Video & Transcript Research : 'human occupancy'

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ND
Transcript Highlights:
  • Another occupation that will sneak into this top five here in the next month or two is construction,
  • This is our in-demand occupation list.
  • And he said, Phil, I don't agree with your in-demand occupational list.
  • He said, every demand or every occupation, every industry is in demand in North Dakota, so why can't
  • It'll be in skilled trades, but you've got to remember this is occupation and not industry.
Keywords: 908, all
Summary: The Leadership Division of the Budget Section approved the prior meeting minutes and then received an update from Senator Jonathan Sickler on the Cash Management Board’s interim work under House Bill 1278. He said the board has reviewed state cash, investments, and liquidity across agencies and concluded the state’s overall mix of long-term and short-term assets is appropriate, with about $35 billion in total liquid assets and investments and roughly 89% in longer-term investments. He highlighted process improvements already underway, including replacing more than 500 six-month CDs with a special-rate savings account to reduce administrative work, and said the board sees opportunities to improve forecasting, automation, and statewide coordination. Members asked about whether the CD change would increase returns, how the Legacy Fund transfer for the homestead tax relief bill affected earnings, and whether more state cash could be consolidated or better managed through BND; Sickler and BND staff said those issues are being studied and may lead to legislation for the 2027 session. Representative Nathan Toman then updated the committee on the Task Force on Government Efficiency. He said the group has focused less on cutting dollars and more on defining metrics and asking how the legislature knows whether programs are working. The task force is pushing a standard set of questions for new or expanding programs—who is affected, expected outcomes, alternatives, how success will be measured, and full funding—and OMB has agreed to require those answers in future budget requests. Members discussed possible use of dashboards, program evaluators, AI tools, and possible rule or statutory changes to require performance measurement. Toman said the task force will continue meeting with agencies such as the courts, university system, auditor, HHS, Commerce, and ITD to identify workflow bottlenecks and potential efficiencies. Phil Davis of Job Service North Dakota gave a workforce update, reporting that North Dakota’s unemployment rate is 2.5% and labor force participation is about 68.7%, both well above national performance. He described Job Service’s 15 workforce programs, including H-2A housing inspections for foreign agricultural workers, the job placement partnership program with DOCR, WOTC, and other federal and state workforce efforts. Davis said the agency served more than 11,000 individuals in 2025, operates nine workforce centers, and tracks outcomes through quarterly and annual reporting. In response to questions, he said job openings data reflect only positions in the system and may understate actual hiring needs, that child care and other assistance programs could be better tied to employment outcomes, and that the DOCR partnership has shown strong results with lower recidivism and higher earnings. He also said the H-2A inspection workload is growing quickly and additional staffing or less frequent federal inspection requirements could help. Allen Knutson then presented S&P Global’s updated revenue forecast. He said oil prices have risen sharply since the prior month’s outlook, improving the state’s near-term revenue picture, though the economy remains volatile and agriculture is facing weaker commodity prices. Based on the updated forecast, total major tax revenues for the current biennium are projected to be about $89 million above the legislative forecast, and the next biennium could be about $500 million higher, though that estimate is preliminary and may change. He also walked through an alternate oil-price scenario showing significantly higher oil and gas collections and a larger Strategic Investment Fund balance if prices remain elevated. Members asked whether another forecast should be requested once oil markets stabilize and about tribal allocation changes in the alternative scenario; Knutson said additional updates are possible through OMB and future forecast cycles.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Taxes Committee 4/1/25

Taxes

Transcript Highlights:
  • Paul has an occupancy rate of 92% housing, which means that people want to live in downtown when the
  • You don't have humans in the spaces; you have more desirable activity.
  • You don't have humans in the spaces; you have more desirable activity.
  • Newton: ...if you don't have humans there, you don't have activity.
  • housing regardless of future occupancy housing regardless of future occupancy depending<01:25:20.840
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability

Transcript Highlights:
  • In the National Endowment for the Humanities, the only agency in the USA dedicated to humanities, including
  • The National Endowment for the Humanities grants...
  • You know, human beings care about these things.
  • A question I get often is, what do we mean by the humanities? Humanities are knowing what's up.
  • Again, occupancy tax receipts go down.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The hearing focused on the impact of recent federal policy and budget actions on Massachusetts libraries, humanities organizations, arts institutions, and tourism. Testimony from library leaders described the loss or jeopardy of Institute of Museum and Library Services funding, including statewide databases, local grants, staff positions, E-rate/hotspot support, and digital equity programs. Witnesses said the cuts have already forced reductions in services, canceled grants and workshops, and in some cases left schools, students, job seekers, and low-income patrons without access to key resources. Members of the committee asked for lists of affected communities and databases, and several witnesses said they would provide additional written detail. Arts and humanities witnesses said federal terminations from the NEA, NEH, and IMLS have hit organizations across the Commonwealth, including Mass Cultural Council, Mass Humanities, Mass MoCA, and local museums and historical societies. They described canceled or rescinded grants, layoffs, reduced programming, and a chilling effect on future applications and on artistic and scholarly work, especially where federal awards had already been matched with local or private funds. Several speakers also raised concerns about executive-branch DEI conditions attached to funding and about book challenges and book banning, saying these trends threaten intellectual freedom and public access to culture and history. Committee members emphasized the economic importance of the sector and the need to publicize the impacts. Tourism officials from Meet Boston and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism testified that federal cuts and broader geopolitical and tariff issues are hurting international visitation, especially from Canada and Western Europe, and could affect major upcoming events such as the 2026 World Cup and Sail Boston. They said reduced funding for Brand USA and Discover New England will weaken long-term marketing efforts and international partnerships, with downstream effects on hotel tax revenue, jobs, and workforce recruitment. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with members mainly asking questions and requesting follow-up written testimony and data.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention - 03/24/26

Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:
  • other than that, uh young uh occupants other than that, uh young uh young<00:37:17.000> adults
  • <00:37:34.280> number<00:37:34.520> three occupant number three occupant number three um
  • So, on a lease, yes, there's the tenant, and then there's the occupants.
  • The occupants then are the minors that are authorized to actually inhabit that unit.
  • error to somehow have the occupants be listed as defendants.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • In other words, we're practicing occupational segregation when we aren't looking at what are the actual
  • And his last chat to ChatGPT, Adam asked ChatGPT if the noose could suspend a human.
  • If a human had been on the other side of those chats, Adam would be alive today.
  • And at the end of the day, my position is that I trust the humans. I trust the trained therapists.
  • And that help that they need is a professional human being, not a chatbot.
Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard several Senate bills, with most of the discussion focused on worker training, public safety, and consumer protection. SB 1203 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would expand training and de-escalation requirements for private security officers. Supporters, including security workers and labor groups, said the bill would better prepare officers who often respond first to mental health crises and violent incidents. Opponents, including security industry representatives and business groups, argued it would impose major costs, create training bottlenecks, and could reduce licensed security coverage. The committee ultimately voted the bill out on a due pass recommendation to Labor and Employment, with some members noting future amendments to address training capacity and employer-provided training. The committee also approved SB 936 by Senator Blakespear, which would restrict retail sales of nitrous oxide canisters larger than 8 grams while preserving legitimate medical, dental, culinary, and automotive uses. Support came from county officials, public health groups, waste management organizations, law enforcement, and local governments, who described rising misuse, impaired driving, and recycling hazards. No opposition testimony was presented, and the bill passed to Public Safety. SB 1271 by Senator Reyes, aimed at strengthening California’s midwifery training pipeline by requiring data collection on licensed midwife preceptor capacity, also passed unanimously to Health. Supporters said the bill would help address shortages in rural birth care and improve access to training for aspiring midwives. SB 903 by Senator Padilla, which would place guardrails on the use of AI in mental health and psychotherapy settings and prohibit AI from being marketed as a therapist, drew emotional testimony from a mother whose son died by suicide after extensive chatbot interactions. Health and behavioral health groups supported the measure, while several industry and health organizations were opposed unless amended; the committee nevertheless sent it to Privacy and Consumer Protection on a unanimous vote. The committee also approved SB 1165 on consent and then adjourned.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee 3/5/25

Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Farming can be a dangerous occupation; farming is listed as the third most dangerous occupation in the
  • Farming can be a dangerous occupation; farming is listed as the third most dangerous occupation in the
  • Farming can be a dangerous occupation; farming is listed as the third most dangerous occupation in the
  • Farming can be a dangerous occupation; farming is listed as the third most dangerous occupation in the
  • Farming can be a dangerous occupation; farming is listed as the third most dangerous occupation in the
Bills: HF47, HF434, HF1503, HF1702
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session Jun 18th, 2026

California Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • holiday, inspire us by history's call to use our freedoms to bring racial justice and end slavery, human
  • , traveling more than 252,000 miles from Earth, the farthest that any human has ever traveled from Earth
  • And millions were denied their humanity by being treated as property rather than people.
  • Scripture tells us that God created every human being in his own image.
  • And when that truth is violated, it is not just a crime against humanity; it's an offense against God
Keywords: 987, senate, all
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Business and Professions Committee Jun 16th, 2026

Business and Professions

Transcript Highlights:
  • And in his last chat to ChatGPT, Adam asked ChatGPT if the noose could suspend a human.
  • If a human had been on the other side of those chats, Adam would be alive today.
  • AI therapists cannot replace the clinical judgment, training, duty of care, and human instinct that a
  • And at the end of the day, my position is that I trust the humans. I trust the trained therapists.
  • And that help they need is a professional human being, not a chatbot.
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard several Senate bills focused on workforce training, public safety, health, and consumer protection. SB 1203 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would expand and modernize private security guard training, especially de-escalation training, and drew strong support from security workers and labor groups who described dangerous encounters and inadequate preparation. Opponents, including security firms and business groups, argued the bill would impose major costs, create staffing shortages, and push employers toward unregulated alternatives. The committee ultimately voted to pass the bill to Labor and Employment, with some members noting support contingent on future amendments about training capacity. SB 936 by Senator Blakespear would restrict retail sales of larger nitrous oxide canisters while preserving legitimate medical, culinary, and automotive uses. Supporters, including Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, counties, public health groups, waste agencies, and law enforcement organizations, said misuse of nitrous oxide is causing addiction, impaired driving, neurological harm, and disposal hazards. There was no organized opposition on the record, and the committee passed the bill to Public Safety. SB 1271 by Senator Reyes would require the Medical Board to collect data on licensed midwives’ capacity to serve as preceptors and train new students, with the information reported to the Legislature. Supporters said California’s midwifery pipeline is strained, especially in rural and birth-desert areas, and that more data is needed to expand training access. The committee passed the bill to Health. SB 903 by Senator Padilla would prohibit AI chatbots from being advertised or used as therapists without appropriate licensed-professional oversight and informed consent, and would reinforce confidentiality and patient-protection rules. Testimony centered on the death of a teenager after extensive interactions with an AI chatbot, with supporters urging stronger guardrails and opponents asking for amendments; the committee passed the bill to Privacy and Consumer Protection. The consent calendar item, SB 1165 by Senator Caballero, was also approved and sent to Revenue and Taxation.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Transcript Highlights:
  • S-261 claims to be a measure to protect the public from human trafficking.
  • Department of State, has stated that occupational licensing is not a solution to human trafficking.
  • Human trafficking is tied to organized crime.
  • People have covered the anti-human trafficking report from 2013.
  • Furthermore, this bill is supposed to stop human trafficking.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The committee opened a hearing of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and reviewed a broad agenda including credit card fees, event ticketing, music therapy licensure, senior psychologist licensure, CPA pathways, school mental health licensure, and a bill regulating alternative healing therapies. The chairs explained hearing logistics, including three-minute testimony limits and submission of written testimony, and noted that more than 70 people had signed up to testify. Legislators and advocates were heard out of order throughout the day. A major portion of the hearing focused on credit card surcharge and interchange legislation. Restaurant owners, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, NFIB, and other small-business witnesses supported bills allowing merchants to add convenience fees and, in one proposal, preventing card companies from charging fees on tax and tip portions of transactions. They argued that swipe fees are a major and growing cost, especially for restaurants, and that Massachusetts is one of only two states that bars surcharges. Opponents from the Cooperative Credit Union Association, the Electronic Payment Coalition, and the Electronic Transactions Association warned that the proposals would create compliance burdens, fragment the payment system, raise legal preemption issues, and disrupt a system they described as efficient and secure. The committee also heard competing testimony on ticket transferability and ticket resale. Supporters, including the National Consumers League and Sports Fans Coalition, said bills on ticket transferability would protect consumers who cannot attend events and would increase competition and savings in the secondary market. Opponents, including United Musicians and Allied Workers and theater owners, argued that mandatory transferability would weaken artists’ and venues’ ability to prevent scalping and predatory resale, and that some ticket sellers should be exempt from the broader ticketing regulations. Separate testimony supported music therapy licensure, senior psychologist licensure, and new CPA education pathways, with witnesses saying these measures would expand access to care and strengthen the workforce while maintaining professional standards. The hearing also drew extensive opposition to S.261 on alternative healing therapies, with practitioners and clients arguing it would overregulate spiritual and holistic practices and was not an effective response to human trafficking concerns.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate SessionReading and Referral of Bills Mar 10th, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • relating to the composition of the governing body of a local mental health authority to health and human
  • certain investigations conducted by the Department of Family and Protective Services to health and human
  • single source continuum contractor and the Department of Family and Protective Services to health and human
  • and Hinojosa of Nueces and Alvarado, relating to collection of state, municipal, and county hotel occupancy
  • examination requirements for patients admitted to an inpatient mental health facility to health and human
Summary: The Senate convened, adopted a motion by Senator Zaffirini to suspend Senate Rule 11.13 so committees could meet during the reading and referral of bills, and then proceeded to first reading and committee referral of a large number of measures. The bills covered a wide range of topics, including judicial qualifications, alcohol sales at racing facilities, health care provider participation programs, abandoned land receiverships, local mental health authority governance, school trustee employment eligibility, DFPS review procedures, groundwater district management plans, early voting by mail, contracts with companies from foreign adversaries, wastewater permitting, nondisclosure provisions involving child sexual abuse, child abuse reporting, veterans’ claims assistance, hotel occupancy tax collection by accommodations intermediaries, apprenticeship grants, Sunset Commission renaming, health care entity ownership reporting, firearms and school trespass offenses, water trust and water bank issues, construction contract trust funds and payments, Medicaid recoupment, colonia real estate contracts, epinephrine use in schools, forensic analyst apprenticeship training, online ticket sales disclosures, and public water system security incident reporting. The chamber also received and read several resolutions, including SCR 27 authorizing burial of Guy Herman in the State Cemetery, SCR 28 urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment on regulating money in campaigns and ballot measures, SCR 29 designating El Paso as the official boot capital of Texas, and multiple joint resolutions. Those included proposals on county tax exemptions for rainwater harvesting and graywater systems, creation of a Texas Health Care Workforce Education Fund, authorization of sports wagering, dedication of state tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund, a statewide referendum on standard time versus daylight saving time, and clarification of impeachment-trial and removal provisions for public officers. After the readings and referrals, the Senate adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 11.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Mar 31st, 2025

Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Of medicine in humanity, your human side, a decade ago, right?
  • . human population, correct?
  • In COVID, they bypassed human...
  • and human health, we must at least have informed consent.
  • It says, "Occupations Code is amended to read as follows."
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 2/18/26

Housing Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • At the same time, Minnesota has spent the last 12 weeks enduring a federal occupation, as we've referred
  • ends and to prevent the this occupation ends and to prevent the violence,<00:21:06.559> family
  • Second, this crisis is being caused by the federal occupation of our state. Let's be clear.
  • the federal occupation of our state. the federal occupation of our state.
  • These are practical, humane steps. We all want the same thing.
Bills: HF3403, HF3410, HF3424
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Education Finance - 04/09/26

Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • , occupation, occupation, significant<00:24:00.120> occupation<00:24:00.679> as<00:24:00.960
  • also sits on Human Services.
  • thing, you know, I sit on the Human thing, you know, I sit on the Human Services<01:53:49.280>
  • So, it's the two on Human Services.
  • education costs increase and in Human education costs increase and in Human Services<01:54:02.200
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 1/21/25

Housing Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Some housing is governed by laws related to the Department of Human Services, and those largely fall
  • to the Human Services budget.
  • largely fall to Services um and those largely fall to the<00:05:26.039> uh<00:05:26.160> Human
  • Services budget and those the uh Human Services budget and those include<00:05:28.960> um<00:
  • However, in order to qualify, it would require the right occupant.
Keywords: 1183, house
Summary: The House Housing Finance and Policy Committee met for an informational session with no bills taken up and no votes or formal actions. Members and staff introduced themselves, and Chair Speno said the committee would focus on understanding housing policy and barriers to building more homes, noting Minnesota’s housing shortage and the need to support both single-family and multifamily construction. House Research analyst Mary Davis and House Fiscal analyst Katrina Heimark gave an overview of the committee’s jurisdiction and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s programs and funding streams. Davis outlined areas the committee may hear about, including real estate law, landlord-tenant law, manufactured home parks, housing cooperatives, zoning, property taxes, and MHFA programs. Heimark described MHFA’s five main budget areas—development and redevelopment, housing stability, homeownership assistance, preservation, and resident/organization support—and reviewed recent appropriations, emphasizing that much of the large 2024–25 funding was one-time money and that ongoing base funding is lower in 2026–27. Members asked several questions about how prior appropriations were spent, whether unused funds return to the general fund, and whether funds can be repurposed. Heimark said transferred funds generally are not returned to the general fund if unspent, but are expected to be used for the purposes outlined in the appropriation; she also said she had requested more detailed expenditure information from the agency and would follow up. Questions also focused on who benefits from programs such as rental housing rehabilitation and the affordable rental investment fund, with the testifiers explaining that most MHFA programs are targeted to low- and moderate-income households and that income eligibility varies by program. The committee also discussed the new metro-area sales tax revenue dedicated to housing, with members requesting more detail on reporting, oversight, and allowable uses.
AL

Alabama 2026 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Mar 10th, 2026

Alabama Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • and spousal occupations and things like that.
  • and spousal occupations and things like that.
  • Well, I like the fact that it is established. far as the occupations and spousal far as the occupations
  • So, occupations and things like that.
  • And firefighters occupational disease.
Keywords: 920, all
Summary: The Alabama Senate convened, heard a prayer and pledge, established a quorum, excused absent senators, and adopted the prior journal. The chamber received House messages, including referral of Senate Confirmation 89 for Rex Jones to the Underground and Aboveground Storage Tank Trust Funds Management Board, and concurred in Senate Bill 231 after a 30-0 vote. Several local House bills were referred to the Committee on Local Legislation. During personal remarks, Senator Coleman-Madison recognized Women’s History Month and highlighted Alabama native Mary Ellen Jolly and her book, "Accidental Activist," praising women who support the legislature. The Senate then processed committee reports, including favorable reports on multiple Finance and Taxation General Fund bills (SB 143, 144, 145 with substitute, 152, 153, 154, 162, 226 with substitute, and 146 with substitute and one abstention), as well as confirmations for Nancy Sandford, Marty Abrams, and Jim Page to the University of North Alabama Board of Trustees, all of which were confirmed. Committee reports also advanced several county and municipal and local legislation measures, including SB 292, HB 351, HB 141, HB 273, HB 504, HB 488, SB 343, and SB 346. On the floor, SB 333 on class two municipalities passed after adoption of its BIR and committee amendment, and HB 308, a proposed constitutional amendment for Mobile County, passed after the Senate tabled the committee amendment, adopted a substitute amendment by Senator Figures, and approved the certification resolution. SB 334 for Shelby County, SB 339 for Crenshaw County, and HB 507 for Covington County also passed, with certification resolutions adopted where required. The governor returned SB 228 with an executive amendment, and the Senate concurred 33-0. The Rules Committee report set the special order calendar for the next legislative day, listing bills including SB 91, SB 280, SB 181, SB 237, SB 326, SB 255, HB 77, HB 104, HB 110, HB 271, HB 362, HB 332, HB 429, SB 211, HB 125, HB 122, HB 124, SB 140, SB 199, and SB 332. Senator Singleton spoke at length criticizing the handling of minority-sponsored bills and questioning several measures, and after debate the Senate adopted the special order calendar 34-0. SB 91 was then carried over at the call of the chair.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Commerce (04/29/2025)

Commerce

Transcript Highlights:
  • And the operating agreement that's specified in 293 states all of the terms and conditions of occupancy
  • And the operating agreement that's specified in 293 states all of the terms and conditions of occupancy
  • The Department of Health and Human Services, represented by Colleen Smith and Erica Davis.
  • Health and Human Services represented by Colleen<01:38:04.639> Smith<01:38:04.880> and
  • Okay, if all this power is being used, where is it coming from, what's its effect on humans?
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Corrections Apr 30th, 2025

Corrections

Transcript Highlights:
  • It relates to the revocation of occupational licenses from certain license holders and the issuance of
  • a provisional occupational license to certain applicants with criminal convictions.
  • It forward limits group searches to true emergencies, requires female officers, and promotes humane and
  • We would just like to make sure that women are treated with dignity and humanity when these procedures
  • This bill reinforces our obligation to uphold dignity, transparency, and fundamental human rights within
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Criminal Justice Mar 18th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • . >> Silencing is drug that is unlawful for human consumption or or human use and has a schedule and
  • so no appropriate use for humans.
  • when I look at other cases, you know, where adults are, you know, forcing them to recruit folks for human
  • Travis, more Animal Legal Defense Fund waiving in support and Kate McFall, Humane Society of the United
  • Some language in this bill is they fix, for example, definitions of starting a business and an occupation
Keywords: 999, senate, all
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee 3/26/25

Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • It adds, and then also, on private area or written consent of occupant for officer training or public
  • <00:42:31.080> I occupant that makes a lot of sense.
  • I occupant that makes a lot of sense.
  • It's about trying to get those people to be better human beings and understand how their actions have
  • have done has impacted you as a human have done has impacted you as a human being,<01:36:34.040>
Keywords: 1183, house
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • Crossing out the owner occupancy Crossing out the owner occupancy requirement<00:20:05.200> so
  • Department of Human Services in support.
  • The Institute of Human Services in support. Hawaiʻi State Youth Commission in support.
  • The Institute of Human Services in support. Hawaiʻi State Youth Commission in support.
  • support The Institute of of Human support The Institute of of Human Services<00:43:58.200> in
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The House Committee on Housing held a public hearing on several bills. HB 576, relating to restrictions on the transfer of real property under chapter 201H, drew support from HHFDC and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which said the bill would waive transfer restrictions that conflict with DHHL’s program implementation. HB 421, relating to contractors, drew opposition from the Contractors License Board and DCCA/RICO, who said the measure would weaken owner-builder restrictions meant to prevent circumvention of contractor licensing laws; Hawaii Roter and the Grassroot Institute supported it. Members questioned whether the bill would still bar resale within a year and whether subcontractors would still need licenses. HB 367, relating to building permits, received support from the Hawaii Farm Bureau and Grassroot Institute, with comments from DLNR; testimony urged the bill to be expanded to include zoning permits as well as building permits to avoid confusion, especially on Kauaʻi. HB 826, relating to housing, received mixed testimony. HHFDC and several local and advocacy groups supported it, while the Sierra Club raised concerns about converting agricultural lands to residential use, possible impacts on food security, property values, taxes, and the need to account for public trust and traditional practices. HB 525 also drew support from HHFDC and three individuals, with no opposition noted. HB 252, relating to managing agents, was supported by the Hawaiʻi Council of Community Associations and opposed by the Community Associations Institute and several individuals, who argued that commercial management experience is not the same as condominium management and preferred language tied to industry certifications and a later effective date. HB 709, relating to trespassing, was opposed by the Honolulu Police Department, which said officers would have difficulty verifying ownership or tenancy in the field, that the bill could require a separate enforcement team, and that the sheriff’s division is better suited to handle evictions. Hawaiʻi Realtors and the Grassroot Institute supported the measure. Finally, HB 431 HD1, relating to housing, received broad support from the Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities, HHFDC, DHS, the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, OHA, county housing offices, and multiple nonprofit and political groups. Supporters emphasized the bill’s funding for housing and supportive services, with the homelessness office describing the measure as unprecedented and saying it could help the state cut homelessness in half over the next few years.