Transcript Highlights:

• to replace the Interstate 25 bridge over Nogel Canyon and for the new, uh, highway near the Santa Tree
• And it falls under the farm bill, that's all snapped.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, here's an example of Australian tree fern that was noticed as for sale in one of our nurseries on
• entry monitoring thousands of palm trees entry monitoring thousands of palm trees for<01:23:15.040
• And that's the way trees in this zone.
• Um, and this is 2,634 trees last year.
• and more than 2,634 treated trees and more than 2,634 treated trees treated.<01:27:11.360> And

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, if you got 10 feet between trees, but you got a 20° slope, then you need 20 feet between
• the base of the trees.
• compared to other trees that are hardwoods, which won't go.
• Flam. ...across the state, you have to go 30 feet between the trunks of the trees.
• compared to other trees that are hardwoods, which won't go.

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:

• It establishes a special study committee to assess the impact of fallen trees on residential properties
• This is a fallen tree issue. You should be on your fallen trees one. Fallen trees. Yes, sir.
• Basically, north of Bunkie, Louisiana is nothing but trees.
• And most of the damage that happened in hurricanes in recent years is because trees split houses.
• People who take the initiative and go clean trees up out of their yard have no incentive at all to do

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 319, which would tighten and standardize voter identification rules at polling places. Senator Presley and Secretary of State Nancy Landry said the bill replaces the current “generally recognized” photo ID standard with a specific list of acceptable IDs, removes the affidavit-only option, and allows voters without a photo ID to cast a conditional paper ballot at the registrar of voters office or during early voting if they later provide approved documentation within two days after the election. Supporters argued the bill improves consistency, election integrity, and poll-worker guidance while still preserving access through alternative documents and free state IDs; opponents warned it could create confusion and burden seniors, students, homeless voters, and others without easy access to the required documents. After debate, the committee reported SB 319 favorably by a 7-2 vote. The committee then approved Senate Bill 202, which adds one day of compensated meeting time for parish boards of election supervisors in certain elections, and Senate Bill 25, which revises the compensation schedule for registrars of voters and related staff. SB 25 was amended to remove outdated step references and make conforming technical changes, and supporters said the pay structure has not been updated since 2007 despite increased duties and workload. The committee also adopted and reported favorably Senate Concurrent Resolution 29, creating a legislative study committee on water quality in the Chafalalaya Basin, and House Concurrent Resolution 85, creating a task force on illegal dumping, both with technical amendments. In addition, the committee advanced Senate Concurrent Resolution 63, which asks the legislative auditor to review how fiscal notes are prepared during session, and Senate Concurrent Resolution 33, which creates a work-based learning coordination task force to improve alignment among education, workforce, and employer partners. SCR 33 was amended to change the appointing authority for two members. The committee also approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 5, establishing the Louisiana-Ireland Trade Commission, and House Resolution 196, which creates a study committee on the impact of fallen trees on residential property and insurance issues. Several of these measures were supported by agency representatives or outside groups, and the committee adopted technical amendments where needed before reporting the bills and resolutions favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• And whether it's extra mowing before Derby Day or the routine removal of roadside debris, litter, tree
• And whether it's extra mowing before Derby Day or the routine removal of roadside debris, litter, tree
• And whether it's extra mowing before Derby Day or the routine removal of roadside debris, litter, tree
• And whether it's extra mowing before Derby Day or the routine removal of roadside debris, litter, tree
• roadside day or the routine removal of roadside debris,<00:03:18.000> litter,<00:03:18.640> tree

Keywords: 00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:47 Maintenance 12:40 Approval of Minutes 12:55 Vehicle Regulation 21:08 General Admin and Highways 34:11 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met without a quorum at first, then later approved the minutes once quorum was established. The committee heard presentations from Transportation Cabinet officials Mike Hancock, Jeremy Slinker, and Sean McCarnieran on maintenance, vehicle regulation, general administration, highways, and related capital projects. Hancock emphasized that maintenance is the cabinet’s most visible public service, especially for snow and ice removal and routine roadway upkeep, and said rising costs have outpaced funding. He cited a 61% increase in highway construction costs since 2020 and said maintenance spending was $488 million in FY 2024 and $511 million in FY 2025, while the FY 2026 baseline request was $483.3 million. The cabinet’s additional maintenance request would add $23.6 million in FY 2027 and $38.6 million in FY 2028, with expected impacts on litter pickup, mowing, vegetation management, and pothole repair if not funded. The cabinet also outlined five maintenance-related capital projects: additional funding for Ballard County maintenance/salt storage, Hopkins County maintenance/salt storage, Whitley County maintenance/salt structure, and the District 2 office and materials lab, plus reauthorization of the Breckinridge County maintenance and salt facility. Hancock also asked for budget language allowing the cabinet to use unexpected restricted and federal funds more quickly, similar to existing authority for federal earmarks. McCarnieran described the governor’s inclusion of funding for the ASHTOWare system, employee health exams, priority IT projects, and a District 7 office renovation request, noting that some items were not funded because they ranked low among competing projects. He also said the governor’s budget included a $7.5 million annual maintenance pool for the cabinet’s 1,200 facilities and requested additional restricted fund authority for Trimark and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Slinker focused on the Department of Vehicle Regulation, saying recent investments in staffing and equipment had reduced wait times and improved customer service in driver licensing offices. He requested $535,600 to keep temporary contract workers in place for the rest of the year, warning that without it regional office operations would have to be reduced. He said the surge in demand was driven by new 15-year-old licensing requirements, vision testing, and Real ID implementation, but believed the volume was beginning to level out. He also outlined FY 2027 and FY 2028 plans totaling $20.38 million and $19.85 million, including six new regional offices and a shift away from temporary workers toward state positions. Additional requests included $106,000 for debt service on the new driver’s license modernization system and operating costs of $5 million in FY 2027 and $2.5 million in FY 2028 to support the transition from the old system. Members asked about the cabinet’s funding sources, and officials said the road fund is the primary source, supported by motor fuels tax, usage tax, driver-related receipts, and some restricted funds; they stressed that the requests were not for additional general fund dollars. Questions also covered employee health exam reimbursements, the annual Trimark/Cumberland Gap contract, and the District 7 renovation request. No votes were taken on the budget items during the meeting, beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was then we realized that we couldn't get her out from underneath the tree.
• It was then we realized that we couldn't get her out from underneath the tree, and just by luck four
• He actually got in with his chainsaw, and the kayak brought him over, and he took apart the tree to the
• The tree. I heard rustling in the bushes next to me. Mr.
• It took me two hours, probably, to get to where I was: very treacherous terrain, boulders, trees all

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• acre-feet of water acquired versus, like, "Oh, there's this small farmer with three acres of pecan trees
• is a steep learning curve for me, but if there's five and a half acre-feet for every acre of pecan trees
• that is required for water, and someone has three acres of pecan trees, they need like 16 and a half
• Um, is there a way to negotiate and say, "Well, what if you watered only two acres of those pecan trees
• grower... ...you probably got hit by some really horrible weather that impacted generations of pecan trees

Transcript Highlights:

• What I'm asking specifically is for $400,000 of the appropriation to be allocated for trees on the upper
• So, for example, if the signage costs less, then maybe that could be used for trees, or if the trees
• I can ask, but we don't believe that trees can be bonded.
• Madam Chair, I'm not sure if the trees for this particular project could be bonded or not.

Transcript Highlights:

• They can develop it in another fashion, they can plant trees to start a timbering operation, they can
• farm it, they can do what they want.
• They can develop it in another fashion, plant trees to start a timbering operation, farm it, or do what
• We didn't have to remove any trees, so the site complexity leans itself to kind of the most lenient project
• The solar farm itself, at the default rate based on the projections that we feel it will make, will make

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I can encourage everyone to sometime today to, you know, hug a tree, shake hands with a frog, and
• So I can encourage everyone to sometime today to, you know, hug a tree, shake hands with a frog, and
• So I can encourage everyone to sometime today to, you know, hug a tree, shake hands with a frog, and
• So I can encourage everyone to sometime today to, you know, hug a tree, shake hands with a frog, and

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Fornstrom, they usually say the old saying is the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree.
• Fornstrom, they usually say the old saying is the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree.
• Fornstrom, they usually say the old saying is the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree.
• Fornstrom, they usually say the old saying is the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree.
• Fornstrom, they usually say the old saying is the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think Jim also signed up to speak is Robert Johnson from the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.
• Johnson from the New Hampshire Farm Johnson from the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.
• For the record, Rob Johnson, representing the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.
• The New Hampshire Farm Bureau is a federation of New Hampshire's 10 county farm bureau organizations,
• consisting of about 1,300 family farm members and another close to 700 supporting members.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs heard HB 1790-FN, which would address involuntary admissions for certain individuals with a substance use disorder. Representative Lucy Weber introduced the bill for Representative Long, and the committee heard extensive testimony both in support of and in opposition to the proposal. Opponents, including John Burns of SOS Recovery and Jake Barry of New Futures, argued that involuntary commitment is not well supported by research, can retraumatize people, may increase overdose risk after release, and could undermine New Hampshire’s existing recovery and harm-reduction efforts. They emphasized that treatment should be voluntary, trauma-informed, and paired with housing, recovery supports, and other community-based services. Representative Long said he was willing to accept DHHS’s request to amend the bill into a study commission, though he expressed concern that a prior state study had not led to action. He said the commission should focus on implementation details, including where people would be placed, staffing, withdrawal management, elopement prevention, length of commitment, and aftercare. He described involuntary commitment as one tool for people with severe dangerous addictions, distinct from drug court, and said it could help avoid criminal records. Committee members asked about capacity at New Hampshire Hospital and how the proposal would work in practice. DHHS officials Katya Fox and Cynthia Pabonis testified that the bill raises major policy and fiscal concerns. They said New Hampshire’s current system has benefited from investments in naloxone, medication-assisted treatment, recovery centers, and community-based services, and that those investments have helped reduce overdose deaths. They estimated the bill would require a new 70-bed facility costing about $40 million to build and about $33.3 million annually to operate, with only a small portion offset by insurance, plus more than $600,000 in annual legal costs and additional staffing and system changes. They also said New Hampshire Hospital has 185 beds, with about 100 patients typically ready for less restrictive settings, and that housing shortages are a major bottleneck. NAMI New Hampshire also testified in opposition, saying families often want any possible treatment for loved ones but still opposed the bill. No vote or final action was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think Jim also signed up to speak is Robert Johnson from the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.
• Johnson from the New Hampshire Farm Johnson from the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.
• For the record, Rob Johnson, representing the Farm Bureau.
• New Hampshire Farm Bureau is a federation of New Hampshire's 10 county farm bureau organizations, consisting
• of about 1,300 family farm members and another close to 700 supporting members.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• doesn't have to keep entertaining bills about how to liquefy every bit of waste in every crop and tree
• doesn't have to keep entertaining bills about how to liquefy every bit of waste in every crop and tree
• doesn't have to keep entertaining bills about how to liquefy every bit of waste in every crop and tree
• > feed<00:20:02.159> vehicles<00:20:02.919> for<00:20:03.120> example and tree
• to feed vehicles for example and tree to feed vehicles for example when<00:20:03.840> that<00

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water and Land met on March 21, 2025, and considered several resolutions related to water resources, coastal management, and energy planning. On SCR 42/SR 27, which urged DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife to prioritize restoration and protection of additional wetlands and anchialine ponds, DLNR supported the measure and suggested a technical correction changing a reference from the Division of Agriculture to the Division of Aquatic Resources. Testimony from Hā‘ena Reef and Ocean Coalition, Maui Ocean Center, and individuals was in support. The committee recommended passage with technical and non-substantive amendments. The committee also heard SCR 54/SR 36, which would create a desalination planning task force to study whether large-scale desalination for potable water is feasible. DLNR and CWRM said the proposal was a large undertaking and raised capacity concerns, noting the Board of Water Supply was already moving forward with its own desalination planning. BWS testified in support, saying its project was still in planning and design, with construction not expected until late 2027 or 2028, and that the project would produce about 1.7 million gallons per day to supplement Ewa’s water supply. Members discussed whether the task force might duplicate existing work and noted the measure focused on consumption rather than other desalination uses. The committee ultimately recommended passage with technical and non-substantive amendments. For SCR 59/SR 43, which asked DLNR, the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, and the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission to work together on maintaining the Kihei ramp, DLNR reported ongoing collaboration and listed prior improvements including paving, washdown work, dredging, and a retaining wall. The committee recommended passage with technical and non-substantive amendments. On SCR 106/SR 87, which requested a study of which energy sector could be most quickly and cost-effectively decarbonized through public investment in combustion-free alternatives, OPSD said the State Energy Office had already completed a decarbonization study under Act 238 (2022) and a follow-up alternative fuels analysis, and suggested the resolution duplicated existing work. Energy Justice Network testified in support, arguing the proposal would build on prior studies by focusing on non-combustion options such as wind, solar, and storage. Despite support from several organizations and individuals, the committee deferred the measure indefinitely. The committee also passed SR 18 as is, passed SC 51/SR 33 as is, deferred SC 47, and passed SC 76/SR 59 with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please stop with the data center, solar farms, wind farms, high-voltage transmission lines.
• I come from a farming family too.
• we have farmed for 100 years.
• There is a solar farm not far away, and that solar farm has caught fire three times.
• It would be devastating for our farm.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, on the grade crossings, I'm a farm kid. I've been driving semis myself for 30 years or more.
• Once crews were done trimming the trees on that block, I took the back alley to drop that customer off
• Once crews were done trimming the trees on that block, I took the back alley to drop that customer off
• <01:14:23.840> on<01:14:24.080> that were done trimming the trees on that were done
• trimming the trees on that block,<01:14:25.600> I<01:14:26.080> took<01:14:26.320>

Bills: HF3553, HF3513, HF3576

Keywords: vehicle platooning, transportation, public safety, pilot project, Wilkin County, Grant County, autonomous vehicles, transportation regulations, driverless cars, safety standards, first responder interaction, school bus, third-party testing, driver certification, transportation regulation, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It involves land acquisition, infrastructure installation, planning and maintenance, and tree management
• Trees have to be cut back so they don't interfere with the headlines, and even occasionally the entire
• Those trees have to be pruned when there's a flood or an issue or a collapse in the right-of-way.

Bills: HB2838, HB2964, HB3213, SB924

Keywords: broadband, internet access, digital equity, tax reduction, government funding, rural counties, fiber-optic, state funding, infrastructure, digital divide, economic development, fiber-optic cable, excavation, utilities, civil penalties, municipal regulations, video services, regulation, public right-of-way, franchise authority

Transcript Highlights:

• local control, and I’m afraid that the city will be stuck with a liability if these contracts are farmed
• <01:12:42.560> out<01:12:42.640> to<01:12:42.880> somebody contracts are are farmed
• out to somebody contracts are are farmed out to somebody else.<01:12:43.440> So,<01:12:43.600
• We were told the dinosaur bones, rocks, trees that are gone.
• <02:39:10.560> But rocks, trees that are gone. But rocks, trees that are gone.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• so I would like to say, oh man, this is a challenge, but I would say support, however, to increase tree
• do a solar farm do a solar farm >> to<01:48:36.960> do<01:48:37.040> a<01:48
• :37.199> solar<01:48:37.520> farm<01:48:37.679> and<01:48:37.840> they<01
• :48:38.320> that<01:48:38.480> the >> to do a solar farm and they that the >>
• ; to do a solar farm and they that the person<01:48:38.880> who<01:48:39.040> was<01:48

Bills: HB1527, HB1823, HB2490, HB2223, HB2325, HB2104, HB2593, HB2592, HB1927, HB1553, HB1964, HB1918, HB1990

Keywords: gambling prohibition, Aloha Stadium, University of Hawaii, amateur athletics, state lands, coastal resilience, Maui, Mantokuji Bay, coastal erosion, environmental protection, Native Hawaiian, spiritual sites, historic preservation, economic development, burial sites, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, cultural history, archaeology, Hawaii Revised Statutes, civil service

Summary: The committee first heard HB 1527 relating to gambling. The chair outlined hearing rules, including a two-minute limit and a warning that bills not heard would die. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from a prosecutor, Honolulu Police Department, and Stop Predatory Gambling, all arguing that casinos and sports betting increase crime, sex trafficking, harassment of athletes, and broader social harm. No opposition testimony was presented, and the committee moved on without questions or action taken on the bill. The committee then heard HB 1823 relating to coastal zone management and HB 2490 relating to coastal resilience. For HB 1823, DLNR, the Office of Planning, and Maui County testified, with Maui County supporting the measure and its proposed amendments. For HB 2490, DLNR expressed concern about exempting a proposed Mokuji Bay pilot project from permits and regulation before a long-term plan is finalized, while the County of Maui, the Mokuji Soto Zen Mission, and the Office of Planning supported the bill as a coastal resilience pilot. The mission described severe erosion, sea-level rise impacts, and years of unsuccessful efforts to stabilize the shoreline; its consultant said the study is leaning toward nature-based and hybrid solutions. In questioning, members and DLNR discussed whether the bill should say the project “shall” or “may” be exempt, and the chair indicated the language would be adjusted to preserve DLNR discretion and to change the lead agency reference to OPSD. No vote was taken in the transcript. Finally, the committee took up HB 2223 relating to historic preservation reviews. SHPD said it stood on its written comments, while OPSD and DHHL supported the bill. DHHL argued the measure would streamline reviews, improve transparency, and help address long wait times for its projects, saying it could alleviate burden on SHPD and better serve beneficiaries. Representative Shimizu questioned whether the bill would create redundancy and expand government rather than strengthen SHPD, noting a separate staffing bill already exists. SHPD responded that DHHL is uniquely subject to 6E review and that the bill would not waive federal or state historic review requirements; the discussion also touched on possible federal-style grant support and the existing memorandum of agreement between SHPD and DHHL. The transcript ends during questioning, with no final committee action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth.
• Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth.
• of the trees.
• of the trees.
• of the trees.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, March 16, 2026, 1012, house, all