Transcript Highlights:

• Use Climate OPR Land Use Climate, yes, to create the first searchable database.
• Panel three is the oversight of the Governor's Office in Land Use and Climate Innovation.
• Natalie Cuffel, Deputy Director of Land Policy for the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
• For the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, or LCI.
• It's important to note that LCI is not vested with any regulatory authority over land use.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 253, by Assembly Member Ward and presented by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to review certain post-entitlement permits if a local building department would take more than 30 days. Supporters, including California YIMBY, the California Chamber of Commerce, the Housing Action Coalition, the Bay Area Council, SPUR, and Abundant Housing LA, said the bill would reduce permitting delays and help housing production. League of Cities and the California State Association of Counties expressed concerns but were not formally opposed. Members voiced strong support, and the bill passed the committee 10-0 to Appropriations. The committee then held an informational hearing on California’s general plan. The first panel, led by UC Davis professor Catherine Brinkley, gave an overview of the general plan structure, required elements, update cycles, and the new PlanSearch database that makes adopted plans searchable statewide. She emphasized that general plans are long-term, locally tailored documents that integrate housing, transportation, safety, environmental justice, and other policy areas, and noted that many plans and elements are outdated. Members asked about update timelines, public participation, and whether AI tools could help with drafting and analysis. A second panel of local government representatives described the practical challenges of preparing and updating general plans, especially in rural and small jurisdictions. Speakers from Calaveras County, Sacramento, San Joaquin County, and Fountain Valley cited staffing shortages, consultant availability, funding constraints, CEQA and outreach costs, changing state mandates, and the difficulty of keeping plans aligned with local conditions and board turnover. They asked for more funding, more time, clearer prioritization, and more flexibility. A third panel from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation explained its role in issuing general plan guidelines, technical advisories, and annual planning surveys, and said it is updating its guidance through 2027 to reflect recent housing, climate, safety, environmental justice, and open space laws. No public comment was offered, and the informational hearing was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Agricultural lands, agricultural land conservation planning, easements, or similar long-term conservation
• Enhancement of riparian lands, oakwood lands, native grass, and native grassland habitat on farm and
• and manage public lands.
• The question about, as the director pointed out, not all the 30-by-30 land is state-acquired land, but
• So if you could look back to when we took the land—when the State Lands Commission acquired the land—if

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:16:17.279> Management with our carbon smart Land Management with our carbon smart Land
• Land Land Management<00:41:37.040> uh<00:41:37.319> in<00:41:37.480> total<00:41
• Also, lease agricultural lands.
• <01:05:03.000> many uh also lease agricultural lands many uh also lease agricultural lands
• <01:05:12.079> could or leasing agriculture lands could or leasing agriculture lands could

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Agriculture and Environment hearing on January 27, 2025, took up multiple measures, beginning with a proposed constitutional amendment, HB 559, to recognize a right to clean water and air, a healthful environment, climate, native ecosystems, and beaches. The Attorney General’s Office testified with concerns that the amendment’s broad language could create challenges for future legislatures and environmental enforcement, while the Climate Commission and DLNR supported it. Environmental and advocacy groups, including Climate Protectors Hawaii, 350 Hawaii, Greenpeace Hawaii, and others, strongly supported the measure, arguing it would strengthen decision-making and protect Hawaii’s natural resources. Committee members raised questions about how the amendment would interact with existing constitutional protections and recent litigation, and the AG’s office said the proposal could lead to broad judicial interpretation and possible liability issues. The hearing then moved on without a recorded vote on this bill. The committee next heard SB 552, which would establish a healthy soils program in the Department of Agriculture and require annual reporting and funding. The Climate Change Commission supported the bill, and the Department of Agriculture said it stood on its submitted testimony but noted existing commissions and the greenhouse gas sequestration task force already address similar objectives, suggesting SB 552 may duplicate current efforts. Agricultural and environmental advocates, including the Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and others, supported the concept of a consolidated healthy soils program, saying it would better organize existing efforts, improve access for producers, and support conservation practices. The Agribusiness Development Corporation said it would support either DOA or ADC administering the program, and committee discussion focused on implementation, program overlap, and whether the bill should better integrate existing compost reimbursement and related efforts. The final measure discussed in the excerpt was SB 678, which would create an Agricultural Development Food Security Special Fund, dedicate a portion of the environmental response, energy, and food security tax to it, and appropriate funds equal to 3% of the state budget for agriculture. The Department of Agriculture strongly supported the bill, saying the funding would align with its goals and help support farmers and ranchers. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii and the Department of Budget and Finance raised concerns that the proposed special fund may not meet statutory criteria. Farm and industry groups generally supported the measure but suggested changes, including adding uses related to local food sourcing, distribution, and biosecurity. Committee members questioned the scale of the appropriation, noting it could amount to roughly $250 million and a major increase in DOA’s budget, and discussed whether the department could realistically implement such a large program. The hearing ended with testimony counts noted for the measures heard, and the chair indicated the committee would reconvene later for any unfinished business.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what about land grants? Are land grants included in this at all? No, Madam Chair.
• There are, um, land grants within the municipality.
• The SECIAs and the land grants are very critical to...
• land, and clean water.
• Where the huge sewer runs adjacent to a lot of land, and some of that land has been developed.

Transcript Highlights:

• to adopt procedures governing applicant to adopt procedures governing applicant review<00:10:30.240
• in Quebec over 13 million acres of land in Quebec over 13 million acres of land was<00:13:34.639
• phrase lands owned by ANR came from. phrase lands owned by ANR came from.
• municipalities for those ANR land municipalities for those ANR land permits. permits. permits.
• recommendations was that the more land recommendations was that the more land that<00:51:58.240>

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of private land.
• private land.
• And actually, Madam Chair, most of this land is Forest Service land.
• Own the land. It's not state land or anything that you're commenting about.
• It's all federal land, state land, and private land.

Transcript Highlights:

• We want the land use process to work. So we're trying to figure out if the land use process works.
• We want the land use process to work. So we're trying to figure out if the land use process works.
• land requires action by the local government to make land more development ready.
• land requires action by the local government to make land more development ready.
• Moving from available land to ready land requires action by the local government to make land more development-ready

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The committee met for a series of information sessions focused on housing stabilization, rental assistance, senior housing, and heat resilience. In the first panel, OHCS and NOAA described the state’s affordable housing preservation work, including the $35 million in 2025 stabilization funding used to reduce debt and keep distressed affordable rental projects operating, plus manufactured home park preservation efforts. OHCS said the portfolio remains under strain, with about a third of projects at debt coverage ratios of 1.0 or less and rising insurance and operating costs. NOAA urged faster closings on the stabilization awards, more funding in 2027, and broader rent assistance and process reforms. Committee members asked about the gap between current appropriations and need, and OHCS explained that the new Article 11-Q bond preservation program is structured differently and requires full refinancing rather than simple cash infusions. The committee then heard a detailed discussion of the state’s eviction prevention and rental assistance program, ORDAP. OHCS said the program is administered through community action agencies, prioritizes households at imminent risk of eviction, and is now funded at a much lower level than in the prior biennium, reducing expected service to about 8,200 households this biennium. The Oregon Law Center, a county community action agency, and Multifamily Northwest all agreed the program prevents homelessness and is effective, but they differed on whether assistance should be tied so closely to eviction court. Legal aid and community action witnesses said the current system is underfunded and that eviction filings are the clearest indicator of need, while Multifamily Northwest argued the process can push people into court unnecessarily and should be moved earlier when possible. Legislators raised questions about whether a pre-eviction model could be developed and about the costs of court involvement; one member shared a personal story about how rental assistance helped keep their family housed. Next, the governor’s office, OHCS, and OHA presented on the new senior housing initiative and healthy homes work. The governor’s housing director said Oregon is making progress on homelessness and housing production, with reductions in homelessness outside Multnomah County and an estimated 50,000 future units added to the pipeline through recent state actions. OHCS outlined the senior housing programs launched in May: a debt-financing program using elderly and disabled bond authority, an older adult housing development program funded through the senior property tax deferral revolving account, and a rehousing program for older adults that will use bridge funding and services to move at least 400 unsheltered older Oregonians into housing. OHA also described its Healthy Homes Grant Program, including $24.6 million already awarded, a new $5 million grant round for seniors and people with disabilities, and examples of home repairs and weatherization that help people remain safely housed. The final information session focused on home cooling and heat resilience. OHA presented data showing rising extreme heat days, more heat-related emergency visits, and likely undercounted heat deaths, especially among older adults, people with disabilities, low-income communities, and people without access to healthy homes. ODOE reviewed implementation of Senate Bill 1536, including a cooling needs study that found 58% of surveyed households in the studied housing types needed permanent cooling, with estimated statewide costs of $582 million to $1 billion. ODOE said its rental home heat pump and community heat pump programs have supported 4,638 installations so far, with a temporary reopening planned using remaining funds. The session ended with a remote presentation from a Community Action Partnership of Oregon representative, continuing the discussion of how community action agencies help deliver energy and anti-poverty services.

Transcript Highlights:

• All of those days remain, but for our general absentee applications, the change of date now the application
• That's for our online applications and those received via mail.
• All of those days remain, but for our general absentee applications, the change of date now the application
• designating new off reservation lands designating new off reservation lands and<00:50:36.520>
• So I don't think this should apply only to tribal lands.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The Railroad Commission does have some expertise in land application of produced water.
• We do support the land application process described here to help meet the overall water needs of our
• Not just through land application, but other purposes as well.
• With regard to land application, this is certainly.
• Both land application and surface water discharge are a growing component of produced water.

Bills: HB48, HB49, HB 1169, HB1971, HB2584, HB2663, HB2890, HB48, HB49

Keywords: HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft

Transcript Highlights:

• But those are within city jurisdictions, but not city-owned lands.
• process and the requirement that the school principal approve the student's application. ...application
• , streamlining the application process so that a student completes only one application for the duration
• The application process was repetitive and confusing.
• admission, what percent of applicants were going this route?

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee met with a quorum and first approved a consent calendar containing AB 341, AB 1098, and AB 1316, sending those measures to the Human Services, Judiciary, and Appropriations Committees respectively. The committee then heard AB 977, which would require CSU to audit surplus land and work with California tribes to identify three regional burial sites for Native American remains that cannot yet be repatriated. Supporters, including tribal leaders and archaeology groups, said the bill is needed to honor ancestors and address the large number of remains still held by CSU; CSU said it is committed to repatriation but had no formal position. The bill passed to Appropriations on a 5-0 vote. Members also heard AB 1093, creating a California-Mexico higher education exchange program, and AB 1035, expanding the California College Promise to cover tuition for students pursuing community college bachelor’s degrees. AB 1093 drew support for strengthening cross-border educational and economic ties, but some members raised concerns about border-region sewage problems and the bill’s budget implications; it was held for later consideration. AB 1035 received strong support from community college leaders and faculty who said it would help low-income and first-generation students complete workforce-focused bachelor’s degrees, but several members questioned whether it would stretch Prop. 98 funding and whether the state should prioritize broader affordability concerns. AB 1035 passed to Appropriations on a 3-2 vote. The committee next approved AB 922, which would let the University of California keep access to federal criminal-history information for hiring background checks, avoiding delays and added costs if statutory authority is required. UC said the bill is needed to maintain safety and hiring operations, and it passed to Public Safety on a 5-0 vote. AB 1346, protecting military dependents from losing in-state residency status because of family travel, also passed unanimously to Military and Veterans Affairs. AB 1212, allowing UC to use low-income housing tax credits to build affordable housing for faculty and staff on UC land, drew support from UC and labor groups but opposition from members concerned about preferential access to public resources; it was held for later action. Finally, the committee approved AB 500 and AB 684, both aimed at increasing transparency around UC admissions policy changes and UC BOARS decision-making, sending AB 500 to Education and AB 684 to Governmental Organization, each on 5-0 votes. The hearing then moved on to AB 1122 on dual enrollment, with the author and witnesses presenting the bill as a way to expand college access for high school students.

Transcript Highlights:

• right unused surplus land.
• We rent the land.
• Our land would it would just sit there. Our land would sit<00:30:52.960> there.
• lost that land through eminent domain. lost that land through eminent domain.
• Ble what's a what is an enterprise application? application? application?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:05:01.199> and Next we have department of land and Next we have department of land and
• State Parks was also an applicant.
• State Parks was also an applicant.
• State Parks was also an applicant.
• State Parks was also an applicant.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on several measures. SB 2723, which would designate April 27 as State Sheriff’s Day, was supported by the Department of Law Enforcement and a long-serving sheriff, who described the historical roots of Hawaii’s sheriffs in the Kingdom of Hawaii and said the bill would recognize that legacy. HGA submitted written comments, and there was no opposition or vote taken on the measure during the excerpt. The committees then heard SB 17 on wildfire mitigation. The Public Utilities Commission, DLNR, the State Fire Council, OPSD, the Attorney General’s office, and Kamehameha Schools all testified, mostly in support of the bill’s intent but with suggested amendments. Several witnesses said the bill should better define the working group’s structure, staffing, and funding, and the Attorney General noted constitutional concerns about placing the group outside a principal department and pointed out possible overlap with Acts 302 and 303 from the prior year. Committee members questioned whether SB 17 duplicated earlier wildfire legislation, and witnesses generally said it did not directly conflict but overlapped with existing efforts. On SB 2358, which would require reimbursement for search-and-rescue costs when people leave trails and enter closed areas, the State Fire Council and the Hawaii SAR Alliance testified in opposition or caution, arguing that reimbursement could deter people from calling for help and that Hawaii’s SAR system still has structural and administrative gaps. A committee member asked whether other jurisdictions had used similar measures without discouraging rescues; the Fire Council said Kauai has a similar law but it has not resulted in invoices being sent. No action was taken in the excerpt. The final measure discussed was SB 2475 on Red Hill remediation funding and reimbursement from the Department of Defense. The Board of Water Supply, DLNR, and other testifiers supported the bill, emphasizing the need for long-term research, monitoring, and cleanup, while also noting the unique groundwater conditions and the importance of keeping the funds focused on Red Hill contamination response. Committee members asked about existing federal and state funding, whether the state had received any direct federal money, and what would happen if reimbursement is not obtained. DLNR said it was still working through the reimbursement mechanism and that some federal funding had gone to the Red Hill registry, but not directly to the state for this purpose.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:51:50.000> values, pollution, concerns about land values, pollution, concerns about land
• In fact, the community or land owners.
• <00:54:49.599> would turbines and residential land would turbines and residential land would
• as each project and each parcel of land as each project and each parcel of land is is is unique.
• residents, not necessarily the land. residents, not necessarily the land.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• reviews. per application. per application.
• Right now we have 17 applications applications applications inhouse.<01:07:57.200> Um<01:07:58.319
• we will have 35 applications. we will have 35 applications.
• . applicant. applicant.
• applications and others. applications and others.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• state-owned land or privately owned land state-owned land or privately owned land shall<00:02:05.600
• So, again, selling lands is our last opportunity to make revenue off of these lands.
• So, again, selling lands is our last opportunity to make revenue off of these lands.
• <00:15:47.079> been lands these lands have historically been lands these lands have historically
• Forest lands.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's an off airport application.
• What we're seeing on some of those on airport applications.
• So lease type application, any other questions. >> All right.
• Land to happen is with Florida ports. But let me give you, Jean. Thank you.
• But in addition to, you know, some of the startup about happening on on airport applications.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of your land the layout of your land of your land the layout of your land you're<00:07:06.479>
• with their land?
• with the land. >> Yes.
• with the land. >> Yes.
• residents a voice in land use decisions. residents a voice in land use decisions.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have two wells on our land, and they're full of arsenic.
• I see that this is, is this applicable to the renewal or for just the application for a person to be
• able to have their applicant license of pesticides?
• their applicant license as to sign.
• Private applicator licenses. Okay, yes.

Bills: SB47, SB110, SB122, SB143, SB168

Keywords: food recovery, composting, waste management, solid waste surcharge, organic waste reduction, environment, grants, advisory group, bosque management, Rio Grande, environmental protection, water resources, fiscal appropriation, drinking water, well owners, water testing, water treatment, public health, agriculture, New Mexico Department of Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the chair of our Real Estate and Land Use Department at Larkin Hoffman, where my primary practice
• There is a paragraph that states that cities have to approve a preliminary plat that meets applicable
• review process or in pre-application meetings.
• Those are just to name a few, but the applications in terms of just how those vary can be broad.
• We cannot, even in base zoning and land-use ordinances, factor in every type of project.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if we are able to land it, it would be $160 million over 10 years.
• I think there are some land funds in there as well.
• And seek applications.
• So we, I think, would say the ones most applicable to us are also applicable in a broader sense to the
• My family actually homesteaded land on the beautiful Augustine Plains.