Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 10 by Parker, relating to an affirmative defense to prosecution for certain victims of trafficking
• of persons or prostitution to state affairs.
• Senate Bill 16 by Hughes To the operation and administration of, and practices and procedures related
• to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government, including court security, court documents
• And Mental Health Services, the powers of the Texas Supreme Court, and jurors to state affairs.

Bills: SB8, SB10, SB16, SB8

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, Ten Commandments, public schools, religious display, First Amendment, voter registration, proof of citizenship, Election Code, criminal offenses, limited federal ballot, immigration enforcement, ICE agreements, sheriff grants, law enforcement

Transcript Highlights:

• Members of the committee, Senate Bill 71 is based on Tennessee law that provides guardrails and guidelines
• It also requires that, in the absence of federal law, agencies may not adopt a new rule or amend an existing
• <00:11:47.920><c> federal</c><00:11:48.240><c> law</c> in the absence of federal law in the absence of
• A lot of times, the IT department is the part-time clerk.
• A lot of times,<00:34:56.159><c> the</c><00:34:56.320><c> IT</c><00:34:56.720><c> department</c><00:34

Bills: SB23, SB71, SB105, SB109, SB115, SB131, SB148, SB165

Keywords: law enforcement, taser, restrained individuals, police procedures, civil rights, income tax, tax exemption, Alabama tax code, Section 40-18-3, civilian employees, Department of Defense, DoD, Armed Forces, military pay, combat zone, deployment, National Guard, Reserve components, emergency response, federal employees

Transcript Highlights:

• So again, I'm not a law enforcement expert.
• And lastly, the bill, this law would reduce the likelihood of victims or families of victims having to
• not employees of the sheriff's department.
• We're not going in and we're not saying, 'OK, Department of Public Safety or sheriff's department has
• We've consulted with the Department of Corrections on this.

Bills: SB1226, SB1456, SB1462, SB1463, SB1980, SB1479, SB1608, SB1923, HB2979, HB2980, HB3662, HB4107, HB3082, HB2997, HB3083, HB3055, HB2951

Keywords: motor vehicle, accident, notification, liability, civil action, gender neutral, SB1456, Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence, sunset extension, sunset law, breath alcohol testing, DUI, DWI, drunk driving, drug testing, chemical testing, field sobriety, roadside screening, blood test, saliva test

Transcript Highlights:

• She is the Secretary for the Department of Children and Family Services.
• of Public Safety and Corrections, who would be required to send... ...to the Department of Public Safety
• gaps in reporting, and gaps in oversight. 278 asks the Department of Justice to review those laws, receive
• He is a personal friend and a friend to all of prosecution and law enforcement in Louisiana, and he is
• ... ...all of prosecution and law enforcement in Louisiana, and he has now been embedded in the U.S.

Bills: HR73, HR272, HR273, HR278, HCR91, HCR99, HCR100, HCR111, HB255, HB261, HB328, HB378, HB479, HB517, HB564, HB778, HB1090, SB135, SB278, SB448

Keywords: domestic abuse, protective orders, victim protection, Louisiana State Law Institute, mandatory procedures, parental discipline, corporal punishment, child abuse, cruelty to juveniles, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, child welfare, DCFS, Office of Juvenile Justice, reasonable discipline, parental rights, family law, law enforcement reports, abuse allegations, single-parent households

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:59.280><c> of</c> conversation with the Department of conversation with the Department of
• Um but in my district, members, uh I have a number of law enforcement uh state troopers.
• > Corrections</c> members of the Department of Corrections members of the Department of Corrections uh
• Um but in my district, members, uh I have a number of law enforcement uh state troopers.
• I'm here on behalf of law enforcement labor services and its member organizations with the Minnesota

Bills: HF3169, HF3749, HF2605, HF3541, HF4102, HF3513, HF268

Keywords: suicide prevention, transportation, mental health, bridge safety, data collection, state law, bridge inspection, active transportation, truck parking, public safety, vehicle registration, fee structure, full-service providers, Capitol security, emergency management, state buildings, law enforcement, Minnesota State Patrol, State Patrol compensation, trooper salary

Transcript Highlights:

• sits in the Department of Commerce, as you've heard.
• I'm the executive director of the Office of Homeless Youth within the Washington State Department of
• of Labor and Industries to the Department of Corrections.
• of Labor Industries to the Department of Corrections.
• It authorizes the secretary of the Department of Corrections, It allows the Department of Corrections

Bills: SB5977, SB6184, SB5681, SB5917, SB5942, SB6024, SB6036, SB6080, SB6085

Keywords: child safety, near fatalities, public reporting, child welfare, transparency, homeless youth, youth services, mental health, support programs, state law, employment services, community inclusion, age limitations, disability services, home and community living, abortion medications, reproductive health, mifepristone, misoprostol, abortion access

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think she's been around trying to meet with as many of you as possible.
• I mean, it seems that most of them do come from our district. >> Yeah, something about the water. >>
• as</c><00:08:10.319><c> many</c><00:08:11.199><c> as</c><00:08:11.440><c> many</c><00:08:11.599><c> of
• </c><00:08:11.759><c> you</c><00:08:11.919><c> as</c> with you as many as many of you as with you as
• them do come mean, it seems that most of them do come from<00:08:45.600><c> our</c><00:08:45.920><c>

Bills: HB97, HB407, HB435, SB361, HB97, HB407, HB435

Keywords: absentee ballot, voting, elections, voter registration, electoral process, defective affidavit, voting rights, local redevelopment, tax payments, transient occupancy, state revenue, authority powers, economic development, tax abatement, incentives, Alabama Jobs Act, Accelerate Alabama, NAICS, North American Industry Classification System, 2022 NAICS codes

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, House Bill 3045 adds fire departments to the section of law already in Oklahoma statute that
• on law enforcement.
• And sometimes when they encounter law enforcement, they may or may not know that they can't hear and
• enforcement knows and then they can protect themselves on the side of the road.
• So I think it helps both law enforcement and the deaf community that I know. Have any questions?

Bills: HB4284, HB1250, HB4190, HB3086

Keywords: animal abuse, offender registry, public safety, animal welfare, criminal justice, Oklahoma legislation, local law enforcement, Public Safety Technology Revolving Fund, grants, state funding, law enforcement technology, cyber crime, fraud prevention, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, insurance fee, digital forensics, investigative support, revolving fund, prisons, corrections

Transcript Highlights:

• So during that time, my understanding, matter of fact, I believe my mother-in-law was one of those that
• So during that time, my understanding, matter of fact, I believe my mother-in-law was one of those that
• </c> and I don't want to speak for department and I don't want to speak for department of<00:27:04.000
• Department of Transportation. Aloha, Chair and Vice Chair.
• </c><00:59:41.359><c> of</c><00:59:41.760><c> DCCA</c> of the DOT in the department of DCCA of the DOT

Bills: HB1709, HB2195, HB2023, HB2031, HB2033, HB1937, HB2586, HB2575, HB2038, HB2030

Keywords: water carriers, transportation, public utility, Department of Transportation, liability, agricultural rates, certificates of convenience, cruise ship, passenger head fee, harbor, capital improvement, funding, environmental impact, active intelligent speed assistance, intelligent speed assistance, speed limiter, speed limiting device, speed governor, vehicle telematics, traffic safety

Summary: The joint committees on Transportation, Labor and Technology, and later Transportation and Economic Development and Tourism, heard several bills. SB 2573 would allow administrative driver’s license revocation hearings to be held by interactive conference technology such as Zoom and permit electronic exchange of evidence. The chief adjudicator for the ADLRO supported it as a non-mandatory option that has worked well since 2021, improving attendance and saving time and money; DOT also supported it. The committees voted to pass SB 2573 with technical, non-substantive amendments. SB 3215 would make permanent the requirement that securing mooring lines at commercial docks be performed by labor subject to collective bargaining by repealing the sunset date in existing harbor safety law. DOT did not submit testimony, and the chair noted support from longshore labor. The committees voted to pass SB 3215 unamended. The committees also heard SB 2693, which authorizes $15 million in general obligation bonds for planning, design, and construction of a 50,000-square-foot aerospace hangar and related facilities at Hilo International Airport. A Phoenix Space executive testified in support, saying Hawaii and Hilo have geographic advantages and that the project could support aerospace investment and jobs; several other organizations and individuals submitted supportive testimony. Committee members questioned whether federal matching funds or airport capacity existed, and DOT said it had no assurance of federal participation and would need to check on capacity and potential users. The hearing then moved to SB 2698, which would create a cruise ship special fund and impose a per-passenger head fee on cruise ships docking in state commercial harbors while repealing the existing cruise ship TAT framework effective January 1, 2026. DOT supported the bill but requested amendments to clarify that the new fee is in addition to existing passenger, port entry, and dockage fees and to raise the fee from $6.50 to $10; DOT said the higher amount would better fund harbor improvements such as shore power. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings testified in support but said the added fee would significantly increase costs, while a local ship supply business supported the cruise industry and opposed the TAT approach, saying cruise activity benefits local farmers and jobs. No final vote on SB 2698 was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• To level the playing field, all law enforcement agencies within the same county of a population of 3.3
• Law enforcement agencies within the same county of a population of 3.3 million or more should provide
• Harris County's law enforcement is facing a similar brain drain of talent.
• Law enforcement and large counties are often the subject of lawsuits resulting from the actions of their
• Additionally, this place is an undue burden on law enforcement, tracking and enforcing a patchwork of

Bills: HB240, HB2097, HB2731, HB3087, HB3234, HB3319, HB3394, HB3687, HB4105, HB4205, HB4350, HB4462, HB4642, HB4801, HB5403

Keywords: quorum, tax levy, county governance, local government, population regulations, quorum requirement, Texas counties, population threshold, deputy sheriff, civil service, law enforcement, appeals process, sheriff's department, HB 2731, roadside vendors, solicitors, county regulation, border counties, Mexico border, Transportation Code

Summary: The subcommittee on county and regional government heard a long agenda of county-related bills, with most measures left pending after testimony. HB 2097, by Rep. Martinez, would let counties that opt in use an independent hearing examiner instead of a civil service commission for certain deputy sheriff discipline appeals; the bill drew support from CLEET’s Robert Leonard, who said it would be fairer and faster, and it was left pending. HB 4642, by Rep. Gonzalez, would require counties that contract with out-of-state jail facilities to include Texas jail-standard protections and oversight; Gonzalez, detainee Jess Hampton, his wife, Texas Jail Project’s Krish Kundu, and TCJS director Brandon Wood all discussed deaths and poor conditions in Louisiana facilities, staffing shortages, and the need for guardrails and data collection. The bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4350, by Rep. Capriglione, allowing peace officers to request redaction of personal information from online real property records. Supporters said officers face targeted threats and should have protections similar to judges; a title industry witness warned about preserving the integrity of land records. The bill was left pending. HB 3687, by Rep. Harless, would require county fire marshals in counties over 100,000 to meet training and certification standards within set timeframes; Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen supported professionalization, and the bill was left pending. HB 4105 would let very large counties give a local-bid preference for construction and infrastructure contracts, and HB 4205 would require pay parity for similar law enforcement ranks within large counties; both were supported by Harris County officials and constables and left pending. Later, the committee heard HB 5403, which would repeal a special rule limiting Dallas and Tarrant county sheriffs’ control over commissary funds; the author said it would remove an outdated population bracket, and the bill was left pending. HB 4462 would require large counties to allow elected officials named in civil suits to seek outside counsel and have a role in settlement decisions; supporters argued county attorneys and commissioners court can have conflicts of interest, while questions focused on who qualifies and whether the bill could complicate settlements. The bill was left pending. Finally, HB 240, by Rep. Swanson, would restore a five-member quorum requirement for Harris County tax levies, effectively preventing tax action without all commissioners present and defaulting to the no-new-revenue rate if quorum is not met; urban counties opposed it as a potential budget obstruction, while supporters said it protects taxpayers and representation. That bill was also left pending. The transcript ends as the committee begins HB 3319, which would create a civil service system for constable department employees in large counties, but the discussion is cut off before testimony or action.

Transcript Highlights:

• The majority of the county fire marshals in Texas are qualified veterans of the fire service or law enforcement
• To level the playing field, all law enforcement agencies within the same county with a population of
• Harris County's law enforcement is facing a similar brain drain of talent in Montgomery County.
• Law enforcement in large counties are often the subject of lawsuits resulting from the actions of their
• serve in law enforcement.

Bills: HB240, HB2097, HB2731, HB3087, HB3234, HB3319, HB3394, HB3687, HB4105, HB4205, HB4350, HB4462, HB4642, HB4801, HB5403, HB240

Keywords: quorum, tax levy, county governance, local government, population regulations, quorum requirement, Texas counties, population threshold, deputy sheriff, civil service, law enforcement, appeals process, sheriff's department, HB 2731, roadside vendors, solicitors, county regulation, border counties, Mexico border, Transportation Code

Transcript Highlights:

• Was he law enforcement or a first responder? Thank you very much for the question.
• of Veterans Affairs, and two, if you're wanting to go to the Department of Veterans Affairs to that
• I guess that I'm asking is, is currently under law, under this section of law, these reports are still
• This would allow the Department of Public Safety to place a speed-controlled device at the front of the
• Members, a high school classmate of mine who works for the Department of Transportation was hit and lost

Bills: SB1220, SB1221, SB1239, SB1309, SB1349, SB1434, SB1516, SB1531, SB1538, SB1861

Keywords: memorial designation, interchange, Terry Walker, transportation, Oklahoma, driver license, tracking system, expedited delivery, Service Oklahoma, REAL ID, public safety, apportionment, state revenue, funding, vehicle registration, infrastructure, state roads, bridges, economic development, highway construction

Transcript Highlights:

• of Veterans Affairs; and two, if you're wanting it to go to the Department of Veterans Affairs foundation
• This would allow the Department of Public Safety to place a speed control device at the front of the
• This would allow the Department of Public Safety to place a speed control device at the front of the
• Members, a high school classmate of mine who worked for the Department of Transportation was hit and
• Members at a high school classmate of mine who worked for the Department of Transportation and was hit

Bills: SB1220, SB1221, SB1239, SB1309, SB1349, SB1434, SB1516, SB1531, SB1538, SB1861

Keywords: memorial designation, interchange, Terry Walker, transportation, Oklahoma, driver license, tracking system, expedited delivery, Service Oklahoma, REAL ID, public safety, apportionment, state revenue, funding, vehicle registration, infrastructure, state roads, bridges, economic development, highway construction

Summary: The committee heard a series of transportation-related Senate bills, beginning with memorial naming measures and then moving into funding, licensing, and safety proposals. Senate Bill 1220, naming the Terry Walker Memorial Interchange, and Senate Bill 1516, allowing Real ID applicants to donate to the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs through Service Oklahoma forms, both advanced on 10-2 votes after brief questions about funding and where donations would go. Senate Bill 1239, which extends the sunset for County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Fund appropriations and cleans up duplicate statutory language, advanced after title was stricken and members raised questions about reporting requirements and a possible conflict in the funding language. Senate Bill 1531, an ODAA request related to future drone regulation, advanced unanimously after title was stricken. The committee also considered several road and licensing measures. Senate Bill 1349 would increase apportionments to the Roads Fund over eight years up to $1 billion; members questioned the long-term commitment, inflation, and overlap with other road-funding bills, but it advanced 10-2. Senate Bill 1221 would let Service Oklahoma provide tracking for mailed driver’s licenses and IDs and offer optional expedited delivery; after Service Oklahoma testified that refunds would be issued if expedited service was not provided, the bill advanced unanimously. Senate Bill 1538, reinstating the requirement to pass or show proof of an eighth-grade reading exam to obtain a driver’s license, advanced 11-1 after discussion of the literacy goal and the employment-based exemption. The committee then approved Senate Bill 1309, which raises from $80 million to $100 million the amount reserved from Roads Fund apportionments for debt service, on a unanimous vote. The most debated measure was Senate Bill 1434, which would authorize automated speed enforcement in highway construction zones with warning signs, limited image retention, independent audits, and penalties for noncompliance; supporters argued it would save workers’ lives, while opponents raised privacy and future-use concerns and suggested officer-based enforcement instead. Despite those objections, the bill advanced 7-5. The meeting ended with a notice that Senator Merrick’s bill, SB 1861, would be laid over.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, this bill allows DPS to better coordinate... ...and law enforcement to combat cartel crime
• the laws it is compelled to enforce.
• And I'm Freeman Martin, the colonel of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Thank you, Mr.
• All the other things related to what is your level of... of difficulty or how functional would this law
• I'm sure that law enforcement, especially DPS, does a great job of collecting evidence in cases.

Bills: SB36, SB2202, SB 36

Keywords: homeland security, border security, critical infrastructure, Department of Public Safety, intelligence operations, public-private partnerships, SB 2202, firearm trafficking, gun trafficking, terrorism, foreign terrorist organization, Texas-Mexico border, United Mexican States, Mexico, DPS, second-degree felony, weapons transfer, illegal firearms transfer, arms smuggling, cross-border crime

Transcript Highlights:

• enforcement for most of my career.
• under the 10th Amendment to enforce Texas criminal laws irrespective... ...of where a person was born
• enforcement, and they lose out on the law enforcement sensitive data.
• communities, and threatening the safety... ...of citizens and law enforcement alike.
• And despite the valiant efforts of Texas law enforcement, they are outmatched in resources and capabilities

Bills: SB36, SB2202, SB 36

Keywords: homeland security, border security, critical infrastructure, Department of Public Safety, intelligence operations, public-private partnerships, SB 2202, firearm trafficking, gun trafficking, terrorism, foreign terrorist organization, Texas-Mexico border, United Mexican States, Mexico, DPS, second-degree felony, weapons transfer, illegal firearms transfer, arms smuggling, cross-border crime

Transcript Highlights:

• Certain Department of Correctional Services employees to be law enforcement officers, further to section
• department, the Actorant Division and Approvement of the Family of the Paraly of the District of the
• The Nebraska Department of the Fund, the Division of the State of Development of the Department of Change
• of Water, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Administrative Services, the Nebraska Commission
• on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, the Department of Correctional Services, the Department of

Bills: LB764, LB815A, LB839, LB888, LB955, LB972A, LB1029, LB1087, LB1091, LB1126A, LB1181A, LB1237A, LB1261A, LB304A, LB762, LB889, LB929, LB966, LB1022, LB1187, LR508

Keywords: law enforcement, correctional services, Department of Correctional Services, corrections officers, state prison employees, peace officer, certification, police standards, training academy, Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Nebraska Police Standards Advisory Council, criminal justice, correctional staff, conditional officer, law enforcement authority, public safety, LB815A, LB815, appropriation, appropriations bill

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a State Police Department bill that targets updating our law governing the handling of criminal
• I saw a lot of law enforcement officers in this committee hearing.
• Law enforcement officers are significantly at risk of also being harmed and killed.
• If the chief of police, who is the chief law enforcement officer of your city, can be governed by its
• If the chief of police, who is the chief law enforcement officer of your city, can be governed by its

Bills: HB343, HB378, HB394, HB396, HB426, HB439, HB491, HB523, HB622, HB676, HB772, HB1025, HB1038

Keywords: parole eligibility, juvenile offenders, rehabilitation, first-time offenders, reentry programs, substance abuse treatment, education programs, emergency responders, law enforcement, obstructing traffic, public safety, penalties, parole, criminal justice, release extension, prison reform, autopsy, criminal evidence, photographs, court proceedings

Transcript Highlights:

• > of</c> administrative rules, the Department of administrative rules, the Department of Land<00:31:24.000
• for the Hawaii Island branch of the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement at DNR.
• </c><01:03:04.160><c> Biocurity</c> Department of Agriculture and Biocurity Department of Agriculture
• >> Just for, um, Department of A... >> Thanks.
• > and</c><01:14:19.120><c> Bio</c> Department of Agriculture and Bio Department of Agriculture and Bio

Bills: SB2603, SB2083, SB2341, SB2306, SB2782, SB2756, SB2161, SB2477

Keywords: Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, state funding, public performances, educational programs, cultural arts funding, historic properties, preservation, inheritance, working group, public-private partnerships, sustainable funding, historic preservation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, construction, state review, burial sites, cultural artifacts, development review, phased review, administrative fees

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2603, which would designate the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as the state orchestra of Hawaii. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the Attorney General’s office, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association, and others. Supporters emphasized the bill’s value to arts education, cultural vitality, and the visitor economy. The chair noted there were also many written testimonies submitted, and the bill was left without questions or action in the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2083, which would create a state-owned historic properties preservation plan working group within DNR. The State Historic Preservation Division supported the bill and said it would help create a statewide database and better planning for state-owned historic properties, while noting its current review work is reactive and project-by-project. The committee asked about duplication and existing consultation processes; SHPD said it already reviews state projects under existing law and has in-house architectural staff. The measure was then set aside after brief discussion, with no vote shown in the excerpt. Next was Senate Bill 2341, which would authorize phased review of certain private-property projects and change SHPD’s review deadlines. SHPD and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development supported the bill, saying it could encourage more proactive, programmatic review and that the current average review time for simple projects is about 56 days. Several opponents, including Sierra Club of Hawaii, Bianca Isaki, Malama Kane Lua, and Tara Roas, argued phased review would delay projects, create conflict, and weaken historic preservation protections, especially for iwi kūpuna and burial sites. Committee members raised concerns about whether the bill conflicted with prior court decisions and asked SHPD for its view; SHPD said it was not a legal question for them and suggested a programmatic alternative. The bill was not voted on in the excerpt. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 2306 on administrative fees for the Bureau of Conveyances. HGEA opposed the measure, focusing on a provision allowing the special fund to be used for qualified contractors, while the Bureau of Conveyances supported the bill as a fee correction that would equalize recording fees between systems. The bureau said specialized technical work sometimes requires outside contracting and that it could consider a contract period; the chair and members discussed the HGEA concern and asked whether the issue could be addressed. No final action was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> sign of I. sign of I.
• </c> housekeeping bill uh for the Department housekeeping bill uh for the Department of<00:14:12.399>
• <00:14:21.120><c> funds</c><00:14:22.399><c> this</c> department and of those two funds this department
• That law passed in insurance department.
• out of of Tuscaloosa's campus is housed out of of Tuscaloosa's campus that<00:19:11.840><c> little</c

Bills: HB415, HB419, SB219, SB170

Keywords: police abuse registry, law enforcement registry, officer assault, assault on police, resisting arrest, battery on law enforcement, law enforcement injury fund, Back the Blue Act, Attorney General, clemency, pardon, commutation, rehabilitation costs, medical costs, public safety, criminal records, background checks, registry removal fee, privacy, due process

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Mike Lambert, DLE, in person, Department of Law Enforcement. >> Good morning.
• Uh, Mike Lambert, DLE, in person, Department of Law Enforcement. >> Good morning.
• We really appreciate working with the Department of Law Enforcement, but we recognize that they need
• ><c> and</c> of law enforcement officers and of law enforcement officers and recruitment<00:48:17.760
• c> when</c> because much of law enforcement is when because much of law enforcement is when things<00

Bills: SB2885, SB2174, SB2925, SB2798, SB2320, SB2800, SB1230, SB2706, SB3233, SB2405, SB2350, SB2169, SB3320

Keywords: coconut rhinoceros beetle, invasive species, biosecurity, green waste, environmental management, agriculture, quarantine, pest control, transport regulations, Hawaii Revised Statutes, coconut trees, tax credit, natural management, Hawaii, environment, agricultural enforcement, agricultural theft, farm theft, crop theft, commodity theft

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 2885 SD1, which would create mandatory handling and storage rules for commercial and residential coconut rhinoceros beetle host material beginning in 2027, with penalties and an effective date. Support came from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, DLNR, Maui County Department of Agriculture, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Testifiers generally said the bill would help reduce CRB spread, though some urged additional science-backed methods, better coordination, and technical or cost-share support for smaller operations. Hawaiian Earth Recycling recommended amendments to align the bill with existing Department of Health/EPA composting rules, add other materials that can harbor CRB, allow future approved treatment methods, and replace the bill’s 60-day turning requirement with existing pathogen-reduction standards. One individual supported the goal but argued the state’s CRB strategy has lacked community and cultural consultation and should include a cultural advisement role. Department witnesses said enforcement would rely on inspection and an educate-before-regulate approach, and they noted the challenge of creating enough drop-off sites, especially in rural areas. The committee then took up SB 2174 SD2, which would authorize the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to declare an emergency quarantine, halt operations in affected areas for 96 hours with possible extension, quarantine suspected pest areas, issue notices and compensation to affected farmers, and adopt interim transportation rules for materials that may harbor high-impact invasive species. The department and DLNR supported the measure, emphasizing the need for fast action in the first hours of an invasion. Hawaii Farmers Union supported the compensation provisions but asked for stronger communication with producers and a post-action report to the Board of Agriculture after about 90 days to evaluate effectiveness and economic impacts. In response to questions, department staff said the bill would be a short-term, department-only quarantine authority distinct from the governor-declared biosecurity emergency authority enacted previously, and that it could serve as an intermediate step. They also said outreach would need to be done through farm organizations such as Farmers Union, Farm Bureau, and Cattlemen’s groups. The final measure discussed was SB 2925 SD1, relating to coconut trees. The bill would recognize coconut trees as a source of food and water and a cultural treasure, require rules for coconut tree seed banks, require signage identifying landscape palms where applicable, set labeling standards for non-consumable landscape palms, and create an income tax credit for consumable coconut trees maintained through natural management practices. The transcript ended before testimony or action on this bill was completed, and no vote was taken on any of the measures discussed in the portion provided.