Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2784, this amends Section 3 of Chapter 32 to include license...
• And House Bill 2774. Yeah.
• And House Bill 2774 amends Section 3 of Chapter 32 to include certain state employees involved in cogeneration
• Lastly, we'd like to go on record that NAGE is also in support of House Bill 2783, House Bill 2896, House
• I am here in support of House Bill 3,000.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Service

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service heard testimony on a wide range of retirement classification and benefit bills affecting municipal and state employees. Much of the hearing focused on proposals to move various workers from Group 1 to Group 2 or Group 4, including municipal building officials (H. 2776), MassDOT highway workers (H. 2908/Sousa’s Law), DCF attorneys (H. 2771), probation officers, licensed electricians, drinking water operators (H. 3000/S. 1834), MWRA non-clerical workers (S. 1803), transitional parole officers (H. 2878), Plymouth BCI criminal investigator officers (H. 2975/S. 1863), Beverly fire alarm operators/public safety telecommunicators (S. 1876), Massport pipefitters and refrigeration technicians (H. 2788/S. 1829), and other public safety or hazardous-duty classifications. Witnesses generally argued that their work is physically dangerous, understaffed, or comparable to already higher-classified employees, and several said the changes would help recruitment and retention with little fiscal impact because the affected groups are small. The committee also heard testimony on H. 4508, a home rule petition to grant a disability pension to Boston principal Patricia Lampron. Supporters, including Representative Dan Hunt, Boston city councilors, and Lampron herself, described a severe 2021 assault at the Henderson Inclusion School that left her with lasting physical and psychological injuries and forced her into early retirement. They urged the committee to advance the bill quickly. One witness, Pamela McLaughlin, testified in opposition, arguing the bill would set the wrong precedent and describing alleged prior misconduct by Lampron, and asked that the bill be sent to study. Several witnesses and committee members asked brief questions, mainly about the scope of the bills, whether certain workers were already in higher groups, and the fiscal or precedent concerns. No votes were taken during the hearing. At the end, the chairs announced that testimony was complete, asked whether anyone else wished to speak, and then the committee voted to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next up, we'll talk about House Bill 955, our education transformation bill, and I will turn it I will
• Usually, it's not a controversial bill that we need something in the well of the House.
• There was language around fish and wildlife fees that, as the bill left the House,... ...we essentially
• And then the very last thing in the House construct in the bill...
• Um, so this is none of this is really changed substantively since the bill left the House.

Transcript Highlights:

• Consistent with prior testimony submitted for House Bill 1662, this measure reflects the Department of
• Bill 1662.
• ><c> Bill</c><00:02:47.440><c> 1662,</c><00:02:48.480><c> this</c> submitted for House Bill 1662, this
• submitted for House Bill 1662, this measure<00:02:49.040><c> reflects</c><00:02:49.360><c> the</c><00
• </c> regarding the measures titled in House regarding the measures titled in House Bill<00:03:28.319>

Committee: Senate Labor and Technology

Summary: The joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Labor and Technology and Public Safety and Military Affairs considered three bills. SB 2141 would reclassify certain Department of Law Enforcement leadership and employees as Class A members for retirement purposes and adjust retirement benefit calculations. DLE supported the bill, saying it would address retirement classification without enhancing benefits, while the Employees’ Retirement System said it had no formal board position but wanted key provisions preserved. The Deputy Attorney General raised a potential title/subject issue and warned the bill could be vulnerable to challenge because the reclassification, contribution changes, and benefit calculations are in separate statutory sections. After questions about the number of affected employees and possible amendments, the committees deferred the bill. SB 2593 would exempt certain Law Enforcement Standards Board positions from civil service and collective bargaining. The board’s administrator said the positions would handle sensitive and confidential information and require specialized experience, and the board chair’s representative said the bill was important to meet certification deadlines. Opposition testimony from HGA argued exempt employees are at-will and suggested civil service protections should remain, with any staffing issues handled through reclassification or other personnel tools. Committee members questioned whether the positions could instead be civil service but excluded from bargaining, and staff explained the distinction between civil service exemption and collective bargaining exclusion. The committees ultimately recommended passing SB 2593 with amendments, including a deferred effective date of January 1, 2077, and the recommendation was adopted. SB 2824 would create a bribery-related reporting duty for public servants. Supporters, including Indivisible Hawaii, said it would establish a clear duty to report known or suspected bribery and strengthen public trust. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, saying it would criminalize an affirmative duty to report another person’s misconduct. After limited discussion, both committees voted to pass SB 2824 with amendments, including a deferred effective date of July 1, 2050, and the recommendation was adopted. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair lays out House Bill 3 relating to the establishment of an education savings account program.
• Questioner: You look at the similar language in this bill, House Bill 3 here in 2025, it says...
• I am testifying in support of House Bill 3.
• If there's no objection, House Bill 3 will be left pending. Chair: Chair hears none.
• House Bill 3 is left pending.

Bills: HB3 , HB3

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: education savings account, educational expenses, certified educational assistance organization, school choice, funding, special education, tuition reimbursement, emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management, public safety infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• The, the bill got changed to be a pure reimbursement bill, uh, frankly, without our consent, um, and
• It unfortunately died in House Judiciary.
• I mean, Senate always gets the blame, uh, for bills dying in Senate Judiciary, but this time this bill
• died in House Judiciary.
• This is how we, uh, produce the budget recommendations for you and ultimately the, uh, House Bill 2.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it has 3, 3, criteria.
• And before the meeting started, I told Senator Smith that we would not be taking the House bill and this
• I'm not familiar with House Bill. Does that have >> Thank you. I'm not familiar with House Bill.
• I'm not sure or I don't recall exactly how the House bill as drafted were very different.
• Senator Trumbull relieved to hear that that we're not taking the House version of this tdt bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• They've got this BAR authority right now in House Bill 2 that's unlimited.
• They're also asking for operating cost, which is not in House Bill 2 in their base budget.
• I was ready to go through each special appropriation in House Bill... All right, Charles.
• Next time I would encourage the committee to look through what came over in House Bill 2.
• So if the bill in House Bill 2, I mean the new stuff, the new stuff that you will be deliberating on

Bills: SB241 , SB145 , HB2

Committee: Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 241 and reviewed a Senate Finance Committee substitute that incorporated several amendments. Staff explained changes related to the child care fund, residency determinations for federally eligible applicants, expanded child care assistance eligibility for grandparents raising grandchildren and foster parents, updated payment-rate rulemaking, tribal child care sovereignty and culturally appropriate services, limits on land grant permanent fund use for nonsectarian/non-denominational services, provider licensure pathways, and reporting clarifications. Members also discussed whether the bill would maximize federal and state child care tax benefits and how the nonsectarian language would apply to faith-based child care providers. The committee adopted the substitute and then passed it on a 7-3 vote. The committee then moved into House Bill 2 budget language review, focusing on budget adjustment authority and other fiscal provisions. Members discussed proposed BAR language for the State Investment Council, State Treasurer, PERA, and the Economic Development Department, with concerns about caps, whether the language was too broad, and whether some items should revert to existing law or be removed. The committee approved some of the BAR language items, but flagged the Treasurer and Economic Development provisions for later review. Members also discussed extending certain appropriations and project timelines, including a Rio Grande Trail Commission item and several IT and public safety projects, generally favoring extensions where work was still underway. The committee then debated proposed public school support language that would bar PED from approving budgets for schools with fewer than 180 instructional days and from approving new moves to four-day school weeks. Several members argued the 180-day language conflicted with existing statute, which is based on instructional hours, and that the four-day-week restriction could have unintended consequences. The committee ultimately voted down both public school support provisions. The meeting ended with a brief discussion of reviewing the rest of House Bill 2 and related supplemental and language items in the next session, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also would like to thank the Vice Chair of Water and Land for being the House companion to this bill
• I also would like to thank the Vice Chair of Water and Land for being the House companion to this bill
• 1388 Senate draft 2 1734 Senate Bill 1388 Senate draft 2 house<00:55:18.720><c> draft</c><00:55:19.119
• 1735 Senate Bill 1413 Senate draft<00:55:30.440><c> 1</c><00:55:30.760><c> house</c><00:55:31.039><c
• 176 Senate draft 13 SC 1720 Senate Bill 176 Senate draft one<01:03:27.000><c> house</c><01:03:27.279

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the bill members.
• I am here today on behalf of over 7,000, Florida's here, nays to speak on behalf of House Bill 375. siani's
• Thank you, Madam Chair. >> House Bill 301. Seeks to authorize psychiatric mental health.
• I am of course, here to urge you to support House Bill 301, have script.
• Yes, on House Bill 301. Thank you, Representative Shoaf for bringing this forward again this year.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3 has a lot of good things in it.
• I feel like House Bill 3 does a good job of that.
• It's only used a few places in House Bill 3, in higher education, and House Bill 2 for public education
• Did you vote for House Bill 3? House Bill 3. I think I did. Yeah, the higher education.
• Did you vote for House Bill 3? House Bill 3. I think I did. Yeah, the higher education.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior day’s journal by roll call, and a long series of special guest introductions recognizing family members, interns, public servants, nonprofit leaders, students, and a park ranger honored for life-saving actions. Committee reports and Senate messages followed, including Senate nonconcurrence on numerous amendments to Senate Bill 1421 and the appointment of a conference committee on another bill. The main floor action centered on budget conference committee reports, especially House Bill 2002 on public education. Members debated whether the conference version fully funded the foundation formula, with supporters arguing it maintained record-level funding and opponents saying it left schools about $190 million short and relied on uncertain funding sources such as blind pension, lottery, and possible ARPA dollars. After a substitute motion to send the bill back to conference was defeated, the House adopted the conference report 83-68 and then third-read and passed House Bill 2002 by the same margin. The House then took up House Bill 2003 on higher education, where members discussed a move toward a future performance-based funding model while keeping current funding flat; the conference report passed 119-28 and the bill was third-read and passed 109-32. The chamber next considered House Bill 2004, covering the Departments of Revenue and Transportation. Debate focused on transportation funding, rural roads, and a small local safety project in Lebanon that had already been addressed by MoDOT. The conference report was adopted 128-21 and the bill was third-read and passed 127-27. Finally, the House began debate on House Bill 2005 for the Office of Administration and IT-related functions, with the sponsor and supporters emphasizing IT accountability, the Movers project, and the transfer of some staff to DSS; the transcript ends during discussion of that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Florida House and to the HHS Committee and Representative Abbott, not new to the House
• Are those 3, I think at least 3 of the strategic areas as part of your application to for submission.
• >> Representative Hart, we don't have a role Renaissance bill at this time.
• Bills that have not been filed. You have follow-up?
• Several of these matters went through the house. I can remember distinctly.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> reading, starting with House Bill 385. reading, starting with House Bill 385.
• </c><00:51:02.520><c> Bill</c> Members, now we'll turn to House Bill Members, now we'll turn to House
• Next up is House Bill 642, Next up is House Bill 642, which<01:51:27.880><c> is</c><01:51:28.000><c>
• </c><02:04:59.160><c> by</c> omnibus housing bill that was signed by omnibus housing bill that was signed
• House Bill 536, which Now, we'll turn to House Bill 536, which is<02:32:52.240><c> an</c><02:32:52.440

Transcript Highlights:

• is in House Bill 2.
• substitute for House Bill 24, House Bill 102, House Bill 159 as amended by the House and return same
• amended by the House, House Bill 172, House Bill 195 as amended by the House, House Bill 209 as amended
• House Bill 336.
• House Bill 361, House Health and Human Services Committee substitute for House Bill 398.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, up first we have Senate Bill 338. Senate Bill 338, related to taxation.
• </c> testify send Bill testify send Bill 338<00:02:42.080><c> seeing</c><00:02:42.400><c> none</c><00
• To the point that was made earlier, last year we had passed House Bill 2787, Act 207.
• </c> we had passed house bills 2787 act 207 we had passed house bills 2787 act 207 there<00:11:07.360
• of the bill.

Summary: The Committee on Labor and Technology heard testimony on several measures. SB 338, relating to taxation, would temporarily reinstate the Act 221 technology infrastructure renovation tax credit and expand eligible technology-enabled infrastructure to include data servers; Tax Department said it had no requested changes, SurfPAC supported the bill, and the Tax Foundation offered comments. Members later advanced SB 338 with amendments, including a report to the Legislature before the 2029 session and technical changes. SB 1491, on departmental data sharing, would add the Department of Taxation to the state longitudinal data system to share aggregated wage data; UH, Hawaii P20, and the Tax Foundation supported it, and Taxation said it could comply as written. The committee amended the bill to also include DBEDT and then passed it with amendments. The committee also considered SB 1156 on sexually explicit deepfakes, SB 853 on an immigration services trust fund, SB 436 on limiting State Fire Marshal service to three terms, and SB 1034 on rest periods in the food service industry. The Attorney General said SB 1156 was unnecessary because existing law already covers AI-created deepfakes, and the committee deferred the bill. SB 853 drew support from DLIR/Office of Community Services and civil rights advocates, but opposition testimony noted substantial public opposition; the committee deferred the measure, saying existing resources from Act 7 made the trust fund premature. SB 436 drew concerns from the State Fire Council representative that term limits would add complications, but the committee passed it with amendments. SB 1034 drew mixed testimony: DLIR stood on comments, the restaurant association supported the intent but suggested changing the five-hour threshold, and the Hawaii Food Industry Association opposed it over the lack of a definition of food service industry; the committee amended the bill to add that definition and passed it with amendments. At the later 3:15 p.m. decision-making-only agenda, the committee deferred SB 730 indefinitely after conferring with the PSM chair, saying it was special legislation needing further work in the interim.

Transcript Highlights:

• The chair lays out on second reading Senate Bill 3.
• I move final passage of Senate Bill 3. Senator Bettencourt moves final passage of Senate Bill 3.
• In the same session, House Bill 3 passed, which modernized.
• So, House Bill 24, which came over from the House, passed here, and that hole is plugged.
• There will be after Senate Bill 3 is passed by the House.

Bills: SB2 , SB3 , SB5 , SB9 , SB10 , SB14 , SB16 , SB18 , SB34 , SB6 , SB7 , SB8 , SB11 , SB12 , SB13 , SB15 , SB 2 , SB 3 , SB 5 , SB 9 , SB 10 , SB 14 , SB 16 , SB 18 , SB 34 , SB 6 , SB 7 , SB 8 , SB 11 , SB 12 , SB 13 , SB 15 , SB 17 , SB 4 , SB1 , SB2 , SB3 , SB5 , SB9 , SB10 , SB14 , SB16 , SB18 , SB34 , SB6 , SB7 , SB8 , SB11 , SB12 , SB13 , SB15 , SB17 , SB4

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll move on to House File 3444. This is also your bill, so we're all set.
• bill.
• This bill applies the same logic here.
• in an omnibus bill.
• This bill will save lives. can't wait. This bill will save lives.

Transcript Highlights:

• and House Bill.
• As you know, there was a pretty significant funding infusion as a result of House Bill 3, so you can
• kind of compare. year before House Bill 3 and the year after House Bill 3, independent of federal funding
• Bill 3.
• Total tax increases So house bill 3 has this automatic method of compressing tax rates.

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have 3 science centers that focus on livestock and grazing.
• I want to take just a minute to to share 3 examples.
• Where, where 4H and FFA are housed. Uh, Mr.
• Table one on page 3 shows you all of the local projects funded over $3 million.
• We were getting some of those projects was funded at 3%.

Transcript Highlights:

• Seyarto no. 3-2. The bill is on call. Did we do? What else are? Let me. Bill is on call. Did we do?
• Laird, aye. 3-1. On call. The bill is on call. Four. Oh, I'm sorry. That was 4-1. On call.
• The bill is on call. Okay. The bill's on call. Okay. File item number 3, AB 2058.
• The current vote is 3-2. Senators Arreguín, aye. Ashby, aye. 5-2. The bill is out, 5-2.
• The bill is out. File item number 3, AB 2058.

Committee: Senate Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, I do have... there was another bill in the House, I'm sorry, in the Senate for the same issue
• bill in the house I'm sorry in the<00:10:53.480><c> senate</c><00:10:53.880><c> for</c><00:10:54.880
• A particular concern for us is Part 3, section 5 of the bill.
• A particular concern for us is Part 3, section 5 of the bill.
• A particular concern for us is Part 3, section 5 of the bill.

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on several measures, beginning with SB 1480 on transportation and road usage charging. Supporters included the Department of Transportation, the Hawaii State Energy Office, county representatives, and the Tax Foundation, while an automotive industry witness opposed the bill, arguing it would be unfair to rural drivers and those with longer commutes. Committee discussion focused on equity, rural impacts, and whether the measure should be tied to future rail funding. The committees ultimately recommended SB 1480 pass with amendments, including broadening allowable uses of funds, clarifying language on infrastructure and safety, addressing motor scooters, and striking a proposed new subaccount; the recommendation was adopted by both committees, with one no vote in TCA. For SB 970 on taxation, the Tax Foundation said the employer transit tax credit would be more efficient as a direct subsidy program, and the Department of Taxation recommended several changes, including a sunset date of December 31, 2030, anti-double-benefit language, deletion of certain reporting requirements, and an effective date of December 31, 2025. The department estimated the bill would reduce revenues by about $11.6 million over the four-year period it would be in effect. The committees moved SB 970 forward with amendments to include bike share in the credit and add a defective date, leaving the department’s suggested changes for later consideration; the recommendation was adopted. The committees also advanced SB 1008 on parking and SB 1088 on electric vehicle charging infrastructure without amendments. DCAB strongly supported SB 1008, saying it would help counties enforce accessible parking design requirements, and noted a related bill without the EV portion. SB 1088 drew broad support from the Public Utilities Commission, State Energy Office, county and advocacy groups, and individuals; one question raised whether the bill should sunset, but the response was that Hawaii still lacks sufficient EV charging infrastructure and the measure expands eligibility for affordable housing. Both bills were recommended to pass unamended and the recommendations were adopted. The Transportation and Culture and Arts committee then heard SB 1011 on the Hawaii Leadership Awards Program, with testimony in strong support from individuals and the State Archivist, who suggested preserving award recipients’ archives, photos, oral histories, and clippings. The committee also heard SB 441 on the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, with support from the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaii Theatre Center, musicians, and others emphasizing cultural value, workforce stability, and statewide access to the arts. The transcript then moved to SB 1581 on the Hawaii Japan Pacific Peace Monument and SB 1577 relating to the State Foundation on the Arts; on SB 1577, the Attorney General warned that using the Works of Special Art Fund for operating purposes could jeopardize the tax-exempt status of related bonds and recommended deleting section five, while also pointing to the Performing Arts Special Fund as an alternative.