Video & Transcript Research : 'priority facilities'
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NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs (03/25/2026)
Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- So if we are legislating this issue as a priority, what other issues does this take priority over, and
- So if we are legislating this issue as a priority, what other issues does this take priority over, and
- Representative Lante and then Representative Mle. facilities. So, do do you agree with facilities.
- If it's a licensed facility or a certified facility, it'll go to those agencies that oversee that.
- or certified facility, they facility or certified facility, they would<03:22:20.080>
be <03:22
VA
Transcript Highlights:
- 16 months is currently about 69% of our facilities.
- But more than that, we're giving priority to certain areas.
- We have these three phases in terms of priorities.
- So again, critical priority: keep people covered.
- So again, critical priority, keep people covered.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Budget Bills Pass / Reflecting on the Session / What's Next for Senate Media Jun 15th, 2025
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- So, what are their main priorities for your caucus?
- That's not the priorities of Minnesota.
- Well, that's putting those facilities.
- Another priority on that secondary deal.
- put uh Minnesota nursing uh facilities put uh Minnesota nursing uh facilities first?
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2026-05-29 (10:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Is there any money in there for that new facility we're supposed to be building?
- Is there any money in there for that new facility we're supposed to be building?
- funded as a priority here in the state of Florida.
- And so it's clear, it is clear where the priorities are—I'm sorry, I can't say where the priorities are—it's
- Yet too many of these priorities remain underfunded and overlooked.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2026-05-29 (10:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Is there any money in there for that new facility we're supposed to be building?
- And let's talk about what wasn't funded as a priority here in the state of Florida.
- But let's talk about where Florida lawmakers and leadership's priorities are.
- And so it's clear, it is clear where the priorities are, I'm sorry, I can't say where the priorities
- Yet too many of these priorities remain underfunded and overlooked.
Summary:
The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Don Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. The chamber announced it would take up 11 budget conference committee reports, with no third-reading bills or special-order calendar items. Members were reminded that conference reports were subject to debate but not amendment, and that the required review periods had been satisfied.
The first major action was on HB 7031E, the tax package. Representative Duggan explained that the conference report included a mix of retained, modified, and new tax provisions, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related changes, reductions in certain gaming and carbon-related taxes, changes to child care and documentary stamp tax credits, a new refund process for public works construction tax paid by universities and colleges, and other tax administration changes. Debate focused on the bill’s consumer impact, the reduction of the child tax credit from three years to one, the inclusion of firearm accessories in a sales tax holiday, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the homestead exemption provision for certain deployed diplomatic and foreign service personnel. Critics argued the package favored niche or corporate interests over broad affordability relief, while supporters said it provided targeted tax relief and reflected conference negotiations. The House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11.
The House then began presenting the conference report for HB 501E, the state budget, which totaled $114.5 billion for fiscal year 2026-27 and was described as below the prior year’s spending level while maintaining reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major budget areas: pre-K-12 funding included an increase in FEFP, salary increases for veteran teachers, stabilization funding, and support for declining enrollment; higher education included full Bright Futures funding, workforce programs, college operating support, university initiatives, and school guardian expansion; IT funding focused on Palm, ACCESS, APD’s I-Connect replacement, corrections systems, emergency management systems, and cybersecurity grants; health care funding covered Medicaid, nursing home rates, waiver provider increases, ADAP funding and restructuring, child welfare, and behavioral health; transportation and economic development included housing, cultural grants, jobs and rural infrastructure, Visit Florida, Space Florida, highway patrol equipment, and local transportation projects; justice funding included correctional construction, juvenile justice facilities, law enforcement grants, and clerk and due process reimbursements; state administration included fire stations, constrained counties, building maintenance, and Safe Florida Home; and agriculture/natural resources funding emphasized Everglades restoration, water quality, land acquisition, Florida Forever, state parks, and citrus research. Members then began questioning the budget details, including school voucher accountability, school funding formulas, public defender parity, prison technology, wastewater monitoring in prisons, ADAP policy, SNAP fraud controls and AI-assisted verification, Florida Forever funding, school lunch funding, and coral reef restoration. No final vote on HB 501E appears in the transcript excerpt.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
WLA-EDU, EDU Public Hearings 02-18-2026
Water, Land, Culture and the Arts
Transcript Highlights:
- Facility modernization, um, does a facility have the adequate space for student learning?
- Facility modernization, um, does a facility have the adequate space for student learning?
- Facility modernization, um, does a facility have the adequate space for student learning?
- facilities use process. facilities use process.
- facilities use. facilities use.
Bills:
SB2003
Keywords:
Mauna Kea, land management, University of Hawaii, astronomical observatories, leasable lands, natural resource management, stewardship authority, 912, senate, all
Summary:
The joint committees on Water, Land, Culture, and the Arts and Education heard testimony and discussed SB 20003, which would require the auditor’s report under Act 255 to include a recommendation on whether the Monarch Stewardship and Oversight Authority is fit to continue managing Monaca lands. Testimony focused on the bill’s reversion language, the role of the auditor, and whether the measure gave the auditor too much discretion without clear criteria. The Office of the Auditor’s position, read into the record, was that it had strong reservations because the bill did not provide standards for assessing fitness and asked that the requirement be held or amended. Other testimony suggested a work group with relevant agencies and Hawaiian practitioners to manage the transition and reduce conflict.
Committee members debated whether the bill should simply restore the original reversion language or also require an audit-based fitness determination. Several members questioned the need for a 2031 audit when Act 255 already provides for a performance and financial audit in 2031 and noted that the bill could shift authority away from the legislature. In response, the committee chair explained that the measure was intended to restore language removed during conference and to address the transition back to the University of Hawaii if the authority was not meeting the act’s purpose.
The committees ultimately recommended SB 20003 be passed with amendments. The amendments would strike the auditor/audit section, add language addressing timelines by providing a 10-year lease extension and sublease extension, and make technical changes including a defective date. The committees voted to adopt the amended measure and send it forward as an SD1.
The transcript also included a separate Education Committee hearing on SB 3286, which would require the University of Hawaii to develop a facilities and student housing master plan and report to the legislature. University of Hawaii testimony said the system supports the intent but that the bill’s requirements are a heavy lift across 10 campuses and should follow development of a broader academic strategy. Members raised concerns about deferred maintenance, shifting priorities, and the lack of a systemwide plan, while the university said it already has a six-year capital improvement plan but acknowledged it does not fully incorporate the broader academic and housing strategy the bill contemplates.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- area which is the high priority area? area which is the high priority area?
- world-class facility that will serve St. world-class facility that will serve St.
- , and expansion of the facility to help make the facility work.
- three facilities within the complex. three facilities within the complex.
- how how new and shiny that facility is. how how new and shiny that facility is.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- like wastewater facilities, clean drinking water facilities, also connecting communities to sewer systems
- like wastewater facilities, clean drinking water facilities, also connecting communities to sewer systems
- like wastewater facilities, clean drinking water facilities, also connecting communities to sewer systems
- you to come home and explain to them how you met those priorities and how you funded those priorities
- you to come home and explain to them how you met those priorities and how you funded those priorities
Summary:
The Senate Natural Resources Committee was called to order with member and staff introductions, then heard a presentation from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA). Director Chelsea McGuire described WIFA’s core revolving loan programs for clean water and drinking water infrastructure, its rural water supply development fund, its conservation grant fund, and the long-term water augmentation fund. She said WIFA has invested nearly $3 billion over 30 years in water infrastructure, awarded $87.3 million under the rural fund, and allocated about $211 million in conservation grants expected to save 6.6 million acre-feet of water. She also reported that the conservation grant fund is fully allocated and that WIFA is seeking renewed funding support from the legislature.
A major focus was the long-term augmentation fund, which WIFA is using to evaluate large-scale water supply projects through a competitive solicitation and due-diligence process. McGuire said 17 proposals were received and seven projects were selected for further development, including desalination, reuse, groundwater storage, and exchange-based supply arrangements involving Arizona, California, and Mexico. She emphasized that the next phase will include public engagement, technical and financial analysis, and input from potential water buyers, and that the projects are intended to address an identified supply gap of 100,000 to 500,000 acre-feet per year over the next 10 to 15 years.
Members generally praised WIFA’s work, especially its support for small and rural communities, and asked about public transparency, conservation savings, federal funding for revolving funds, and the cost and timeline of augmentation projects. McGuire said the revolving funds remain financially stable even if federal funding declines, though forgivable-principal grants could be affected. She also said smaller utilities often need staff help to navigate applications and that WIFA is working to make the rural fund’s process more predictable and accessible. Several senators urged the legislature not to cut WIFA’s funding, while McGuire argued that stable state support is needed to keep project costs down and maintain momentum. No votes or formal actions were taken.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- facility being built.
- And the facility being built.
- facility space in September of 2028. facility space in September of 2028.
- that are required of these facilities. that are required of these facilities.
- facility. Thank you. facility. Thank you. All<01:11:56.360>
right. All right.
Keywords:
water treatment, infrastructure, municipal funding, bond issuance, Becker, sewer improvements, sanitation, Hibbing, state bonds, infrastructure funding, capital investment, safety improvements, mobility, U.S. Highway 12, bonds, transportation funding, trails, Prior Lake, bond funding, recreational improvements
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- It's been a big priority of his and his wife, Erica, as well as his family.
- That's our legislative priority, to work with the legislature.
- And so our priorities are, one, as the governor always says, obey the law.
- We have facilities, and I'll get to Andy. But we're having facilities that have to be vacated.
- Which it does in West Texas pretty often, and we have to vacate those facilities.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Dec 8th, 2025 at 09:45 am
Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- I'm talking about the whole program, the whole carbon capture facility, so those are only facilities
- Of these facilities, a lot of these incidents happened either on the road or at facilities.
- Importantly, this facility disposition project reduces the risk that these process-contaminated facilities
- First off, a defense nuclear facility is a facility that's operated by the Department of Energy that
- Our focus areas remain ensuring the safety systems at the Plutonium facility, or the PF4 facility, are
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Courts, Corrections and Justice Jun 30th, 2025
Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Operate juvenile detention facilities.
- , and today 8 of those facilities are accredited.
- Sometimes someone will be booked into a facility and they'll need.
- Um, human trafficking, uh, uh, uh, that is a legislative priority.
- And so I think for the committee to say, here's some of the priorities that we've.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
EDN Info Briefing - Fri Jan 9, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- facilities continues to be a challenge. facilities continues to be a challenge.
- ,<01:19:58.400>
support structural facilities, support structural facilities, support facilities - >
for to thank facil our facilities office for to thank facil our facilities office for um<01: - from receiving um facilities funding? from receiving um facilities funding?
- facilities funding? facilities funding?
NY
New York 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications - 04/28/2026
Energy And Telecommunications
Transcript Highlights:
- Why would we give them the priority for power here? It's not a priority.
- Why would we give them the priority for power here? It's not a part.
- I don't think that I, I don't think that this is about a priority for, a priority for them getting power
- These are... ...an 80,000-square-foot facility.
- So good, do you know whether it's going to impact those facilities?
Summary:
The Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee met under Chair Kevin Parker and considered a series of energy, utility, and clean transportation bills. The committee first advanced a bill by Senator Connery on make-ready electric infrastructure for public-serving EV charging, after members raised concerns that the costs of preparing school bus charging infrastructure could be shifted to ratepayers. The committee then advanced Senator Parker’s pilot program for resilient EV charging microgrids, with discussion focused on using existing NYSERDA resources, the role of batteries, and the bill’s purpose in supporting emergency charging during outages. Another bill on heavy distribution centers and EV charging was also advanced after debate over its application to large warehouse and e-commerce facilities.
The committee also considered a bill on carport-mounted solar systems that would limit local zoning restrictions. A motion to substitute in a different bill was ruled improper for lack of notice, and the chair’s ruling was upheld on appeal. Members then advanced a PSC guidebook bill on gas and electric rate-making, and a utility shutoff protection bill for medical emergencies, life support equipment, and elderly, blind, or disabled customers, with questions about age definitions and the scope of medical documentation. The committee also advanced the Home Utility Weatherization Jobs Act, which would create a pilot program for electrification and weatherization in disadvantaged communities, with members discussing whether the program would be available at no cost to building owners and how utilities would access capital.
Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly raised concerns about who would pay for the programs, whether ratepayers or taxpayers would bear the costs, and how much local control would remain under the solar siting bill. At the end of the meeting, members briefly discussed a recent NYISO report warning about possible summer reliability issues and urged the committee and the PSC to review it closely. The chair noted the report should be considered alongside other state planning documents, and the meeting then adjourned.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Meeting: Senate Committee and House Committee on Capital Investment - 05/17/26
Transcript Highlights:
- Athletic Facility, 7.5 million. Athletic Facility, 7.5 million.
- Facility, 2.478 million. Facility, 2.478 million.
- aquatic facility, 4.15 million. aquatic facility, 4.15 million.
- different priorities, different needs. different priorities, different needs.
- And make that a priority.
Summary:
The committee took up a large bonding bill and reviewed the final spreadsheet of capital investments. Chairs and members repeatedly thanked staff, House and Senate negotiators, and the Governor’s team for a collaborative process. The bill was described as a statewide package rather than a partisan one, with major funding for higher education asset preservation, DNR projects, public safety, transportation, the Met Council, veterans facilities, corrections, DEED/local projects, and a large water infrastructure section.
House Fiscal staff and Senate fiscal staff walked through the bill line by line. Highlights included University of Minnesota and Minnesota State asset preservation, education and language immersion school funding, DNR trail and flood mitigation projects, public safety facilities, local road and bridge grants, Met Council parks and I/I grants, veterans home and armory funding, corrections projects including the Faribault vocational expansion, and many local economic development and public facility projects across Greater Minnesota and the metro. The bill also included Public Facilities Authority water and wastewater grants, housing rehabilitation funding, historical society grants, a Minnesota Zoo operating transfer, airport appropriations, and several cancellations of prior appropriations to help finance the package.
Members generally praised the bill and the bipartisan work behind it. Some Republicans emphasized the one-time license fee reduction and affordability, while also saying DEED’s business development infrastructure funding was too low. Senator Nelson highlighted long-awaited transportation projects such as Highway 14 and township roads. Senator Dibble supported the transportation investments but criticized the bill for having no transit funding, calling that a major omission. No vote was recorded in the excerpt, but the discussion centered on final review and support for moving the bonding bill forward.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
House - Chamber Meeting Mar 19th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- You create the priorities in this..."
- Grace Place, a women's health facility.
- You're exactly right; there were priorities.
- I did that for years on a sidewalk outside of a Planned Parenthood facility in one of the busiest facilities
- Submitted to Superfund sites, risk management plan facilities, treatment storage disposal facilities,
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Jan 14th, 2026
Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- They are officer-safety-centric priorities of the department.
- They are officer-safety-centric priorities of the department.
- First, modernizing our facilities, the slide's first bullet.
- The hangar and logistics facilities that you see there, that's fixed construction.
- The logistics facilities, Mr. Chair, we're short about 22,000 square feet.
Bills:
S0048
Keywords:
housing, accessory dwelling units, affordable housing, local government, zoning regulations, military families, density bonus, homeownership, property taxes
Summary:
The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development heard presentations on the Governor’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and then considered one bill, CS/SB 48 on accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The Governor’s office outlined a $117.4 billion overall budget, with transportation and economic development receiving about $18 billion statewide and $601 million in general revenue. Agency heads then presented priorities for Commerce, Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Military Affairs, State, Transportation, Emergency Management, and the Florida State Guard, emphasizing workforce development, housing, tourism marketing, aviation and space infrastructure, law enforcement recruitment, emergency preparedness, and military readiness.
In the Commerce presentation, Secretary Kelly highlighted funding for housing programs, the Hometown Heroes program, the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, rural infrastructure and workforce grants, Reconnect and Florida WINS systems, law enforcement and firefighter recruitment bonuses, defense support, Visit Florida, Space Florida, and SelectFlorida. Senators asked about Visit Florida’s private match requirements and whether the agency fully leveraged prior appropriations; Visit Florida’s CEO said the match was met and exceeded, though it is difficult but important. The Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles presentation focused on trooper pay, pursuit vehicles, aviation assets, and enterprise data systems, with questions about immigration enforcement and body cameras. Military Affairs requested funding for readiness centers, training facilities, education and health benefits for Guardsmen, and maintenance of existing armories; members discussed Guard deployments, staffing levels, and a proposed firing range project. The Department of State requested funds for automated election audits, a conservation lab, and historic preservation, and defended its arts grant process and rule changes. Transportation’s budget emphasized a $14.3 billion work program, road and bridge maintenance, aviation and aerospace, safety initiatives, and seaport investments, while Emergency Management requested funding for preparedness, flood mitigation, WebEOC, grants management, and alert systems; senators also asked about the Alligator Alcatraz detention facility.
For CS/SB 48, Senator Gates explained that the bill would require local governments to allow property owners to voluntarily create ADUs, while preserving local authority over setbacks, construction, and permitting. An amendment removed reusable tenant screening reports and clarified that conforming ADUs would be allowed by right without a separate hearing. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association supported the bill, saying ADUs could help provide long-term housing for service workers. After questions about local government and HOA authority, the committee adopted the amendment and then reported CS/SB 48 favorably by roll call vote.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Capital Planning Advisory Board (5-21-25) part 2
Transcript Highlights:
- Our facilities include state police posts, residential youth facilities for juveniles, day treatment
- for juveniles, adult youth facilities for juveniles, adult correctional<00:03:17.239>
facilities, - The 247 facilities life safety.
- at the DOCJT facilities?
- employees, which is our key priority. employees, which is our key priority.
Summary:
The committee heard capital plan presentations from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the Personnel Cabinet, and the School Facilities Construction Commission. The Justice Cabinet described its large portfolio of more than 900 facilities across the state and said decades of underfunded maintenance have created a backlog of repairs. Requested projects included a high-acuity mental health treatment facility for juvenile justice youth, two female detention centers to support the regional detention model, major corrections repairs and replacements, a new kitchen at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, a new dormitory at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women, completion of a new Eastern Kentucky prison, DOCJT training facility upgrades in Richmond and Madisonville, State Police radio system replacement and post construction, a combined Frankfort headquarters/Post 12 facility, and expanded crime lab and storage capacity. When asked about the high cost of the EKCC kitchen project, staff said construction inside an operating facility raises costs and that building a new adjacent kitchen would be more economical in the long run. The panel also asked about Fish and Wildlife officers training at DOCJT; staff said they do and that the training is funded through the CLEFT fund. The Justice Cabinet also said the recently enacted Senate Bill 4’s AI inventory and registry requirements would be part of its enterprise application and AI inventory system work.
The Personnel Cabinet requested funding to replace CHRIS, the state’s human resources and payroll system, which supports payroll and benefits for about 48,000 employees and the Kentucky Employee Health Plan for roughly 192,000 members. Staff said the current SAP-based system went live in 2011, is approaching end of support in 2030, and has not received functionality enhancements since 2016. They said the replacement is estimated at $151 million, with most of the cost tied to professional services and software, and that the project would begin in July 2026, go live by July 2030, and require a stabilization period through 2032. In response to questions about outsourcing payroll or reusing existing systems, staff said the complexity of state HR, payroll, tax updates, and integrations with other agencies makes outsourcing or partial reuse impractical.
The School Facilities Construction Commission introduced its role in helping all 171 school districts address unmet facility needs, focusing on core school facilities such as roofs and elementary buildings rather than athletic projects. No votes or formal actions were taken during the excerpted discussion; the meeting consisted of presentations, explanations of requested projects, and member questions.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
IC - Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Dec 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- And we'd love to know where are these facilities? who are? or at facilities.
- And the last pillar is excess facility disposition, so we actually dispose of process-contaminated facilities
- So first off, a defense nuclear facility is a facility that's operated by the Department of Energy that
- Some of our focus areas remain ensuring the safety systems at the plutonium facility, or the PF-4 facility
- Some of our focus areas remain ensuring the safety systems at the plutonium facility or the PF4 facility
Summary:
The committee first heard a presentation from the Environment Department on PFAS contamination in private wells in La Cienega, Santa Fe County. Staff said the plume likely came from historic use of firefighting foam associated with airport and National Guard fire-training activities, with possible additional contribution from septic systems and consumer products. They described the contamination as affecting about 200 private wells, the short-term response of providing residential filters through a $2 million legislative appropriation, and ongoing work to define the plume’s full extent, identify responsible parties, and consider longer-term regional water solutions. Members asked about filter costs, replacement schedules, disposal of used cartridges, follow-up testing, health studies, and whether cleanup or containment had begun; the department said cleanup would follow once the plume is fully mapped and that DOH is soliciting interest in a blood study. The committee also discussed the need to track disposal of PFAS filters and the possibility of broader statewide capacity for similar work.
The committee then took up abandoned uranium mine cleanup. NMED and EMNRD staff reviewed the new uranium mine reclamation program created by HB 164, the state dashboard tracking sites, and the FY26 appropriation of $20 million for neglected contaminated sites, of which $12 million is being used for neglected uranium mines and the remainder for other contaminated sites. They said six contractors were hired, three priority sites in Grant County are moving forward quickly, and additional sites are being prepared for possible FY27 work. Members pressed for details on how funds are spent, why the revolving fund remains unfunded, how federal, state, tribal, and landowner requirements are coordinated, where contaminated material will be moved, and whether cleanup could also address homes built with contaminated materials. Staff said the work is governed by multiple regulatory layers, that the state is seeking an additional $25 million for FY27-FY28 plus a time extension, and that partnerships with tribes would require longer-term agreements.
The committee also discussed federal cleanup efforts and the new Good Samaritan law, with members urging stronger advocacy for New Mexico sites, including tribal lands, and asking whether the Attorney General should pursue legal action against federal parties responsible for legacy contamination. Staff explained that some sites are already covered by settlement funds tied to responsible parties, while neglected sites are those with no responsible party and no other cleanup program. The committee then heard from EMNRD on Class VI carbon sequestration primacy. Staff said New Mexico currently has no operating Class VI wells, about 27 Class II acid-gas injection wells are operating, and only a small number might be candidates for conversion. They explained that the state’s primacy application would require more public outreach than federal rules alone, and that cost estimates for post-injection site care are based on long planning horizons, with some costs borne by operators and some by the state after closure. No votes were taken on the substantive items discussed; the committee approved the prior meeting minutes and took a brief recess between presentations.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
HRE-AEN, AEN, AEN DEFER Public Hearings 03-17-2025
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:03:43.360>
that that hinges on a biocrol facility that that hinges on a biocrol facility - So they're looking at a mobile facility short-term and then, long-term, a larger biocontrol facility,
- Yeah. a biosecure facility that 2026.
- in that 2 million for the facility here. in that 2 million for the facility here.
- analyze it at uh using our facil analyze it at uh using our facil research<00:27:18.240>
facilities
Summary:
The joint committees heard House Bill 643, House Draft 2, which would create short-term management initiatives and appropriate funds for the coconut rhinoceros beetle response program. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive. Committee discussion focused on biocontrol efforts, including fungus and virus-based treatments, the need for a biosecure facility, and the timeline for testing and range studies. Department of Agriculture officials said initial testing is underway at the University of Hawaii, but full testing requires a higher-biosafety facility that is not yet available on island. Members also discussed funding levels, the possibility of a mobile facility, and whether the work could be accelerated. The committees later voted to pass HB 643 unamended.
The committees also heard House Bill 736, House Draft 1, which would establish a three-year wastewater system and individual wastewater technology testing pilot program at the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center. Supporters said the bill could help certify new, lower-cost decentralized wastewater technologies and reduce the cost of cesspool upgrades while improving water quality. University of Hawaii witnesses explained that the center would test technologies, collect samples, analyze results, and provide reports to the Department of Health for certification. Members raised concerns about whether the program would help communities facing immediate wastewater issues, the length of the testing timeline, and whether technologies like the Genki ball could be included. The committee was told the pilot would likely test one technology at a time over about nine months each, though multiple tests could run in parallel later. The committees voted to pass HB 736 unamended.
After those measures, the joint committee moved to an AEN-only agenda and began hearing STR 111 / SR 92, which declares a public health emergency relating to climate change and calls for statewide coordination on cross-sector solutions. Testimony in support came from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Public Health Institute, and others. Supporters said climate change affects public health through heat, wildfire risk, invasive mosquitoes, and other impacts, and argued that the response should involve agriculture, planning, transportation, and emergency management, not just the Department of Health.