Transcript Highlights:

• When I was on the Tempe Union High School Board, which is now led by President Montero, he and I worked
• When I was on the Tempe Union High School Board, which is now led by President Montero, he and I worked
• in particular, establishing Yaqui language one and two, and we’ve also had, particularly in Tempe Union
• One superintendent, Jeremy Kayes of the Tolleson Union High School District, is making nearly half a
• We encountered a situation in which Jeremy Kayes, the superintendent of the Tolleson Union High School

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 2076, which would create a reimbursement program for school safety training and equipment, maintain an approved list of training programs meeting AZPOST standards, and allow eligible schools to adopt policies permitting certain employees to carry concealed firearms on campus if they complete approved training and meet notification/confidentiality requirements. The sponsor, Rep. Bliss, framed the bill as an optional, fiscally responsible medical-response measure meant to help school employees stop bleeding and save lives in emergencies, emphasizing that no school would be required to participate and that no new state appropriation was needed. Opponents, including Giffords, Arizona for Gun Safety, and the Arizona Education Association, argued the bill would normalize armed staff in classrooms, create confidentiality problems for parents and law enforcement, and expose students and staff to additional risk. They also said teachers are not trained as trauma responders and that the bill’s immunity and secrecy provisions could reduce accountability. Supporters, including Arizona Citizens Defense League and other proponents, said the bill adds guardrails to existing law, focuses mostly on first aid and de-escalation training, and gives schools an option to prepare staff for emergencies. After debate, the committee voted 6-5-1 to give HB 2076 a do pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 2830, which directs the State Board of Education to adopt science standards requiring instruction on fetal and prenatal development and specifies that the instruction is not sex education. Opponents, including the Arizona Education Association and Reproductive Freedom for All, said the bill politicizes science, creates fragmented instruction, and could lead to questions that inevitably touch on sex education while failing to address broader student health needs. Supporters, including Arizona Right to Life, a school board president, and a biology teacher, argued the bill is simply about age-appropriate, medically accurate science and parental transparency. The committee approved HB 2830 on an 8-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• I find it interesting that the majority, if not all, of those letters come from unions and union-based
• if not all of those letters<01:00:55.200> come<01:00:55.359> from<01:00:55.599> unions
• <01:00:56.000> and<01:00:56.240> union- letters come from unions and union- letters
• come from unions and union- based<01:00:57.240> organizations.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have more U-Hauls coming to Texas than any other state in the union.
• here, it became very, very clear that the history of Texas is about as unique as any state in the union
• It's the only state in the union that has its own constitution and its own declaration of independence
• So earlier this week, my union had a press conference, Texas State Employees Union.
• I'm the legislative and political director for the Texas State Employees Union.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard budget presentations for the Texas Historical Commission, the Pension Review Board, the Employees Retirement System (ERS), Social Security and benefit replacement pay, the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESSRS), and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The Legislative Budget Board outlined recommendations and major changes for each agency, including reductions tied to one-time projects at the Historical Commission, continued funding for courthouse grants, heritage trails, and Holocaust/genocide education, as well as new or modified riders and capital items. For the pension-related items, LBB described funding changes for PRB, ERS, Social Security, and TESSRS, including ERS health plan cost growth driven largely by pharmacy costs, the status of pension funding reforms, and TESSRS’s request for additional state support to address its unfunded liability and staffing needs. Members asked extensive questions about the Historical Commission’s one-time funding, unexpended balance authority, courthouse preservation, the Presidio La Bahia and National Museum of the Pacific War projects, and coordination of Texas history messaging across sites such as the Alamo, San Jacinto, Washington on the Brazos, and other heritage locations. The Historical Commission chair emphasized heritage tourism, economic development, and the need for continued investment in historic sites, staffing, IT modernization, and vehicles. On the pension items, senators discussed PRB oversight of local systems, including the Dallas police and fire pension situation, and ERS investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health costs. ERS officials said the plan remains well funded overall, noted a 2021 cash balance reform and a planned supplemental legacy payment, and explained that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are a major driver of pharmacy spending; they also said the agency is working with the Texas Pharmacy Initiative and that rebates are contractually returned to ERS. For TESSRS, LBB and agency staff said the system serves volunteer and part-paid emergency personnel, is facing an infinite amortization period, and is requesting additional appropriations, staffing, and IT funding, along with a statutory change to allow an actuarially determined state contribution. The agency said it may otherwise need to cut benefits for volunteer firefighters. For CPRIT, LBB reported about $600 million in recommended funding for the biennium and a 10-FTE increase, while the agency described its $6 billion voter-approved program, $3.75 billion in grants awarded to date, and $10.4 million in revenue sharing since 2011. CPRIT’s only exceptional item was a request for a 10% salary increase for two exempt positions. No committee votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• whole house on the state of the union whole house on the state of the union for<04:14:48.159>
• <04:14:53.760> Union the clerk will report by title.
• Union the clerk will report by title.
• whole house on the state of the union whole house on the state of the union for<06:36:22.240>
• Union calendar number 84, HR title.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a national vice president representing mid-sized locals within the union, and a lifelong resident
• I'm a national vice president representing mid-sized locals within the union, and a lifelong residence
• I mean, that's what we talk about in our union contracts is about consent.
• I mean, that's what we talk about in our union contracts is about consent.
• My family left the Soviet Union in 1979 when I was five.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened with procedural guidance for a very large hearing, explaining testimony limits, written testimony procedures, and rules for maintaining order. Members then heard testimony on a wide range of bills, including proposals to define antisemitism using the IHRA definition, regulate facial recognition technology, restrict weaponized robotics and drone use, expand protections for journalists’ confidential sources, address access to decedents’ email accounts, and create or adjust rules around municipal enforcement and animal cruelty fines. Several sponsors and advocates asked for favorable reports, and committee members asked clarifying questions on implementation, costs, and how the bills would interact with existing law. On facial recognition, sponsors and advocates described the technology as a threat to privacy, due process, and civil liberties, and urged adoption of the Special Commission’s recommendations, including warrant requirements, notice to defendants, and limits on untargeted surveillance. Support came from legislators, the ACLU, CDT, EFF, and a UMass professor, while committee members asked about current state law and municipal bans. On robotics, Senator Moore and industry witnesses from MassRobotics, Boston Dynamics, and AUVSI supported a bill prohibiting weaponized robots and requiring warrants for certain law enforcement uses, describing it as a public-safety and trust-building measure. On the shield law bill, newspaper publishers, journalists, NEFAC, and the Reporters Committee argued Massachusetts needs statutory protection for confidential sources, citing costly subpoenas and chilling effects on reporting. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to expand the right of publicity to cover image and voice, with SAG-AFTRA members supporting protections against AI-driven exploitation and some discussion about viral content and consent. Another bill would allow limited access to a decedent’s email accounts, with one witness describing a family’s inability to use a deceased relative’s email to notify friends. The committee then took testimony on psilocybin-related bills: supporters described medical and personal benefits and argued for narrow decriminalization or study, while an opponent warned of public-health risks, impaired driving, and youth exposure; the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society supported limited, safety-based decriminalization. Finally, the committee heard strong support for a “safe reporting” bill for sex workers and trafficking survivors, with advocates saying immunity would encourage victims and witnesses to report crimes without fear of arrest, and members raised questions about how the immunity would work in practice.

Transcript Highlights:

• We were in a consultant confirm process with the unions.
• We were in a consultant confirm process with the unions.
• We were in a consultant confirm process with the unions.
• We have process with the unions.
• So, it includes the union. So, it takes a... The PCC is relatively large.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several education resolutions, beginning with HCR 11 and HR 14, which ask the Board of Education and the State Public Charter School Commission to report on improving access to stable, suitable, and affordable facilities for public charter schools. The Charter School Commission supported the measure, and OHA also supported it while noting long-standing facility challenges, the lack of a dedicated facilities appropriation, and the strain on charter schools that have had to use operating funds for buildings and temporary structures. Kealakehe Academy, Hawaii Technology Academy, and several individuals also testified in support. The committee then took up HCR 181 and HR 171, which seek a shared decision-making committee to develop an action plan for a K-12 Ka Waihona School in Kapolei. The Department of Education said it has already developed a strategic plan for Kaipuni education, has expanded immersion programs over the past decade, and is addressing growth through interim guidance and a new priority placement process. Community witnesses, including representatives of Ke Alo Ever, strongly supported the resolutions, emphasizing the need for a K-12 pathway, the importance of Hawaiian language and culture, and the role of community voice in planning. They argued that teacher shortages, especially for licensed Hawaiian immersion teachers, remain a major barrier and proposed a kumu recruitment and retention program tied to community, UH, and DOE partnerships. The committee also heard HCR 187 and HR 177, which urge the Department of Education to begin initiatives to address teacher retention statewide. DOE and the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education said teacher retention is already being addressed through the Teacher Education Coordinating Committee, a five-year plan focused on building capacity, improving satisfaction, and compensation, and a new DOE human resources plan. In response to questions, DOE said it is seeking better school-level data on why teachers leave, is preparing for contract negotiations, and is working with the standards board and DLIR on an apprenticeship-related grant. TECC representatives said the group has been working since the pandemic era, may narrow its focus to retention as the most actionable area, and expects to provide more concrete recommendations in its annual report. The transcript ends as the committee moves on to the next item, HCR 47 and HR 43, without showing any votes or final actions on the measures heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are a union representing over 19,000 members working in public service across all state agencies,
• I'm the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 105.
• These are union jobs, solid jobs.
• These are union jobs, solid bluecollar<01:07:30.240> careers<01:07:30.640> that<01:07:30.880
• I'm the vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have an advisory council that we established last year that does consist of the unions, the Department
• We have an advisory council that we established last year that does consist of the unions, the Department
• <00:20:51.039> the does consist of the the unions the does consist of the the unions the department
• and<00:51:24.480> I<00:51:24.680> guess<00:51:24.880> and state employees unions
• and I guess and state employees unions and I guess and provide<00:51:25.480> them<00:51:25.720

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The working session focused on the New Hampshire Prescription Drug Affordability Board’s budget request and its recent work. Early discussion centered on a technical question about a statutory dedicated fund for donations: members asked why the budget did not show a line item for accepting donations, and DHHS CFO Nathan White explained that the statute already authorizes the fund, but because no revenue has been received yet, it does not appear in the budget. He said any future donations would go through the normal process under RSA 14:30-a, with fiscal committee and Governor and Council approval and a memo to the Department of Revenue Administration. The chair clarified that the account was not a prerequisite to soliciting donations, and White said the fund would supplement, not replace, General Fund support. Kirk Williamson, the board’s executive director, then presented the board’s mission and budget. He said the governor’s budget provides about $256,500 in the first year and slightly more in the second, all General Funds, and that the board had distributed a technical amendment to continue the executive director position. He described the board’s role as analyzing prescription drug costs, identifying savings opportunities, monitoring market trends, promoting transparency, and making recommendations to the legislature and public payers. He also emphasized that the board operates publicly, with live-streamed meetings and a stakeholder advisory council that includes unions, state agencies, Medicaid, corrections, higher education, and other stakeholders. A major topic was the board’s estimate of $6 million in potential savings, based on Medicare’s newly negotiated prices for 10 drugs. Williamson explained that the board used those federal negotiated prices as a benchmark to estimate what New Hampshire public payers might be missing by not having similar leverage, and said the board is trying to build evidence for future recommendations rather than directly setting prices. Members asked how those potential savings could become actual savings, and Williamson said the board is sharing findings through its advisory council and feedback loops, though it has not yet sent a formal recommendation letter to specific purchasers. He also discussed the difference between pharmacy-benefit spending, which relies heavily on PBM-negotiated rebates, and medical-benefit spending, which is administered differently and is being added to the board’s next report. Williamson highlighted other work, including a model on Humira and a pending legislative effort to improve biosimilar competition, plus a proposed state-backed pharmacy savings card that would be no cost to the state and could save users about $240 per prescription based on Connecticut’s experience. No votes were taken during the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• It helps create a strong middle class, often with union jobs.
• It helps create a strong middle class, often with union jobs, that benefit entire regions.
• Gary Cooper, representing UAPD, Union of American Physicians and Dentists, proud support, and we are
• Tiffany Mock on behalf of CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals, in support.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on health care access, insurance coverage, public health, and patient protections. SB 1023 by Senator Laird would require insurers that cover injectable PrEP under the medical benefit to also cover it under the pharmacy benefit, to reduce billing barriers and improve access to HIV prevention. Supporters included HIV/AIDS organizations, the Department of Insurance, medical groups, and LGBTQ advocates; health plans opposed the bill as an unnecessary benefit-design mandate. The committee later voted the bill out on a due pass motion, and it remained on call before being finalized out later in the hearing. SB 964 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would limit repeated prior authorization requirements when a clinician needs to adjust the dose or frequency of a covered medication for a patient with a chronic or complex condition, with safeguards for off-label use and controlled substances. Support came from physicians, hospitals, and patient advocates, especially in gastroenterology and chronic disease care, while insurers argued it weakened safety and utilization-management safeguards. The committee approved the bill on a due pass vote to Appropriations. SB 1323 by Senator Rubio, as amended in committee, would strengthen protections for patients receiving medical care while in immigration custody by requiring facilities to train staff on responding to such requests and allowing patients to notify a family member or loved one of their location. It passed the committee on a due pass as amended vote to Judiciary, with one no vote recorded. SB 1099 by Senator Reyes would clarify local governments’ authority to provide state and local public benefits to all residents under the federal PRWORA exemption, giving cities and counties more certainty when operating low-barrier services such as health care, shelter, crisis response, and homeless outreach. Local government attorneys and service providers supported the measure, and there was no opposition testimony; it passed to Human Services. SB 895 by Senator Wiener would place a $12 billion science research bond on the November ballot and create a state research funding institute to help sustain California’s research economy amid federal cuts. The bill drew broad support from universities, labor, health organizations, patients, and business groups, with one member voting no because of the bond cost; it passed to Appropriations. SB 944 by Senator Wiener would stabilize Medi-Cal coverage for acupuncture, which supporters described as a cost-effective, nonpharmacological treatment for pain and other conditions. It passed to Appropriations with strong support and no opposition testimony. At the end of the hearing, the committee also took add-on votes to confirm the bills’ passage status and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The relationship between Black and Indigenous Californians is deeply intersectional, despite the Union
• His impact also extended far beyond the union hall.
• He was instrumental in protecting union jobs and strengthening labor standards at one of the busiest
• And we can so clearly see his legacy today, reflected in the strength of our unions and the lives that

Summary: The Assembly met in session after a quorum call, heard a prayer and pledge, and then moved through a large daily file of bills and resolutions. Early procedural motions were adopted, including re-referrals and a motion to allow the Appropriations Committee to notice SB 73, which passed 46-15. Members also introduced several guests, including young legislators, schoolchildren, a championship girls’ basketball team, realtors, and CASA advocates. On the floor, the Assembly concurred in Senate amendments to AB 1389, a tribal gaming compact urgency bill for the Yurok Tribe, which passed 55-0 on the urgency and measure. The body then passed a series of bills on topics including trespass enforcement (AB 1632), pest control fees (AB 2380), county investment authority (AB 2080), pupil achievement gap reporting (AB 2149), transit board stipends (AB 1625), e-filing for workplace violence restraining orders (AB 2179), election eligibility restrictions for registered sex offenders (AB 2753), juvenile firearm possession and deferred entry of judgment (AB 2636), court access and First Amendment issues (AB 1544), physician medical record integrity (AB 1637), forced marriage protections (AB 2534), and local authority to restrict under-12 e-bike use in San Mateo County (AB 2595). Most of these measures passed with little or no opposition, with votes ranging from 53-0 to 63-0. The Assembly also adopted ACR 173, reaffirming California’s sister-state relationship with Jalisco, Mexico, after adding 50 coauthors. Later, it adopted ACR 163 designating May as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month after extensive testimony from the author and multiple caucus members emphasizing the crisis, data gaps, tribal sovereignty, and the need for more resources and action; 64 coauthors were added before the resolution passed by voice vote. The chamber likewise adopted ACR 180 designating Compost Awareness Week and ACR 182 establishing Youth Mental Health Awareness Week, both after coauthor roll calls and voice votes. The day concluded with urgent action on AB 108, which provides up to $25 million in one-time emergency bridge funding for distressed hospitals facing imminent closure. Members from both parties spoke in support, citing rural access, prior hospital closures, and the need to protect community health care; the bill passed 59-0 and was sent to the Governor immediately. The Assembly then handled consent calendar items, heard an adjournment in memory for labor leader Larry Mazzola Sr., and adjourned until Monday, May 11 at 1 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Help us to seek not division, but unity, striving always toward that more perfect union to which we are
• > perfect striving always toward that more perfect striving always toward that more perfect union
• union to which we are called. union to which we are called.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation by Father Mark Bilek of Westminster, introduced by the Senator from the 42nd District and praised by members for his community service and Lenten message of reconciliation. The prayer was journalized. The chamber then recognized several guests, including interns, family members, a shadowing student, and the doctor of the day, Dr. Ann Benfield, before moving to floor business. A scheduling note indicated a light floor agenda, with committee work later in the day and a longer floor session expected the next day. The Senate considered several second-reading committee reports and moved multiple bills to third reading, generally without objection. These included House Bill 229, increasing Maryland Transportation Authority bond capacity from $4 billion to $5 billion; House Bill 266, allowing resource-sharing revenues to support state communications infrastructure, with an amendment conforming it to Senate Bill 85; House Bill 472, extending and adjusting the theatrical production tax credit; House Bill 607, setting constitutional officers’ salaries; House Bill 810, creating a study on blockchain-based lease recordation verification with an amendment adding the Maryland Blockchain Association; House Bill 1095, granting a Calvert County property tax credit for former tobacco barns; House Bill 1142, creating a task force on county and municipal revenue structures; and House Bill 1165, addressing apprenticeship program accountability and completion. The Senate also advanced Senate Bill 956, authorizing the Maryland Transportation Authority to waive portions of video tolls or civil penalties on delinquent accounts, with a sponsor amendment. Members briefly joked about April Fools’ Day during the proceedings, but the chamber continued to adopt reports and amendments without recorded opposition. At the end of the session, leaders announced committee schedules for the afternoon and the next day, including Finance, Triple E, Budget and Taxation, and Judicial Proceedings meetings. The Senate then held a quorum call, confirmed 45 members present, and adjourned until Thursday, April 2 at 10:00 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• morning members of my public speaking class and my teacher advisory who are joining us from Hazen Union
• joining us my teacher advisory who are joining us from<00:12:35.400> Hazen<00:12:36.080> Union
• School,<00:12:37.560> a<00:12:37.839> small<00:12:38.360> but from Hazen Union
• School, a small but from Hazen Union School, a small but amazing<00:12:39.280> high<00:12:39.480

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House began with a devotional and then took up several Senate bills for first reading and referral: S. 323 on miscellaneous agricultural subjects, S. 325 on regional planning and Act 250 tier jurisdiction, and S. 328 on housing and common interest communities. The chamber then adopted House Resolution 16, reaffirming Vermont’s friendship with Taiwan and supporting stronger bilateral relations and Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. The resolution was adopted by voice vote after its reading, and remarks followed welcoming guests from Hazen Union School and Director General Charles Lao of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. During the action calendar, the House postponed action on H. 657, relating to services for unaccompanied homeless youth, for one legislative day. It then passed H. 727 on sustainable data center deployment, H. 935 on emergency management, and H. 938 establishing the Vermont homelessness response continuum. The House also committed H.R. 15, another Taiwan friendship resolution, to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. The main substantive debate centered on H. 941, relating to municipal regulation of agriculture. The committee explained the bill as a response to a Vermont Supreme Court ruling and described it as restoring limits on municipal regulation of farms while allowing narrow local exceptions and creating a stakeholder group to continue studying the issue. Testimony came from a broad range of agricultural, municipal, and policy stakeholders, and the committee reported a 7-0-1 vote. An amendment offered by Representative Durfee, based on feedback from the House Environment Committee, replaced a Tier 1A concept with parcel-size-based exceptions, clarified state authority over growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and adjusted the stakeholder charge; the House adopted the amendment and ordered the bill to third reading. The House also heard announcements about committee appointments, caucus meetings, a public hearing on community safety concerns, and then adjourned until April 1, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, am I correct that we're the only state in the union that does not have a reading specialist?
• only<00:04:37.840> state<00:04:38.160> in<00:04:38.320> the<00:04:38.479> union
• <00:04:38.720> that<00:04:38.960> does the only state in the union that does the only
• state in the union that does not<00:04:39.520> have<00:04:39.680> a<00:04:39.919> reading

Bills: SF0014, SF0053

Keywords: literacy, education, reading assessment, intervention program, public school funding, department of education, amateur status, high school athletics, student eligibility, sports regulation, monetary compensation, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill does protect union jobs.
• <00:17:49.679> bill<00:17:50.320> does<00:17:50.799> protect<00:17:51.440> union
• This bill does protect union jobs. This bill does protect union jobs.

Bills: SB99, SB585, SB2060, SB2069, SB2110, SB2115, SB2152, SB2211, SB2259, SB2315, SB2342, SB2382, SB2442, SB2446, SB2485, SB2544, SB2577, SB2580, SB2861, SB2919, SB3326

Keywords: SB99, Hawaii, Employees' Retirement System, ERS, retirant, retiree rehiring, reemployment after retirement, retirement benefits, benefit suspension, school resource officer, SRO, public school safety, Department of Law Enforcement, DLE, labor shortage, difficult-to-fill position, teacher shortage, charter school, mentor teacher, vacancy rate

Summary: The Committee on Ways and Means met for decision-making only and adopted recommendations on a long list of Senate bills, with no oral testimony taken. Early actions included SB 99 to pass unamended, SB 585 to pass with a date correction to 2015, SB 2060 to pass with amendments involving public project lists, legislative approval for fund transfers, and removal of certain appropriations, and SB 2069 to pass with amendments extending a sunset date and requiring transit-oriented development zoning. The committee also advanced several other measures, including SB 2110, SB 215, SB 2259, SB 2382, SB 2442, and SB 2485 unamended, while SB 2152, SB 2315, SB 2446, SB 2919, SB 2577, SB 2580, and SB 2861 were moved with various amendments, mostly date changes, appropriation blanks, or technical clarifications. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on SB 2211, where Department of Human Services officials explained how the department was covering costs by using restricted funds and shifting Med-QUEST funding, and noted a need for $14 million plus support for $16.5 million in ACA enhanced tax credit subsidies. The chair indicated the bill would move forward with amendments, including blanking the appropriation pending more information on lapses, and the recommendation was adopted. SB 2544 was also amended to remove a specific appropriation and replace it with a blank cap on funds from DUR, and SB 2342 was amended to require projects to be in transit-oriented development zones and to reflect prior committee concurrence. The most extended debate was on SB 3326, which would address utility restructuring. One senator opposed the bill, arguing it could raise rates, worsen reliability issues, and disrupt an existing utility without a clear plan, especially given island-specific conditions. Supporters argued the bill would separate generation from transmission and distribution, create competition, protect union jobs, and respond to aging infrastructure and financial weakness in the utility sector. After recesses and discussion of the Public Utilities Commission’s role, the chair changed the recommendation from pass unamended to pass with amendments requiring the PUC to conduct a study, provide an interim report before the next session, and a final report the following session. That amended recommendation was adopted, and the meeting then adjourned with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• we identified schools in Catron County, De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Mora, Quay, Socorro, Union
• Colfax, Sierra, Torrance, Catron, De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, Hidalgo, Mora, Quay, Socorro, and Union
• Hold on, Hidalgo, Mora, Quay, Socorro, and Union. And Union.

Bills: SB83, SB106, SB107, SB123, SJR1

Keywords: ecological monitoring, sustainability, tribal engagement, education, research funding, graduate scholarship, higher education funding, New Mexico, appropriation, financial aid, out-of-school programming, education funding, youth programs, affordability, nonprofit organizations, defibrillators, public schools, health and safety, emergency response, school elections

Transcript Highlights:

• retirement, and training benefit trusts, and specifies that the MOU with the Child Care Providers United Union
• Most notably, it would make changes related to union dues deductions and Fair Labor Standards Act requirements
• yet failed to follow through despite 35 legislators and more than 230 advocate organizations, labor unions
• with SEIU California on Child Care 151 will ratify the agreement between the Child Care Providers Union

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I just want to continue to encourage our local workers, our union workers, and those that support
• encourage our local to continue to encourage our local workers,<00:16:48.720> our<00:16:48.959> union
• /c><00:16:49.279> workers,<00:16:49.680> and<00:16:49.839> those workers, our union
• workers, and those workers, our union workers, and those that<00:16:50.240> support<00:16:50.560

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee first took up HB 496 HD2 SD1 on mamaki tea. Members described the agreed conference draft as prohibiting misleading use of Hawaiian words, imagery, place names, and motifs on tea packaging unless all tea or dried leaves were grown, harvested, and dried in Hawaii. The bill also included an appropriation for a measurement standards inspector position at the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, with $65,000 in each of FY 2026 and FY 2027. The House and Senate managers recommended passage with amendments, and the measure was adopted by unanimous votes from the members present, with some members excused. The committee then recessed and reconvened several times to manage a larger agenda of conference bills, moving some items to later times and rooms. Among the measures adopted were HB 862, addressing school transportation shortages by allowing certain nontraditional vehicles under safety conditions; HB 667, retitled the Microchip Identification Act, requiring DOT and counties to scan deceased cats and dogs for microchips and notify animal services; HB 958, regulating electric bicycles and other micromobility devices with safety, labeling, registration, and age requirements; HB 934, relating to broadband and the digital equity office, with appropriations and positions; HB 960, raising DOT capital advancement contract thresholds and annual caps; HB 697, updating automated speed enforcement rules and appropriating $2 million; and SB 26, creating an affordable housing land inventory task force with a $250,000 appropriation. Each of these measures was adopted with amendments by conference vote, with some members excused and several brief recesses taken for quorum or agenda management. Not all bills were resolved. HB 732, relating to the film industry tax credit cap, was deferred after conferees said they had not reached agreement, despite comments supporting the industry and local workers. HB 437, concerning an office in the Philippines under DBED, was also deferred for lack of agreement. The committee adjourned after stating that the remaining measures on the agenda would be deferred indefinitely.

Transcript Highlights:

• amendment would say that it is not lawful, that we would not be requiring community banks or credit unions
• ever do become too big to fail and would require. require a bailout that community banks and credit unions
• considering today prohibits bank examiners from considering reputational risk to any bank or credit union
• As part of that report, regulators should analyze and inform the public which banks and credit unions

Bills: SB875

Keywords: banking regulation, federal agencies, reputational risk, financial services, supervision, FIRM Act, bank supervision, depository institutions, federal banking agencies, FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve, NCUA, CFPB, credit unions, Operation Choke Point, financial discrimination, safety and soundness, supervisory guidance, examination manual

Summary: This meeting focused on the markup of the Genius Act and the FIRM Act, two significant pieces of legislation addressing stablecoin regulation and the financial industry's regulatory framework. The Chairman noted the importance of providing clarity to the digital asset community and protecting American consumers, while also promoting innovation and competition within the financial sector. Members of both parties expressed varying viewpoints, with some highlighting concerns related to national security and the potential risks associated with stablecoins.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our union has found that guests are not always notified of service disruptions.
• Our union has found that guests are not always notified of service disruptions.
• Our union has found that guests are not always notified of service disruptions.
• Our union has found that guests are not always notified of service disruptions.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint hearing of the House Committees on Tourism, Housing, and Economic Development and Technology began with House Bill 604, which would raise the transient accommodations tax by 1 percentage point starting January 1, 2026 and direct the revenue to the Hawaiian Homes General Loan Fund. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands supported the bill as a source of consistent funding, while the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed it, warning that Hawaii already has very high tourism taxes and that further increases could hurt visitors, workers, and the broader economy. The committees later voted to pass HB 604 with amendments as an HD1 and to defer the date; the vote was adopted, with one member noted as having reservations in the housing committee vote and one no vote in that committee. The committees then heard House Bill 973, which would require transient accommodations brokers and others to display all resort fees, taxes, and government-imposed charges upfront in advertised prices and would establish penalties. The Office of Consumer Protection expressed concerns about the bill’s intent requirement and noted a forthcoming federal FTC rule on junk fees; the Hawaii Hotel Alliance strongly supported the measure as promoting transparency and uniformity, and a public witness also supported price transparency while questioning the size of the penalties. After questions about federal rescission of the FTC rule and enforcement authority, the committees voted to pass HB 973 with amendments as an HD1, including removal of the intent requirement and technical changes, and the recommendation was adopted unanimously. House Bill 594, relating to hotel service disruptions, would require hotel keepers to give notice of disruptions to guests and third-party vendors and allow damages. The Attorney General’s office recommended amendments to add a purpose section and savings clause to address First Amendment and contract clause issues, and Unite Here Local 5 supported the bill, saying guests are not always notified of disruptions and that the measure would improve transparency; the union agreed with the legal amendments. The committees voted to pass HB 594 with amendments as an HD1 and to defer the date, adopting the recommendation. The final measures were House Bill 448 and House Bill 449, both related to technology enablement and economic development for small businesses, including tourism-related businesses. HTDC strongly supported both bills but emphasized that technology should be targeted to the actual problem and coordinated with sister agencies rather than applied broadly; the Hawaii Food Industry Association and Chamber of Commerce also supported HB 448, and HB 449 received support from HTDC and HFIA. The committees adopted amendments to HB 448, including moving a $250,000 appropriation to the committee report, and to HB 449, including deleting duplicative language tied to HB 448 and moving a $500,000 appropriation to the committee report; both bills were passed as HD1s with deferred dates, and the hearing adjourned after the votes were adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• Relevant stakeholders may include housekeeping and hospitality unions and business management organizations
• may include housekeeping<00:16:22.600> and<00:16:22.959> Hospitality<00:16:23.839> unions
• <00:16:24.839> and housekeeping and Hospitality unions and housekeeping and Hospitality unions

Keywords: 910, house, all