Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> we</c><00:19:27.280><c> had</c><00:19:27.440><c> a</c> um hearing, the public hearing, we had a
• um hearing, the public hearing, we had a number<00:19:27.760><c> of</c><00:19:27.919><c> public</c><00
• I guess because I didn't hear any others. Sorry. You know what can I say? What can I say?
• I guess I because I didn't hear<00:48:14.160><c> any</c><00:48:14.319><c> others.
• </c> hear any others. Sorry. hear any others. Sorry.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> contested committee hearing. contested committee hearing.
• They'll have more than 10 minutes per hearing to hear a bill or an idea. arts and culture section by
• They'll have more than 10 minutes per hearing to hear a bill or an idea.
• They'll have more than 10 minutes per hearing to hear a bill or an idea.
• They'll have more than 10 minutes per hearing to hear a bill or an idea.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today's hearing is being held on Friday, March 28th, 2025. The time is 3:06 PM.
• Chairman and members, and appreciate you're hearing the bill here today.
• </c> A7 hearing and seeing none. A7 hearing and seeing none.
• All right, hearing none, I will call for testimony.
• All right, hearing none, I will 2068.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you so much for hearing House Bill 15 this morning.
• And again, thank you for reconsidering hearing this again.
• Can you hear me okay? We can hear you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr.
• Can you hear me? We can hear you. Wonderful, thank you.
• I want to confirm that you can hear me before I move forward. We can hear you. Great. Thank you.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> none of this language has had a hearing none of this language has had a hearing a<00:49:19.160><
• That's what you hear.
• That's what you hear.
• c> file</c><01:16:46.120><c> later</c> step when we hear that Senate file later step when we hear that
• </c> hasn't gotten a single hearing. hasn't gotten a single hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we just hear school versus those funded by social services.
• I've been hearing from stakeholders on the actual true costs.
• I'm glad to hear it.
• So if you train people for a bond hearing and then bond hearings are no longer a thing, and habeas is
• Hi, I'm—can you hear me? Yes. Am I close enough? Okay. Hi, I'm Zahn.

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy budget hearing focused on child care, child welfare, and immigration-related services, with most of the discussion centered on child care funding, slot utilization, and rate reform. Department of Social Services officials said the Governor’s budget would provide $6.8 billion for child care programs in 2026-27, including $11.5 million in Prop. 64 funds for mini-grants to licensed facilities affected by 2025 disasters. They also described federal CCDF and Prop. 64 revenue reductions that would reduce general child care funding by about 4,176 slots, while emphasizing that the cuts should not affect currently enrolled children. The LAO supported aligning spending with lower revenues and asked for more detail on the disaster grant program. Members questioned why so many awarded slots remain uncontracted or unfilled, and DSS said delays are largely due to providers building new infrastructure, licensing, staffing, and enrollment work. One senator criticized the repeated explanation, argued unspent funds revert to the General Fund instead of being redirected to child care, and urged shifting more funding from contract slots to vouchers and increasing flexibility for infrastructure and expansion costs. DSS said it is exploring more flexibility, better readiness screening, and quicker redistribution of relinquished slots. The committee also discussed the Emergency Child Care Bridge program, with DSS saying it can redistribute funds among counties to avoid disenrolling children. A second panel addressed the state’s broader commitment to expand child care and move toward a single rate structure. DSS reported that since 2021-22 nearly 125,000 new slots have been awarded across CCTR, CAPP, CMAP, and the Emergency Child Care Bridge program, bringing monthly service levels to more than 366,700 children. The department and CDE described progress on rate reform, including completion of the alternative methodology and joint recommendations from the labor-management committee on a single-rate framework. County and provider testimony emphasized persistent unmet need, especially for infant and toddler care, and argued that current reimbursement disparities between CDSS-funded programs and state preschool create inequities and discourage expansion. Stanislaus County Office of Education said rate differences can materially affect local program revenue and staffing, while Parent Voices California described the child care system as difficult to navigate and inequitable, especially for Black families and survivors of domestic violence. The California Budget and Policy Center argued that only a small share of eligible children are served, that Universal TK has concentrated investment in school-based settings, and that providers are still paid far below the cost of care. Members pressed the administration for deadlines on automation and implementation of the single-rate structure, and DSS said some work can proceed before collective bargaining concludes, though policy decisions are still needed. The committee also reviewed several trailer bill proposals. For the COLA, DSS proposed applying the 2026-27 increase through cost-of-care-plus payments, but acknowledged it had inadvertently excluded CalWORKs Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge from the initial calculation; the LAO recommended making the COLA increase uniform across child care and state preschool programs. On the alternative methodology survey, DSS proposed replacing the market rate survey with the federally approved alternative methodology and aligning the timing with the federal CCDF state plan cycle. On licensed family child care homes, DSS proposed limiting temporary absences to 20% of monthly care hours and allowing more flexibility for medical appointments, jury duty, training, and union activities. On excessive unexplained absences, DSS proposed a statutory definition to align state policy with federal rules allowing disenrollment after 30 days of unexplained absences. The committee also discussed a proposal to require contractors to collect family fees directly so the full voucher value reaches providers, with DSS saying it is working with Riverside County on implementation and CDE asking that the same policy apply to state preschool. Finally, the committee reviewed an Early Childhood Policy Council reappropriation and reporting proposal, with DSS explaining that prior funds were underused because participation costs are hard to estimate and that additional staffing and contractor support would be needed for the expanded annual report requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what I'm hearing in some of the testimony, and perhaps Rep.
• So what I'm hearing in some of the testimony and Chair.
• So I hear that.
• Again, that's fine, so I hear that, so I do appreciate that.
• It means hearing the cry before it becomes an emergency.

Bills: HB624 , HB1022 , HB1203 , SB82 , SB206 , SB305 , SB376 , SB441

Committee: House Education

Keywords: school safety, emergency operations plan, crisis management, active shooter, drills, training, classroom security, primary health services, behavioral health, school health providers, medical necessity, student health care, education, school week, instructional time, public schools, performance score, student athletes, cardiovascular health, sudden cardiac arrest

Transcript Highlights:

• we're here again, we're going to want to hear where you're at.
• I don't know what to expect, I guess, what we'll hear from them.
• I didn't want to hear what VPs and directors everybody wanted to hear.
• We're hearing on some of the contracts that are going through.
• Because I'm kind of hearing horror stories.

Summary: The committee received several informational reports from NDIT and DPI. Justin Data reviewed the quarterly major IT project portfolio, noting the portfolio was slightly under budget and behind schedule overall, with three red schedule items: Bed Management System and Vital Records were essentially complete and being closed out, and the Roadway Capital Planning Project was delayed by vendor bug fixes after testing. He also summarized recent project startups and closeouts, including the Victim Notification System, Medicaid data exchange, Highway Patrol’s motor carrier permit system, and several completed HHS and RIMS projects. Members asked for follow-up on ADA compliance work, the public-facing RIO website, and the state’s mainframe retirement timeline, and staff agreed to provide updates later. Craig Falkley reported on coordination of services with political subdivisions and higher education, including StageNet, cybersecurity, radio/911 services, and PeopleSoft coordination. He also explained distributed ledger technology as a tool for transparency and fraud prevention, but said it is not widely used in state government and suggested the report be modernized to focus more broadly on emerging technologies such as AI and cybersecurity. The committee generally agreed that the topic should be updated. Chris Gurgan presented the mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting program created by HB 1314, explaining how agencies and political subdivisions report incidents through NDIT’s website or service desk. He said 77 incidents had been reported since 2021, 47 met the statutory definition, and most were phishing-related; most reported incidents were resolved, with one recent ransomware matter still open. He also reviewed notable incidents since the last report, including the PowerSchool compromise, a SimpleHelp intrusion at a school district, a court intrusion, a WSUS vulnerability, a business email compromise, and a recent ransomware incident involving a non-state critical infrastructure entity. Members asked about recovery of stolen funds, early warning signs, smishing, training, MFA, conditional access, and cybersecurity maturity assessments; Gurgan said the state uses MFA and conditional access, provides awareness training to state employees, and would return with more information on maturity assessments. Tony Ambrose then updated the committee on the K-12 student information system bridge project. He said district implementation of Infinite Campus had begun statewide, but the data migration vendor originally selected was terminated for poor performance and replaced by Aurora Educational Technology, which had experience with similar statewide migrations. He also said DPI is migrating special education data from Tynet into Infinite Campus, and that some SLDS-based tools such as e-transcripts and Choice Ready may not function exactly as they do now at July 1, requiring interim or alternative solutions. Members raised concerns about summer school disruptions, the timing of the cutover, and whether the new system would support existing reporting and transcript functions; DPI said it was working on identity, authentication, data-sharing agreements, and post-go-live integrations, and would continue to refine the plan beyond June 30.

Transcript Highlights:

• Adam, can you hear us? Yes, okay, go ahead. Aloha, Chair.
• We can hear you.
• She thanked the committee for hearing the bill.
• </c><00:39:41.280><c> this</c> thank you very much for hearing this thank you very much for hearing this
• </c> answering your question for this hearing answering your question for this hearing uh<00:56:22.480

Committee: House Water & Land

Summary: The committee on Water and Land met on February 13, 2025, and heard testimony on a series of housing, land, and resource bills. Early bills included HB 743 on fiscal sustainability, HB 1318 on affordable housing, and HB 1409 on the Transit-Oriented Development Infrastructure Improvement District Board. Testimony on the housing measures was largely supportive from agencies and advocacy groups such as the Office of Planning, Hawaii Housing Future, Hawaii Appleseed, Catholic Charities, and the County of Kauai, while the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) raised concerns on HB 1318 about public trust duties for ceded lands. On HB 1409, members questioned whether the bill needed updating in light of a separate bill changing the board structure, and witnesses said the measure did not change funding but only the board’s mission and scope. The committee also heard HB 1410, which would create a supportive housing special fund. Supporters, including Catholic Charities, the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Hawaii Appleseed, argued that predictable dedicated funding is needed for supportive housing, social services, and long-term homelessness solutions. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed tax earmarks in general, saying they subvert the constitutional budgeting process. Members asked how the fund would be administered and who could access it; witnesses said HHFDC and the counties would coordinate the process, but DLNR noted the bill did not provide additional administrative capacity and suggested language to address that. Later bills included HB 528 on residential leaseholds, HB 1359 on flood mitigation, HB 1087 on historic preservation reviews, HB 868 on disabilities, and HB 1323 on transfer of non-agricultural park lands. HB 528 drew limited testimony, with a Catholic Charities/Hawaii Public Housing Authority representative offering a general example of leasehold development but saying the bill’s exemptions had not been discussed in detail. HB 1359 prompted discussion of homeowner and county responsibilities for drainage and flood damage, with DLNR saying private owners are responsible for drainage on private property and counties for county roads. HB 1087 was supported by DHHL, which said historic preservation reviews currently take about 165 days and the bill could improve timeliness, while Hawaii Historic Hawaii Foundation opposed it. HB 868 drew support from the Disability Rights Center and DCAB, with testimony focusing on beach access and the need for clearer legal authority. On HB 1323, DLNR opposed the bill, saying it did not reflect Act 90 and that some agricultural parcels should remain under DLNR for conservation, watershed, recreation, or fire protection reasons; DOA, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council supported the measure, arguing that productive agricultural lands should be transferred to agriculture to protect local food production and family ranches.

Transcript Highlights:

• I hear you, and I get your point.
• Okay, we'll open up the public hearing on House Bill 427 and hear from the prime sponsor. support<01:
• </c><01:37:19.480><c> this</c> let me what you have you'll hear this let me what you have you'll hear
• </c><02:01:02.360><c> certificates</c> earlier uh uh uh hearings certificates earlier uh uh uh hearings
• <02:13:31.199><c> on</c> hearing on hearing on 427 and<02:13:41.880><c> if</c><02:13:42.000><c> you</

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 167, which would add ski, snowboard, and boat wax containing PFAS to the state’s consumer-product restrictions. The sponsor argued the product is already banned in many places, has PFAS-free alternatives, and is used in ways that can directly contaminate water rather than landfills. She cited high PFAS levels in several New Hampshire lakes and said the bill was a simple extension of prior PFAS legislation. A witness also described a personal experience where a liquid ski wax disappeared from the market and later returned, likely because of PFAS concerns. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 167 without a vote. The committee then opened a hearing on House Bill 312, dealing with college athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. Representative Moffett said the bill was modeled on New Jersey law and intended to let student-athletes earn compensation from NIL without losing institutional scholarships, while also requiring licensed representation and setting limits on certain endorsements. He described the measure as proactive because NIL rules are evolving and could create conflicts among schools and future lawsuits. Members questioned whether the bill should apply to two-year institutions, whether it should exclude firearms and weapons, and whether the scholarship protections would cover need-based or academic aid as well as athletic scholarships. Moffett said the scholarship language was intended to protect scholarships generally, but not need-based aid specifically, and he acknowledged discomfort with some of the endorsement restrictions. Public testimony on HB 312 was mixed. One supporter, a former Division III athlete and coach, backed the bill but urged removal of a section allowing institutions or athletic bodies to use an athlete’s NIL without compensation, arguing most New Hampshire athletes do not receive NIL money and should not have to work extra jobs to cover basic expenses. The chair also raised concerns about the bill’s contractual and identity-rights implications, referencing prior committee work on a J.D. Salinger-related identity case and noting the committee had previously declined to get involved in similar contractual disputes. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• hearing hearing uh<00:36:24.000><c> and</c><00:36:24.320><c> once</c><00:36:24.640><c> they</c><00:36
• </c> And with that, we will close the hearing And with that, we will close the hearing on<00:54:36.079
• </c> &gt;&gt; And that concludes the hearing for 1774.
• &gt;&gt; And that concludes the hearing for 1774.
• </c><04:32:05.680><c> on</c> Seeing none, we'll close the hearing on Seeing none, we'll close the hearing

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• This is our Labor and Technology Committee hearing. It's 3:00.
• This hearing is being streamed on the Hawaii State Senate's YouTube channel.
• The content, including the hearing notice, copies of the measures, and testimony, can be found on the
• If time permits, decision-making will occur after we hear from all those offering testimony.
• If time permits, decision-making will occur after we hear from all those offering testimony.

Committee: Senate Labor and Technology

Summary: The Senate Labor and Technology Committee met on April 17, 2026, and considered HCR 112, which asks the Department of Human Resources Development to work with state departments, agencies, and labor organizations to complete a comprehensive review of classification and compensation systems for civil service positions. DHRD, represented by Malia Donlon on behalf of Director Chiba, testified in support, and HGEA also supported the measure. No opposition was noted. The committee initially recessed to obtain a quorum before taking action. After reconvening, the chair recommended passing HCR 112 unamended. The committee voted to adopt the recommendation, with the chair, Vice Chair Lamosao, and Senator Fevella voting aye; Senators Ihara and Moriwaki were excused. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hear no objection, so ordered. First order of business: reports of standing committees.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. Senator Richelie: Thank you so much, Mr. President.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. Third order of business: Message from state officials.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. Senator Ritchelley: Well, thank you so much, Mr. President.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. The Senate stands adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hear no objection, so ordered. First order of business, reports of standing committees.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. Senator Richelie. Thank you so much, Mr. President.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. Third order of business, message from state officials.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. Senator Ritchelley. Well, thank you so much, Mr. President.
• Hear no objection, so ordered. The Senate stands adjourned.

Summary: The Senate met briefly to approve the previous day’s journal and then handled routine procedural business without objection. Standing committee reports were received and referred as designated, except Senate Bill 6227 on parenting student data, which was sent to the Committee on Rules, and Senate Bill 6239 on arbitration for state tort claims, which was sent to the Committee on Ways and Means. The chamber then received a message from state officials and a House message transmitting House Bill 14269. In the fifth order of business, Senate Bill 6336 was introduced and referred to the Committee on Health and Long-Term Care. No substantive debate or testimony was recorded. The Senate also adopted a motion to advance through the orders of business and then adjourned without objection until 12:30 p.m. on Monday, February 2, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• Can you hear me? Yes. All right, thank you. I'm here to testify on H. 5497.
• Can you hear me now? Yes, we can hear you. Yes. Okay, sorry. No worries at all.
• I will entertain a motion to close this hearing. Is there a second? All those in favor?
• Close this hearing. Is there a second? All those in favor, all those opposed, the ayes have it.
• This hearing now stands adjourned. Thank you.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Hearing no objection, the journal is approved as corrected by the chief clerk. Comparison reports.
• Hearing no objection, the motions prevail, and the substitutions will be made.
• Hearing<00:09:00.040><c> no</c><00:09:00.160><c> objection,</c><00:09:00.680><c> the</c><00:09:00.760
• ><c> motions</c> Hearing no objection, the motions Hearing no objection, the motions prevail,<00:09:01.640
• Hearing no objection, the motions prevail.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum, and approved the previous day’s journal. It then moved through routine business including second reading of Senate File 4612, first reading of House Files 5112 through 5118, and a Senate message stating the Senate would not concur in House amendments to Senate File 4760, a public safety bill, and requested a conference committee. Representative Novotny moved that the House accede to the Senate’s request, and the motion prevailed. The Speaker appointed Representatives Novotny, Witty, Moller, and Feist to the conference committee on Senate File 4760. The House also approved non-controversial motions on the desk. During member announcements, Representative Buck marked National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Day, citing state data on missing Indigenous persons and homicides and noting Minnesota’s Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives and related license plate funding. Members were encouraged to wear red in recognition of the day. Representative Long announced Democratic caucus plans after session, and Representative Niska announced the Rules Committee would meet after adjournment and moved to adjourn until 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2026; both adjournment motions prevailed.

Transcript Highlights:

• By 16 members being present, we do have a quorum, but we're going to go into public hearing first, and
• we're going to hear Senate Bill 1629, sponsored by Senator Fitzwater.
• Seeing none, that will conclude the hearing on Senate Bill 1629.
• As you guys are familiar, we had the public hearing on 3351 and 3371.
• Yeah, this one, and I actually had the hearing on the House bill in the Senate hearing room yesterday

Committee: House Utilities

Summary: The Committee on Utilities held a public hearing on Senate Bill 1629, which Senator Fitzwater described as a clarifying measure to last year’s Dig Right/one-call infrastructure protection law. He said the bill responds to misinterpretations by some communities about tracer wire requirements for sewer mains and storm sewers, and that the intent is to avoid unnecessary costs for home builders and homebuyers while preserving underground utility safety. Committee members asked about the six-foot depth threshold, what utilities remain covered, and whether the bill weakens damage-prevention rules; Fitzwater and a committee member said it does not. Testimony in support came from the St. Louis Home Builders, who said the bill corrects a comma-related ambiguity and reduces unnecessary costs, and from Missouri 811, which said the bill reflects the original intent and raised no concerns. No opposition testimony was offered. In executive session, the committee first adopted a substitute combining House Bill 3351 and House Bill 3371, which deal with rules for detaching from a water district and allow a third party to pay debt owed by the district. The combined House Committee Substitute for HB 3351 and HB 3371 then received a do-pass recommendation by a vote of 17-0. The committee also considered a substitute for Senate Bill 903, described by Representative Simmons as adding copper wire and other wireline theft and damage provisions to critical infrastructure protections, with felony penalties and exceptions for legitimate possession by contractors. That measure also received a do-pass recommendation by a vote of 17-0. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hearing no objection, so ordered. First order of business: reports of standing committees.
• Hearing no objection, so ordered. Senator Richelli. Thank you so much, Mr. President.
• Hearing no objection, so ordered. Eighth order: presentation of resolutions.
• Hearing no objection, so ordered. Senator Richelli. Thank you so much, Mr.
• Hearing no objection, the Senate stands adjourned. happen. With that, Mr.

Summary: The Senate convened on February 24 with no roll call, approved the prior day’s Journal, and referred committee reports and listed measures as designated. One exception was Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2548, concerning health care market standards, which was sent to the Committee on Rules. The chamber then moved to the eighth order for resolutions. Senate Resolution 8696, recognizing Washington’s interconnected relationship with Canada, was read and adopted. Supportive remarks emphasized cross-border economic ties, family and community connections, shared environmental and scientific work, trade, border communities such as Point Roberts and Blaine, and cooperation with Canadian and Quebec officials. The Senate also formally recognized visiting Canadian and Washington guests in the gallery, including the Canadian Consul General, a Quebec delegate, the mayor of Blaine, and Western Washington University representatives. After a brief at-ease, the Senate returned to business and received supplemental standing committee reports, including Senate Bill 5998, the supplemental operating budget, and House Bill 2664, both referred to the Committee on Rules. The Senate then agreed to adjourn until 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Government Committee will meet tomorrow, Wednesday the 4th, at 9:00 a.m. in Hearing Room 1.
• Health and Human Services will meet at 9:00 a.m. in Hearing Room 2.
• Center Hearing Room 109. Education will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Hearing Room 1.
• Judiciary and Elections will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Hearing Room 2.
• Public Safety will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Hearing Room 109.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sergeant, please contact any absent members and have them come down to the hearing so that we can start
• with a quorum, which... ...any absent members and have them come down to the hearing so that we can
• We want to hear from you.
• Moving over to make sure that this is getting broadcast, so we want to make sure people can hear.
• And again, thank you to everybody who participated in today's hearing.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Appropriations met in Room 2200 of the O Street Building and took roll, establishing a quorum. The committee announced 25 measures on the agenda, all of which were suspense file candidates, and reminded witnesses to limit comments to fiscal issues. The Department of Finance had no comments on the bills. Most bills were taken up with no presentation, no opposition, and no committee questions, and were moved to suspense without objection. These included SB 46, SB 342, SB 490, SB 574, SB 758, SB 58, SB 73, SB 99, SB 247, SB 288, SB 327, SB 347, SB 417, SB 828, SB 492, SB 501, SB 557, SB 623, SB 667, SB 742, SB 747, SB 811, SB 837, and SB 849. Several bills drew brief support testimony from local governments, housing and labor groups, and other advocates, but no bills were held for further discussion. The only bill with substantive author presentation was SB 381 by Senator Wahab, which would allow adopted adults and descendants to obtain original birth certificates through an administrative process and create a nonbinding contact preference form for birth parents. Supporters said the bill addresses equal access, health, identity, and court backlog concerns, and noted similar laws in other states with little or no fiscal impact. After testimony, SB 381 was also moved to suspense without objection. The committee later reopened the record to note Senator Richardson’s arrival, then adjourned after concluding the agenda.