Transcript Highlights:

• And then the lines on this map are the 2024 routes.
• <00:51:05.359> those<00:51:05.599> high This map shows uh where those high This map
• the blue uh blob areas on on this map the blue uh blob areas on on this map show<00:56:48.480>
• The areas shown in orange on this map The areas shown in orange on this map are<00:58:02.160>
• . map. map.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• in summary, the department recommends that there should be a single lead agency that develops this map
• and wildlife has worked with Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization to produce a lot of the risk maps
• and requires DNR to adopt uh hazard maps and requires DNR to adopt rules<00:03:05.280> and<00
• with input from all develops this map with input from all other<00:03:47.519> agencies<00:03:
• <00:05:31.199> and to produce a lot of the risk maps and to produce a lot of the risk maps

Bills: SB3294

Keywords: wrongful conviction, compensation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, innocence, legal process, burden of proof, case manager, medical coverage, judicial discretion, 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees first took up SB 3294, a controversial measure concerning post-release assistance for people pursuing reversals of prior court decisions where innocence is in question. Members discussed keeping the bill moving on the “human side” while a House companion addressed the legal issues. The adopted amendments removed advanced compensation language and instead required DCR, with DHS, to help petitioners prepare applications for financial and medical assistance, notify DHS upon release, assign a case manager to assist with a cell phone for one year, housing, employment, mental health counseling, and expedited benefits, and provide a state ID upon release. The measure also included technical amendments and a defective date, and it passed unanimously. The joint committees then heard SB 2237 on fire prevention, which would require state agencies to create and update hazard maps and direct DNR to adopt rules and clear brush. DLNR testified that a single lead agency should develop the maps with input from other agencies, that a five-year timeline would be more reasonable, and that assigning DNR all fuels management on state lands would create an unfunded mandate. Members discussed using the newly created fire marshal’s office as the lead, and the committees ultimately deferred the bill in favor of a broader wildfire mitigation measure already moving in another committee. The final agenda included SB 2596 on government leases, SB 30002 on the Hawaii State Planning Act and green infrastructure, and SB 3067 on records and filing requirements. SB 2596 was advanced unamended to Ways and Means. On SB 30002, OPSD explained that a 2025-2027 comprehensive review of chapter 226 is underway, with a report and draft legislation due in 2027, and members debated whether to move piecemeal changes now or wait for the broader review; the bill nevertheless passed unamended. SB 3067, which updates outdated filing formats and drawing scales, also passed unamended with DAGS supporting the measure in writing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll get a road map for that.
• So you'll see lots of these colorful maps. These are just examples.
• It doesn't matter what these particular maps are, but you'll see lots of these colorful maps.
• So you'll see lots of these colorful maps. These are just examples.
• It doesn't matter what these particular maps are, but you'll see lots of these colorful maps.

Summary: The committee held its first meeting, with co-chairs and members introducing themselves and staff outlining the committee’s statutory mandate under the 2025-27 supplemental operating budget. Staff explained that the Joint Legislative-Executive Committee on Budget Transparency and Fiscal Sustainability will receive technical assistance from a nonpartisan organization, with work split into two phases: first on revenue growth, spending assumptions, and cost drivers in the four-year outlook, and later on staffing, overhead, performance management, and public reporting. Members broadly said they hoped the committee would build a shared factual understanding of the state’s fiscal situation, structural deficits, and budget processes, and identify a sustainable path forward for the operating budget. Staff then gave a detailed presentation on operating budget basics. They reviewed the size and composition of the operating budget, noting that most spending is concentrated in grants/client services and salaries/benefits, with K-12, DSHS, HCA, DCYF, DOC, and higher education making up most NGFO spending. They explained the distinction between constitutional, federal, statutory, and discretionary spending, using examples such as K-12, Medicaid, collective bargaining agreements, court-driven obligations like McCleary and Trueblood, and one-time appropriations. They also walked through how the state uses incremental budgeting, carry-forward and maintenance-level calculations, caseload and per-capita forecasting, and the four-year balanced budget outlook, including reserve calculations and the budget stabilization account. Members asked extensive questions about what is and is not included in the outlook, especially future collective bargaining agreements, health care and compensation growth, tort and other liabilities, and whether the state could better distinguish mandatory from discretionary spending. Staff explained that current CBAs and other already-enacted obligations are included, but future CBAs are not; some liabilities are reflected as expenditures when appropriated, while broader long-term liabilities are not fully captured in the outlook because they depend on future policy choices. Staff also noted that the legislature and ERFC can adopt assumptions such as reversions and growth factors, and that an outlook accuracy report is produced every five years to compare projected and actual maintenance-level spending. The committee agreed to follow up on some of the more complex liability and assumption questions. After a short break, Josh Goodman of the Pew Charitable Trusts began a presentation on Pew’s role and approach to state fiscal sustainability. He described Pew as a nonpartisan organization with long-standing state fiscal research, emphasizing its 50-state comparative data, interviews with state officials and experts, and focus on long-term sustainability, reserve policies, and recession preparedness. The presentation was ongoing when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, as I mentioned, you can see all of that on the map here.
• This is just a map from the Commission on Water Resources.
• The map actually is from that atlas.
• So I'm looking at the map.
• So are these the red stars on the map, or those the green stars?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The informational briefing focused on the City and County of Honolulu’s effort to site a replacement landfill for Oahu before Waimanalo Gulch landfill closes in 2028. Department of Environmental Services officials outlined the solid waste system, including curbside collection, convenience centers, transfer stations, H-POWER, and the existing landfill, and explained that H-POWER reduces the volume of waste going to the landfill by about 90%. They reviewed the siting history, including the 2019 Land Use Commission deadline, the 2020 enactment of Act 73 with landfill setback and conservation-district restrictions, and the 2021-2022 landfill advisory committee that evaluated six sites but recommended none because they were within the Board of Water Supply’s no-pass zone. The city said it ultimately selected a site in central Oahu, on agricultural land near Wahiawa and the Dole Plantation, as the best legally permissible option and described it as requiring about 150 acres, with 90 acres for the landfill itself. City officials also described the proposed landfill design and safeguards, emphasizing a modern sanitary landfill with double liners, leachate collection, groundwater monitoring wells, and post-closure monitoring. They said the ash from H-POWER is dry and that leachate would be pumped to a wastewater treatment plant. They stated the site is away from residences and groundwater wells, accessible by highway, and can be permitted under state and federal rules, though they acknowledged that a full environmental review, public hearings, and multiple permits would still be required. When asked whether the new landfill could be operating before the 2028 closure date, the city said it did not yet know and that an extension of Waimanalo Gulch might be needed if the new site is not ready in time. The Board of Water Supply strongly opposed the city’s decision to site a landfill above Oahu’s freshwater resources. Its representative said the agency’s mission is to protect safe, dependable water for the future and that it had disapproved all six previously proposed sites because they were located over freshwater aquifers. In response to questions from legislators, the Board said it could not guarantee the liner system would remain impermeable forever and warned that leachate can contain hazardous chemicals, including so-called forever chemicals. The Board characterized the proposal as a long-term risk to the island’s drinking water supply and compared the decision to past infrastructure choices that later proved problematic. No votes or formal actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um we do a robust mapping program today.
• So, mapping, as I talked about, we work again with our mapping vendor who helps us support our interactive
• maps as well as out in the field.
• So, mapping as I talked about All right.
• <00:58:30.799> vendor verifying with um our mapping vendor verifying with um our mapping vendor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to the navigation mapping platforms. to the navigation mapping platforms.
• necessarily using their mapping necessarily using their mapping technology,<00:30:52.600> but
• So, failure of whatever fails when that doesn't get noticed on my Apple Maps.
• Maps, you know, north on 94 to go Maps, you know, north on 94 to go westbound<00:31:20.080> on
• <00:31:25.080> didn't that ramp was closed and my map didn't that ramp was closed and my map

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:46.760> uh assuredly result in unfair Maps uh assuredly result in unfair Maps uh another
• that don't end up becoming the maps.
• There is no contingency for when commissions can agree on boundary maps.
• These maps were used to draw a recommended legislative and congressional map, which was ultimately submitted
• <00:25:59.360> and want this group to agree on a map and want this group to agree on a map

Bills: HF550, HF412, HF796, HF140

Keywords: redistricting, Bipartisan Commission, Minnesota Constitution, census, legislative districts, HF412, Minnesota legislature, education committee, K-12 education, school observation, teacher observation, administrator observation, legislative transparency, legislator accountability, House rules, Senate rules, Legislative Reference Library, public reporting, education finance, education policy

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of people are interested in maps.
• I'm interested in maps, but we have another very serious issue.
• I feel like law enforcement is calling it the new map.
• I don't have any respect for those maps whatsoever. Yeah, please.
• That's the message on the maps.

Bills: SB5, SB11, SB12, SB9, SB42, SB15, SB5, SB11, SB12, SCR1

Keywords: hemp regulation, consumable products, cannabinoids, occupational licenses, criminal offenses, SB 11, Texas attorney general, election crimes, election law enforcement, criminal prosecution, Election Code, Government Code Chapter 402, local prosecutors, county attorney, district attorney, grand jury, probable cause reports, state election offenses, voter fraud, election integrity

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:12:35.279> is uh in the road map and our road map is uh in the road map and our road map
• They’re in our road map.
• They’re in our road map.
• They’re in our road map.
• They’re in our road map.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill gives abusers a clear road map to eliminate protective orders, pressure the victim to refuse
• This bill gives abusers a clear<01:18:16.560> road<01:18:16.800> map<01:18:16.960> to
• clear road map to eliminate protective orders,<01:18:18.960> pressure<01:18:19.280> the
• I was a new resident of this state and learned about a crisis center in my area through a simple Google
• I not only got a simple Google search.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1651, which would create a civil sexual assault protective order for survivors who do not have a domestic violence or stalking relationship with the offender, and would also update the sexual assault survivors’ bill of rights regarding evidence kit retention and tracking. Representative Jennifer Rhodes, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to fill gaps for survivors assaulted by strangers, acquaintances, or others outside existing protective-order categories, and to ensure evidence is preserved for the longer of the statute of limitations or the retention period. Committee members asked whether the new order could be misused and how the bill would prevent frivolous petitions; the sponsor said the same legal process would apply and a victim would still have to prove they were actually assaulted. Representative Eileen Kelly and Lynn Shallet of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence testified in support, saying current law leaves many sexual assault survivors without a meaningful civil remedy unless they qualify for domestic violence or stalking relief. Shallet said the gap has existed for decades and noted that other states already have standalone sexual assault protective orders. She also said the bill would clarify survivors’ rights to know the status and location of their evidence kits. Shauna Foster of New Beginnings Without Violence and Abuse described local cases where survivors were denied protective orders because they lacked the required relationship with the offender, including a co-worker assault and an assault involving an unhoused survivor. Lisa Curtis, a survivor and founder of Safe Haven Ballet, gave emotional testimony in support, describing her own sexual assault and the difficulty of seeking protection and justice. She said survivors need safety to recover and that the bill would better align the justice system with trauma-informed support. Janet Carroll, a sexual assault nurse examiner and advisory board co-chair, testified that the bill’s evidence-kit provisions reflect federal changes and existing tracking practices. She explained that New Hampshire uses a kit tracking system that lets patients and professionals follow kits through the process, and said the bill would codify the right to be informed of a kit’s status and location. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Could the agency access school maps and/or building plans?
• those maps for them so that those could live in the interoperable system.
• We have 169 school maps that are now activated in the system.
• At the time of the audit, we did not see a building map pulled over.
• We have 169 school maps that are now activated in the system.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee heard a presentation from Senator Kevin Payne on Arizona’s school safety interoperability communication systems, which he said were inspired by the Parkland and Uvalde shootings and designed to bypass overwhelmed 911 systems through panic-button alerts, live camera access, and direct communication with law enforcement. Committee members broadly praised the concept as a school safety tool, while also noting it should complement, not replace, school resource officers. Senator Payne said the audit had not fully captured the systems’ value and emphasized what he saw in Yavapai County as a successful example. Auditor General Lindsay Perry then summarized the second special audit in the JLAC school safety series, explaining that it reviewed whether fund expenditures were authorized, whether purchased systems met statutory requirements, and whether procurement followed applicable standards. She noted that 12 of 14 law enforcement agencies had provided follow-up information, while Pinal and La Paz counties had not, and that the committee had requested additional details on participating and non-participating schools. Members pressed Perry about Pinal County’s refusal to respond and about delays in payment to Mutualink, and several members defended the committee’s oversight role. The committee then heard from the vendors. Mutualink’s CEO said the system is intended to connect schools, dispatch, law enforcement, fire, and EMS through live video, floor plans, and group communications, and argued that implementation problems often stem from training, infrastructure, and coordination rather than the technology itself. Motorola Solutions described its work in Maricopa, Yuma, and Tucson, including panic alarms, radio and dispatch integration, and school participation challenges; it said Tucson canceled its contract after schools declined to join. Navigate 360 described its Cochise County project as a success story, saying 60 of 69 schools were implemented, with ongoing training and support, but acknowledged it did not yet meet all statutory criteria and that two charter schools had opted out. Members repeatedly raised concerns about procurement, inconsistent implementation, rural infrastructure, training, and whether the systems met all statutory requirements, and vendors said they would follow up on those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• And you can see on the map, I know it's very small, but gray is no cleanup needed.
• So this is a map of where we have these tools cited to date.
• So this is a map of where we have these tools cited to date.
• They do not use state-run maps.
• So if we provide our own maps, they're not going to use ours? There has been no indication.

Summary: The committee first heard updates on the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) and related funding. Department of Ecology staff explained how MTCA and the hazardous substance tax support cleanup, prevention, stormwater, and local assistance programs, but said forecasted revenues have declined while appropriations and transfers have outpaced incoming funds. Ecology said the operating account will require underspending to stay balanced this biennium and that the problem is ongoing, with further reductions possible if forecasts worsen. Ecology also reviewed the state cleanup program, noting there are more than 14,500 cleanup sites in Washington and that new sites continue to be discovered faster than they are cleaned up. A question from Representative Lee raised the long-term issue of declining fossil-fuel-based revenue, and Ecology agreed that this is a future structural concern even though the current shortfall is driven more by forecasts and transfers than by fuel-use decline. The Pollution Liability Insurance Agency described its underground storage tank and heating oil programs, saying it has modernized from a reinsurance model to a financial assurance model with stronger state oversight and cleanup milestones. Russ Olson said the agency’s dedicated petroleum tax account is in strong financial condition, but emphasized the importance of preserving that funding source. He also discussed the loan and grant program for historic commercial releases and a new heating oil loan/grant program, while noting the agency is working on equity concerns where liens can be disproportionate to property values in smaller communities. Practitioners and advocates then offered differing views on MTCA’s performance: one attorney urged a collaborative review process to make cleanups faster, less expensive, and more certain, while another consultant argued the program is too conservative and process-heavy and should focus more narrowly on actual exposure and realistic cleanup standards. Environmental and community groups countered that MTCA is essential for cleanup, pollution prevention, stormwater control, and public participation, and that it is especially important for environmental justice communities such as the Duwamish Valley. Port and city representatives stressed that MTCA grants and cleanup funding are critical for large redevelopment projects, but said long timelines, permitting delays, and funding uncertainty can slow projects and jeopardize commitments. The committee then shifted to utility wildfire risk. Staff summarized recent legislation, including requirements for utility wildfire mitigation plans, creation of a wildfire mitigation standards work group, authorization for captive insurance by local governments and PUDs, securitization authority for disaster costs, and the existing wildfire response and resilience account. Chelan County PUD and Puget Sound Energy described extensive mitigation efforts such as vegetation management, grid hardening, undergrounding, AI smoke cameras, weather stations, enhanced operating settings, public safety power shutoffs, and community outreach. Both said wildfire risk is rising and insurance costs are increasing, and Chelan PUD asked the Legislature to restore funding to the wildfire response and resilience account. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner said a 2022 utility liability market study found insurance availability is tightening as perceived risk rises, and reported that a 2025 work group recommended restoring community resilience funding, requiring insurers to share wildfire risk scores and mitigation steps with property owners, and creating a grant program based on insurance industry wildfire standards. A PNNL scientist added that wildfire probability is increasing in parts of Washington and that mitigation requires long-term, landscape-scale coordination. The final speaker began describing California’s approach to wildfire risk, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• The next slide is a map showing where the acequias are located across the state.
• This involves taking and ingesting multiple data layers, burn severity maps, and debris flow maps with
• Severity mapping, that's only applied on federal land.
• And so one of the actual stipulations of that legislation was to build a risk map.
• And I think it would be helpful to get a mapping, especially for emergency response, to get a mapping

Transcript Highlights:

• IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS YOU WILL SEE SMALLER MAP IS 2025, LARGER MAP IS 2026.
• SO THIS IS THE MAP TO KIND OF SHOW YOU WHO'S PARTICIPATING IN THE MARKET.
• SIMILAR TO THE SMALL GROUP THE SMALLER MAP IS THE 2018 VIEW.
• THAT MAP, THE SMALLER MAP THE RED INDICATES LESS COVERAGE AND THE GREEN I BELIEVE INDICATES MORE COVERAGE
• >> THE 2018 VIEW THE MAPS SHOW YOU THE NUMBER OF CARRIERS.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, to clarify, states still continue to draw maps, but federal standards would simply ensure that all
• states have had to follow those rules since they were passed as states continue to draw their own maps
• Last year, we saw at least six states adopt new congressional maps through mid-cycle...
• The goal must be to deliver fair maps to voters, where a voter in East St.
• There was a concern that was raised about a map that was proposed both for the state, but also looking

Bills: SR1, SM1, SM6

Keywords: alcohol consumption, Senate rules, legislative conduct, ethics, New Mexico Senate, redistricting, gerrymandering, election integrity, Congress, voter rights, political polarization, Nancy Lopez, Roswell bypass, US Highway 285, U.S. Highway 285, Highway 285 bypass, road naming, highway naming, memorial, transportation department

Transcript Highlights:

• I just wondered... and I saw that on the map you, and there's a couple of projects at Ruidoso.
• I don't—I can't see this map well enough. Does it go into Carlsbad?
• Where they are under construction by year, color-coded with the links shown on this map.
• Note 7 looks a little out of sequence, but just so the mapping would fit here.
• For example, New Mexico 536, the San Diego Crest Road, and 337, the map I photographed.

Transcript Highlights:

• they're not subcontracting their data center needs out to a business that's hosted like Amazon or Google
• they're not subcontracting their data center needs out to a business that's hosted like Amazon or Google
• Google that are data center focused. Google that are data center focused.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In an America where we have the Save Act, where if you Google what does the Save Act do, AI will not
• <00:54:03.960> where<00:54:04.640> if<00:54:04.800> you<00:54:04.960> Google
• <00:54:05.480> what the Save Act, where if you Google what the Save Act, where if you Google

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Google in your area, but I would like them to offer a structured support to succeed.
• I don't know what they are.<02:32:40.080> Google<02:32:40.640> in<02:32:40.880> your
• Google in your area, but I would are.
• Google in your area, but I would like<02:32:43.040> them<02:32:43.439> to<02:32:43.760>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you have Google and you have got your computers open, colleagues, I'd urge you to take a quick look
• If you have Google and you have got your computers open, colleagues, I'd urge you to take a quick look
• If you have Google and you have got your computers open, colleagues, I'd urge you to take a quick look
• He gave numbers, sat here, started Googling it.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Monday, March 23, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, opened with an invocation, and welcomed guests including the doctor of the day, a Johns Hopkins student, and visiting scouts. The chamber then moved through first-reading introductions of several House bills, including measures on bullying and harassment reporting, the Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act, Baltimore County nuisance actions, parole hearing commission procedures, a blockchain technology task force, and a task force on deed fraud, all of which were referred to standing committees. The main floor action centered on layover bills. Senate Bill 932, concerning social media platforms displaying a user’s usual location, was amended to broaden the protected location reference and to protect participants in the Secretary of State’s address confidentiality program; after discussion about whether minors and child-abuse victims were covered, the amended bill was ordered printed for third reading. Senate Bill 623, creating a premium cigar lounge alcoholic beverage license, drew multiple county-specific amendments. Howard County and Baltimore County amendments sought to give priority to existing local tobacco businesses for the new licenses. Supporters said the changes would protect established local shops from out-of-state entities, while opponents argued the bill should remain statewide and not be amended county by county. A motion to special order the bill failed, and the amendments were adopted before the bill was ordered printed for third reading. Senate Bill 84, on collective bargaining for graduate assistants, also advanced after a committee amendment was adopted. A District 2 amendment was offered to clarify that graduate assistants are employed as teaching, administrative, or research assistants, but the floor leader opposed it, saying the bill’s definition was already clear and the change would create confusion. The minority leader questioned the definition and the relationship between graduate assistants and employees, prompting discussion of collective bargaining as bargaining by employees through representatives. The transcript cuts off before final disposition of that amendment.