Transcript Highlights:

• Part of her task was to review program integrity, particularly in the SNAP program, and she is proud
• particularly in the program of Integrity particularly in the program of uh<00:15:16.519> SNAP
• <00:15:42.839> when<00:15:43.000> it go into the program Integrity when it go into
• the program Integrity when it comes<00:15:43.319> to<00:15:43.480> the<00:15:43.600>
• of of the ensuring program Integrity of of the program<00:35:16.839> um<00:35:17.040> so

Bills: HF1, HF98

Keywords: Office of Inspector General, inspector general, legislative audit, fraud prevention, waste and abuse, public funds, grant oversight, state grants, grant management, whistleblower protection, retaliation, subpoena power, data practices, government transparency, accountability, law enforcement referrals, sanctions, debarment, payment withholding, public assistance fraud

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment requires that any general education core course that integrates technology include opportunities
• The amendment requires that any general education core course that integrates technology include opportunities
• a pretty big structural change, but this gets to the intent, which is to make sure that we are integrating
• technology into our courses and, if they are integrated into those specific courses, that the student

Summary: The Committee on Education Postsecondary considered several items. First, it took up SB 1694 on technology education, which would revise postsecondary general education standards to incorporate technology-related instruction, including computer science and artificial intelligence concepts. An amendment was adopted that shifted the bill away from creating a sixth core requirement and instead required technology-integrated core courses to include digital literacy, AI applications, and related topics such as software engineering, networks, databases, and cybersecurity where applicable. The amendment also added guidance for high school computer science courses that include AI, emphasizing critical evaluation, limitations, and ethical use. After brief discussion, the committee voted to report CS for SB 1694 favorably. The committee then approved confirmation of the appointments on Tabs 1 through 2 by a single favorable vote. Next, it considered SPB 7038, a proposed committee bill on postsecondary education and workforce development covering tuition and fee policies, consumer protections, career and technical education, student acceleration, and institutional operations. Senator Berman asked about changes to CIE licensure/jurisdiction and dual enrollment expansion; the sponsor said the bill affects institutions rather than individual courses and is intended to expand student options without necessarily increasing enrollment or funding needs. A Florida Dental Association representative testified in information only, urging preservation of the existing exemption for dental assisting programs from CIE oversight. The committee adopted a motion to submit the proposal as a committee bill and then reported SPB 7038 favorably. The meeting concluded with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it seemed that the pathway of moving towards more... ...the pathway of moving towards more integration
• and the Department of Social and Health Services work together to develop and implement a plan to integrate
• The Department of Health agrees with the SAO recommendation to continue to integrate testing into training
• Once testing is fully integrated into training programs, this will greatly benefit caregivers.
• And representing DSHS, I just agree that it would be a good change to make to integrate.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee held a public hearing on the State Auditor’s Office performance audit of Washington’s Restoring Quality Home Care Initiative (I-1163). Auditors said the initiative’s background checks and 75-hour training requirement are widely viewed as safety measures, but the state lacks pre-2011 data to directly measure safety outcomes. They also found Washington’s long-term care workforce is still short, though the state ranks better than many others in workers per disabled person, and that some groups and regions have larger gaps between authorized and actually used Medicaid care hours, suggesting access problems for certain clients. The audit focused heavily on the certification process for home care aides. Auditors reported that many applicants never finish certification, that the process often exceeds the 200-day legal deadline, and that delays can cause lost income, job loss, and in some cases repeated employer changes that allow aides to keep working without becoming certified. They recommended that the Department of Health accept applications only after training and testing are completed, move testing into training programs more broadly, and eliminate redundant DOH verification of FBI background checks. Committee members asked about testing contract incentives, language access, and the role of immigration in workforce shortages; auditors said they found no financial performance standards in the Prometric contract, did not specifically study immigration status, and did not focus on language barriers in this audit. Department of Health and Department of Social and Health Services officials largely agreed with the audit’s findings and recommendations. They said they have already made improvements, including expanded in-program testing, more staffing, and rule changes, and that testing has been integrated into more than 110 training programs. DSHS noted testing is offered in 13 languages. Both agencies said they support further streamlining and expect continued collaboration, including possible budget or legislative requests. No public testimony was offered, and the committee adjourned without taking any vote or formal action on the audit.

Transcript Highlights:

• more program integrity actions coming. more program integrity actions coming.
• things with respect to program integrity things with respect to program integrity specifically.<
• program integrity. program integrity. >> Good<00:43:03.119> morning.
• So, um I'll just leave integrity sake.
• <01:43:43.280> supports, down in integrated community supports, down in integrated community

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I just thought it was very important that we took a look at waste, fraud, and abuse and program integrity
• I just thought it was very important that we took a look at waste, fraud, and abuse and program integrity
• <00:43:40.000> work<00:43:40.480> that about the program Integrity work that about
• staffed as follows our program Integrity staffed as follows our program Integrity office<00:48:22.480
• Payment integrity clarification is needed to prevent inappropriate billing.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Human Services Committee met on January 22, 2025, to focus early in session on waste, fraud, abuse, and program integrity in Minnesota human services programs. The chair said taxpayers expect funds to reach people in need and asked the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) to present on resources, progress, and possible solutions. Members also asked the auditors to note where the legislature or agencies had already taken action to address prior findings. OLA staff summarized recent reports on grants management and oversight. They said noncompliance with grants policies has been pervasive across agencies, including problems at DHS in conflict-of-interest documentation and pre-award financial reviews. In one DHS review, 30 of 41 grant reviewers had missing or incomplete conflict forms, and 20 of 57 grants lacked required financial review documents; the issues affected about $11.5 million in grant funding. OLA said DHS spent more than $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations from 2018 to 2022, and they identified broader factors affecting compliance such as inconsistent funding for grants administration, ad hoc training, inconsistent data systems, and limited enforcement authority. They noted 2023 legislative changes that allowed agencies to retain some grant funding for administration and directed an assessment of a statewide grants management system, and they said OGM training and staffing have increased, though training is still not required for all staff. The Financial Audit Division then discussed the senior nutrition program at DHS, which delivered about 3.1 million meals to more than 40,000 participants in 2022 through the Minnesota Board on Aging, area agencies, service providers, and subcontractors. The audit found nine findings across documentation, monitoring, contract oversight, participant recertification, and data quality. Examples included service providers failing to recertify participants or recording inaccurate data, the Board on Aging not performing monitoring visits since 2017 or financial reconciliations in 2022, and area agencies failing to complete required site visits. Survey results also suggested participant database inaccuracies. OLA recommended stronger monitoring, clearer procedures, and more reliable data to ensure services reach intended recipients. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• A core part of the design for BrightLife Kids and Soluna has been integrating care navigation services
• DHCS has started to issue additional guidance, including about program integrity measures that will be
• Though it's been a long road over the past year, those Allcove centers have been able to integrate as
• Though it's been a long road over the past year, those Alcove centers have been able to integrate as
• We urge this subcommittee to protect the integrity of the 98 surcharge, clarify that DHS should lead

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is going to have a by-itself policy bill, and we are going to have a by-itself integrity bill,
• integrity integrity bill,<00:31:22.960> which<00:31:23.160> we've<00:31:23.520> all
• program integrity program integrity bill,<00:32:24.840> and<00:32:24.960> then<00:
• The integrity bill is going to be by itself.
• You know, we had, for example, savings from program integrity initiatives and just want to understand

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THE FL WINS PROJECT WILL INTEGRATE 11 IN SCOPE IT SYSTEMS ACROSS THREE DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND POWER A
• THE MOST RECENT RELEASE OF FL WINS WAS SEPTEMBER 30th OF THIS YEAR, WHICH INCLUDED THE INTEGRATION OF
• THE EMPLOYMENT FIRST REPORT REPORTS ON THE PROGRESS OF OUR PARTNERS AND INCREASING COMPETITIVE INTEGRATED
• ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENHANCED TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENHANCED INTEGRATION
• WILL BE FOCUSED ON ALIGNING TRAINING PLANS TO INCLUDE BUSINESS OUTREACH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATION

Transcript Highlights:

• will give them the wisdom that they need to lead our people, the humility required to do it with integrity
• will give them the wisdom that they need to lead our people, the humility required to do it with integrity
• CPAs are critical in identifying financial integrity in our banks, our financials, our stock markets,
• They are critical and make sure the integrity of that system works.
• We have to be leaders by example, treat each other with dignity and respect, integrity, like we do on

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, heard the daily invocation, approved the previous day’s journal, and received a House message announcing passage of H.C.R. 54, which authorizes the legislature to adjourn for more than three days during a specified period. The chamber then took up several recognitions, including Senate Resolution 8 honoring Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants Advocacy Day, a recognition of the Texas A&M University System Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council, a delegation from Dimmit County, and the doctor of the day, Dr. Hosey Hinojosa. The main floor business centered on Senate Resolution 15, commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the start of Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week. Senators King, Menendez, Bettencourt, Perry, Hughes, Hinojosa, Campbell, Hall, Cook, Paxton, West, Parker, and others spoke in support, emphasizing Holocaust history, the rise of anti-Semitism, the importance of education, and solidarity with Israel. The resolution was adopted without objection, and Senator Bettencourt moved to add all senators’ names. The Senate also adopted Senate Resolution 17, recognizing Sexual Assault Survivors Day, with remarks focused on the prevalence of sexual violence, underreporting, support for survivors, and the need for prevention and stronger systems of response. The Senate then adopted Senate Resolution 14 in memory of Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse Vargas, who was killed in the line of duty, with Senators Middleton and Huffman highlighting his service and using the occasion to call for tougher measures against violent offenders. Additional resolutions SR 3, SR 4, SR 5, SR 6, SR 7, SR 11, and SR 12 were adopted together, and SR 54 granting permission for adjournment for more than three days was approved by a 31-0 roll call vote. The chamber also recognized Leadership Frisco Class No. 28 and later honored former Senator Dr. Joe J. Bernal and, upon adjournment, Sergeant Mark Allen Butler of the Navasota Police Department. The Senate adjourned until 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 29, 2025, in memory of Deputy Vargas and Sergeant Butler.

Transcript Highlights:

• of those uh units and and integrity of those uh units and and potentially<00:21:57.520> expand
• Um, so my questions revolve around technology, business development, and a forward strategy integration
• Um, so my questions revolve around technology, business development, and a forward strategy integration
• will be made to integrate will be made to integrate uh<00:28:16.000> department<00:28:16.399
• <00:29:59.360> between<00:29:59.679> business Strategy integration between business

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will work hard, serve with integrity, and be held accountable for our decisions.
• We will work hard, serve with integrity, and be held accountable for our decisions.
• We will work hard, serve with integrity, and be held accountable for our decisions.
• We will work hard, serve with integrity, and be held accountable for our decisions.
• <02:19:53.800> and<02:19:53.960> be<02:19:54.160> held integrity and be held integrity

Keywords: House Agenda:, 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• passed a number of pieces of legislation and you will see one more round coming from us on program integrity
• passed a number of pieces of legislation and you will see one more round coming from us on program integrity
• passed a number of pieces of legislation and you will see one more round coming from us on program integrity
• c> program one more round coming from us on program one more round coming from us on program integrity
• around the human services work integrity around the human services work that<00:09:44.320> continues

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• public because I think it's important for the public to know and it's important for us to act with integrity
• public because I think it's important for the public to know and it's important for us to act with integrity
• know and it's important for us to act know and it's important for us to act with<00:08:45.519> integrity
• <00:08:47.519> Um,<00:08:47.839> but<00:08:48.080> no with integrity and we
• Um, but no with integrity and we are.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not integrated.
• It's not integrated.
• My short answer would be it would lie in how we integrate and operationalize...
• My short answer would be it would lie in how we integrate and operationalize a revised set of targets
• And I think that if we can broaden that and better integrate it, that's going to be something that I

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee met in a special hearing and took up SB 638 by Senator Padilla, a workforce development bill aimed at creating a coordinating entity called the Middle Class Pipeline Project. The bill would streamline interagency education and workforce programs, improve career technical education and career pathways, and direct resources toward high-unemployment, low-income regions through changes to the CTE incentive grant program. Supporters, including the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the California Edge Coalition, National University, Long Beach City College, and United Ways of California, argued that California needs a statewide coordinating body to reduce silos, improve access to high-quality jobs, and better align education with labor market needs. Committee members focused heavily on whether the proposed entity would duplicate existing bodies such as the California Workforce Development Board and other education/workforce agencies, and whether its broad duties could be carried out with the $1.5 million budget allocation. The author said the bill is intended to move an operational coordinating entity into broader tri-party negotiations with legislative leadership and the Governor, and that the final structure and staffing would depend on those talks. Some members supported the concept but raised concerns about scope, duplication, and whether the bill should be delayed or audited; one member opposed it as too broad and underfunded. The committee ultimately voted to pass SB 638 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a courtesy vote. The roll call showed five ayes and three noes, with one member not voting, and the chair later allowed additional members to add on, including an additional aye from Assemblymember Haney. The hearing then adjourned with the chair noting that further conversations would continue on the coordinating entity and its responsibilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, I want ...integration with existing building permit software systems.
• The goal is to protect communities, uphold legal gaming integrity, and stop bad actors who profit from
• for my reappointment, but I also want to reaffirm the Commission's commitment to maintaining the integrity
• If confirmed, I will bring diligence, integrity, and a commitment to accountability to the commission
• at a sensitive intersection between economic activity, public trust, consumer protection, and the integrity

Bills: S0468, S0822, S1234, S1260, S1580, S1706

Keywords: animal cruelty, reporting, veterinary, protection, liability, regulation, community association, management certification, Florida Statutes, certified manager, association governance, building permits, inspections, offsite construction, local government, housing, property regulation, construction standards, state of emergency, emergency response

Summary: The committee heard and approved several bills. SB 468 would require veterinarians and veterinary technicians to report suspected animal cruelty to law enforcement or animal control and allow release of patient records in good faith; it was reported favorably with support from animal welfare groups. SB 1706 narrows eligibility for the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to buildings with at least 80% owner-occupied units and residents at or below 80% of area median income, and it also passed favorably. SB 1234 on building permits and inspections was amended extensively to clarify permit exemptions, private-provider rules, and timelines, then reported favorably as a committee substitute. SB 1260, dealing with building inspections after emergencies, was amended to require state-term contracts for inspection vendors and then passed. SB 822 would require professionally managed community associations above a budget threshold; an amendment raised the threshold to $750,000, added a parcel-count trigger, and allowed direct-hire credentialed managers, after which the bill was reported favorably. SB 1580 would increase penalties for illegal gaming operations, add enforcement tools, and clarify procedures for veterans organizations; after removing a fantasy sports provision, it also passed favorably. The committee also heard from several appointees and reappointees to the Public Service Commission and Florida Gaming Control Commission. Public Service Commission nominees Anna Ortega and Robert Payne were questioned closely about utility hardening projects, ratepayer costs, and the role of the Office of Public Counsel. Gaming Commission reappointee Julie Brown and appointees William Spacola, John DeQuilla, Peter Cutterman, and Tina Rep discussed illegal gaming enforcement, audits, agency operations, and their backgrounds in law, regulation, law enforcement, and public service. Several members raised concerns about contract timing and evidence handling at the Gaming Commission, while others praised the nominees’ experience and service. At the end of the meeting, the committee voted to recommend confirmation of all appointees on tabs 1 through 7. Members then requested favorable placement on the record for specific bills, including SB 468, SB 1234, SB 1260, SB 1580, and SB 1706, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• and district administration, one for district and IT, instructional technology folks, classroom integration
• tech and computer science education, and so one of the things I do is I support our faculty in integrating
• I think the question of academic integrity is one that we're all concerned about: how do students, how
• You know, we talk about academic integrity.
• So it's just a challenge to the thought of academic integrity, data privacy, all this.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education Pre-K through 12 met to hear a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in K-12 education. Dr. Maya Israel of the University of Florida gave an overview of AI literacy, the benefits of AI for personalized learning and teacher support, and the risks involving data privacy, overreliance, hallucinations, and misuse. She described the Florida K-12 AI Task Force, which published statewide guidance in March and is now providing professional development, case studies, surveys, and resources for teachers and families. She also noted that teacher preparation programs and microcredentials are being developed, but there is not yet a statewide baseline standard for teacher AI training. Superintendents Van Ayers of Hillsborough County and Kevin Hendrick of Pinellas County described district policies and implementation efforts. Hillsborough adopted an AI governance policy, created an implementation guide, and set rules barring generative AI use for students in pre-K through 7th grade while allowing limited, teacher-approved use for older students with district-vetted tools. Pinellas emphasized digital responsibility, parent transparency, data-use agreements, and a governance process for approving tools. Both districts said AI is being used for lesson planning, tutoring, reading-level adjustments, scheduling, and other administrative tasks, but they do not yet have reliable evidence that AI is improving academic performance. They also discussed teacher training, stipends, and certification efforts, including partnerships with universities and vendors such as Microsoft, Google, Magic School, and Gemini. Drew Allen of FSU Inspire offered an industry-focused perspective, arguing that AI is not new but that education must adapt more quickly to industry needs. He described Inspire’s workforce and research mission, its AI and robotics training for teachers, and the need to build teacher comfort and confidence through incentives and applied training. Committee members raised concerns about student dependence on AI, academic integrity, mental health, moral decision-making, data privacy, and whether schools should return to more paper-based testing. The panel generally agreed that AI should be used with strong guardrails, human oversight, and a balance between technology use and traditional learning. No legislation was considered, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which was adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• each of these departments or agencies have, I guess, varying levels of expertise that know how to integrate
• Integrate.
• within the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, which includes the California Cybersecurity Integration
• Since our codification by Assembly Member Irwin in 2018, CalSIC has become a thriving integration center
• They limit interactions and integrations with third-party providers, making it difficult to diversify

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity and the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management held a joint informational hearing focused on maximizing the value of state cybersecurity investments, especially by fully using security features already included in existing vendor contracts. The first panel included representatives from Microsoft, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks, who described the products and services they provide to California and generally agreed that agencies often have strong adoption in some areas but still face challenges from tool overlap, limited staff, lack of awareness of available features, and the need for ongoing training and configuration support. They also discussed major threats such as ransomware, data loss, attack-surface exposure, IoT/OT vulnerabilities, and the growing role of AI in both attacks and defenses. Members pressed the vendors on whether state departments underuse purchased cybersecurity tools, how to improve utilization, and how to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage. The vendors said utilization is often constrained by staffing, procurement complexity, and the need to align tools with agency missions and maturity levels, but emphasized that training, leadership buy-in, and regular vendor-agency collaboration can improve results. They also discussed how AI can help with phishing triage, data-loss prevention, and security operations, while warning that agencies must manage AI safely and with human oversight. The second panel featured officials from the Department of Technology, Cal OES/CalSIC, and the California Military Department. They described statewide oversight efforts including audits, independent security assessments, continuous monitoring, advisory services, vulnerability disclosure programs, and workforce development initiatives such as the Information Security Leadership Academy and Cybersecurity Education Summit. Officials said some underutilization is real, but it is often tied to differing agency maturity, overlapping tools, and deliberate feature restrictions to reduce attack surface and complexity; they emphasized a balanced approach using people, process, and technology, with plans of action and milestones to hold departments accountable. They also noted federal uncertainty around MS-ISAC and the state and local cybersecurity grant program, saying California is advocating through federal partners and monitoring the impact. The hearing ended after public comment and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is really to help integrate pieces together, get ideas flowing together.
• We're integrating their support structure within our accounting framework.
• And with that is also the ancillary and third-party integrations.
• Expensive and complex upgrades, outdated user experience, integration limitations.
• Data analytics, workflow, integration, interoperability.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're discussing how we're moving forward on different things to integrate into the services.
• It's how are we processing the P cards and such and integrating the mentor system.
• But there is time and effort on how to get all of this integrated, and so it's going really well.
• We have to do those separately, but we are integrating them in as much as possible.
• We have to do those separately, but we are integrating them in as much as possible.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:51:14.880> and move towards stronger integration and move towards stronger integration
• We know that maybe the Achilles heel that's recognized is cross-agency integration.
• <00:52:06.640> with which has to do with integration with which has to do with integration
• recognized is cross agency integration. recognized is cross agency integration.
• authority for cross agency integration authority for cross agency integration or<00:52:28.800>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 2693 relating to capital improvement projects for aerospace infrastructure. Members had no questions, and the recommendation to pass the bill with a defective date of July 1, 2050 was adopted unanimously. The committee then deferred decision making on Senate Bill 26980 relating to transportation and Senate Bill 2374 relating to the blue economy until Thursday, February 19, 2026, in Room 229, pending additional information. In the joint hearing on Senate Bill 2816 relating to state enterprise zones, agencies and organizations including DBEDT, HTDC, Taxation, the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Oceanit, the Hawaii Medical Association, and the Queen’s Health System testified in support or submitted written comments. One public testifier urged expanding enterprise zones around the Kakaako/Cancer Center area and combining them with the foreign trade zone to reduce taxes and attract business. A senator questioned whether the enterprise zone program had ever been comprehensively evaluated, noting DBEDT said it had not done a full study in recent years and cited annual report figures including about $221 million in company revenues and $460,000 in foregone state revenue in 2022. The discussion focused on whether the bill would subsidize existing activity or support new economic development, and on the broader policy question of whether enterprise zones should be used to revitalize depressed areas or to target strategic sectors like health care technology. The committee then heard Senate Bill 2900 relating to sports officials. The Department of Education supported the measure, saying the Attorney General is best positioned to represent employees in temporary restraining order matters and that elevating intentional bodily injury of a sports official to a class B felony would improve safety. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing it would escalate conduct already covered by existing assault statutes and go beyond other protected classes. The Department of the Attorney General recommended narrowing the bill by inserting “substantial” before bodily injury in the criminal section and deleting a section that would make the AG’s office act like plaintiff’s counsel in civil matters, suggesting instead that departments adopt policies to help employees obtain TROs without creating an open-ended civil representation role. Several sports and school-related organizations testified in support, and members discussed whether the bill should be narrowed or coordinated with other measures before further action.