at each airport, and landing fees are negotiated with airlines to keep airports competitive while funding needed improvements.

Transcript Highlights:

• tremendous amount of information that's very robust, and as Representative Snyder mentioned, the user interface
• tremendous amount of information that's very robust, and as Representative Snyder mentioned, the user interface

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met to continue reviewing how Family Empowerment Scholarship students are funded through the FEFP and the role of scholarship funding organizations. Staff gave a statutory overview of parent, SFO, and Department of Education responsibilities, including application deadlines, eligibility verification, quarterly payment timing, cross-checks to prevent duplicate funding, and the 99% district FEFP limitation for certain awards. The committee then heard demonstrations from Step Up for Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation showing their parent portals, application workflows, reimbursement systems, school enrollment/invoice processes, and marketplace tools for tuition, tutoring, and approved goods and services. Step Up reported major growth since HB 1, saying its scholarship population expanded from about 260,000 to more than 440,000 students, with application processing averaging about 10 days. It also highlighted faster tuition, provider, and reimbursement payments, multilingual support in English and Spanish, and resources such as videos and a call center. Members asked about support for Creole speakers, optional Florida ID numbers, student identifiers, marketplace pricing, tutor qualifications, background screening, and how awards differ from funded status. Step Up said it does not currently support Creole, does not do background screenings for tutors, sets no marketplace prices itself, and uses a unique internal student ID separate from the state ID. AAA demonstrated its revised software for the 2025-26 school year, including an eligibility screener, household and student application steps, messaging with staff, reimbursement requests, and administrative review and payment batching. AAA said the new system is custom-built, more transparent about award value versus available balance, and designed to better handle quarterly funding for UA students. Members questioned AAA and Step Up about student ID numbers, public-school cross-checks, fraud controls, school fee schedules, whether schools must participate, and reimbursement timing. Both organizations said they report quarterly to DOE, receive public-school cross-checks, and recover funds when students return to public school; AAA said its average reimbursement turnaround is about 14 business days, while Step Up said its reimbursement approvals have improved significantly. The committee also requested follow-up information, including one-pagers, data on income levels and demographics, and additional details on forecasting and system costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the ideas being generated include a web interface overlaying the MAXIS green screens to provide
• 00:08:17.080><c> web</c> ideas being generated include a web ideas being generated include a web interface
• c> overlaying</c><00:08:18.800><c> the</c><00:08:18.920><c> MAXIS</c><00:08:19.520><c> green</c> interface
• overlaying the MAXIS green interface overlaying the MAXIS green screens<00:08:20.360><c> to</c><00:08

Bills: HF4525, HF3002, HF3665, HF4420

Keywords: human services, background studies, NETStudy 2.0, licensing, license suspension, license revocation, provider enrollment, program integrity, fraud, medical assistance fraud, Medicaid, payment withholding, credible allegation of fraud, background check, disqualification, variance, set-aside, foster care, family foster setting, adult foster care

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, I interface with these students on the daily, right?
• Again, I interface with these students on the daily, right?
• Again, I interface with these students on the daily, right?
• Again, I interface with these students on the daily, right?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met without a quorum, so the minutes were not approved. The main presentation was from retired economics professors John Garren and Dr. Kums, who discussed their Bluegrass Institute research on teacher compensation in Kentucky since the Kentucky Education Reform Act era. They said teacher base salaries, adjusted for inflation, have declined over the last decade, while state-paid “on-behalf” benefits such as pension and health insurance contributions have risen sharply; they argued total teacher compensation has increased modestly overall, but less than per-pupil funding. They also presented broader context on staffing growth, declining average daily attendance, Kentucky’s low share of teachers among total school staff, and flat or weak NAEP and ACT performance trends, including widening white-Black score gaps on NAEP. Members questioned the methodology and interpretation of the compensation figures. Representative Bojanowski argued the on-behalf calculations may overstate teacher compensation because they include insurance and pension costs that also benefit classified employees and retirees, and he asked for clarification on the denominator used to derive the per-teacher amount. Representative Truit said the presentation could be misleading if it implies teachers earn $94,000 in salary, and he objected to framing pension stabilization payments as teacher pay. The presenters responded that they were using total compensation, not salary alone, said they had divided total personnel-related on-behalf payments by the relevant staff count, and promised to review and send a technical explanation. Representative Truit and Chairman Typton both emphasized that compensation should be viewed as salary plus benefits, not salary alone, and noted that pension contributions are part of the cost of employing teachers. The presenters said their intent was to show the full compensation package and its relevance to labor supply and teacher shortages, not to claim that individual teachers earn the total compensation figure as salary. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond the decision to revisit the minutes at a later meeting due to the lack of quorum.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we did reduce the resources that go into the urban account, which is currently $2 million a year.
• Moving on down to line 24, this is the reduction to the urban agriculture program within Agri.
• On line 25 from the agency's budget bill, the eligibility is expanded for the urban ag program.
• Right now, we talked about cutting urban ag grants; that's in this bill.
• So, like on the urban ag, we've been able to get some of our urban ag grants opened up at the federal

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Does that interface with CARE Court in any way? I don't know. So I'm curious.
• California State University, Office of the Chancellor, Catalyst California, the Greater Sacramento Urban
• Monia Jennings, on behalf of the Greater Sacramento Urban League, in full support. Thank you.
• Monaya Jennings, on behalf of the Greater Sacramento Urban League, in full support. Thank you.
• Those are very, very safe, but they are also located in big urban centers.

Summary: The committee met as a subcommittee without quorum at first, then later established quorum and continued hearing several bills. SB 27, the annual CARE Court cleanup bill, would require courts to consider CARE referral for certain misdemeanor defendants found incompetent to stand trial, combine some hearings, allow limited data sharing among licensed medical professionals, and expand eligibility to include mood disorders with psychotic features. Supporters said it would clarify the meaning of “clinically stabilized,” streamline the process, and help more severely ill people receive treatment; opponents argued it would expand CARE Court too broadly, strain county resources, and divert attention from housing and voluntary services. The bill passed to the Health Committee on a roll call vote and was placed on call. SB 82, dealing with so-called “infinite arbitration clauses,” would limit consumer contract arbitration provisions to disputes arising from the product or service actually purchased. The author and supporters said the bill would stop companies from forcing arbitration in unrelated claims and would not ban arbitration itself. Opponents from business and banking groups argued the language was too restrictive, could create litigation over related transactions, and should be clarified as prospective only. The committee approved the bill and placed it on call after a roll call vote. The committee then heard two reparations-related bills. SB 437 would direct CSU to develop a genealogical methodology and framework for verifying descendants of enslaved people, with oversight, reporting, and guardrails tied to recently allocated state funding. Supporters said the bill would create a fair, evidence-based process; opponents, including professional genealogists and reparations advocates, argued the work is already well understood, the bill is unnecessary, and it could delay action. SB 518 would create a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within state government, with divisions for genealogy, property reclamation, outreach, and legal affairs. Supporters framed it as needed infrastructure to implement reparations recommendations; opponents objected to locating it in the Department of Justice, warned about data privacy and law enforcement control, and criticized the inclusion of broader communities. Both bills were moved to Appropriations and placed on call. The committee also heard SB 52, the End AI Rent Hikes Act, which would prohibit the use of algorithms to collude on and artificially inflate rental prices; the author and supporters described it as a response to AI-assisted rent fixing in California’s housing market.

Transcript Highlights:

• They could care less, but they have met their clerk and recorder and they have interfaced with their
• recorder<02:01:32.400><c> and</c><02:01:32.639><c> they</c><02:01:32.880><c> have</c><02:01:33.119><c> interfaced
• </c><02:01:33.679><c> with</c> recorder and they have interfaced with recorder and they have interfaced
• transportation expertise appointed; Chris Jones of Boulder, Colorado, to serve as a representative of an urban
• serve</c><04:42:20.560><c> as</c> Chris Jones of Boulder, Colorado, to serve as a representative of an urban

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I was lucky to be in urban environments, of course, that had access to those.
• The things that we’re talking about are how do we educate young people in regard to how they’re interfacing

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and so they could internally coordinate on how to make that investment, how that program can best interface
• Department of Housing and Urban Development data standards.

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 4 met to hear an oversight discussion focused on homelessness, including the state of homelessness in California, state data systems, and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HAP) program. In opening remarks, the chair emphasized accountability and the need to focus on families and people at the bottom rung, while the vice chair argued that homelessness and affordability problems stem from policy choices and the state should give counties more flexibility rather than top-down mandates. The committee also announced that the one scheduled vote would be postponed and public comment would be taken later. Dr. Ryan Finnegan of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center presented recent homelessness data, saying California’s homelessness remains high at about 187,000 people in the 2024 point-in-time count, with most still unsheltered, though the unsheltered share has declined somewhat. He explained differences between point-in-time counts and the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS), noted progress in shelter, permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and interim housing capacity, and highlighted declines in youth and veteran homelessness. He also described persistent racial disparities, the large number of chronically homeless people, and risks from federal changes and possible reductions to programs such as Emergency Housing Vouchers and Continuum of Care funding. Members questioned the causes of recent trends, the role of Housing First, Proposition 47, Martin v. Boise, and how funding streams such as HAP and CalAIM are layered together. The California Interagency Council on Homelessness then outlined its data systems and AB 799 implementation. Staff explained that HDIS aggregates HMIS data from all 44 continuums of care and is used to measure outcomes, disparities, and program effectiveness statewide. They said HAP 4 was cost-effective under the State Auditor’s methodology, and that new AB 799 dashboards will provide more public-facing fiscal and outcome reporting by June 2027. Members asked whether the system can better distinguish which interventions work, how self-sufficiency will be measured, how fraud is detected, and whether the council can meet the auditor’s concerns on time. Cal ICH said it has met prior statutory deadlines, that program outcome data already exist, and that fiscal reporting will be built through a web-based tool and aligned with existing departmental reporting systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are working with Tyler to upgrade that interface that all the attorneys use, so I'll make a note.
• It's not even a rural versus urban issue anymore. People are sick and tired of this crime.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , no more than 100K, has given for us to develop a robust curriculum of 12 weeks of environmental, urban
• also reconstructed the transport of PFAS into the lake and out of the lake across the water-land interface

Transcript Highlights:

• doing a sustainable local food transportation route study for rural, frontier communities, tribal, and urban
• It's called NIMCRIS and it does have both records-based database as well as a GIS interface.

Transcript Highlights:

• to quantify the gaps between what we have the ability to provide today statewide, not just in the urban
• Do you interface a lot with schools that are dedicated solely to serving... Broward and Monroe.

Summary: The committee held its first meeting and received an overview of the Pre-K-12 education appropriations jurisdiction and base budget. Staff explained that education funding is driven largely by enrollment and per-student formulas, with most money coming from state and local sources. The presentation highlighted the major budget areas: early learning, the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), non-FEFP K-12 programs, federal programs, and the State Board of Education. Members asked about instructional materials funding and how scholarship students who return to public schools are counted and funded; staff explained that instructional materials remain in the base and that funding depends on survey timing, with districts ultimately funded through the enrollment count process. The committee then reviewed federal IDEA funding for students with disabilities. Department of Education officials explained how IDEA Part B funds are split between state set-asides and local educational agencies, and noted that Florida ranked fourth nationally in total IDEA Part B funding and received a 95% state determination for meeting IDEA requirements. They also described the bureau’s responsibilities, including monitoring, dispute resolution, instructional support, and the Hope Florida unit for ages 3 to 5. Members asked for more information on student performance outcomes and how the state measures success beyond compliance, and the department agreed to provide follow-up data. The final major topic was the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), including associate centers, multidisciplinary centers, and specialized centers for deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students. Presenters described services such as child find, family support, assessments, professional learning, accessible instructional materials, and technical assistance. Committee members focused on whether families and schools have equal access to services across the state, how IEP disputes and reevaluations are handled, and whether more support is needed for parents, teachers, and rural districts. FDLRS representatives said they do not write IEPs but help connect families to districts, provide training and assessments, and support compliance and data collection; they also emphasized staffing and resource needs, especially for low-incidence disabilities and multilingual family outreach.

Bills: SB141, SB124, SB56, SJR116, SB94, SB37, SB127, SB197, SB66, SB70, SB133, SB160, SB214, SB312, SB52, SJR62, SJR75

Keywords: legal advertisements, tax rates, public hearings, transparency, local government, sick leave, education, teacher retirement, benefits, employee compensation, Medicaid, nonopioid analgesics, pain management, health care regulation, utilization controls, physician shortage, health care access, medically underserved areas, medical education, workforce development

Transcript Highlights:

• The entirety of House Bill 195, which would establish the Youth Urban Agriculture Program in Kentucky
• board at all the providers that we just so desperately need in this state, and especially in rural and urban

Bills: SB141, SB124, SB56, SJR116, SB94, SB37, SB127, SB197, SB66, SB70, SB133, SB160, SB214, SB312, SB52, SJR62, SJR75

Keywords: legal advertisements, tax rates, public hearings, transparency, local government, sick leave, education, teacher retirement, benefits, employee compensation, Medicaid, nonopioid analgesics, pain management, health care regulation, utilization controls, physician shortage, health care access, medically underserved areas, medical education, workforce development

Bills: SB141, SB124, SB56, SJR116, SB94, SB37, SB127, SB197, SB66, SB70, SB133, SB160, SB214, SB312, SB52, SJR62, SJR75

Keywords: legal advertisements, tax rates, public hearings, transparency, local government, sick leave, education, teacher retirement, benefits, employee compensation, Medicaid, nonopioid analgesics, pain management, health care regulation, utilization controls, physician shortage, health care access, medically underserved areas, medical education, workforce development

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, SB5467, SB5820, SB5863, SB5892, SCR8406, HB2487, HB2711, SB5816, SB5919, SB5995, SB6278

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government

Bills: HB2720, HB2073, HB2681, SB5467, SB5820, SB5863, SB5892, SCR8406, HB2487, HB2711, SB5816, SB5919, SB5995, SB6278

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, SB 5467, water-sewer district, water sewer district, surplus property, public property sale, local government

Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, approved the prior day’s minutes, and then moved through caucuses and a series of transportation, elections, energy, historical records, cannabis, abortion-access, and fiscal bills. Members repeatedly emphasized that several measures were supplemental or technical updates to existing law, while others involved larger policy disputes over taxes, fees, clean energy, election security, and reproductive health. The chamber also received Senate messages on other bills and briefly recessed for caucus during the day. The most prominent action was final passage of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6005, the supplemental transportation budget, after adopting a technical amendment and a larger striker amendment. Supporters highlighted preservation and maintenance funding, rail investments, ferry maintenance, road safety, and continued work on major projects statewide; opponents largely reserved comments or noted concerns about future needs. The House passed the bill 93-0 with five excused. The House also passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2711 on transportation resources, after adopting a technical amendment that removed the aircraft tax and delayed an RV-related tax change; supporters said it protected businesses and jobs, while opponents objected to trade-in treatment and other tax changes. That bill passed 83-10. On elections, the House considered Senate Bill 5892 to protect the voter registration database. An amendment to reduce penalties from a felony to a civil infraction and remove the emergency clause failed, while the committee amendment passed 50-34. Supporters said the bill was needed to safeguard sensitive voter data and clarify access; opponents argued it created conflicts with federal law and imposed excessive penalties on local election officials. The bill then passed 57-36. On energy, Substitute Senate Bill 5982 updating consumer-owned utility provisions drew debate over carbon capture, resource adequacy, data centers, and clean energy policy. Amendments on carbon capture and blackout-triggered termination failed, while an amendment preserving cogeneration exceptions passed; the bill then passed 57-37. The House also passed Senate Bill 5863 on preservation and inspection of state historical records, after rejecting an amendment to require longer retention but adopting the committee amendment; supporters stressed preserving the history of residential habilitation centers and the value to families seeking records. Substitute Senate Bill 5874, allowing the Employment Security Department to waive penalties for minor employer reporting errors, passed unanimously. Engrossed House Bill 2681, raising cannabis license fees while removing an escalator, passed 52-42. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5917 on access to abortion medications saw several failed amendments from opponents seeking to narrow, reframe, or add fiscal limits to the bill; supporters said it preserved flexibility to ensure access and avoid waste, and the bill passed 57-36.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, there's all of these things that make urban dwelling more livable.
• these<00:34:12.720><c> things</c><00:34:12.879><c> that</c><00:34:13.200><c> make</c><00:34:13.679><c> urban
• </c><00:34:13.919><c> dwelling</c> these things that make urban dwelling these things that make urban

Bills: HB1739, HB1741, HB2606, HB2362, HB2608, HB2294, HB2431, HB2375, HB2582, HB2585, HB2231, HB1601, HB2424, HB1956

Keywords: transit-oriented development, zoning, land use, urban planning, density, local governance, housing, inclusionary zoning, inclusionary mandate, affordable housing, below-market-rate housing, inclusionary housing, development exaction, impact fee, housing affordability impact fee, needs assessment study, financial feasibility, rough proportionality, essential nexus, county ordinance

Summary: The committee on Water and Land met on February 19, 2026, and the chair opened by emphasizing strict time limits and that all bills would be deferred if the agenda was not completed before the noon session. The first major measure discussed was HB 1739 HD1, which would preempt county land-use authority in transit-oriented development areas. The Department of Planning supported the bill, saying it could promote state-funded TOD and infrastructure, while the city and county’s position was raised in questioning. Unite Here Local 5 opposed the bill, arguing it would strip counties of self-determination, disrupt state-county policy collaboration, and remove a check on unrestrained development. Committee members pressed the supporters on whether the bill was really about higher density and whether it would override local zoning and sustainability concerns. The committee then heard testimony on HB 1741 HD1, a housing bill described by supporters as reducing inclusionary housing mandates and increasing supply. Grassroots Institute of Hawaii argued affordability mandates reduce overall housing production and raise market-rate prices, while a Zoom testifier said the bill would improve housing stability, health, and community outcomes for working families, kupuna, and young residents. Members asked about the bill’s needs assessment and who would conduct it, with a witness saying the counties would likely contract it out but that the bill did not clearly specify the reviewer. HB 2668 HD1, dealing with water heating systems, drew testimony from the Hawaii State Energy Office and industry representatives. Supporters generally backed adding heat pumps to the law, but one solar-water-heater industry witness asked for amendments to remove or extend the current 15-year statutory life limit for solar water heaters and to update outdated standards and variance rules. A Kauaʻi Climate Action Coalition witness opposed the existing solar-only structure, arguing heat pump water heaters are cheaper, align with climate goals, and should be allowed without a variance. The Energy Office said the current law already allows variances in some cases, suggested adding high-efficiency heat pump water heaters to the exemption, and said the 15-year figure may be too short, with 18 years mentioned as a possible alternative. The committee also briefly moved through several other bills, including HB 2606 HD1 on off-site construction and HB 2362 HD1 on housing, with no notable testimony or action recorded in the excerpt.