Transcript Highlights:

• 8473, Mayer, an act directing the Department of ... to contract with the qualified entity for a feasibility
• study. ...directing the Department of ... to contract with the qualified entity for a feasibility study
• on the feasibility of property tax provisions.
• CLEARE, IN RELATION TO CALENDAR DIRECTING THE STATE BOARD OF REAL PROPERTY TAX SERVICES TO CONDUCT A STUDY
• ON THE FEASIBILITY OF PROPERTY TAX PROVISIONS.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the journal, and then moved through a large number of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate bills for third reading. The chamber also received and accepted a Finance Committee report on nominations for Kathleen Mosier as Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Terrence O’Leary as Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and John Kagia as Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management. All three nominees were confirmed, with Mosier and O’Leary confirmed unanimously and Kagia confirmed 57-1, with Senator Walczyk voting no. The Senate adopted previously approved resolutions recognizing June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and mourning the death of Susan Irene Wright of Harlem. Senators Brisport and Bottcher spoke at length in support of Pride Month, emphasizing LGBTQ+ history, resilience, and ongoing threats to the trans community. On the Susan Wright resolution, Senators Cleare, Bailey, and Bottcher praised her community leadership, philanthropy, and family legacy, and Assembly Member Jordan Wright was recognized in the chamber. The body then considered and passed many bills on the calendar, including measures on insurance, environmental conservation, public health, education, business law, labor, social services, highway law, and local tax exemptions. Several bills drew brief explanations of vote, including a measure to end higher insurance premiums for widows, a bill to prohibit correctional facilities from denying visitation because of menstrual products or IUDs, and a Medicaid-related bill to expand access to blood pressure monitors for pregnant people. Most bills passed with broad support, though some had notable opposition from a small group of senators. Late in the session, the Senate took up a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting. Senator Stewart-Cousins sponsored the measure, and Senator Walczyk questioned it extensively, arguing voters had previously approved an independent redistricting process and objecting to changes that would remove the Legislature’s two-thirds map-approval requirement and alter the commission’s role. The sponsor said the changes were needed in response to aggressive partisan redistricting in other states and would still require voter ratification in future sessions. The transcript ends during that debate, with no final vote on the amendment shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, but we were not familiar with the HEI study, but in terms of the amount of funding that would be
• You can't do it in Hawaii, and the studies have already been on that for a long time.
• You can't do it in Hawaii, and the studies have already been on that for a long time.
• They're not necessarily, I think, logistically feasible.
• like so for example, freezing feasible like so for example, freezing would<01:38:45.680> would

Bills: HB1736, HB1620, HB1695

Keywords: animal control, spay and neuter, pet overpopulation, sterilization, counties funding, tax designation, veterinary care, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, energy policy, rebate program, environmental impact, renewable fuels, sustainable aviation fuel, tax credit, greenhouse gas emissions, local production, energy resilience, agricultural innovation, job creation

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1737, which clarifies allowable uses in agricultural districts for farm dwellings and farm employee housing, and HB 1604 HD2, which creates an agricultural workforce housing working group within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. Testimony on HB 1737 was overwhelmingly supportive, with county agriculture officials, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Farmers Union backing the measure; one witness asked for a definition of “affordable” to guard against misuse of farm housing. For HB 1604, the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Housing Hawaii’s Future, Hawaii Farmers Union, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, with OHA requesting disaggregated data and a seat on the working group. Committee discussion focused on housing shortages, possible misuse, affordability, and whether innovative housing models such as modular, tiny, and container homes should be considered. The committee then took action on both measures. HB 1737 HD3 was recommended to pass with amendments that would limit farm employee housing to agricultural employees and their immediate family members actively engaged in the farm operation, add a grandfathering provision for existing permitted housing, preserve county zoning authority, clarify that ag tourism must be secondary and not occur in employee housing, delete a square-footage-per-acre ratio, and defer the effective date to July 1, 2050. HB 1604 HD2 was also recommended to pass with amendments adding OHA and a housing-shortage organization to the working group, expanding its scope to include modular, tiny, and container homes and permitting/zoning streamlining, and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. Both motions were adopted unanimously by the members present. The joint hearing then moved to HB 1736, which would establish a spay and neuter special fund and require sterilization and declaration provisions for cats, with some discussion of dogs. DLNR and the Hawaiian Humane Society supported the bill, while Pacific Pet Alliance objected to the broader requirements and the inclusion of dogs; the Hawaiian Humane Society and American Bird Conservancy supported cat-focused sterilization and the special fund, while some testifiers opposed mandatory sterilization as too costly or intrusive. Members raised questions about toxoplasmosis, trap-neuter-release, enforcement, neighbor-island access, and funding needs, and DLNR indicated additional funding and third-party contracting would likely be needed. The transcript then began HB 1620 HD2 on energy, which would increase the environmental response energy and food security tax and shift funds from the hydrogen fueling subaccount to EV charging infrastructure; state agencies generally stood on written testimony in support, while the Tax Foundation objected to special fund earmarks and noted the bill raises only one part of the barrel tax structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Army Corps of Engineers doing a feasibility review of that project.
• Army Corps of Engineers doing a feasibility review of that project.
• I know that they are working with the Army Corps of Engineers; we've seen some of those studies, and
• sustainable and viable, and how the United States Army Corps of Engineers has already done some feasibility

Transcript Highlights:

• incentive that we're in now, sure, I just feel that we've got to do everything we can to make this a feasible
• And $10,000 to me sounds more feasible.
• According to a recent national study, New Mexico is also the only state that lost practicing physicians

Bills: SB12, SB13

Keywords: tax credit, physician, healthcare, income tax, rural health, tax deduction, gross receipts, coinsurance, managed care, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, what we're waiting for is for the OFM Director to determine financial feasibility with regard
• And we have here just a reference to RCW 41.80.010, which states that if they are financially feasible
• And specifically, what we're looking for when we look at feasibility is a request for funds necessary
• financially feasible.
• If she does find them to be feasible, they will be for... ...bargaining.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Employment Relations met for work sessions on supplemental bargaining for Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA) agreements in general government and higher education, followed by an overview of the collective bargaining process. OFM staff explained that bargaining for the 2025-27 biennium began in 2024, reached tentative agreements, was not ratified in time for the October 1 deadline, resumed, and ultimately produced ratified agreements in August 2025 that were submitted for financial feasibility review under RCW 41.80.010. Staff outlined the tentative agreements’ costs and covered employee counts, including roughly 2,500 FTEs in general government and 2,100 in higher education, with estimated 2025-27 total fund costs of about $22.25 million and $13.5 million respectively. Staff then gave a broader briefing on how state collective bargaining works, including the bargaining calendar, the role of class and compensation review, the June revenue forecast, interest arbitration, and the October 1 submission deadline. They described the groups OFM bargains for, including general government, higher education, health care coalitions, and certain non-state provider groups such as adult family home providers, child care providers, and language access providers. In response to a question from Senator King, staff said the legislature requires bargaining for those non-state provider groups and has also provided interest arbitration for them. Staff also discussed bargaining priorities such as general wage increases, targeted classification adjustments, recruitment and retention, low-wage worker increases, and maintaining the health care premium split. In executive session, the committee voted to keep the current co-chairs, Senator Robinson and Representative Couture, through 2026. Members also voted to recognize that the committee met twice in 2025 and to set the 2026 meeting schedule at two meetings. The motions passed without opposition, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• These units extend the reach of OTPs into areas where established treatment may not be feasible.
• A full program might not be feasible.
• So what are some of the challenges that were identified in this 2024 study?
• Also, when you're doing comparative studies, I come from the HR world.
• We did introduce legislation to study sexual assault on disabled persons.

Transcript Highlights:

• technology, for good or for bad, one does not necessarily need to read all of the extensive peer review studies
• Review studies, articles, testimony.
• There have been study after study talking about fertilizer goes into the lawn, it feeds the plant, it
• There have been study after study talking about fertilizer goes into the lawn, it feeds the plant, it
• There have been study after study talking about fertilizer goes into the lawn, it feeds the plant, it

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources opened its first hearing with introductory remarks, instructions on three-minute testimony limits, and notice that written testimony would be accepted. The committee then heard testimony on several local bills, beginning with H. 984, which would change water management for Silver Lake, Furnace Pond, Monponset Pond, and the Jones River system. Supporters said the 1964 water arrangement has harmed water levels, water quality, and habitat, and argued the bill would add needed environmental oversight without cutting Brockton off from water. Testimony emphasized impacts on alewife, freshwater mussels, drought conditions, and the need for more balanced management; no vote was taken during the hearing. The committee also heard H. 1069, a proposal to raise the parking surcharge at Douglas State Forest from $1 to $5 to help Douglas cover emergency response costs at the DCR park. Supporters said the town bears the burden for rescues, brush fires, and other incidents and has used the current surcharge for equipment like drones and ATVs. Another bill, H. 994, would let Orleans regulate fertilizer use locally; the town argued that nutrient pollution has worsened water quality in Cape Cod ponds and coastal waters, while opponents from the lawn care and landscape industries said Massachusetts already has a strong statewide nutrient-management system and warned against a patchwork of local rules. The committee also took testimony on H. 1073 concerning wastewater treatment and disposal options at Joint Base Cape Cod for the town of Sandwich. Supporters said the base could help meet Sandwich’s immediate and long-term wastewater needs and that the region has already invested in planning. In addition, Senator Driscoll testified in support of S. 575, to add transparency to the Blue Hills Reservation Trust Fund, and S. 574, to establish memorial markers honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. He also supported related park-naming legislation, including a bill to rename Farragut Park and dedicate athletic fields there. Finally, a marine trades representative supported a bill to expand pleasure boat access to Boston Harbor, arguing that boating supports the local economy and that boaters are strong environmental stewards. The hearing concluded after all registered testimony was heard, with no committee action reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would have HCD initiate a study to explore allowing missing middle housing developments between three
• AB 1070, as amended, requires HCD to commission an independent study conducted by outside experts to
• The study will evaluate life safety outcomes, fire loss history, fire prevention system performance,
• feasibility, cost, and approaches used in other jurisdictions.
• It has a long-term ground lease that makes redevelopment on that parcel not feasible for decades.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 3339 by Ward Johnson relates to the study of maternal mortality, morbidity among black women in the
• energy storage facilities for the Committee on State Affairs, HB 3423 by Tinderholt relating to the study
• regarding the feasibility of integrating into the electric grid facilities that use nuclear energy to

Transcript Highlights:

• facilities don't exist in their communities, or because the infrastructure to make recycling economically feasible
• A National Academy study required by Save Our Seeds 2.0, a bill that Senator Sullivan [member_3876] and
• A 2017 study concluded that cleaning up brownfields can generate up to 97 million dollars in a Tax revenue

Bills: SB347, SB351

Keywords: brownfields, brownfield cleanup, site remediation, environmental cleanup, contaminated property, redevelopment, revitalization, CERCLA, Superfund, EPA grants, state response programs, environmental justice, disadvantaged communities, small communities, local government grants, nonprofit eligibility, community engagement, Alaska Native tribes, Regional Corporations, Village Corporations

Transcript Highlights:

• So what this amendment would do would say that an individual who has undergone a background study to
• So what this amendment would do would say that an individual who has undergone a background study to
• So what this amendment would do would say that an individual who has undergone a background study to
• <00:47:42.000> And<00:47:42.160> I whether or not this is feasible.
• And I whether or not this is feasible.

Bills: HF2436

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, we'll take up tab one, Senate Bill 178, an agronomic study on emerging crops by Senator Rizan.
• Senate Bill 178, agronomic study for emerging crops, establishes an agronomic study to be conducted by
• Florida A&M University, subject to appropriation, to study and determine whether there exists one or
• The study shall also make recommendations for best practices.
• And so they're inspecting what's required now, and that's really what's feasible.

Summary: The committee first heard CS for CS for SB 344, which would modernize the Telecommunications Access System Act of 1991 based on Public Service Commission recommendations. The bill drew no opposition and was reported favorably. Members then took up several Senator Burton measures: CS for SB 714 on non-opioid advanced directives, which was amended to create a Department of Health website access point for a voluntary form allowing patients to notify providers they do not want opioid medications; CS for SB 738 on child care and early learning providers, which streamlines and updates child care regulation and was supported by industry and business groups; CS for SB 756 on health insurance coverage for individuals with developmental disabilities, which removes the age-8 diagnosis limit and age cap for mandated autism-related coverage; and CS for CS for SB 1356, creating a Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at FSU and a newborn genetic testing pilot, later amended to add FIU and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to the board and remove specific appropriations. All of these bills were reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 1624 on higher education, a broad bill affecting tuition policies, workforce programs, institutional governance, and naming changes. The bill generated extended discussion over replacing references to “minority” with “underrepresented,” with the sponsor explaining the intent was to focus on low-income access and student support, while members raised concerns about impacts on majority-minority institutions and preeminence pathways. An amendment added guardrails for private religious postsecondary institutions by requiring public review of affidavits of compliance and giving the Commission for Independent Education enforcement authority. After debate, the bill was reported favorably. The committee then passed CS for SB 1626 on child welfare, which addresses military-family investigations, emergency shelter certification, children’s services council appointments, criminal-background exemptions, group-home rates, licensing extensions, small residential group homes, missing-children procedures, and psychotropic medication refills; it was amended to adjust council board composition and then reported favorably. Additional bills approved included SB 178, directing Florida A&M University to conduct an agronomic study on emerging crops for land taken out of production; SB 1162, expanding boating improvement funding for trailer parking and offering lease incentives for clean marine manufacturers; CS for CS for SB 958, creating a type 1 diabetes early detection information program for parents and schools; CS for CS for CS for SB 1070, requiring ECGs for student athletes with phased implementation and exemptions, after extensive testimony from parents and advocates about sudden cardiac arrest; CS for SB 774, requiring electronic transmission of certain court orders to sheriffs within six hours; SB 1516, creating an International Aerospace Innovation Fund administered by Space Florida; SB 994, revising driver education requirements and prompting a commitment to add distracted-driving instruction; and CS for CS for SB 1402, expanding eligibility for dropout retrieval programs. The committee also took up SB 810 on stormwater management systems, amending it to focus annual inspections on vulnerable MS4 infrastructure. That bill drew significant opposition from the Florida League of Cities, counties, and stormwater groups, who argued the mandate would duplicate existing permit requirements and impose major costs, but supporters said it was a basic flood-prevention measure. The transcript ends during debate on SB 810, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll take up tab one Senate Bill, 178, and Agen mix study an emerging crops by Senator is on and it's
• Establishes an AG are not make study to be conducted by Florida A&M university subject to appropriation
• The study should also make recommendations for best practices to sustain and improve Florida's agricultural
• frequency of these inspections, we believe the funding needs to be provided to be able to make it feasible
• And that's really what's feasible.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the day the study was conducted.
• Uh, so, obviously, we have to perform the studies, get those studies approved by the entities that require
• That mud may have already done traffic studies.
• OK, now when you do this traffic study.
• So you do the study. There's no one to give it to.

Transcript Highlights:

• studies for converting to single-occupancy rooms.
• Uh, since the last veteran center feasibility study was conducted in 2017, two new facilities have opened
• So recommendation 2.6 is that both location and need be readressed by a feasibility study prior to any
• No matter what the study says, it will be an expensive answer.
• So if we do a study and out of state.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:00 Approve Minutes from November 13, 2025- 00:00:55 RiverLink Tolling Operations for Louisville Bridges-Quarterhill Testimony- 00:01:48 Staff Report on Veterans’ Centers- 00:26:45 Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Response to Staff Report- 0:58:53 Adjournment- 1:18:00, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the November 13, 2025 meeting and then heard testimony from Quarter Hill, the tolling subcontractor for RiverLink on the Indiana-Kentucky bridge system. Quarter Hill described its role in back-office support and call center operations for the Lincoln, Kennedy, and Lewis and Clark bridges, and said the contract began in 2021 with go-live in September 2023. The company reported that revenue has increased since it took over, customer service response times have improved, and it has been operating at a loss because the contract was based on outdated transaction estimates and did not account for higher-than-expected volume and added support costs. Members questioned Quarter Hill about the role of consultants, the low reported collection rate, and why the company was leaving the contract. Quarter Hill said a single large consulting engineering firm had been hired to help shape the RFP and contract, but argued that consultants and overly detailed requirements can create disputes and hinder efficient service. On collection rates, the company said the reported 85% rate reflects the absence of registration holds and other enforcement tools, and that the remaining unpaid tolls are the hardest to collect. The company also said it had lost significant money on the contract and had reached a change order and termination agreement, while emphasizing that the system itself was functioning well. The committee then received a staff report on Kentucky veterans centers. Staff said quality of care is generally high and staffing has improved, but reported occupancy figures are misleading because they are based on certified beds rather than functional capacity after conversions to single-occupancy rooms and capital projects. The report said actual occupancy is closer to 85% than the commonly reported 56%, and that increasing occupancy would not necessarily increase revenue because the state’s cost of care exceeds reimbursement and private-pay revenue. Recommendations included adopting functional occupancy reporting, continuing the move to single-occupancy rooms, reviewing modernization needs at Thompson Hood, including Eastern Kentucky in planning, and referring the Radcliffe HVAC procurement and installation to the Auditor of Public Accounts and Attorney General for review.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are all questions that are a part of the feasibility study that we are currently conducting to
• the feasibility study that we are the feasibility study that we are currently<00:37:28.960> conducting
• In your packet, there's a feasibility study that shows and highlights some of the issues that we have
• Uh by Service sales and use tax study.
• > been<01:09:35.680> completed Um, multiple studies have been completed Um, multiple studies

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I can send you those studies. I've just quoted some of them.
• It was a feasibility study.
• And then if I refer back to the FIR, the New Mexico Strategic Water Supply. feasibility study developed
• And now we have a feasibility study and so with Brackish Water, I've always supported Brackish water,
• that have already been studied.

Transcript Highlights:

• The consultant would study the feasibility of an accessible deletion mechanism.
• We listened, debated, and incorporated the work of the study committees that we created, who did such
• the language of voluntary merges, but it does not erase the real impact of the bill by means of a study
• Commission on the Future of Public Education, and the School District Redistricting Task Force spent studying

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you want to look up a study, the U.S.
• Studies suggest offshore wind farms are actually disrupting migratory bird patterns.
• Recent studies show that offshore wind can also improve the electric grid's reliability.
• Recent studies show that offshore wind can also improve the electric grid's reliability.
• <02:26:25.279> show volatile prices um recent studies show volatile prices um recent studies

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and Senate Bill 1908 relates to a study by the Coordinating Board on the feasibility of implementing
• This study reflects a recommendation of the board's Texas Health Care Workforce Task Force, and the bill
• generally would direct the Higher Education Coordinating Board to study the feasibility of developing
• Members, in 2022, the State Board of Education (SBOE) considered major revisions to the state's social studies

Bills: SB205, SB582, SB625, SB1884, SB1903, SB2600, SB2617, SB2751, SB111, SB3061, SB1908

Keywords: fetal development, health curriculum, public schools, middle school health education, grade 7, grade 8, State Board of Education, school health advisory council, Texas Education Code, pregnancy, reproductive health, infertility, birth defects, prenatal development, unborn child, trimester, medically accurate instruction, age-appropriate instruction, drug and alcohol effects, lead exposure