Transcript Highlights:

• These kiosks have been operating in the state for a number of years.
• operators uh not just uh the folks of operators uh not just uh the folks that<00:32:00.880><c> testified
• </c> operating the state for a number of operating the state for a number of years.<00:32:24.240><c>
• So my point is that the Department of Commerce should be regulating the licensed operators.
• </c><01:35:48.960><c> of</c> industry. um that includes operators of industry. um that includes operators

Bills: HF3642 , HF2700 , HF3615

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: virtual currency, kiosks, prohibition, customer payouts, cryptocurrency regulation, consumer privacy, data privacy, health data, sensitive data, Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act, personal data, data broker, targeted advertising, geofencing, location tracking, health care privacy, patient privacy, consent, minor privacy, children's privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• We saw most of the effects of that operation. And now we have a bill that's moving forward.
• We saw most of the effects of January.
• We saw most of the effects of that<00:02:10.119><c> operation.
• I can understand a few of them, but this is getting out of hand. that sort of practice in this committee
• </c> of history. of history.

Committee: Senate Rules and Administration

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , or how the wells are keeping up with demand and the hours of operation of the wells for 201(h) projects
• , or how the wells are keeping up with demand and the hours of operation of the wells for 201(h) projects
• The number hasn't changed; it's still 500. operation of our wells for 201h projects operation of our
• </c><00:47:49.839><c> us</c><00:47:50.520><c> operators</c> couple months um so all of us operators couple
• ><00:48:05.839><c> fire</c><00:48:06.160><c> down</c> operations on hour after the fire down operations

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:

• of 24 hours uh if you meet that you of of 24 hours uh if you meet that you will<00:04:54.320><c> for
• </c><00:25:44.760><c> of</c> centers help the overall operations of centers help the overall operations
• </c> have wins of have wins of 227<00:55:52.920><c> mil</c> 227 mil 227 mil hour<00:55:55.280><c> that's
• , supervising the 24-hour, 365-day operations of our state warning point.
• -day operations of our state warning point.

Committee: House Public Safety

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee held its first hearing of the 2025 session and began with housekeeping on testimony deadlines, hybrid participation rules, time management, and expectations for civility. The chair said testimony posted at least 24 hours in advance would be available to members and the public at the same time, late testimony would still be processed, and decision-making would generally be deferred to later in the day so morning hearings could adjourn before the noon floor session. The first bill heard was HB 673 on emergency management. Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator James Barros testified in opposition, saying the bill could undermine the executive’s unity of command during emergencies and objecting to provisions allowing the legislature to terminate a state of emergency by a two-thirds vote. Members asked about the difference between an emergency order and a state of emergency, whether other states use legislative checks and balances, and whether long-running emergencies such as COVID-19 or homelessness should have clearer end conditions. Barros said the agency, along with the Attorney General’s office and the governor’s office, would review the language and that the issue is setting conditions for when an emergency ends. The committee then heard HB 596, also on emergency management, which would clarify types of events that count as dangers and emergencies. Barros opposed the bill, saying the current list covers known hazards but should remain open-ended for future threats; he cited COVID-19 as an example of an unforeseen event and said the bill could limit flexibility. Members asked whether the list could be expanded, and Barros said the agency would look at that possibility. Testimony included support from the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii and concerns from the Tax Foundation of Hawaii about the bill’s special fund provisions; the committee also corrected testimony that had been submitted for the wrong bill. The final measure discussed was HB 1060 on emergency preparedness and the Community Readiness Center Program. Barros explained the proposal as part of HEMA’s effort to build local readiness centers and community hubs, with an initial target of 10 communities through a federal grant and a longer-term concept of roughly 100 statewide. The Climate Advisory Team supported the bill’s intent but urged that centers be developed with strong community and nonprofit involvement through the HARRP program. The Department of Taxation offered comments on the special fund, and members raised questions about cost, size, use of existing school facilities, public messaging, and equity across communities. Barros said the centers would provide backup communications, power, water, and food for a community group, would not function as general shelters, and would be designed to help communities hunker down and recover after a disaster.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Big Beautiful Bill also allows the effects of certain provisions to operate retroactively to earlier
• By operating under a Medicaid waiver instead of through DCF, the state benefits from enhanced federal
• violence, if I'm a victim of domestic violence and I'm already hiding out, I'm trying to operate in
• Senate Bill 86 declares that the operation of a commercial vehicle by an unauthorized alien is an imminent
• Motor Vehicles to issue an out-of-service order, which prohibits the motor vehicle carrier from operating

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects. The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, some of the, some of these will, yeah, so then some of these will, um, some of these cover multiple
• Vice Chair, um, very aware of, of the, the intricacies of these arrangements.
• House Bill 2513 seeks to ensure 24 hour work shift constitutes one workday for the purpose of using paid
• I do operate our land bank program which serves the entire state of Texas.
• And that program, unlike programs operated by the Department of Housing or by Texas State Affordable

Bills: HCR7

Committee: House S/C on Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: memorial, tribute, military service, community contribution, Texas legislature

Transcript Highlights:

• We operate in a myriad of rules and regulations, while all are well-intentioned and many proper.
• Representative Bakeberg, I actually had a conversation just a couple of hours ago with our co-chairs
• hours of instruction.
• What we receive is that there are a hundred and sixty-five hours of instruction.
• They're able to do that with more immediacy is the hours of instruction that they can appropriately access

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It will go on for over a half an hour, most of the same stuff pretty much, everything you would see in
• I guess it could be extremely expensive if you had hours and hours worth of attorney fees.
• I guess it could be extremely expensive if you had hours and hours worth of attorney fees.
• I guess it could be extremely expensive if you had hours and hours worth of attorney fees.
• of</c><01:26:57.560><c> uh</c> if you had hours and hours worth of uh if you had hours and hours worth

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Crystal Moreno, on behalf of the California Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers, in strong support
• Crystal Moreno on behalf of the California Nevada Conference of Operating Engineers and Strong Support
• costs to financially unstable operators in exactly these types of circumstances.
• owners and the operators of these wells are held responsible for the wells.
• owners and the operators of these wells are held responsible. and the operators of these wells are held

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of us can only dream of one.
• ><c> kind</c><00:45:49.520><c> of</c> the barriers some of the kind of the barriers some of the kind
• It'll update minute by minute and hour by hour on the health of our students.
• c><01:27:03.080><c> health</c><01:27:03.320><c> of</c> minute and hour by hour on the health of minute
• and hour by hour on the health of our<01:27:03.679><c> students</c><01:27:04.639><c> so</c><01:27:04.840

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• ...and the fact that, as of July of next year, because of all of the compounding effects of all these
• Agencies, courts, and stakeholders are all operating with a shared understanding of the law.
• of collective volunteer hours toward their emissions reduction plans.
• In doing so, it creates a parallel oversight structure that operates outside of traditional planning
• Senator, I know this was an 11th-hour negotiation and I know a lot of work was put into this on both

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think today we could probably fill two hours with kind of just resetting, recalibrating, and setting
• </c> of so this is still the subject of of so this is still the subject of discussion<00:04:26.520><c
• I suggest maybe Monday morning, since we only have two hours in Division II because of the full committee
• We could probably fill most of the two hours just going through all that stuff.
• probably fill most of the two hours just probably fill most of the two hours just going<00:10:11.160>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division II work session focused on organizing the committee’s remaining budget work and reviewing a set of recommended changes to House Bills 1 and 2. Mr. Landrian explained the committee’s tracking sheets and draft amendment package, noted that the division was being asked to find roughly $200 million in reductions, and said the governor’s lottery proposal in House Bill 2 could help offset part of that target. Members also discussed how revenue estimates tied to fee changes would be handled, with the chair saying the committee could seek Ways and Means input but would ultimately decide the estimates itself. The committee then considered four mostly technical amendments to House Bill 2. It voted unanimously to delete Section 81, which duplicated CCSNH dual and concurrent enrollment language already moving in House Bill 192; to delete Sections 143 and 144, which duplicated police standards and training extra-duty language already in House Bill 778; to adopt a correction to Section 151 that removed an inadvertently repeated sentence; and to delete Section 178 because the same Lottery Commission language already appears in House Bill 1. The committee also agreed to approve Section 4 of House Bill 1, the Lottery Commission boilerplate language, while deferring action on Section 2 of House Bill 1 until the university and community college budget is settled. A substantial portion of the meeting was spent planning upcoming work sessions and discussing possible revenue measures. The committee planned to invite Fish and Game on Monday to review a large set of follow-up materials and to discuss a possible amendment requiring hunters and trappers to pay the license fee before taking free training classes, with a second chance to retake the class if needed. Members also discussed possible fee adjustments for Safety and Fish and Game, including using dedicated-fund fees to reduce reliance on general funds and help stabilize the Highway Fund and Fish and Game Fund. The chair emphasized that all actions were recommendations until the committee’s final deadline and encouraged members to review draft language carefully before voting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The ESEA operates through a comprehensive system of funding allocation and accountability measures.
• of those kind of replicating with all of those kind of pre-operational<01:46:31.920><c> startup</c><
• aside for staff and operations salaries at MDE for the administration of the State Library Services
• aside for staff and operations salaries at MDE for the administration of the State Library Services
• aside for staff and operations salaries at MDE for the administration of the State Library Services

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, two hours of testimony.
• We're looking to have two hours of testimony, okay, two hours of testimony, and we'll get through what
• of the Bible and teachings of her church.
• As housing professionals, we operate at the front door of Idaho's economy.
• I'm the president of the League of Women Voters of Idaho.

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have spent thousands of hours in research.
• This project is a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain method of delivery.
• We have spent thousands of hours in research.
• This project is a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain method of delivery.
• </c> operation and maintenance of the cup. operation and maintenance of the cup.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including a quorum call, approval of the April 27 minutes, and a report of informational items. Those informational items included University of Kentucky medical equipment purchases, UK’s planned use of restricted funds for a public-private partnership, school district debt notices, UK’s use of construction management at risk for five projects, Kentucky Communications Network Authority capital project reporting, and UK lease improvements. The main action item was University of Kentucky’s request for approval of a $600 million central plants and utility infrastructure P3 tied to the Chandler expansion and other campus facilities. UK said the project would modernize and expand utility capacity, improve redundancy and efficiency, and support 24/7 hospital operations. UK explained that the financing would combine private equity and nonprofit debt, with no UK or Commonwealth debt or upfront payment, and that future availability payments would come from UK Healthcare funds. Members asked about the financing stack, the source of the restricted funds, and whether existing units would be replaced or modernized. The committee then approved the P3 agreement by roll call vote. The committee also considered and approved a lease renewal for a 20,000-square-foot College of Medicine facility near the Bowling Green Medical Center. UK said the lease would cost $38 per square foot, or $912,000 annually, and supports its long-running partnership with Bowling Green Hospital and planned medical student growth in the region. Members spoke favorably about the local impact of the program, and the lease renewal passed by roll call vote. Finally, the Finance and Administrative Cabinet reported three items requiring no action, including a $2.103 million Transportation Cabinet Department of Aviation project for two medium box hangars at Capital City Airport. Cabinet staff said the project would be funded by federal aviation money and restricted aviation funds, and later explained that the restricted funds come from a jet fuel tax deposited into the Aviation Economic Development Fund.

Transcript Highlights:

• much of their factory operations were closed down or had to alter for a period of several years, and
• They have an operating fund that sustains all of their operating approach, so part of that.
• They have an operating fund that sustains all of their operating approach, so part of that.
• In terms of all of my operating facilities, respectfully, sir, I need them all for the population that
• The Command Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Committee: House Budget

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• an average wage of at least $23 per hour with health care benefits.
• Their renewables, their solar and wind, for example, operate at a different time of day from ours in
• “At least 80% of the corporation’s assets must be used for active business operations.
• Founders and early employees often accept lower pay, long hours, and years of uncertainty with no guarantee
• Founders and early employers, employees often accept lower pay, long hours, and years of uncertainty

Summary: House Finance heard bill briefings and testimony on several tax and property-tax measures. HB 2175 would exempt licensed nonprofit providers of free durable medical equipment from retail sales and use tax on items reasonably necessary to operate and provide care; the sponsor and a nonprofit provider described how the bill would help organizations that refurbish and donate wheelchairs, beds, walkers, and similar equipment, and staff noted a small Department of Revenue fiscal impact. The committee then heard HB 2608, which revises the targeted urban area property tax exemption for nuclear facility projects by requiring labor standards, including submission of a workforce or project labor agreement and related wage/apprenticeship information, and extending project-completion deadlines. Supporters said it would help attract major clean-energy and nuclear supply-chain investment and jobs, while opponents from construction groups, environmental advocates, and some public commenters objected to the PLA requirement, the tax preference for nuclear projects, and the broader policy direction; tribal consultation concerns were also raised. No votes were taken on these bills in the transcript. The committee also heard HB 2227, which expands an existing REET exemption for affordable homeownership sales from self-help housing to other nonprofit affordable homeownership programs, including community land trusts. The sponsor and nonprofit witnesses said the change would lower transaction costs, improve affordability, and support permanently affordable resale models; staff clarified the exemption applies to the initial sale from the nonprofit to an income-qualified buyer, not later resales. HB 2528 would allow cities and counties that fully plan under the Growth Management Act to impose the second local REET without voter approval, aligning opt-in jurisdictions with those required to plan under GMA. Supporters from cities and counties said the revenue would help fund sidewalks, ADA upgrades, water, sewer, and other infrastructure, while opponents argued it would raise home-selling costs and bypass voters. Finally, the committee heard HB 2292, which would subject long-term capital gains from qualified small business stock to the state capital gains tax beginning in 2026. Staff said the bill would affect about 260 taxpayers and raise roughly $1.2 million in FY 2027, while the sponsor and supporters argued the current QSBS exemption mainly benefits very wealthy investors and should be treated like other capital gains; opponents from the tech and startup community said the exemption helps founders attract investment, keep companies in Washington, and create jobs, and warned the bill would send a negative signal to entrepreneurs. The committee also heard HB 2257, a Department of Revenue request bill making technical and administrative changes to the tax code, largely to codify guidance from last year’s sales-tax-on-services law and make other clarifications; DOR said it was intended to provide certainty and had no fiscal impact. School groups testified that the 5814-related service-tax changes have increased costs for districts, especially for staffing and professional learning, and asked for relief or a broader exemption.

Transcript Highlights:

• over the course of the next eight hours or so.
• That is really a deeper dive, and it’s about a 12% portion of our overall operating budget.”
• I’m not saying that there are some instances where it’s part of their operating budget, but I feel like
• So one of the major accomplishments of the Department of Correction in the last number of years was the
• Can you tell us where it's operating, some of the challenges, what your criteria are, and a little bit

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission met with a new member from Prisoners’ Legal Services and approved the July 11 minutes. The main presentation came from Department of Correction Commissioner Sean Jenkins and Deputy Commissioner Mitzie Peterson, who gave an overview of DOC facilities, population trends, and the department’s broad mission, including sentenced prisoners, pretrial detainees, civil commitments, Bridgewater State Hospital, and the Section 35 program. They noted the custody population has fallen from about 10,000 in 2016 to roughly 6,000–6,600, while the share serving first- or second-degree sentences has increased. They also reviewed the department’s facility footprint, including Souza-Baranowski, MCI Norfolk, MCI Framingham, Bridgewater, and the planned transfer of the Section 35 program to Health and Human Services by the end of 2026. A large portion of the discussion focused on programming, education, health care, and reentry. DOC described tablet access for all incarcerated people, free phone calls, email, and more than 330,000 hours of educational, vocational, and reentry use. They highlighted partnerships with colleges and universities such as Tufts, Boston College, Emerson, and others, along with HiSET completion, vocational training, and programs like The Last Mile and Persevere. Health care spending was discussed in detail, including a total annual health-related contract cost of about $300 million, with separate contracts for prison health care, Bridgewater State Hospital, MassAQC, and MAT services. DOC said it has nearly eradicated Hep C and MRSA and now offers all three FDA-approved MAT medications, including long-acting injectables when clinically indicated. Commissioners also asked about specialized programming, language and disability access on tablets, and how programming is distributed across facilities. DOC explained that nothing is mandatory, but program participation is encouraged and can affect parole consideration. Staff described assessments using COMPAS, criminal thinking interventions, trauma-related treatment, and specialized units for emerging adults, mental health, and substance use. The department said programming costs were about $101 million in fiscal year 2025, or roughly 12% of the operating budget, excluding health care. Members praised the elimination of restrictive housing and the rollout of body-worn cameras, while DOC said the cameras required new policy and union negotiations but are now used for training, accountability, and de-escalation. The meeting ended with a plan for DOC to return in September with more detailed information on SAUs, programming statistics, and facility structure, and the commission voted to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to be talking about a couple of topics, including an evaluation of the Board of Environmental
• of hazards in communities of color and the twin evil of the over-concentration of hazards in communities
• Frontline community members and their allies provided hours and hours of testimony, broken up into tiny
• The public often expects the board to provide detailed oversight of every aspect of DTSC's operations
• There are ongoing discussions and disagreements about the extent of the board's oversight of DTSC operations

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on the Board of Environmental Safety (BES), created by SB 158 in 2021, and on broader DTSC reform efforts, including permitting, community engagement, fee setting, and the hazardous waste management plan. Chair Connolly opened by noting the board’s original goals of improving transparency, accountability, and fiscal stability, and raised concerns about a recent board appointee later becoming a lobbyist with DTSC-regulated clients. Witnesses and members also discussed the long-delayed SB 673 regulations on facility permitting and community vulnerability protections, as well as the board’s role in approving the hazardous waste management plan and reviewing permit appeals. Community and environmental justice witnesses argued that the board has improved access by creating a public forum, ombudsperson, and appeal process, but said it remains too passive and lacks authority over budgets, staffing, and implementation. They urged more statutory direction, stronger community participation, better transparency on how comments are used, and more meaningful authority in permit and plan decisions. One witness suggested the Legislature consider a separate oversight body or stronger legislative engagement, while another called for youth representation and paid fellowships on advisory bodies. Business and regulated-community testimony was more supportive of the board’s structure, emphasizing that SB 158 was a negotiated compromise that improved transparency and accountability while avoiding politicization, and calling for faster fee analysis and clearer budget information. Board Chair Andrew Rakestra and DTSC Director Barbara Butler reported that reform has produced measurable gains: more public engagement, stronger enforcement, fewer continued permits, improved compliance, increased revenues from the generation-and-handling fee, and progress on Exide cleanup, safer consumer products, and community revitalization grants. They acknowledged, however, that the board’s authority is limited, permit appeals can be slow, SB 673 regulations remain unfinished, and public trust still needs work. Both said the board is most effective when involved early and when DTSC shares information proactively. Members asked about fee stability, the hazardous waste management plan, and whether the Legislature should give the board a more formal role in budget change proposals, regulatory processes, and implementation oversight. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a state-specific rewrite of payment operations.
• So it's not just for the state of Illinois; now it's for 4% of the state of Illinois.
• of.
• We closed last year, and it was because of a lot of things. And it was because of a lot of things.
• of the pure structure of the product.

Keywords: 1212, all

Summary: The Special Commission on the future of credit card payments and their impacts on small businesses heard extensive testimony from credit unions, retailers, payment industry groups, and a credit card issuer. Much of the discussion focused on proposed state laws that would limit interchange fees on the tax and tip portions of transactions, especially Illinois’s Interchange Fee Prohibition Act and similar efforts in other states. Witnesses opposing the proposals argued that interchange helps fund fraud protection, cybersecurity, rewards, and access to credit, and warned that state-by-state rules would create a patchwork that could harm state-chartered banks and credit unions, raise compliance costs, and reduce consumer access to credit. Supporters of reform argued that swipe fees are a significant burden on merchants, especially small businesses, and that current pricing is opaque and often bundled with other processor charges. Several witnesses emphasized that the current payment system provides major benefits to merchants and consumers, including security, convenience, faster settlement, online commerce, and broader access to credit. One witness from Capital One said the industry’s losses from fraud and default are substantial and that interchange helps offset those risks; he also noted that merchants already have some tools, such as surcharging where allowed and negotiating clearer processor contracts. Retail representatives and the National Retail Federation countered that small businesses are under pressure from many costs and that interchange and related fees remain a real pain point, with some urging the commission to consider reforms that would return more money to businesses without disrupting the system. There was also discussion of the recent Visa/Mastercard antitrust settlement, with industry witnesses describing it as a significant merchant win that includes temporary rate reductions, more surcharge flexibility, and the ability to decline certain card tiers. No votes were taken. The meeting concluded after all scheduled testimony was heard, with the commission chair saying the session had been productive and that the committee would continue gathering testimony and written comments before making recommendations.