Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:27:59.920><c> on</c> we almost always uh find agreement on we almost always uh find agreement
• So if we had any commercial financing agreement and then a separate sentence that would essentially say
• and then a SE separate agreement and then a SE separate sentence<02:34:01.600><c> that</c><02:34:01.760
• They can do everything because of an indemnity agreement, and since we're treating these outside third
• Okay, all right, so is everybody understand the agreement that we’re going to just remove paragraph two

Summary: The subcommittee first reviewed its schedule, noting that 13 bills were being executed the next day and that additional subcommittee work would be scheduled around Town Meeting Day and the following session days. The chair explained that the committee would not meet on Town Meeting Day, would handle the remaining bills on the next available subcommittee day, and would continue any unfinished items later in the month. The committee then took up House Bill 774, which concerned Medicare-related coverage issues. Members discussed the bill’s purpose and the differences between Medicare standard and Medicare Advantage, with one member saying the proposal was informative but did not offer a workable solution. The committee also moved to inexpedient to legislate on House Bill 185, and the motion passed on a 6-0 vote. House Bill 241, relating to alternatives to opioids, was retained for further work. Members said the bill raised concerns about insurers effectively practicing medicine and about the lack of evidence on the efficacy of some alternative treatments, while also noting that chiropractic coverage mandates already exist in statute. The committee voted to retain the bill, with the motion passing 6-0. The most extended discussion was on House Bill 648, which would expand insurance coverage for glucose monitoring. Testimony and committee comments focused on whether coverage should be tied to insulin use or instead to a physician’s medical judgment, the role of continuous glucose monitoring for people with type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin, and the potential cost impact. An insurance department fiscal analyst said the original $22-per-member estimate was based on the unamended bill and that the amended version would require updated analysis; members agreed to retain the bill to narrow the eligible population and revisit the language later.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> And we have reached out to the VA as well, but then you run into issues with sharing agreements.
• You have to have sharing agreements with them to provide the services.
• Two of our facilities do have sharing agreements with the VA.
• You have to have sharing agreements.
• You have to have sharing<01:11:55.520><c> agreements</c><01:11:56.000><c> with</c><01:11:56.160><c> them

Committee: Joint Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, we had a reciprocity agreement that basically allows them to come here without taking the
• Right now, we had<00:08:26.320><c> a</c><00:08:26.400><c> reciprocity</c><00:08:27.320><c> agreement<
• /c><00:08:28.400><c> that</c> had a reciprocity agreement that had a reciprocity agreement that basically
• He doesn't necessarily love<00:08:56.960><c> that</c><00:08:57.160><c> agreement,</c><00:08:57.840><c
• , but uh we have the love that agreement, but uh we have the art<00:08:59.240><c> of</c><00:08:59.320

Committee: Senate Banking & Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the Commissioner's Court, essentially without agreement from the law enforcement officers themselves
• Cecil, so this bill would still make that whole thing optional in an agreement between the developer.
• Yeah, we have a significant agreement regarding training costs with UT Southwestern and other schools
• Currently underway with a meet and confer agreement. OK, working on that right now.
• And so, right now we're in a collective bargaining agreement with the firefighters.

Bills: HB26 , HB73 , SB 14 , HB46

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• I wanted some of it to go to the general fund because, as you know, we signed a new CBA agreement last
• I wanted some of it to go to the general fund because, as you know, we signed a new CBA agreement last
• I wanted some of it to go to the general fund because, as you know, we signed a new CBA agreement last
• I wanted some of it to go to the general fund because, as you know, we signed a new CBA agreement last
• a new CBA agreement uh last year<01:05:56.839><c> with</c><01:05:56.960><c> the</c><01:05:57.079><c>

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• So could this be avoided if there was some type of prior agreement before proceeding, or some type of
• You don't want to have the agreement? What is this? No, the statute is poorly drafted.
• have</c><01:20:26.800><c> the</c> there you don't want to have the there you don't want to have the agreement
• 20:28.280><c> this</c><01:20:28.600><c> no</c><01:20:28.880><c> the</c><01:20:29.159><c> the</c> agreement
• what is this no the the agreement what is this no the the statute<01:20:29.760><c> is</c><01:20:29.920

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• It looks like, um, people are in fact in agreement.
• </c><02:11:44.320><c> So</c> people are in fact in agreement. So people are in fact in agreement.
• Is that... is everybody in agreement with that?
• </c><03:11:39.920><c> with</c> Is that is everybody in agreement with Is that is everybody in agreement
• Everybody in agreement raise their &gt;&gt; Yes.

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Transcript Highlights:

• It's an uncontested divorce, and the parties themselves reach an agreement and both sign that they would
• > and</c><00:11:45.519><c> both</c><00:11:46.079><c> sign</c><00:11:47.040><c> that</c> reach an agreement
• and both sign that reach an agreement and both sign that they<00:11:47.408><c> [clears throat]</c><00
• 12:53.360><c> an</c> financial holdings and you come to an financial holdings and you come to an agreement
• with your spouse, all of those agreement with your spouse, all of those are<00:12:56.480><c> going</

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• with an affiliate or related third party, and that affiliate or related third party has an agreement
• presumption, but it's not clear about what will be sufficient evidence to rebut that presumption. agreement
• with an affiliate or related agreement with an affiliate or related third<00:17:27.760><c> party</c>
• /c><00:17:30.080><c> party</c><00:17:30.400><c> has</c><00:17:30.640><c> an</c><00:17:30.799><c> agreement
• </c><00:17:31.039><c> to</c> related third party has an agreement to related third party has an agreement

Summary: The meeting began with roll call and introductions of commission members and guests, followed by approval of the agenda and a motion to approve the February 10 minutes with a correction clarifying that one quoted statement was misattributed. The commission then moved into presentations. The main presentation came from the Conference of State Bank Supervisors on implementation of the federal GENIUS Act for stablecoins. The speaker reviewed the OCC’s recent 367-page proposed rule, noting it raises many open questions and design choices for states, and discussed expected upcoming rulemaking from the FDIC, Federal Reserve, and Treasury. The presentation focused on six areas: permissible issuer activities, reserve assets and redemption, risk management and supervision, treatment of state-qualified issuers, capital/operational backstops, and foreign issuers. It also flagged unresolved issues around Bank Secrecy Act/AML requirements and the meaning of “digital asset service provider” activities. A substantial portion of the discussion addressed yield restrictions, with the presenter explaining the OCC’s broad definition of yield and its rebuttable presumption against issuer-affiliated or related third-party yield arrangements. The speaker said this likely forecloses many existing white-label structures but leaves some room for third-party payments depending on distance from the issuer, and noted ongoing Senate debate over similar provisions. The presentation also covered reserve valuation, liquidity and diversification requirements, redemption timing, and supervisory expectations such as third-party oversight, IT security, exam cycles, and reporting. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the amended minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• May I just agreement of gender ideology.
• </c> agreement on on what the bill says. agreement on on what the bill says.
• Didn't need an ideological agreement.
• ><c> peace,</c><03:31:03.040><c> stability,</c> agreement.
• I needed peace, stability, agreement.

Committee: House Children and Family Law

Transcript Highlights:

• So when the agreement expired in June and Governor Sununu directed the department to return 80% of the
• So<01:35:28.719><c> when</c><01:35:29.120><c> the</c><01:35:29.360><c> agreement</c><01:35:30.320><c>
• expired</c><01:35:31.199><c> in</c><01:35:31.800><c> June</c> So when the agreement expired in June
• So when the agreement expired in June and<01:35:33.120><c> Governor</c><01:35:33.800><c> Cenounu</c>
• </c> received under last year's uh agreement. received under last year's uh agreement.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 291, which would update religious land-use and property tax exemption rules for church-owned parsonages, parish houses, and similar properties. Senator Tim Lang, speaking for the sponsor, said the bill was intended to address situations where former parsonages are no longer occupied by clergy and are instead used for church-related purposes such as housing staff, religious education, or congregate living tied to ministry, including addiction recovery. He emphasized that the bill was not meant to create commercial rental housing and that it also preserves reasonable zoning and environmental regulations. Committee members pressed the sponsor on how the bill would be applied, especially the meaning of “religious purposes,” the six-unit limit, the “same lot” language, and whether churches could use the exemption to rent units for revenue. The sponsor said the six-unit cap was added to prevent large-scale commercial rental use, that congregate housing would be limited and defined, and that the bill was meant to cover uses like substance abuse recovery, homes for unwed mothers, and religious education, but not apartments converted for ordinary rental. He also said churches would still file annual exemption paperwork and towns could challenge claims they believed were commercial. Questions also raised concerns about whether the bill treated religious and nonreligious housing trusts differently; the sponsor responded that the bill was aimed at church-owned property used in pursuit of a religious mission. Several witnesses testified in support. Representative Mark Pearson, an active clergyman, said the bill would not remove additional property from the tax rolls because clergy housing allowances typically lead clergy to buy taxable homes elsewhere, while the church-owned parsonage remains exempt. Nick Taylor of Housing Action New Hampshire supported the bill as a modest expansion that could help create more attainable housing by allowing better use of existing religious land and structures, though he noted his organization would support even broader use. The hearing ended without a vote or final action, and the chair closed questions after the testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• On ABs 110, 122, and 125, we have reached an agreement with the administration, and the Assembly passed
• On ABs 110, 122, and 125, we have reached an agreement with the administration, and the Assembly passed
• The bill is part of the two-party agreement and will be part of the final negotiations with the administration
• forward to a successful vote this morning, but also making sure it's included in the final three-party agreement

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Transcript Highlights:

• We can actively, like every day, work through what those agreements look like, what additional data we
• We’re working policy angles, data-sharing agreements, all at this time.” We’re doing data matching.
• We’re working policy angles, data-sharing agreements, all at the same time, along with the automation
• be had to just see if we can all come to some type of, or close to some type of, understanding or agreement

Transcript Highlights:

• We can actively, like every day, work through what those agreements look like, what additional data we
• We’re working policy angles, data-sharing agreements, all at this time.”
• We’re working policy angles, data-sharing agreements, all at the same time, along with the automation
• be had just to see if we can all come to some type of, or close to some type of, understanding or agreement

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services held an informational hearing focused on the impacts of federal HR1 on CalFresh and Medi-Cal, along with related state mitigation efforts. CDSS, DHCS, DDS, county representatives, LAO, and Finance discussed automatic exemptions, data-sharing between departments, county workload, and the timing of implementation. CDSS said about two-thirds of adults ages 18 to 64 are already known to be exempt in CalFresh, and that administrative data matches could newly exempt about 200,000 of the roughly 955,000 adults potentially at risk. DHCS said Medi-Cal work requirements would begin in 2027 and the department is working to automate exemptions, including for IHSS recipients and some caregivers, while DDS said its population is expected to be covered by auto-exemptions. County welfare directors emphasized that individualized worker contact is critical, that counties need more staffing and stable funding, and that without it they expect delays, higher error rates, and reduced exemption screening capacity. Members pressed for written timelines, county-by-county impact data, and clearer guidance; the administration said it would provide follow-up materials and technical assistance. No votes were taken. The committee then heard a separate discussion on a proposed CFAP expansion or “CFAP Plus” concept to provide state-funded benefits to additional populations affected by HR1, including lawfully present non-citizens and ABODs. CDSS said implementation could not occur before October 1, 2027 because of policy and system-design constraints, and that adding unique eligibility rules would increase complexity and cost. Finance cautioned that any expansion would have General Fund impacts likely in the hundreds of millions to multiple billions. Members asked for cost estimates and technical feedback on trailer bill language, and CDSS said it would review the proposal and respond. The hearing also covered CDSS’s CalFresh strategic plan and mandated reporter training updates. CDSS said it is hiring a strategic plan lead to develop a long-term, data-informed CalFresh plan, and that the revised mandated reporter training is on track for launch in fall/winter 2026, ahead of the July 1, 2027 statutory deadline. The training will include updated content on structural racism, ICWA protections, implicit bias, and the distinction between reporting and supporting families. Members praised the work and asked for continued updates. Later panels focused on Promise Neighborhoods, Stop the Hate, and housing programs. Promise Neighborhood advocates and CDSS described the state’s prior $12 million investment, a positive evaluation showing roughly a 4-to-1 return, and a new proposal to support place-based partnerships and community schools through AB 1969. Stop the Hate grantees and CDSS reported that the program has provided direct services, prevention, and statewide coordination to millions of Californians, and urged reauthorization before funding expires; members asked for best-practice language and discussed focusing future funding on solidarity work, harm reduction, legal services, and education. Finally, CDSS presented on the CalWORKs Housing Support Program and Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, saying proposed General Fund investments of $105 million and $55 million would prevent funding cliffs and allow the programs to continue through 2026-27, while the absence of new funding would force reductions in housing assistance, subsidies, and enrollments.

Transcript Highlights:

• probably fall under the purview of that committee and we would look at what our current power-sharing agreement
• what our our our current<00:30:08.200><c> power</c><00:30:08.480><c> sharing</c><00:30:08.880><c> agreement
• </c><00:30:09.520><c> dictates</c> current power sharing agreement dictates current power sharing agreement

Transcript Highlights:

• it to do is continue as it goes through the process to have the Senate weigh in, because there’s agreement
• ball rolling, getting feedback from you all and the other side of the Senate to see if there is an agreement
• ball rolling, getting feedback from you all and the other side of the Senate to see if there is an agreement
• before and that he is very accessible and willing to talk about anything and come to some sort of agreement

Committee: House House and Governmental Affairs

Summary: The committee took up several House bills dealing mainly with ethics, elections, and legislative procedure. HB 858 by Rep. Riser, creating a public records exception for GPS data on wildlife and aquatic life held by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, was reported favorably without objection. HB 661, which expands existing nepotism exceptions to allow school board members and superintendents to hire immediate family members as paraprofessionals and janitors, drew support from members concerned about staffing shortages in schools; the Ethics Administrator noted the board’s concern that repeated exceptions erode the nepotism rules, but the bill was still reported favorably without objection. HB 359, a cleanup bill on the death of a non-major-party primary candidate, was also reported favorably without objection. HB 258, which clarifies that volunteer firefighters are not subject to dual office-holding restrictions and allows retired judges to serve on certain boards while still being available for ad hoc judicial service, passed on an 8-4 roll call vote. Rep. Newell’s HB 705, which would strengthen contempt of the legislature penalties and add provisions addressing disorderly conduct and interference with legislative proceedings, generated the most debate. Members raised concerns about the proposed jump in fines from $1,000 to $50,000, due process, and the breadth of language that could be read to cover ordinary advocacy or passionate testimony. After discussion, the author agreed the bill needed more work, and it was voluntarily deferred in committee. The committee also heard HB 177, allowing retired court reporters to return on a contractual basis to address shortages, which was amended and then reported favorably without objection. HB 238, which would remove a waiting period and population-based restriction for former school board members or certified psychologists to return to work in school districts, prompted a lengthy debate about the judiciary and per diem rules because of related ethics concerns raised in the discussion; the author ultimately asked to voluntarily defer the bill, and the committee agreed. Finally, HB 398, which would cap lodging, meal, and incidental expense reimbursements for state officials and employees at GSA rates and limit emergency exceptions, drew sharp opposition from several members and a retired judge who argued the current judicial per diem is reasonable and tied to safety and travel needs. The author said he would work on amendments and voluntarily deferred HB 398. The committee then began discussion of HB 752, which would move the timing of regular legislative sessions into joint rule and change the session start/end dates, with the author explaining it was intended to give the Legislature more flexibility without needing constitutional amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• In this case, we had verbal agreements that were...
• In this case, we had verbal agreements that were passed down through the years, so that's the reason
• I'm all in agreement with them.
• I'm not sure about the one-year moratorium, but I'm all in agreement with him about getting things done

Bills: HB309 , HB487 , HB503 , HB590 , HB606 , HB679 , HB693 , HB695 , HB707 , HB720 , HB728 , HB733 , HB746 , HB777 , HB846 , HB849 , HB856 , HB868 , HB873 , HB875

Committee: House Transportation, Highways & Public Works

Summary: The House Transportation Committee met on March 16 with a quorum present and first deferred three local bills at the sponsor’s request: HB 590, HB 679, and HB 873. The committee then advanced HB 503, which cleans up prior local language for Golden Meadow by removing a reference to electric golf carts and updating the definition of utility terrain vehicles; the technical amendment set was adopted and the bill was reported with amendments. HB 720, dealing with tacit dedication of roads and preserving historic public access to waterways and related access points, was reported favorably after members agreed to continue working on the amendment language before floor debate. The committee spent substantial time on HB 309, which originally made it a crime to walk in a crosswalk while looking at a cell phone. After amendments converted the proposal to a $25 civil fine and added a rebuttable presumption of liability for damages, members from both parties raised concerns about enforceability, tourism and urban pedestrian patterns, free-will and overreach arguments, and the lack of data tying the conduct specifically to crosswalk crashes. The author argued the measure was intended to promote situational awareness and reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, but after opposition testimony the bill was voluntarily deferred. Members then reported HB 856, which expands DOTD’s use of indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity construction contracting and adds the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, after technical amendments clarified the contracts are for construction-phase work. HB 487, increasing penalties for drivers who use shoulders or turning lanes to bypass red lights, was reported with a technical correction after police support testimony. HB 846, prohibiting license plate coverings or films that obscure plates, was reported favorably after law enforcement support and discussion of clear frames versus obscuring covers. HB 733 and HB 875, both tied to OMV fee and lapse-of-insurance recommendations from the Legislative Auditor, were reported with amendments adjusting grace periods and offense timing. The committee also took up HB 695 on consensual non-commercial towing permits. After extensive questioning about whether the bill applied to multiple vehicles, interstate travel, OMV implementation, and the practicality of an honor-system QR code permit, the sponsor agreed to amend the bill to cover multiple vehicles and then voluntarily defer it for further work with OMV and State Police. HB 777, requiring a driver’s license renewal knowledge exam, was amended at the department’s request and then voluntarily deferred for further review. HB 868, prompted by a fatal trailer accident involving a farmer’s wife, would require trailers to meet safety-chain and braking standards consistent with manufacturer specifications or federal standards; after concerns from members and the Agriculture Commissioner about impacts on older farm equipment, the bill was reported with amendments. Finally, HB 707 moved the LPG Commission’s marketing functions to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and was reported with a technical amendment, HB 693 on legislative district highway signs was voluntarily deferred after amendments, and HB 746 on local oversized trucking permits opened a broader discussion about parish-by-parish permit disparities, with the sponsor proposing a one-year moratorium on new local standards while stakeholders work toward a more uniform system.

Transcript Highlights:

• The district attorney and I have an agreement.
• The district attorney and I have an agreement to divide that work.
• at Derek Groves when he escaped from Orleans Parish Jail and were like, why if he entered a plea agreement
• And so they just needed some guidance on what is proper expenditure under the settlement agreement.

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• I think there's a universal agreement that we want to try to have more housing available for people,
• I I I think there's a universal<00:26:07.360><c> agreement</c><00:26:08.159><c> that</c><00:26:08.480
• ><c> we</c><00:26:08.799><c> want</c><00:26:08.880><c> to</c><00:26:09.120><c> try</c> universal agreement
• that we want to try universal agreement that we want to try to to to have<00:26:11.279><c> more</c><

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we're all in agreement that it is something that's important and necessary.
• think<00:25:31.360><c> we're</c><00:25:31.520><c> all</c><00:25:31.600><c> in</c><00:25:31.760><c> agreement
• /c><00:25:32.000><c> that</c><00:25:32.240><c> it</c><00:25:32.400><c> is</c> think we're all in agreement
• that it is think we're all in agreement that it is something<00:25:32.720><c> that's</c><00:25:32.960

Bills: HB1751 , HB1752 , HB1531 , HB1577

Committee: House Public Safety

Summary: The Committee on Public Safety held its first hearing and began with House Bill 1531, which would require the governor or county mayor to provide an ASL interpreter during official emergency announcements broadcast on television or the internet, ensure the interpreter is visible, and require news outlets to show the interpreter in a picture-in-picture window. Testimony was strongly supportive from disability advocates, who said live captions can be inaccurate and that ASL access is critical during emergencies, but broadcasters raised practical concerns that the bill as drafted could require extra camera crews and reduce coverage. Members discussed possible alternatives such as government-provided pool feeds and interpreter placement, and the chair recommended deferring decision-making on the bill to the following Wednesday to allow time for amendment language. The committee then heard House Bill 1751, which would expand the Hawaii National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program to include graduate degrees at the University of Hawaii for qualified enlisted personnel. The Hawaii Army National Guard, the Department of Defense, and University of Hawaii representatives supported the measure as a recruiting, retention, and professionalization tool. A member asked about funding, and the response was that the program is funded through a state appropriation currently set at $250,000 and was described as sufficient at present. The bill drew no opposition in the hearing. Next, House Bill 1752 was taken up. This measure would remove the Adjutant General as a nonvoting ex officio member of the HAIMA advisory committee and add the HAIMA administrator as a nonvoting ex officio member of the MSAC. The Department of Defense and Department of Health supported the bill, with the Department of Health asking that it be aligned with other EMS modernization provisions in the governor’s package so the related measures remain consistent. No objections were raised. The committee also heard House Bill 1577 on 911 services, which would require the 911 Board to establish a statewide emergency safety profile system for residents to voluntarily store emergency-relevant personal information. The Department of Health, disability advocates, the 911 Board, and others supported the concept, saying it could improve emergency response for people with disabilities, kūpuna, families, and others with functional needs. Testimony also raised concerns about funding, system integration, confidentiality, advanced directives, and liability protections if information does not reach responders in time. Members discussed statewide coordination and existing county systems, and the hearing continued with those issues unresolved.