Transcript Highlights:

• Um, no state has stronger protections—literally zero states in America have a stronger protection than
• state has stronger<01:31:25.119><c> protections</c><01:31:25.880><c> literally</c><01:31:26.480><c> zero
• </c> stronger protections literally zero stronger protections literally zero states<01:31:27.239><c>

Bills: HF1837 , HF361 , HF2725 , HF2566 , HF2744 , HF1685 , HF501 , HF1889 , HF1389

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Keywords: state policy, employment, health insurance, fossil designation, public funds, community resources, Capitol Mall, grantmaking, community vitality, livability, funding, healthy aging, aging policy, older adults, seniors, elderly, gerontology, long-term care, assisted living, nursing homes

Transcript Highlights:

• If any of you have ever heard them, they just zero in on a particular community in very meaningful, engaging
• /c><01:26:20.000><c> them</c><01:26:20.520><c> they</c><01:26:20.760><c> just</c><01:26:21.000><c> zero
• </c><01:26:21.400><c> in</c> have ever heard them they just zero in have ever heard them they just zero

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• These increases are rounded up to the nearest full number that ends with three zeros, based on a 3% rate
• 44.399><c> three</c> number that ends with a ends with three number that ends with a ends with three zeros
• 47.000><c> 3%</c><00:10:47.760><c> rate</c><00:10:48.040><c> of</c><00:10:48.720><c> inflation</c> zeros
• um based on a 3% rate of inflation zeros um based on a 3% rate of inflation lastly<00:10:50.120><c>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several water, land, and conservation measures. HB 86, which would fund a permanent DLNR Makai Watch coordinator position, drew strong support from DLNR and community advocates. Testifiers said the coordinator is needed to connect community-based nearshore monitoring groups with government, support training and reporting, and provide stable civil-service funding instead of relying on grants and philanthropy. The committee discussed the position’s duties and cost, estimated at about $110,000 with fringe benefits, and noted broad support from organizations including Kuaʻulu, The Nature Conservancy, OHA, and others. HB 36, relating to state water code penalties, was also supported in principle by DLNR, but the agency proposed amendments to create two tiers of violations, distinguish first-time/non-harmful violations from repeat or harmful ones, and give the commission discretion on whether each day counts as a continuing violation. DLNR said the bill is intended to address egregious cases such as Red Hill while avoiding undue impact on small farmers and others without malicious intent. Testifiers from the Board of Water Supply, Lono Initiative, and others supported stronger penalties and transparency, while Earthjustice raised concerns about broader structural issues and the risk of penalties being applied unfairly. The committee then heard HB 316, which appropriates funds to continue the Green Jobs Youth Corps program. DLNR, the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office, Kōkua, The Nature Conservancy, and other groups testified in support, describing the program as a workforce pipeline that places young professionals in communities, builds trust, and helps recruit future state employees. Supporters said the program has expanded capacity in watershed and reef management and has drawn extensive public backing. Finally, HB 506, funding equipment for the Oʻahu branch of DOCARE, received support from DLNR and others. DOCARE said recent recruit classes are moving through training, that the new positions will expand patrol capacity, including nighttime enforcement, and that the Oʻahu-specific funding is tied to priorities such as the Māʻili Bay herbivore rules. The committee also began hearing HB 510 on water shortage and emergency declarations. DLNR proposed limiting shortage declarations to 90 days unless extended, capping groundwater reductions at 20% for lower-priority permits, removing climate-crisis language as a standalone criterion, and moving the process into rulemaking for more public input. The Board of Water Supply supported the bill and the proposed changes, while Earthjustice urged deferral absent broader Water Commission reforms. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided; the chair indicated the committee would be decision-making after the hearing on items on the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next up, Lauren Zero testifying for the Food Industry Association. Thank you, Chair.
• /c><00:25:59.520><c> next</c><00:25:59.720><c> up</c><00:25:59.919><c> Lauren</c><00:26:00.720><c> zero
• </c><00:26:01.240><c> testifying</c> thank you next up Lauren zero testifying thank you next up Lauren
• zero testifying for<00:26:01.880><c> o</c><00:26:02.120><c> food</c><00:26:02.360><c> industry</c><00

Committee: Senate Economic Development and Tourism

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with HB 934 on broadband and digital equity. Testifiers from the Lieutenant Governor’s office, the Office of Enterprise and Technology Services, DCCA, the University system, the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and others generally supported the measure and emphasized the need to coordinate broadband efforts, fund operations, and expand access to high-speed internet, devices, and digital navigation services. The Chamber of Commerce and West Coast Comprehensive Health Center supported the bill but objected to HD1 language excluding broadband infrastructure for retail service, warning it could create unintended consequences and limit community-led or rural projects. The Lieutenant Governor explained the state expects roughly $400 million to $500 million in federal broadband funding, described the bill as consolidating efforts under a broadband office attached to the CIO, and said the office would focus on infrastructure, devices, and training. No vote was taken on HB 934 in the portion provided. The committee then took up HB 97 on travel insurance. The Insurance Division said it had no major problem with the product but requested technical changes to align with licensing requirements and noted the bill largely codifies practices already used in the industry. Industry witnesses from Allianz and the U.S. Travel Insurance Association said the measure would create a consistent framework, add consumer protections, and align Hawaii with the NAIC model adopted in many other states. Members questioned whether there was a specific problem the bill was solving, and the division responded that it was mainly a framework and form-review measure rather than a response to a known enforcement issue. The bill was discussed but no final action was reported in the excerpt. HB 448 on technology enablement drew broad support from the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Food Industry Association, and other business representatives. Supporters said the measure would help businesses use technology such as digital platforms, e-commerce, robotics, and AR/VR to improve competitiveness, especially in tourism and other sectors. Committee members pressed for clearer scope, cost estimates, and assurances that local companies would be used; the agency said it would prioritize local-first contracting, use federal NIST-related support where possible, and estimated an initial request of about $200,000, though it could not give a firm total. Members expressed concern that the plan was still too undefined. The committee then began HB 455 on small business loans, where the Attorney General suggested explaining why a special fund is needed, and a witness from H Collaborative said the bill would help startup businesses that struggle most to access capital.

Transcript Highlights:

• volunteered to lay down the bales, and the citizens provided meals for the workers enduring the sub-zero
• provided meals for the workers enduring provided meals for the workers enduring the<01:31:50.239><c> Sub-Zero
• temperatures</c><01:31:52.159><c> you'll</c><01:31:52.400><c> find</c><01:31:52.560><c> a</c> the Sub-Zero
• temperatures you'll find a the Sub-Zero temperatures you'll find a picture<01:31:52.920><c> of</c><01

Bills: HF220 , HF230 , HF240 , HF241 , HF295 , HF429 , HF490 , HF505 , HF574 , HF576 , HF581 , HF865 , HF918 , HF1085 , HF1449 , HF1452 , HF1454 , HF602

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: HF220, Minnesota transportation, highway user tax distribution fund, trunk highway fund, Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT, transportation finance, dedicated funds, funding restrictions, arts in transportation, cultural strategies, transportation project planning, project design, project construction, placemaking, public art, infrastructure spending, state statutes 161.045, HF230, Wyoming

Transcript Highlights:

• When we saw this bill last year, it had zero on it, and now it has $20 million, and so we can get a sense
• estimate when we saw this bill last<00:59:10.920><c> year</c><00:59:11.160><c> had</c><00:59:11.359><c> zero
• c> and</c><00:59:13.319><c> now</c><00:59:13.520><c> it</c><00:59:13.720><c> has</c> last year had zero
• on it and now it has last year had zero on it and now it has $20 $20 $20 million<00:59:16.240><c> and

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So Kaha Elementary School was kind of Ground Zero as a catchment area for the area that parents are in
• School was kind delay so kah Elementary School was kind of<00:40:18.200><c> Ground</c><00:40:18.560><c> Zero
• a</c><00:40:19.119><c> catchment</c><00:40:19.520><c> area</c><00:40:19.800><c> for</c> of Ground Zero
• as a catchment area for of Ground Zero as a catchment area for the<00:40:20.240><c> area</c><00:40:20.560

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: This joint informational briefing of Senate and House committees focused on restricted use pesticides in Hawaiʻi, with opening remarks framing the issue as one of health, environmental impact, and state-level regulation. The briefing reviewed the history of pesticide disclosure efforts, including prior county actions, a 2016 court ruling that shifted responsibility to the state, and Act 45, which enabled disclosure of restricted use pesticide data. Speakers highlighted 2019 reporting data showing concentrated use in parts of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, especially near schools and communities, and identified fumigants such as 1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium as among the heaviest-used products. Concerns were raised about potential links to cancer, respiratory illness, reproductive harms, Parkinson’s disease, and developmental effects, as well as the lack of long-term mixture studies and the need for better buffer zones, reporting, and farmer transition support. The Department of Agriculture’s pesticides program manager described the state’s regulatory framework, explaining the distinction between general use and restricted use pesticides and the department’s role under FIFRA and Hawaiʻi law. He outlined the branch’s enforcement, education/certification, registration, and laboratory functions, including inspections, complaint response, market surveillance, applicator certification, product review, groundwater protection modeling, and special registrations. He also noted staffing and resource limitations, including the absence of an in-house toxicologist and long-term monitoring capacity, and compared Hawaiʻi’s resources to California’s much larger pesticide regulatory program. He said the department supports Act 231, which was passed the previous year and is moving forward this session. A pediatrician speaking for the Hawaiʻi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasized concerns about chronic low-level pesticide exposure in children, citing AAP policy statements and technical reports that associate exposure with cancer, leukemia, birth defects, neurobehavioral issues, and asthma. Drawing on work with the Kauaʻi Joint Fact Finding Task Force, the speaker said the group found the west side of the island to be an unhealthy community but could not prove causation because of missing drift, geospatial, and biomarker data. The testimony pointed to elevated cancer mortality, pneumonia admissions, obesity, dialysis, and developmental delay indicators, and described concerns about pesticide drift near schools and homes, including reports of children becoming ill after nearby spraying and low levels of chlorpyrifos detected in dust samples. An environmental health scientist from the University of Hawaiʻi described a pilot project using restricted use pesticide data in a public health context. She said the project began after seeing maps of Central Oʻahu pesticide use and aimed to pair GIS data with health and ethnicity data, while also conducting community focus groups. Preliminary focus group themes included calls to action, voting and policymaker awareness, concern about pesticide use near homes and fields, lack of community consent, and a desire to stay engaged. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• He noted that there are zero dollars appropriated for the current fiscal year and asked how it is possible
• c><00:30:23.480><c> point</c><00:30:23.679><c> there</c><00:30:23.760><c> are</c><00:30:23.960><c> zero
• </c> do with at this point there are zero do with at this point there are zero dollars<00:30:24.720><

Bills: HF1 , HF779 , HF1034

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: Office of Inspector General, inspector general, legislative audit, fraud prevention, waste and abuse, public funds, grant oversight, state grants, grant management, whistleblower protection, retaliation, subpoena power, data practices, government transparency, accountability, law enforcement referrals, sanctions, debarment, payment withholding, public assistance fraud

Transcript Highlights:

• curious about that, um, because we have we always hear mandates and we always think we're starting from zero
• curious about that, um, because we have we always hear mandates and we always think we're starting from zero
• curious about that, um, because we have we always hear mandates and we always think we're starting from zero
• curious about that, um, because we have we always hear mandates and we always think we're starting from zero

Bills: HF747 , HF1014 , HF320 , HF400

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: corporate governance, shareholder rights, beneficial ownership, defective corporate acts, Minnesota Business Corporation Act, Minnesota Insurance Guaranty Association, MIGA, insurance guaranty fund, insurer insolvency, covered claim, net worth threshold, high-net-worth insured, financial information request, insurance claims, self-insured retention, deductible, commercial insurance, insurance regulation, Minnesota Statutes 60C.09, guaranty association

Transcript Highlights:

• been put on them over the last number of years that are costing them a lot of money and providing zero
• and</c> costing them a lot of money and costing them a lot of money and providing<00:30:20.720><c> zero
• > they</c><00:30:22.200><c> do</c><00:30:22.320><c> not</c><00:30:22.519><c> improve</c> providing zero
• care they do not improve providing zero care they do not improve care<00:30:23.200><c> at</c><00:30:

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• gambling is a textbook example of an asymmetry of information and a business model that is designed to zero
• that is information and a business model that is designed<00:09:08.519><c> to</c><00:09:08.640><c> zero
• out</c><00:09:09.160><c> the</c><00:09:09.279><c> customer</c><00:09:09.680><c> by</c> designed to zero
• out the customer by designed to zero out the customer by taking<00:09:10.120><c> advantage</c><00:09

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• quarter million in reserves for repairs that disappeared in the transfer, so it's gone, and they have zero
• </c><00:36:12.000><c> are</c><00:36:12.560><c> they</c><00:36:12.720><c> have</c><00:36:13.040><c> zero
• </c><00:36:13.440><c> access</c> gone and they are they have zero access gone and they are they have
• zero access to<00:36:14.040><c> any</c><00:36:14.240><c> funding</c><00:36:14.640><c> mechanisms</c><

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• you, Senator Johnson Stewart. 948 priority bridges for a total cost of $847 million, and we’re given zero
• c><01:10:10.560><c> and</c><01:10:10.679><c> we're</c><01:10:10.960><c> given</c><01:10:11.800><c> zero
• </c><01:10:12.800><c> thank</c> $847 million and we're given zero thank $847 million and we're given
• zero thank you<01:10:14.520><c> thank</c><01:10:14.719><c> you</c><01:10:15.159><c> and</c><01:10:15.480

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One year we get 100 gallons, another year 25, another zero. This doesn't work.
• another<01:00:09.160><c> year</c><01:00:09.920><c> 25</c><01:00:10.920><c> another</c><01:00:11.920><c> zero
• </c><01:00:12.920><c> this</c> another year 25 another zero this another year 25 another zero this doesn't

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, yes, ninth grade is, especially this year, they went from having zero access to their phones
• they went from H especially this year they went from<00:30:33.559><c> having</c><00:30:33.919><c> zero
• access</c><00:30:34.679><c> to</c><00:30:34.840><c> their</c><00:30:34.960><c> phones</c> from having zero
• access to their phones from having zero access to their phones in<00:30:35.360><c> middle</c><00:30:

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know Honolulu is ground zero for CRB, but how is CARA working with our neighbor island counties as
• know Honolulu ref Capello was saying I know Honolulu is<01:20:19.760><c> Ground</c><01:20:20.199><c> Zero
• ><c> but</c><01:20:21.719><c> how</c><01:20:22.320><c> is</c><01:20:22.480><c> carar</c> is Ground Zero
• for crb but how is carar is Ground Zero for crb but how is carar working<01:20:23.320><c> with</c><01

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Bachman Hall and heard testimony on several UH-related bills. HB 542 would expand the Hawaiʻi Promise Program to provide unmet-need scholarships at four-year UH campuses. UH system officials, the UH Student Caucus, and a Honolulu Community College student testified in support, emphasizing college affordability, student retention, and workforce needs. Committee members asked about current program data, eligibility, transfer patterns, and cost; UH said it had data available, noted about 10% of current Hawaiʻi Promise students transfer to four-year campuses, and estimated the full expansion would cost about $12 million. UH also suggested a possible alternative of focusing on transfer opportunities from two-year to four-year campuses. The committee then heard HB 840, which concerns athletics appropriations for UH. UH Mānoa and UH Hilo supported the bill. UH officials said the funding would help cover recurring athletics operating costs, women’s sports travel and recruiting, Austin Awards, and a new nutrition fueling station, while Hilo said the money would help with travel, per diem, and conference-related costs. Members asked about the history of the athletics funding, the difference between Austin Awards and special talent waivers, NIL planning, and whether the appropriation should be restored to the base budget. UH explained that a $4 million athletics appropriation was originally made in 2018 or 2019, later removed from the base, and has been reappropriated annually since then. Finally, the committee heard HB 842, which would fund three additional permanent mental health practitioner positions at UH Mānoa’s Counseling and Student Development Center. UH supported the bill, and Academic Labor United and a high school student testified in favor, citing student stress, overwork, and the need for more counseling access. In questions, members discussed the current counselor-to-student ratio, recruitment challenges in a tight labor market, and strategies for hiring, including looking at candidates on soft-money grants who may be seeking stable employment. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So anything in 28 and 27 that you see as a zero would have moved to 1891.
• > you</c><00:57:20.480><c> see</c><00:57:20.720><c> as</c><00:57:20.799><c> a</c><00:57:20.960><c> zero
• </c><00:57:21.240><c> would</c><00:57:21.359><c> have</c> 27 that you see as a zero would have 27 that
• <00:59:20.839><c> uh</c> really see it here because it was uh really see it here because it was uh Zero
• 00:59:22.760><c> we</c><00:59:22.880><c> did</c><00:59:23.039><c> our</c><00:59:23.319><c> our</c> Zero

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard the Banking Department’s fiscal year 2026-2027 budget presentation from Commissioner Amelia Galeri. She described the department as a self-funded consumer protection regulator overseeing two main areas: the Banking Trust Division, which supervises state-chartered banks, credit unions, and trust companies, and the Consumer Credit Division, which oversees more than 7,000 licensees including mortgage and money transmitter businesses. She said the department’s budget is about 86% salaries and benefits, with 53 positions all filled, and explained that the agency funds itself through fees, fines, and end-of-year assessments on regulated entities. Galeri said the department is facing workload growth from several directions: continued growth in the trust industry, increased fintech supervision, and a new requirement to regularly examine auto dealers that take finance applications, which adds about 300 exams over two fiscal years. She said the department was directed to flat-fund its budget based on 2025 levels but was allowed to increase travel and training. To stay within that limit, she said the department reduced office space, went paperless, converted administrative and licensing positions into examiner positions, and expects to defund an embedded DOJ database administrator position once a new SharePoint system is fully implemented. Members asked about how the department’s revenue and assessments work, including whether fees were increasing and how much existing banks would pay. Galeri said fees are not being raised, most banks pay little or no fines, and assessments are based largely on asset size, with trust companies paying the bulk. She also explained that fines are set by statute, generally capped at $2,500 per violation for consumer credit entities, and said she would not recommend increasing that cap. The committee then voted to accept the Banking Department’s budget proposal as presented in HQ1, with a motion and second and no discussion. The transcript then moved to the Department of Energy budget. Commissioner Jared Chakin and Chief of Operations Lenny Radio discussed federal program funding, including LIHEAP fuel assistance and weatherization. They said the apparent drop in fuel assistance funding from FY 2024 actuals to the budgeted amount is due to the loss of ARPA and CARES Act supplemental funds, while weatherization remains a federally constrained program with a waiting list and limited flexibility. Members also asked about a proposed transfer from the renewable energy fund; staff said the transfer would still allow the department to carry out its statutory duties for the year, though the committee deferred deeper discussion until House Bill 2.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of our districts would have one or zero, and I was recently involved in a process hearing and had
• </c><02:36:47.359><c> and</c><02:36:47.840><c> um</c> districts would have one or zero and um districts
• gone down this road to sort of develop these action plans, this would not require them to start at zero
• </c><05:47:12.958><c> correct</c><05:47:13.440><c> they</c><05:47:13.958><c> could</c> start at zero
• correct they could start at zero correct they could acknowledge<05:47:15.520><c> that</c><05:47:15.638

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and noted weather-related absences and a large number of new bills. The chair said a subcommittee would be formed to review three cell phone bills, and a full committee work session on bullying would be scheduled for the week after next. The committee then began a hearing on House Bill 121, which would create local special education advisory councils in school districts. Representative Glenn Cordelli, the sponsor, said the councils would be parent-driven, with parents of children with disabilities advising districts on education, safety, program development, evaluation, planning, policies, and communication with administrators. He said the bill would require at least quarterly meetings with district administration, an annual parent workshop, and a year-end report to the school board. He also cited federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on parent advisory councils and said the goal was to improve collaboration between parents and schools. Members raised questions about the use of “shall,” how councils would be formed in districts without PTAs/PTOs, whether the councils could function in very small districts, privacy concerns about parents disclosing their children’s disabilities, whether the councils should include guardians or educational professionals, and whether the councils would have any direct tie to the state advisory council. The sponsor said the requirement was intended to make the councils mandatory, that local districts could organize them organically if needed, that participation would be voluntary, that parents would not be required to disclose private information, and that the councils would remain advisory rather than determinative. He also said costs should be minimal. Testimony then began from Nicole Sheath, a pediatric occupational therapist and parent of four children with disabilities, who described her experience balancing advocacy, school collaboration, and the demands of her children’s therapies and education.

Transcript Highlights:

• about the facilities impacted<02:59:37.920><c> by</c><02:59:38.160><c> these</c><02:59:38.399><c> zero
• </c><02:59:38.800><c> emissions</c> impacted by these zero emissions impacted by these zero emissions

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Anderson stated, we need a lot of solutions, but we currently have zero state-run PRTFs, which is why
• Anderson stated, we need a lot of solutions, but we currently have zero state-run PRTFs, which is why
• Anderson stated, we need a lot of solutions, but we currently have zero state-run PRTFs, which is why

Committee: House Capital Investment

Keywords: 1183, house