Transcript Highlights:

• He said a number of households lack high-speed internet access.
• He said this bill does not include WCAG, web content accessibility guidelines, or requirements that it
• So, you can't say it's more<00:51:26.120> accessible.
• <00:51:27.360> Public<00:51:27.800> meeting more accessible.
• Public meeting more accessible.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Labor met on February 19, 2026, and heard a series of bills largely focused on public employment, staffing, and professional licensing. Early measures included HB 2276 and HB 2472, both relating to Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund staff salaries, which were supported by trust fund representatives and received no opposition or questions. The committee also heard HB 1714 HD1 on housing, where the Hawaii Public Housing Authority testified with comments and the Deputy Attorney General raised concerns about the scope of autonomy, civil service, collective bargaining, and a possible separation-of-powers issue involving legislative approval of long-term contracts. The committee then considered several personnel and civil service bills. HB 2325 HD1, relating to civil service exempt positions at DLNR, drew support from DLNR and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, but HGEA opposed it and urged the department to seek other recruitment and retention solutions while keeping employees in civil service. HB 1541, relating to Department of Health positions, was supported by DOH on the grounds that the positions serve vulnerable populations and require specialized expertise, while HGEA opposed. HB 2140 HD1, relating to essential permanent positions, received support from OPSD, HGEA, and the Chamber of Commerce, with written comments from the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services. HB 2315 HD1, relating to state employment benefits, was strongly supported by DOH, UPW, and HGEA as a recruitment and retention incentive; members questioned the pilot program, and DOH explained it would allow employees to cash out vacation leave earlier than current policy allows. The committee also heard HB 2295 on government contracting, with DOE support not present and IBEW 1186 in opposition. HB 1720, relating to professional engineers, drew strong support from the City and County of Honolulu’s planning department, which argued the bill would help with affordable housing review and only affect eligibility to sit for the licensure exam, but strong opposition from engineering industry and licensing board representatives, who warned it would lower licensing standards and harm reciprocity; members questioned both sides about plan review experience and licensure requirements. HB 2367, relating to employment earnings and pay transparency, received strong support from the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, AAUW, the Commission on the Status of Women, and others, who said transparency helps small businesses and retention, while written opposition came from the Maui Chamber of Commerce and NFIB. Finally, HB 1935, relating to personal information, drew comments from the Attorney General and the Campaign Spending Commission about implementation burdens and disclosure requirements, with UPW supporting the home-address redaction portion but opposing the broader disclosure process; additional written testimony was noted from OIP, the League of Women Voters, Public Press Law Center, HGEA, and DCCA.

Transcript Highlights:

• You're going to give them access to another area that is outside where the children are.
• But that is creating just a huge web of disruption, if you will, in the ecosystem.
• are a total ban, so elementary and middle school students on any school field trip will not have access
• Orange County has made policy to restrict access to cell phones.
• to primary care and preventative care program, Obstetric response and education program, rural access

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, quorum established, and several recognitions, including a legislative intern, a guest in the gallery, and Representative Bruce Antone’s upcoming induction into the Tuskegee Athletic Hall of Fame. The Speaker also gave brief remarks about the end of session and the freshman class. The chamber then took up a series of Senate-returned messages and concurred or insisted on several amendments while moving bills toward final passage. The House unanimously approved CS/CS/HB 1299 on Department of Health matters, CS/HB 1549 on financial institutions after adopting a House amendment to remove the IOTA-related provision, and CS/CS/SB 768 on foreign ties and business interests after a House concurrence motion. It also insisted on its amendment to CS/CS/CS/SB 184 on housing. CS/CS/HB 875 on educator preparation was amended to restore House provisions on teacher-prep courses, the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence at Miami-Dade College, and related testing and mentor-qualification changes; it passed 91-22 after debate over teacher certification, testing, and “identity politics” language. HB 1101 on out-of-network providers was amended to keep the House’s original notice and referral framework with a good-cause exemption; it passed 87-27 despite objections that it placed too much responsibility on doctors. After recess, the House took up CS/CS/SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response. Members described changes including removal of some homestead-assessment and debris-removal provisions, a study requirement for a post-hurricane county restriction concept, and a Florida Keys evacuation-time change paired with a 10-year cap of 900 permit allocations; the bill passed 116-0. The House also refused to concur in a Senate amendment to HB 1609 on waste incineration and requested the Senate recede. Later, the House returned to HB 1101 and insisted on its amendment after the Senate refused to concur. The longest debate came on CS/CS/HB 1115 on education, where the House amendment replaced the Senate version with the substance of HB 1267, including Schools of Hope, higher education governance, and course transparency. Members questioned provisions expanding Schools of Hope co-location and sponsorship authority beyond traditional opportunity zones, the role of the Department of Education versus school districts, transportation and facility-cost issues, and performance-based agreements. Supporters said the changes would expand options for students and use vacant or underutilized facilities; opponents argued the language was added late, lacked transportation funding, and could allow charter operators to enter high-performing schools. The bill remained under debate at the end of the transcript, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• :41.120> transformative accessing that rural transformative accessing that rural transformative
• :24.400> the<00:48:24.559> marketplace access to going to the marketplace access to going
• And we have Communication Access Board.
• disability and communication access disability and communication access board.
• And for this communication access board.

Bills: HB2488, HB2456

Keywords: disability, communication access, deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, healthcare, sign language interpreters, auxiliary aids, weight loss, GLP-1 drugs, obesity, Medicaid, healthcare costs, 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HP 1972, which would create a nonrefundable family caregiver tax credit, and on a related tax measure to increase the existing dependent care tax credit. Supporters of HP 1972, including AARP, the Executive Office on Aging, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and others, said unpaid caregivers are essential to keeping kūpuna and other loved ones at home and described significant out-of-pocket costs. The Department of Taxation and the Tax Foundation raised technical concerns, including the need to avoid overlap with existing credits and to prevent double-dipping. The department said taxpayers can claim credits to the extent allowed, but recommended explicit language barring the same costs from being claimed under more than one credit. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the chair moved the bill along after questions. The committee then heard HP 1975, which would repeal the sunset on the state rent supplement program for kūpuna. AARP, Catholic Charities Hawaii, the Executive Office on Aging, and others supported making the program permanent, saying it helps low-income older adults avoid eviction and homelessness and allows them to remain in affordable housing. Catholic Charities described clients who were paying unsustainable shares of income for rent before receiving the supplement. Members also shared a constituent example of an elderly retiree who needed the subsidy to stay housed. Written support was noted from additional organizations and individuals. Next, the committee took up HB 1706, which would expand Medicaid prospective payment reimbursement to include mental health services furnished in federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics by mental health professionals under supervision. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, and DHS said it appreciated the intent to address workforce shortages and expand training, but cautioned that unlicensed professionals cannot currently bill Medicaid and that a state plan amendment would be needed, with limited precedent for approval. Members asked about the likelihood and timing of federal approval and whether the bill could help rural areas; DHS said approval is uncertain and the process can take time, though it saw possible alignment with the state’s rural health transformation efforts. The committee also discussed HB 546, a three-year health coverage continuity pilot program for people losing Medicaid coverage. DHS, the Attorney General’s office, DCCA, Catholic Charities, the University of Hawaii, and others testified, with DHS warning that federal changes could increase uninsured rates and that the state may need to act quickly. Catholic Charities and others emphasized the risk to Medicaid recipients, including homeless and near-elderly residents, while DHS explained the state’s existing premium assistance program for certain immigrants and compared it to the proposed pilot. The excerpt ends during discussion of that comparison, with no vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:35:20.640> to proceedings are open and accessible to proceedings are open and accessible
• The question is how much does access to that also allow access to cyber-physical systems where bits and
• is how much does access to that also<01:36:12.880> allow<01:36:13.280> access<01:36:13.679
• that way and we had to claw be accessed that way and we had to claw them<01:59:38.719> back.
• I can get inside of it and I have full access to your water infrastructure. That is incredible.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so if I lived in a rich county, hmm, if I lived in a poor county, I have to get access to equal
• Okay, so if I lived in a rich county, hmm, if I lived in a poor county, I have to get access to equal
• Okay, so if I lived in a rich county, hmm, if I lived in a poor county, I have to get access to equal
• There are also conditions that allow TRIM advertising to be done on a publicly accessible website.
• Where each taxing authority and property appraiser must certify its values, and they both have access

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes met for an educational session focused on how Florida funds public schools and how property taxes are assessed and levied. Dr. Jim Zengali of the Department of Revenue explained the FEFP school funding formula, noting that it is built on weighted student counts, a base student allocation, and programmatic add-ons such as transportation, exceptional student education, school safety, and mental health. He said school funding is roughly split between state general revenue and local property taxes through required local effort, with additional discretionary and capital outlay millages contributing to total school funding. He also described the Department of Revenue’s role in certifying property rolls at fair market value and reviewing them for substantial compliance, including the so-called “nuclear option” if a roll is not approved. Members asked about trends in millage rates, county-by-county funding differences, the effect of growth and enrollment changes, and how property appraisals are reviewed. Zengali said aggregate millage for school funding has declined over the last decade while revenues have still increased, and he agreed to provide additional data on county trends, parcel strata, student growth, and enrollment impacts. He also clarified that school funding is equalized so students receive similar resources regardless of county wealth, and that federal funding plays only a small role in the FEFP. Amy Baker of the Joint Legislative Office of Economic and Demographic Research then discussed existing homestead benefits. She said about half of Florida’s parcels are homestead properties, most fall in the $250,000 to $500,000 value range, and many seniors without mortgages pay property taxes in lump sums rather than through escrow. Baker explained that Florida’s homestead tax burden is middle-of-the-pack nationally and that the main benefits are Save Our Homes and portability on the differential side, plus the $25,000 homestead exemption and related exemptions on the exemption side. She said these benefits reduce taxable value substantially, with homestead properties receiving a large share of the reductions, and noted that the committee requested follow-up data on exemption usage, portability timing, senior exemptions, and county-level patterns. The final presentation, by Lizette Kelly of the Department of Revenue, covered millage rates and the TRIM process. She reviewed the history of truth-in-millage notices, required taxpayer mailings, public hearing notices, and later changes that tied local millage resets to rollback and majority-vote rates. Kelly explained the difference between proposed and adopted millage, the rollback rate, and the majority-vote rate, and described how taxing authorities include counties, cities, special districts, and MSTUs. She also outlined how county taxable value is calculated from just value through assessment differentials and exemptions, and how certain exemptions, such as the additional senior exemption, apply only to the taxing authority that adopted them. No votes were taken during the meeting, but members requested several follow-up data reports for later discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Epidemiologist 4, Web Administrator 3, 2 Program Specialists.
• They were going to compel adoption of this second test because they threatened to take away our access
• Anything we can do to lower costs and increase access. to health care in the state of Texas, I think
• Forced needs for equal access to the mental health care, but also eliminating licensing barriers.
• those services because of cultural stigma associated with it, with accessing mental health services.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Parts of the system like the paid family leave that I know constituents are having a very hard time accessing
• they see fit within the structure of the executive order, and we don't have anywhere that we can access
• hope that you would do is spend that money on technology and looking for better ways to for you know web
• All these help underserved Californians access good jobs, so we thank you for your time and we look forward
• streamlining and tapping into federal funds we've been leaving on the tables that. students struggle to access

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• institution and As a HUD-certified housing counseling agency, the organization has significantly expanded access
• She's also a member of the Judicial Administration Committee, Government Lawyers Section, Hawaiʻi Access

Bills: SCR8, SR10, SCR90, SR85, SCR110, SR103, SCR54, SR52, SCR107, SR101, SCR178, SR173, SR76, SCR40, SR30, SCR145, SR137, SCR62, SCR95, SR90, SCR45, SR44, SCR119, SR112, SCR63, SR57, SCR21, SR18, SCR27, SR24, SCR75, SR69, SCR7, SR7, SCR149, SCR55, SR53, SCR180, SR175, SCR86, SR77, SCR59, SCR41, SR31, HB1678, HB1824, SCR177, SR172, SCR5, SCR85, SR75, SCR139, SR131, SCR146, SR138, SR84, SCR31, SR27, SCR46, SR45, SCR48, SR47, SCR9, SR11, SCR83, SR73, SCR20, SR17, SCR56, SR54, SCR87, SCR39, SR29, SCR142, SR134, SCR203, SR191, SCR200, SR188, SCR196, SR184, SCR194, SR183, SCR114, SR107, SCR166, SR157, SCR96, SR91, SCR172, SR163, SCR109, SR102, SCR50, SR49, SCR64, SR58, SCR184, SR165, SCR81, SR71, SCR19, SR16, SCR22, SR19, SCR32, SR28, SCR57, SR55, SCR58, SR56, SCR103, SR97, SCR159, SR150, SCR163, SR154, SCR169, SR160, SCR68, SR63, SCR105, SR99, SCR112, SR105, SCR198, SR186, SCR11, SR9, SCR132, SR124, SCR189, SR179, SCR26, SR23, SCR93, SR88, SCR117, SR110, SCR164, SR155, SCR165, SR156, SCR170, SR161, SCR168, SR159, SCR173, SCR197, SCR47, SR46, SCR94, SR89, SCR99, SR93, SCR100, SR94, SCR130, SR122, SCR78, SR82, SCR154, SR145, SCR195, SR192, SCR162, SR153, SCR201, SR189, SCR202, SR190

Keywords: building permits, seniors, health care, disability, safety modifications, county regulations, expedited processing, older adults, disability access, healthcare, permit processing, home modifications, kupuna, accessibility, parking, business hours, aging population, parking accessibility, private business hours, affordable housing

Transcript Highlights:

• with them you have state DOTs, you have county DOTs, you have city DOTs, and so it becomes quite the web

Keywords: daylight saving time, Sunshine Protection Act, health impacts, clock change, legislative discussion

Summary: The committee meeting was dedicated to discussing significant legislative topics, focusing particularly on the implications of daylight saving time (DST). Senator Scott advocated for the Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes and keep daylight saving time year-round. He emphasized the negative health impacts associated with DST, including increased risks of heart attacks and accidents immediately following the time changes. Various witnesses provided personal testimonies and expert opinions, highlighting the confusion and health disruptions caused by the current time change practices.

Transcript Highlights:

• To manage a law this complex, the EPA has built an entangled web of tools that can be of a bureaucracy

Keywords: presidential nominations, EPA, environmental policy, Fish and Wildlife, committee meeting

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the presidential nominations of Brigadier General Brian Nesvick as Director of Fish and Wildlife and Jess Kramer and Sean Donahue as assistant administrators at the EPA. Each nominee presented their qualifications and experiences in their respective fields, with an emphasis on their commitment to uphold the laws passed by Congress. The discussion highlighted the nominees' dedication to addressing environmental issues and their proactive stances on regulatory matters. After deliberation, votes were held to report the nominations favorably, despite some members voicing concerns regarding their qualifications and potential conflicts with environmental interests.

Transcript Highlights:

• Six, device from accessing a website. Six, device from accessing a website.
• There's the worldwide web. We video. There's the worldwide web. We video.
• Now, at this time, we have access to time, we have access to time, we have access to information from
• D provides interfaces for apps to access device apps to access device apps to access device functionality
• It has now has access to that file. It has now has access to that file.

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• we are the government, so could we not make it a little bit easier for people to get this and get access
• So it's tough; sometimes things web together, and I'm very thankful that you did that.
• there's it's sometimes things web there's it's sometimes things web together<02:54:56.359> and
• So that could be problematic from an access point, but I'm sure that they would have some other person
• point but I'm problematic from an access point but I'm sure<03:01:41.920> that<03:01:42.080><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're now accessible in 10 additional languages, allowing folks to complete these processes in the
• <00:20:33.960> candidate<00:20:34.360> filings accessible candidate filings accessible
• posted to our publicly accessible posted to our publicly accessible election<00:20:44.760> night
• <00:22:21.400> to<00:22:21.559> all more accessible to all more accessible to all voters
• ensure that the individuals with access ensure that the individuals with access to<00:34:38.560>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > Channel user access and Reporting access Channel user access and Reporting access Channel Etc
• <01:13:26.080> to those who need access to those who need access to information<01:13:28.440
• <01:40:00.320> to protect my patients rights to access to protect my patients rights to access
• He said this is an important subject about increasing access to care.
• He said this is an important subject about increasing access to care.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know Representative Hill passed a bill that would allow this type of pilot that would give more access
• It will strip the lowest-paid workers of the security and access to unemployment insurance that every
• In the last two years, hourly school workers have had access to unemployment insurance.
• But before you vote today on whether you're willing to take away access to unemployment insurance for
• If you go look at the web and you look at how you apply for unemployment, you have to be looking for

Transcript Highlights:

• independently with CDs for their investments, or is that being done on an entire, their balance is accessible
• If you go to our web page and hit the careers button, you'll see that we have a number of jobs listed

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.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our place as people within the web of life is sacred.
• We're not even getting to the stage of development, but challenging rights of way, access opportunities

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Rather than let them in and have access to all staff, he made a very brave decision.
• In Curry County, we don't know exactly, but we do know that there is a widespread web of surveillance

Transcript Highlights:

• Expanding access to respite care for families raising children with medical complexities, Expanding access
• Our publicly accessible buildings are truly accessible to everyone, so thank you for that.
• Our publicly accessible buildings are truly accessible to everyone, so thank you for that.
• If we don't have the ability to access reallotment dollars— ...if we don't have the ability to access
• In conjunction with the reviews, the IRT has access to funding.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing was an informational and oversight session of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, with chairs and members hearing agency updates from several commissioners. The Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition described its maternal and child health work, including home visiting, early intervention, WIC, newborn hearing screening, and cross-agency efforts on prenatal substance exposure, respite care, children’s vision, and maternal health initiatives. DPH emphasized that federal grant cuts, layoffs, and the loss of data systems such as PRAMS would weaken services and planning, and members asked about Title V funding and the impact of federal uncertainty. The Massachusetts Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing highlighted communication access services, interpreter and CART referrals, emergency after-hours support, family navigation, and independent living services. Commissioners and members discussed the shortage of ASL interpreters and the need to expand training pipelines, including partnerships with colleges and possible ASL programming for younger students. The Department of Developmental Services reported serving nearly 50,000 people and focused on youth and adult services, transition-age supports, autism services, self-direction, respite, and new high-acuity residential models. Members asked about respite availability, self-direction outcomes, and workforce shortages; DDS said it was expanding clinical capacity and provider rates while monitoring possible federal Medicaid, SNAP, and immigration-related impacts. The Commission for the Blind described services for about 28,000 legally blind residents, most of whom are older adults, including social rehabilitation, orientation and mobility training, children’s services, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, and Turning 22 supports. The commissioner discussed a UMass-based effort to build the workforce pipeline for blindness services and said the agency was watching federal restructuring but had not yet seen direct cuts. MassAbility’s leadership then warned about major federal changes affecting Social Security disability determinations, including staff restructuring, office closures, and a new overpayment repayment policy, and said the agency was preparing for possible increases in claims and uncertainty around reallotment dollars that help fund services. The Disabled Persons Protection Commission closed the hearing with an update on its abuse investigations and protective services for adults with disabilities. DPPC reported rising hotline calls and investigations, a growing caseload, its sexual assault response team, the abuser registry, and a new interagency protective services integration system funded by ARPA dollars through 2027. The agency also flagged new federal rules that could affect funding eligibility and said it may need statutory changes to comply. Members asked about funding, reporting pathways, and how complaints reach DPPC, and the commissioner said the agency uses both mandated reporting and proactive outreach to identify and respond to abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• there's language requiring us to report about those appeals, but that is not information the DRRA has access
• information the appeals, but that is not information the DRRA<01:52:42.719> has<01:52:42.960> access
• c> Um<01:52:45.040> there's<01:52:45.440> also<01:52:45.840> at DRRA has access
• Um there's also at DRRA has access to.

Keywords: 1189, house, all