Transcript Highlights:

• They need to be published reliably in thoughtful increments and should be reflective of market realities

Transcript Highlights:

• We are basically making a decision on changing New Hampshire law based on incremental reporting of varying

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Too often, patients are transferred not because they need a higher level of care, but because physician
• Given her mental decline, her husband worried about transferring her to a bigger city, where she would
• This care expedites the transfer not only to that initial facility, but also to definitive care, which
• This patient may need to be transferred to a more advanced center.
• A patient presenting with stroke symptoms almost always faced the same outcome: transfer.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Call was transferred to the county, but we the procedure to notify all personnel and flooding events
• A very clear indicator that our road and bridge department is suffering financially We also transfer
• So we're always in efforts to make sure that we can stay afloat on that to where our tax rate incrementally
• don't really, I wouldn't really want to, I would not want to allow. the authority in the county to transfer
• If you can just kind of, I know we go about minute increments and they're important, so effectively you

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• trailer bill language will require payment of the annual employer assessment by electronic fund transfer
• The one trailer bill language, the assessment payment via electronic funds transfer—I remember this was
• include a general salary increase for judges, I would like to note that they do receive an annual incremental

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on the Governor’s May Revision proposals for labor, public safety/judiciary, and transportation, and no votes were taken. In Part A on labor, the Employment Development Department reviewed proposals for EDD Next document management system funding, updated UI loan interest costs, disability insurance and paid family leave benefit and administration adjustments, WIOA funding changes, UI administrative and benefit changes, school employee benefit adjustments, an EMT training reappropriation, and a technical correction tied to EDD Next. PERB discussed funding tied to AB 28 and AB 1, including litigation-related workload and new jurisdiction over legislative employees. DIR presented proposals for legal unit reclassifications, two major IT modernization projects, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COIA reappropriation, and trailer bill language on electronic assessment payments and the DWC director salary cap. CalHR proposed additional funding for a consolidated employee assistance program contract, and CalPERS and CalSTRS presented budget adjustments tied to investment costs and state contribution changes. Members focused heavily on UI debt and interest payments, asking the administration for a plan to reduce the outstanding loan and relieve employers. Finance said no specific repayment plan was included in the May Revision, while LAO said the state’s UI tax structure is structurally insufficient and that any debt payoff should be paired with tax-system reform. Senators also questioned EDD Next costs and timelines, PERB’s caseload and staffing needs, and DIR’s emerging technologies unit, with LAO noting that the unit would appear focused on physical workplace safety rather than broader AI labor issues. CalHR said the new EAP contract would consolidate services, improve access to clinicians, and lower costs relative to the current model. CalPERS defended higher external management fees as part of a strategy to pursue higher net returns, while some members pressed for more transparency about private investments; CalSTRS said it was not prepared to address investment-strategy questions at this hearing. Public comment in Part A was dominated by advocates urging support for an immigration enforcement emergency relief fund, along with comments supporting the Jails to Jobs proposal, the Apprenticeship Innovation Fund, and additional PERB funding. The chair noted that many of the immigration-related requests might fall under other committees and said staff would follow up. In Part B, Finance and LAO outlined judicial branch and DOJ May Revision items, including funding for court interpreter services, appellate court security, lactation room implementation delays, courthouse construction reappropriations, and DOJ budget increases. LAO recommended approving the language-access proposal with a report on reducing interpreter cost growth and reducing the General Fund backfill for state court facilities by $10 million on an ongoing basis.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are some policy changes where— Representative: Incremental changes, right?
• what... the number is, there's no magic depth that says if we don't figure out a way to stop the transfer
• They can look at the projected effect of the proposed transfer on aquifer conditions, depletion, subsidence

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• university and you decided to take out a student loan at that university, and then you decided to transfer
• Once we achieve that, we can request more vouchers and incrementally grow the program.
• allocated vouchers, but there's increased demand over here in Amarillo, could we then potentially transfer
• Then you can transfer if you do have an area that's underutilizing, because maybe they overestimated
• Could we then potentially transfer some over to an area where there is noted increased need? Right.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• [Laughter] This one is, in terms of incremental, you know, in terms of what are the real cost, you know
• one is is a the in terms of<00:59:31.440> it's<00:59:31.760> in<00:59:32.240> incremental
• ,<00:59:32.800> you<00:59:32.840> know,<00:59:33.000> in of it's in incremental
• , you know, in of it's in incremental, you know, in terms<00:59:33.440> of,<00:59:33.720> you

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is up to 10 percent, in 5-MW increments.
• 00:39:26.160> They're<00:39:26.320> in<00:39:26.440> 5-MW<00:39:27.360> increments
• They're in 5-MW increments. I up to 10%. They're in 5-MW increments.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's the same way with some of this incremental surplus property sales that, in terms of either
• c><01:03:59.760> some<01:03:59.920> of<01:04:00.000> this<01:04:00.160> incremental
• with with some of this incremental with with some of this incremental surplus<01:04:01.920> property

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> I think his question was, you know, you guys did do the increase, but why that increment versus
• increase, but know, you guys did do the increase, but why<00:31:42.640> that<00:31:42.880> increment
• versus<00:31:43.919> just<00:31:44.159> going<00:31:44.399> to why that increment
• versus just going to why that increment versus just going to where<00:31:44.799> we<00:31:44.960

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint committees held an informational briefing on efforts to expand insurance capacity in Hawaii’s property market, especially for condominium and homeowners coverage. The Insurance Commissioner reviewed the background: a legislative task force, the governor’s emergency proclamation in August 2024, and Senate Bill 1044 in May 2025 led to new condo insurance products. He said the work over the past two and a half years was producing positive results and introduced representatives from HPIA and HHRF/HHR to provide updates. HPIA’s board chair and its administrator described the organization’s history, structure, and current products. HPIA said it was created in 1991 as a residual market for homeowners insurance, now writing four residential products: HO2 homeowners, renters, HO6 condo unit owners, and dwelling fire. They reported policy counts have grown again as admitted-market carriers tightened underwriting, and they discussed financial pressure from reinsurance costs, though those costs had declined in 2025 after different purchasing decisions. They also said the market has become more favorable overall, with some capacity returning and deductibles beginning to ease. Members focused much of their questioning on HPIA’s proposed higher dwelling limits. HPIA explained that the current $450,000 limit for homeowners and dwelling fire was set in 2023, but agents are now asking for a higher limit in the $650,000 to $750,000 range because construction costs have risen and many policies are not being submitted when the limit is too low. HPIA said it has the authority to raise the limit through a filing with the Insurance Division and expects more submissions if the cap increases. They also discussed the shift in the book of business from roughly 70% lava-zone coverage to closer to a 50/50 split between lava and non-lava risks. HPIA outlined strategic initiatives: a new policy administration system that went live October 1 and now allows online payments, online claims reporting, and electronic notices; a filed request to raise the homeowners and dwelling fire limit to $650,000 effective March 1 for new business and April 1 for renewals; an increase in the HO6 condo unit owners limit from $5,000 to $100,000; and a planned commercial property all-other-perils-excluding-hurricane condo product targeted for filing by January 31. No votes were taken, and the meeting was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• We encourage you to pass this bill over some of the others that would incrementally get us there, because
• over some of the others<00:46:01.119> that<00:46:01.240> would<00:46:01.720> incrementally
• <00:46:02.480> get<00:46:02.640> us others that would incrementally get us others that
• would incrementally get us there<00:46:03.200> because<00:46:03.599> there's<00:46:03.800

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 707 on the College Savings Program. Members discussed a suggested amendment from the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities to include the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program. The chair said the Department of the Attorney General advised there was no title problem, so the bill could be broadened to cover both the College Savings Program and the ABLE program. The committee also noted technical, non-substantive changes and a defective date of July 1, 3000 for further discussion. HB 707 HD1 was then voted on and the recommendation to pass with amendments was adopted unanimously by the members present, with two members excused. The committee then heard House Bill 424, which would provide free breakfast and lunch beginning the next school year to students who currently qualify for free and reduced-price meals. The Department of Education supported the measure, and testimony in favor came from teachers, public health and food security advocates, and several organizations. Supporters described students being denied meals because of unpaid balances, said school meals should not depend on family debt, and argued that the bill would reduce stigma and help hungry students learn. Committee questions focused on meal pricing, the impact of raising prices on families who pay full price, and whether portion sizes could be increased; DOE said breakfast costs less than lunch, full-price students would bear any increase, and portion sizes must follow USDA rules. Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute and Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network said many families above the free/reduced thresholds still cannot afford meals, citing estimates that the DOE collects about $20 million a year in meal payments and that federal reimbursement totals are much larger. The committee then heard House Bill 757, the universal free school breakfast and lunch bill. DOE and the Department of Health supported it, and testimony was overwhelmingly in favor from county officials, teachers, students, food banks, advocacy groups, and community organizations. Witnesses argued that universal meals would eliminate stigma, reduce paperwork and debt collection, and ensure students do not fall through the cracks because of income cutoffs, language barriers, or administrative hurdles. Several students from Castle High School described classmates asking for food and families struggling to keep meal accounts funded, while teachers said they regularly see negative meal balance notices and hungry students. Advocates also said the bill is the better equity vehicle because it avoids means testing and reaches students who are not currently receiving meals despite needing them. The hearing on HB 757 was still ongoing at the end of the transcript, and no final vote on that bill was shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• There, we have made incremental increases in attainment overall over the last nine-plus years, but we
• 00:15:48.079> made 63.3% number uh there we have made 63.3% number uh there we have made incremental
• > increases<00:15:49.600> in<00:15:50.399> uh<00:15:50.519> entainment incremental
• increases in uh entainment incremental increases in uh entainment overall<00:15:51.560> over<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• All costs for special education are temporarily transferred to the episode of treatment fund, including
• So when we dropped down incrementally, I was a little disturbed that we kept the— and 90% would be that
• 01:02:07.839> we<01:02:08.079> dropped<01:02:08.319> down<01:02:08.559> incrementally
• ,<01:02:09.839> I when we dropped down incrementally, I when we dropped down incrementally

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The commission met to approve the May 18, 2026 minutes and then focused on how SB 57’s special education cost study should inform HB 1099, which creates a separate study committee on residential placements and related education costs. Members discussed sending the commission’s minutes and findings to that new committee, noting the short timeline for its work and the need to be specific about unresolved issues so the new group does not duplicate the same questions. A major topic was the cost and responsibility for students placed at Spalding and similar residential programs, especially transportation and whether costs are paid through the Department of Education’s episode-of-treatment (EOT) fund, local districts, DHS, or Medicaid. Staff explained that for students with disabilities, EOT funds cover special education and transportation costs tied to the placement, while students without disabilities are handled through DHS care-management and best-interest meetings. Members raised concerns about whether some students at Spalding are receiving no schooling, whether transportation costs are substantial, and whether Medicaid reimbursement could offset some expenses. The commission also discussed confusion over district responsibility when students placed in residential programs attend school in another district, using Winnisquam as an example. Several members said the receiving district was not notified that DHHS-approved programs could bring in additional students and costs, and they suggested DHHS or its care-management entity should notify both the district of residence and the receiving district when a program is approved. The group agreed this notification issue, along with transportation funding, privacy concerns in Medicaid-to-schools billing, and the distinction between special education placements, EOT placements, and other voluntary residential placements, should be passed to the HB 1099 study committee for further work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, this amendment basically says that they cannot transfer over 20% of the reserves to the holding
• So the way it is, they would have to build up so part of the incremental cost that the bill also covers
• they would have to build up so part of they would have to build up so part of the<02:17:37.760> incremental
• 38.639> that<02:17:38.960> the<02:17:39.120> bill<02:17:39.439> also the incremental
• cost that the bill also the incremental cost that the bill also covers<02:17:40.000> here covers

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It is transferring property away.
• It is transferring property away.
• It is transferring property away.
• It is transferring property away.
• <00:27:38.799> voters<00:27:39.760> and transferring power away from voters and transferring

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that we have are all during a period of time in which COVID existed because they're all in 10-year increments

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard testimony on several bills, beginning with a major workplace violence proposal for health care settings. Senator Lovely, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and SEIU 1199 all supported legislation requiring hospitals and other health care employers to conduct facility-specific risk assessments, develop violence prevention plans, train workers, and provide reporting and protections for assaulted employees. Witnesses described workplace assaults as frequent and escalating, and committee members discussed balancing worker safety with concerns about criminalizing mental illness; testimony emphasized that the bill targets intentional assaults while preserving treatment and discretion for behavioral health crises. The committee also heard strong support for bills to strengthen traffic safety, including primary seat belt enforcement, rear-facing car seat requirements, and seat belts on school buses. AAA Northeast, the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, law enforcement, legislators, and the Massachusetts Insurance Federation all backed the measures, citing crash data, injury prevention, and personal stories of traumatic brain injury. Senator O’Connor testified for school bus seat belts, saying Massachusetts should join other states requiring them, and later Sophia Furzada of the National Transportation Safety Board urged passage of school bus seat belt and child passenger safety bills, saying lap-shoulder belts would reduce injuries and save lives in crashes where compartmentalization is not enough. Other testimony included support for a bill to make 9-1-1 disability indicator forms more accessible and inclusive, with the witness arguing the form should better reflect mental health, developmental disabilities, language access needs, and a fifth-grade reading level. The committee also heard opposition to a proposal to extend Christian’s Law to swimming pools, with a parks and recreation director warning of unintended consequences for municipal camps and underserved communities. Finally, the committee took testimony on a bill to expand the Forensic Science Oversight Board to include workforce representation, which MOSES said would restore technical expertise to the board. At the end of the hearing, the committee adjourned without taking votes on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm kind of in the let's not let perfect be the enemy of good here, because I can see some incremental

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission met to review its draft final report on continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), with most of the discussion focused on whether recommendations required unanimous consensus and how to handle disagreements in the report. Members agreed that consensus meant no stated opposition, and several participants argued that unresolved issues should still be described in the report rather than omitted. The chairs said the report would include agreed-upon recommendations, note areas without consensus, and preserve written comments or dissent letters submitted by members. The draft report’s findings and slides were reviewed charge by charge, including CCRC definitions, financial condition, entrance fee refunds, regulatory oversight, advertising practices, and closure/change-of-ownership procedures. Members suggested several factual and wording edits, including clarifying financial data sources, correcting a presenter’s name, refining language about entrance fee use and refund timing, and revising statements about Attorney General authority and CCRC advertising. There was also discussion about the need to distinguish nonprofit and for-profit CCRCs and to better explain how different care levels and licensing structures are described. On recommendations, the commission kept the proposal to advance the disclosure bill (S. 478) and update the consumer guide, but removed a recommendation for annual open board meetings after objections that it was inadequate. The group spent considerable time debating whether to recommend resident representation on CCRC boards, timely refund requirements for entrance fees, and possible state registration or definition changes for CCRCs, but no consensus was reached on those items. The chairs said the final report would be completed by the statutory August 1 deadline, with final written comments due before then and the report and meeting materials posted on the legislature website.

Transcript Highlights:

• Even if you can make a modest incremental change, every dollar you're able to give us will be well spent

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hybrid hearing on several property and local tax bills. The main focus was H.56, the Municipal Empowerment Act, which the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, MAPC, and Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo supported as a package of local options and administrative reforms. Supporters said municipalities need more tools to relieve pressure on property taxes and fund services, citing proposed increases to local meals and lodging taxes, a new local vehicle excise surcharge, senior property tax relief, one-year override flexibility for emergencies, and central valuation of telecom and utility property by DOR. The administration said the bill was based on municipal listening sessions and was intended to give cities and towns optional, not mandatory, revenue tools. Opponents, including the National Federation of Independent Businesses, argued the tax increases would hurt restaurants, hotels, tourism, and small businesses and add to affordability concerns. The committee also heard testimony on H.3211, dealing with deeds excise receipts, from Norfolk County Commissioner Richard Staidi. He said Norfolk County is financially stable but needs additional revenue for major capital needs at its agricultural school, especially a new cafeteria and other aging facilities, and also to support county programs such as veteran transportation services. On S.2020, a bill to allow settlements of tax liability, Greater Boston Legal Services, the Asian American Civic Association, and several individual taxpayers urged creation of a more workable offer-in-compromise process at DOR. They said the current system is too subjective, requires an unaffordable $5,000 threshold, lacks clear standards and appeal rights, and leaves low-income taxpayers stuck with unmanageable debt, license suspensions, or business closures. Supporters said the bill would give both taxpayers and DOR a practical way to resolve liabilities and bring people back into compliance. The committee also took testimony on S.1966, which would require nonprofits selling property to disclose any back-tax obligations to buyers. Senator Peter Durant said the bill was prompted by a personal experience in which a tax bill arrived after a nonprofit property purchase was already completed, and he argued the disclosure would prevent buyers from being surprised by retroactive tax liability. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair closed the session after hearing from all scheduled witnesses.

Transcript Highlights:

• But legislature moves incrementally. It should be hard to pass a law. It should require inclusion.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The discussion focused on disability advocacy and the impact of Minnesota’s fraud crackdown on people who rely on home and community-based services. The senator highlighted Lydia Dolly’s testimony about losing services after her provider was placed under a payment withhold, leaving her without care for months and forcing her mother to quit her job. He said her situation illustrates the risk of cutting off services too abruptly and criticized the state’s safe-transitions process as not working well enough. The senator argued that fraud is real and should be aggressively addressed, but said the state’s response has been too haphazard and has harmed innocent clients and legitimate providers. He cited reports of homelessness, possible deaths, and suspended services tied to the crackdown, and said earlier warnings about fraud in child care, PCA, and housing stabilization were not handled thoughtfully. He also referenced recent raids and investigations, saying the administration has been reactive and has not worked closely enough with providers. He described Senate File 2939, the Home Care Stability and Accountability Act, and a broader umbrella bill, Senate File 4222, as bipartisan efforts to add scrutiny, protections, and due process so fraudulent providers can be removed without leaving clients stranded. He also mentioned Senate File 4354, which would modify program integrity requirements, including a new expectation that providers demonstrate they can actually deliver the services they claim. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the conversation, but he expressed optimism that the Legislature could make progress before session ends.