Transcript Highlights:

• that the Department of Taxation and the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii collaborate
• organization at the University of Hawaii organization at the University of Hawaii to<00:22:08.360> collaborate
• > and<00:22:08.960> develop<00:22:09.279> data<00:22:09.520> driven to collaborate
• and develop data driven to collaborate and develop data driven analysis<00:22:10.440> of<00:22

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the policy director for the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative.
• Norris, I just wanted to say that your leadership, the equity network, and the collaborative are the
• Norris, I just wanted to say that your leadership, the equity network, and the collaborative, are the
• I've been studying fisheries and aquaculture for more than 20 years, and my collaborators and I, one
• But as philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith has said, and he is also one of my collaborators on this work,

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture opened its first hearing by outlining procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony options, and the plan to hear 27 bills in docket order. The committee then took testimony on H.11/S.53, a resolve promoting equity in agriculture, with advocates from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Southeastern Mass Agricultural Partnership, and urban farming organizations describing racial and economic disparities in farming, lack of data on BIPOC farmers, barriers to land and capital, and the need for a commission to collect information and recommend policy changes. Committee members asked questions about the importance of data collection and future policy development, and the bill was repeatedly urged to be reported favorably out of committee. Testimony also supported H.118, which would create a special commission to examine the strengths and sustainability of the Commonwealth’s emergency food network. The Amherst Survival Center described serving 1.6 million meals last year and explained that food pantries are now functioning as essential parts of the state’s food system while relying heavily on donations, volunteers, and unstable funding. Members discussed the need for a more holistic look at food security infrastructure. The committee then heard H.119/S.60 on climate change impacts on farms and fisheries, with regional planners and farm advocates describing flood damage, rising costs, canceled federal climate-smart funding, and the need for direct state support for adaptation, resilience, and infrastructure improvements. The committee also heard testimony on H.125/H.142/S.65, a healthy soils bill, from landscape professionals who said construction sites often leave poor or stripped soil and that the bill would require better post-construction soil standards to support healthier landscapes and reduce long-term maintenance and environmental problems. Finally, the committee took extensive testimony on H.127, which would prohibit aquaculture of octopus for human consumption. Supporters, including legislators, scientists, veterinarians, students, and animal welfare advocates, argued octopus are highly intelligent and sentient, cannot be farmed humanely, and that octopus aquaculture would create environmental harms such as waste runoff, pressure on wild fish stocks, and ecosystem disruption. No votes were taken during the hearing; the bills were heard and testimony was received.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in my own position as an attorney with the Department of Health Care Services, I collaborate regularly
• For six years, we have demonstrated that we can collaborate across programs, departments, and geographic
• But when we are in person, those meetings and those collaborations are more meaningful.
• It allows us to keep our negotiations efficient, collaborative, and tailored to the unique needs of the
• It simply ensures notice, communication, and collaboration.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• know much better than I that there aren't often occasions in which there is a strong bicameral collaboration
• I think the three authors have worked so hard to work collaboratively with the model companies and with
• So very much appreciate the work and the collaboration and share, of course, Senator Padilla's kudos
• It truly is a collaborative effort, a bicameral collaborative effort, which doesn't happen that often
• pretty toxic politics that a lot of us live in sometimes, the fact that we can have these very collaborative

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on privacy, AI, consumer protection, and public safety. AB 1979 would require a licensed health care professional to retain final clinical judgment when using AI tools in health care and would limit chatbot access to medical records; supporters, including nurses and TechEquity, said it preserves human decision-making, while hospitals and industry groups opposed it unless amended, citing burdens and training concerns. The bill passed 6-1 and was placed on call. AB 2624 would expand the Safe at Home confidentiality program to immigrant service providers and workers facing harassment and doxing; supporters described threats against advocates and their families, while one senator raised concerns about a private right of action and penalties. The bill passed 4-1 and was placed on call for further committees. AB 2103 would make Engaged California a permanent statewide public engagement program; supporters said it broadens civic participation and transparency, while concerns were raised about partisan balance in topic selection. It passed 6-0 and was placed on call to Appropriations. The committee also considered AB 2, which would set statutory damages and other financial accountability measures for large social media platforms when negligence causing harm to children is proven in court. The author and supporters, including a parent who lost her daughter and child-safety advocates, argued that stronger remedies are needed because social media design features are harming children and existing enforcement has been insufficient. Opponents, including TechNet, CCIA, CalChamber, and others, argued the bill blurs content and conduct, could increase litigation, and is unnecessary given existing lawsuits and verdicts. Several senators said the bill was a consumer-protection measure and supported it; it passed 5-0 and was placed on call. AB 883, as amended, would use California’s Delete Act/DROP system to help elected officials and judges remove personal information from data brokers, while also shortening the deletion timeline for all Californians from 45 to 30 days. Supporters said the bill responds to rising threats against public servants and improves privacy tools broadly; some opponents removed or softened opposition after amendments, though CalChamber and CCIA remained opposed unless amended, largely over the private right of action. The bill passed 4-0 and was placed on call. The committee then recessed briefly before taking up AB 2023, a chatbot safety bill for children that would require age verification, safety audits, default protections, parental controls, crisis-response measures, and limits on targeted ads and data sharing. Supporters said it builds on prior AI and child-safety legislation and is needed to prevent harms like self-harm and manipulation; opponents raised concerns about vague harm standards, audit requirements, and liability. The hearing continued with testimony and committee discussion, but no final vote on AB 2023 was shown in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• The principal architect of the original language was collaboration led by Prairie Island Indian community
• Since they collaborated, including Prairie Island and labor, that's enough for me.
• the original language was collaboration the original language was collaboration led<00:04:58.760
• Since they collaborated, language in it.
• It is true that the House language reflects the Prairie Island collaboration at the beginning.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been great to work with those two leaders and work in collaboration with them on any of our projects
• So those kinds of systems do exist, and that's where... collaborate extensively, so we are right now
• The thing we're trying to do is collaborate, and we're going to talk.
• You know, collaboration is really going to be central to the next phases of the energy transition.
• Which is getting the private capital and the load-serving entities to work together and to collaborate

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, because of our collaboration with the United States Army, we are requesting an exceptional
• That's innovation collaboration at its best.
• skilled professionals through customized training programs, micro credentials, and strategic collaborations
• adding a multitude of new degree programs in these burgeoning fields, all developed in direct collaboration
• This will improve communication, collaboration, and the overall quality of the response when it is needed

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, because of of our collaboration with the United States Army.
• That's. innovation collaboration at its best.
• And I'd like to add, we have a program, we call it the Rural Nursing Education. collaborative, ARNEC,
• adding... a multitude of new degree programs in these burgeoning fields, all developed in direct collaboration
• This will improve communication. collaboration, and the overall quality of the response when it is needed

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I did try to reach you actually last year, but we'd love to be able to collaborate with you and others
• Moreover, FIRST programs, though highly competitive, also emphasize collaboration over competition.
• FIRST programs, though highly competitive, also emphasize collaboration over competition, encouraging
• I've gained confidence, strengthened my ability to collaborate, and honed my problem-solving skills.
• In these roles, I was able to design game strategy, work with other teams in gameplay, and collaborate

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a very full public hearing on the first Education Committee hearing of the session, with testimony taken on a large slate of bills, especially H. 650/S. 436 and related measures. The chairs explained the hearing rules, including two-minute testimony limits, live streaming, written testimony, and accommodations for interpreters and disabilities. The committee first heard extensive testimony on H. 460/S. 436 and later H. 650/S. 436, bills to affirm and maintain equal access to public education for all children, including immigrant students, English learners, and students with disabilities. Witnesses included parents, advocates, educators, attorneys, and state officials, many of whom described fears caused by federal policy changes and argued that Massachusetts should codify protections for school enrollment, special education, interpreter services, and due process in discipline cases. The Attorney General’s office, Mass Advocates for Children, Lawyers for Civil Rights, MIRA, the Children’s Law Center, the Disability Law/advocacy community, and others all urged favorable action, while committee members asked questions about Plyler v. Doe, manifestation determinations, interpreter qualifications, and how the bill would mirror or preserve existing federal protections at the state level. The committee also heard testimony on H. 702/S. 460, establishing an elementary and secondary school robotics grant program, which was supported as a way to expand STEM opportunities and help schools fund robotics programs. Representative Sweeney also testified on H. 713, a bill to support student participation in 4-H programming by allowing excused absences similar to those for athletics and other sanctioned activities; members noted bipartisan support and the bill’s long history. The hearing then moved to H. 543/S. 417, a recess bill requiring at least 30 minutes of free-play recess for K-8 students. Supporters included the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the League of Women Voters, educators, and parents, who emphasized recess as important for physical health, social-emotional development, attention, and academic performance, and noted that unequal local policies create disparities across districts. Several witnesses also tied recess to broader concerns about student well-being and screen time. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee simply received testimony and closed testimony on the bills as it moved through the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Of the Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration.
• It's more about a collaboration between the House of Corrections, DOC, and so forth.
• So there wasn't even a collaboration with information.
• I would first recommend that there's a collaboration with information.
• There's a lot of monies. and see where the collaboration continues.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met at 10:07 a.m. and approved the minutes from its February 9 meeting. The commission said it would accept Department of Correction testimony in writing because of a scheduling issue, and then spent most of the hearing hearing from people with lived experience in county and state correctional settings. Members repeatedly reminded witnesses to keep remarks to about three minutes and focused the discussion on correctional consolidation, collaboration, programming, and reentry. Testimony from multiple sheriff’s offices was broadly supportive of county-based programming, treatment, education, and reentry services. Witnesses from Hampshire, Barnstable, Hampden, and Franklin counties described access to GED and college courses, vocational training, recovery meetings, therapeutic groups, housing and ID assistance, work release, and reentry centers. Several said these programs helped them gain sobriety, employment, family reunification, and parole readiness. Hampden County witnesses emphasized immediate reentry planning and individualized case management; Franklin County witnesses praised respectful treatment and an accessible off-site reentry center; Barnstable witnesses highlighted the women’s therapeutic treatment program, creative writing, and the Bridge Center; Hampshire witnesses described the Bridge House, work release, and transition supports. Several witnesses contrasted those experiences with what they described as limited or delayed programming in DOC facilities, especially for people serving longer sentences or with restrictive classifications. One witness said DOC programming was hard to access because shorter sentences and offense labels affected eligibility; another described overcrowding, little counseling, and no reentry planning in state prison. A juvenile lifer testified that classification barriers and lack of tailored programming left him feeling unprepared, and another witness said DOC’s handling of classification hearings and records was unfair and opaque. Some speakers also raised concerns about mental health care and visitation policies, especially at Framingham, where one witness said suicidal thoughts were met with inadequate responses and another said family visitation was denied without clear explanation. Commissioners asked follow-up questions about DOC access, step-down opportunities, family support, and whether more transitional housing or acclimation time before release would help. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the prior minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have one in collaboration with with the county because we're prioritizing that as well.
• It's a pallet shelter in collaboration with DeKalb.
• It started with collaboration.
• And I'm hoping that they're all also collaborating with you. Is that happening?
• I just think that working together, collaborations are important.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would like this to be a collaborative process.
• DLS is great, but any way we can help, you know, we're happy to collaborate or take a first crack at
• And what I envision is a collaborative process where, and we've never done this before, but I think it'd
• Senate finance staff than I do, to help make sure that all of their, again, it's meant to be a collaborative
• ... ...to help make sure that all of their, again, it's meant to be a collaborative process.

Keywords: Code Commission, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so if confirmed, I'm committed to meeting this moment with focus, with collaboration, and with the
• So already the collaboration is... So many of them are adjacent to a New York City park.
• So already the collaboration is happening there.
• you envision as partnerships to ensure that we continue to have that type of coordination and collaboration
• Are there opportunities there to collaborate, to consolidate in some instances, to ensure the public

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The joint meeting of the Senate Finance Committee and the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks, and Recreation considered Governor Hochul’s nomination of Kathleen “Kathy” Moser to serve as Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Moser described her background in conservation and public lands, and said her priorities would include improving access and belonging for all New Yorkers, maintaining health and safety, modernizing infrastructure, addressing climate change and sustainability, and strengthening partnerships with local governments, community groups, and the Legislature. Members questioned her on a range of park issues, including visitor fees, safety at swimming areas such as Lake Welch, security measures at parks, access for urban residents through nature buses and school transportation grants, maintenance and capital needs, event permitting, workforce recruitment and retention, and coordination around the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Moser said the department has targeted capital and safety investments at popular parks, is installing fencing, lighting, cameras, and license plate readers at entrances at selected sites, and is planning extensive 250th commemoration programming and historic-site renovations. She also discussed efforts to expand community stewardship, including partner groups, culturally specific amenities like cricket fields, and outreach through traveling exhibits and social media. Senators raised concerns and suggestions about renewable energy siting, cell service in rural areas, invasive species prevention, and local infrastructure needs. After questioning concluded, the committees voted to advance the nomination, and the motion was reported to the Senate floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finance Administration, being very intentional about how we outreach, but not just outreach—how do we collaborate
• in partnership more... ...but not just outreach—how do we collaborate in partnership more directly in
• state... ...intentionally go before all of our housing coalitions in the state, all of our housing collaborators
• Speaking with the general and the collaborative group that worked on it in the interim, there should
• Speaking with the general and the collaborative group that worked on it in the interim, there should

Keywords: 996, all

Summary: The House Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee began by rolling House Bill 132 at the sponsor’s request because amendment language was still being worked on. The committee then proceeded without quorum as a subcommittee until additional members arrived. House Bill 285, as amended, was heard first. The bill was described as a cleanup measure to clarify New Mexico’s disabled veterans property tax exemption, including that it applies to a veteran’s primary residence and how it works for properties with multiple owners. Testimony from New Mexico counties, the Tax and Revenue Department, and the Department of Veterans Services supported the bill, saying it would reduce confusion for assessors and help veterans access the exemption. One member raised broader concerns about housing insecurity among unhoused and renting veterans and asked for interim data on how many veterans would actually benefit, but the committee noted those issues were outside the bill’s scope. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed HB 285 as amended with a do pass recommendation. The committee then heard House Bill 128, which updates the state’s occupational disease and disablement law for firefighters by expanding the list of covered cancers and related conditions, aligning the state law with newer research and recent federal changes, and standardizing the employment period to five years. The sponsor and supporters said the bill reflects current science, removes outdated age limits for some cancers, and makes it easier for firefighters to receive workers’ compensation without having to prove causation case by case. Firefighters and union representatives gave emotional testimony about personal cancer diagnoses and the burden of fighting insurers while undergoing treatment. The Workers’ Compensation Administration, labor groups, and trial lawyers all supported the measure. Committee members asked about the federal model, the five-year threshold, the impact on rural jurisdictions, and why women’s cancers were not previously included; witnesses explained that the changes reflect updated data and the underrepresentation of women in the fire service. Dr. Dan Wu, speaking online, said firefighter cancer is an epidemic and argued the science supports the bill. The committee then adopted the motion and passed HB 128 with a do pass recommendation before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• He program is a line to a specific request or in developed in close collaboration with educators, employers
• This collaboration keeps our curriculum frameworks, current, rigorous and responsive to workforce demand
• which is linking industry to nursing education, is a competitive grant program that encourages collaboration
• Together, these 2 initiatives have generated unprecedented collaboration between education and health
• Historic completion rains and unprecedented collaboration between education industry in our workforce

Transcript Highlights:

• which allows the creation of voluntary agreements between government and industry, that allows collaborative
• few of these available now, but if we really kind of invest in these efforts we could have that collaboration
• to really kind of be able to ramp that up, and that requires really close government-industry collaboration
• . non-FACA boards that allowed for close collaboration between government industry on production issues
• allies' importance is a key part of our industrial base and we have a number of agreements and collaborative

Transcript Highlights:

• when they're developing the process for this reporting, and also to collaborate with the Agency of Human
• <00:13:42.440> with Care Board to collaborate with Care Board to collaborate with stakeholders
• Um<00:13:46.640> and<00:13:46.800> also<00:13:47.080> to<00:13:47.200> collaborate
• <00:13:47.720> with<00:13:47.840> the Um and also to collaborate with the Um and also
• to collaborate with the Agency<00:13:48.280> of<00:13:48.400> Human<00:13:48.720> Services

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House began with a moment of silence and read two adopted House Concurrent Resolutions. HCR 298 recognized the importance of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife’s fish culture program and hatcheries to aquatic sustainability, recreational fishing, education, and the economy. HCR 300 honored the life and work of Terry Anderson, a Vermont AIDS advocate, Democratic Party leader, and longtime activist; members offered personal tributes to his compassion, mentorship, and political leadership, and the resolution was sent to his family and the Vermont Democratic Party. The chamber then took up several bills returned from the Senate. H. 583, relating to clinical decision-making, was explained as having minor Senate amendments adjusting dates and adding collaboration language for Green Mountain Care Board reporting; the House Health Care Committee recommended concurrence, and the House agreed. H. 657, relating to Department for Children and Families programming, was also amended in small ways, including changes to language on Social Security benefits for youth in foster care, certification forms for unaccompanied youth, and an effective date; after debate about whether the bill could affect family separation, the House adopted the Senate changes by roll call vote, 133-2. The House next considered S. 202 on portable solar energy generation devices. The Senate’s changes narrowed landlord-related language and updated appliance efficiency standards; the House Energy Committee then proposed a further amendment striking the Senate’s addition of electric motors from the efficiency list, citing conflicting testimony, and the House concurred with that further amendment. Members also discussed notice procedures between tenants and landlords and the safety rationale for the bill. Finally, the House passed S. 208 on standards for law enforcement identification and S. 212 on potable water supply and wastewater system connections, both in concurrence with proposals of amendment. The House then recessed until 1:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, those two entities will collaborate in getting the value that this resolution makes as a set as a
• <00:04:15.840> with<00:04:15.960> the be done in collaboration with the be done in
• collaboration with the Department<00:04:16.440> of<00:04:16.519> Housing<00:04:16.880><
• So, those two entities<00:04:22.079> will<00:04:22.560> collaborate<00:04:23.200> in
• will collaborate in getting the value<00:04:25.680> that<00:04:26.080> this<00:04:26.840

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Housing, Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, and later Water, Land, Culture and the Arts and Housing, heard several resolutions related to affordable housing and the East Kapolei transit-oriented development area. SCR 48 and SR 47 proposed declaring that affordable housing credits are perpetual until redeemed, and testimony from DHHL, OPSD, and NAIOP Hawaii supported clarifying that intent. The committees voted to pass SCR 48 and SR 47 unamended. The committees then considered SCR 107 and SR 101, which were amended to make clear the resolution applies only to the City and County of Honolulu and will be carried out in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Land Management and the Department of Planning and Permitting. Those measures were recommended for passage with amendments and adopted by the committees. In the later joint hearing, SCR 68 and SR 63 addressed the East Kapolei TOD project, urging DLNR to transfer certain parcels to HHFDC and urging HHFDC to work with HCDA on the non-housing portions of the project. Testimony from DLNR, HHFDC, HCDA, and DHHL focused on the balance between housing and revenue-generating or light industrial uses, the need for an EIS and market study, and the possibility of MOAs to memorialize agreements. After discussion, the committees amended the resolutions to prioritize rental housing as well as for-sale housing and to require MOAs before the board, then passed SCR 68 and SR 63 with amendments by unanimous votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• I appreciate her collaboration that she's been doing.
• So this is one of those bills that we collaborated on.
• I appreciate<00:58:50.799> her<00:58:51.359> collaboration<00:58:52.000> that<00
• :58:52.240> she's appreciate her collaboration that she's appreciate her collaboration that she's
• <00:58:56.000> So bills that we collaborated on. So bills that we collaborated on.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Transportation heard several measures and took action on each after testimony. SB 2697 SD1 would prohibit driving on roadway shoulders except in limited circumstances, authorize towing or impoundment of vehicles with expired registrations of three or more years, increase certain fines and penalties, and require annual reporting; the Department of Transportation supported it, and the committee later adopted amendments and recommended passage. SB 2399 SD2 would provide a general excise tax exemption for aircraft maintenance materials, parts, tools, and related facility construction; it drew support from industry groups and comments from the Department of Taxation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii, and was also passed with amendments. SB 2665 SD2 would require driver’s license renewal applicants with a recent traffic citation to complete a road-safety course and exam; DOT supported it, the Public Defender opposed it as not clearly linked to safer driving, and the committee amended the bill to raise the trigger from one citation to two citations within five years before recommending passage. The committee also heard SB 2851 SD1, which would allow deaf vehicle owners to register a deafness designation visible to law enforcement; the Disability and Communication Access Board supported it, Peter Fritz testified in support while urging amendments on verification and threshold issues, and the committee adopted amendments and passed the measure. SB 3102 SD2 would clarify DOT’s role in port pilotage standards and appeals; DOT, DCCA, pilots, maritime interests, labor, and harbor users supported it, and it was passed with amendments. SB 2521 SD1 would exempt emergency medical services personnel from CDL requirements, require emergency-vehicle training, and update the definition of authorized emergency vehicle; DOT, DOH, Honolulu emergency services, and UPW supported it, and it too was passed with amendments. Finally, SB 3157 would transfer unencumbered automated speed enforcement special fund balances above a set threshold to the general fund. DOT supported the concept, but members questioned whether excess funds would ever accumulate and whether the money should instead support safe routes to school; the committee increased the threshold from $12 million to $25 million, discussed but did not adopt a transfer to another special fund, and passed the bill with amendments. The chair noted the next hearing would be held the following Tuesday, likely at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• The results in collaboration in less than six months' time have been remarkable.
• goals by investing in the STEM Innovation Network, which helps schools, educators, and partners collaborate
• In just its first year of operation, the STEM Innovation Network has achieved collaborative partnerships
• I've been connected and collaborating with this network since it was just an idea.
• Chair, Representative Torres-Velásquez, you know, right now, I guess, in collaboration with, to see by

Bills: HB40, HB100, HJR1, SB64, SB19, SB44, SB83

Keywords: educational retirement, annuity adjustments, cost of living, non-compounding payments, retirement benefits, STEM funding, education, innovation, public education, New Mexico, nominating committees, boards of regents, student representation, political party registration, New Mexico constitution, special education, office of special education, deputy secretary, public education department, IEP