Transcript Highlights:

• The rising cost of groceries, utilities, and other essentials compounds this issue.
• <01:16:49.440> of The rising cost of housing and the cost of utilities, groceries, and other
• He said the state's cost of living is a leading factor.
• Massachusetts and California on the cost Massachusetts and California on the cost of<01:21:07.800
• <01:21:15.360> of people Liv in Hawaii are the cost of people Liv in Hawaii are the cost of

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee on Economic Development and Technology met on February 7, 2025, to hear testimony on several bills and later take up amendments and votes. HB 1405, HB 1406, and HB 1407 drew broad support from business, housing, utility, and development groups, with no opposition noted on those measures. Testifiers generally said the bills would streamline permitting, improve coordination, and expand support for chambers of commerce and small businesses. After recess, the chair recommended amendments to each bill, including changes to broaden eligibility, add reporting requirements, and include funding and staffing notes. HB 1405 was amended to allow certain projects with one state and one county permit to qualify, require annual DBEDT reports to the Legislature, and note one full-time position and $125,000 in funding; the committee voted to pass it with amendments. HB 1406 was amended to move the intergovernmental task force from DBEDT to the House Legislature, add a Speaker-appointed chair, and include a $125,000 appropriation note; it also passed with amendments. HB 1407 was amended to convert the chamber support from a grant process to an RFP process and require a 1-to-5 match on a $100,000 award; it too passed with amendments. In each case, the chair’s recommendation was adopted, with Representative Tam excused. The committee also heard HB 796, a tax-credit review bill, which drew no support and 12 opposition testimonies with three comments. Opponents, including SAG-AFTRA Hawaii, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, Catholic Charities Hawaii, and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, argued that automatic sunset provisions or broad tax-credit cuts would burden working families and that existing review mechanisms already exist under state law. The Department of Taxation and DBEDT offered technical comments, and the Tax Foundation suggested the bill’s goals might be better addressed by cleaning up the existing review process. Later, the committee heard HB 303, which had 17 supporters and no opposition. Testifiers from the Department of Health, University of Hawaii, Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Queen’s Health System, and the Hawaii State Chiropractors Association supported the measure, with the chiropractors asking to be included in eligibility. The Hawaii State Center for Nursing said the program had been successful for five years and had room to expand. HB 577 also drew support, with the Department of Taxation offering comments and the Tax Foundation noting technical issues. HB 949 generated mixed testimony: Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce supported it, while Hawaii Children’s Action Network raised concerns about the bill’s effects and the lack of fiscal analysis; Sugar Creek Capital also supported the measure and clarified that the credit would not offset the GET. Finally, HB 933 and HB 959 were heard, with HB 933 receiving six support testimonies and comments focused on grocery tax relief and food insecurity, and HB 959 drawing strong support from labor and advocacy groups for its broad tax relief package, while the Tax Foundation and Hawaii Appleseed urged caution about the proposed 50% GET increase and asked for clearer fiscal analysis.

Transcript Highlights:

• Every month waiting on approval is adding significant costs to the overall development, whether it's
• carrying costs, changes in the insurance markets, or just time lost on housing families that need it,
• Third-party inspections do not replace the city.
• That's not our goal, to replace the city completely, but we complement it.
• These costs don't just affect builders.

Bills: SB208, SB628, SB777, SB1042, SB2354, SB2477, SB2521, SB2523, SB2608, SB2703, SB2778, SB2835, SB2965, SB2367, SB3044

Keywords: workforce housing, capital investment fund, affordable housing, housing development, Texas housing laws, loan programs, community development, Texas housing, zero-interest loans, low-income housing, nonprofit organizations, construction, economic stability, housing affordability, capital investment, Texas housing policy, county fire code, fire marshal, local government code, interlocal agreement

Transcript Highlights:

• This is in addition to, and not to replace, the teams within each division that are already handling
• and to cover the cost of repair, replacement, and removal of the stadium.
• The authority reported that its excess cash reserves are needed for the cost of future repair, replacement
• The authority reported that its excess cash reserves are needed for the cost of future repair, replacement
• We replaced the sport lighting.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• those things come with additional costs those things come with additional costs to<02:20:14.319>
• Cost of product keeps going up.
• High costs are the primary driver.
• High costs are the primary driver.
• They need to replace them.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What would replace something like glyphosate in our crop management and the increased cost of it?
• cost of it?
• cost.
• Now, if we diesel cost and labor cost.
• cost, and interest rates rising? cost, and interest rates rising?

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:18 University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics Presentation 00:02:18 Farm Credit Mid-America Presentation 01:12:41, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And how that compares to other major cost centers of government and the kind of like opportunity costs
• So, key cost drivers that we look at on slide 23. The cost per person, the number of people.
• Have disproportionately large per member costs.
• I, I mean, to the state, what is the cost?
• Is it worth replacing?

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the only industry I can think of that can cause As an unacceptable cost of growth.
• A two-year sunset gives Congress time to replace this outdated law with targeted reforms that preserve
• But at least we need to get rid of 230 and replace it.
• It's going to cost millions of dollars, and it has some danger to us. Thank you.
• So I think with the full diversity coming online, this should be a minimal cost to taxpayers.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Access Replacement System Project, or CARS Project, will implement a new data-driven system replacing
• So we don't know the cost.
• The cost likely will be falling to the counties, but the state might get caught up in those costs as
• And real estate costs have skyrocketed.
• I also wanted to mention the cost.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This will allow the cities to recoup their land cost.
• <00:06:57.600> So,<00:06:57.760> if cities to recoup their land cost.
• So, if cities to recoup their land cost.
• Um, okay, I'll offer the amendment, which you should have a copy of, that says replace line 23 on page
• uh that says replace line 23 on page one uh that says replace line 23 on page one with<00:07:25.640><

Bills: SB325, SB370

Keywords: AIDT, Alabama Industrial Development Training Institute, Department of Commerce, procurement, competitive bidding, contract review, legislative oversight, economic development, workforce development, Strategic Workforce Plan, state purchasing, state contracts, public procurement, exemption, higher education, universities, community colleges, public hospitals, health care procurement, transportation procurement

Transcript Highlights:

• Everybody's got a copy of the one that 16 KP 332 to replace line 37? Yeah, got it. Okay, all right.
• I believe this is a low-cost, high-reward program and a good first step... ...high-reward program and
• So, I don't know that there's a way to compare the cost of a million... ...a way to compare the cost
• So, what this bill does is replace lines 28 through 29 on pages 1 through 2 with... ...through 29 on
• Replace line 84 on page three with the following preliminary... ...three with the following preliminary

Bills: HB30, HB35, HB72, HB89, HB30, HB35

Keywords: elections, post-election audit, election audit, risk-limiting audit, ballot audit, election integrity, voter confidence, Secretary of State, judge of probate, canvassing board, poll watchers, ballot containers, manual tally, recount, county election, statewide election, general election, absentee ballots, provisional ballots, election transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• Enhancement of the work we do and not a replacement of the work that our educators do.
• A couple of questions here: Do you anticipate a cost, or would a cost possibly be associated with that
• Yes, so there is a cost, obviously, to train teachers, to have staff do it.
• Do you anticipate a cost or would a cost possibly be associated with that for you or the instructor,
• Yes, so there is a cost, obviously, to train teachers, to have staff do it.

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:

• cost savings effort.
• cost savings effort.
• other times there are not there's a cost other times there are not there's a cost Associated<00:
• Senator Nelson asked how much it costs to hold an academy.
• <01:27:27.920> and it was designated as a replacement and it was designated as a replacement

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• relative to the current cost of the system.
• At the time when we studied it, it was cost-prohibitive relative to the current cost of the system.
• So sometimes it's just being replaced by a different union.
• So sometimes it's just being replaced by a different union.
• So after the election, we tabulate what the costs are.

Summary: The subcommittee first heard a lengthy Auditor General presentation on the Department of Management Services’ fleet management operations. The audit found major problems with oversight, recordkeeping, policies, fee-setting, purchase and disposal approvals, public auction controls, and FleetWave system access and processing. Key findings included that 2,279 vehicles valued at more than $57 million could not be matched between FleetWave and FLAIR, disposal records were missing or incomplete, user access remained active long after employees separated, and the department had not documented a reasonable basis for its $1.75 per-vehicle monthly fee. Members expressed strong concern about the accuracy of the state’s fleet inventory and the risk of waste or misuse. DMS Secretary Allende said the department concurred with the findings, was working with the Auditor General, and planned corrective actions, including better training, clearer guidance, improved reconciliation, and possible centralization or pilot programs for fleet purchasing and management. The committee then returned to vacancy discussions with several agencies. The Division of Administrative Hearings said its two long-vacant judges of compensation claims positions had been hard to fill because of low pay and short reappointment terms, but the chief judge said the division could operate without them and offered those positions up as part of a reduction exercise. The Public Service Commission reported 42 vacancies but said statutory deadlines were still being met, though staff workloads and depth of analysis were affected. The commission also said vacancies help it manage salaries within its trust-fund budget. Members questioned whether some of those positions were truly needed given the lack of delays. The Florida Gaming Control Commission reported 29 vacancies, including a vacant chair that prevented appointment of an inspector general, and said the chair vacancy was a gubernatorial appointment issue. The acting executive director also said the commission’s compulsive gambling prevention program had lapsed after no responsive bids were received for a new contract, but an invitation to negotiate was nearly complete and a new provider was expected soon. The Public Employee Relations Commission reported that its caseload had more than doubled after Senate Bill 256, which increased union recertification work; it said it was meeting deadlines only with overtime and that the workload had not fallen despite decertifications. Members asked for follow-up data on union cases, vacancy needs, and whether some positions across agencies could be reallocated to better match workload.

Transcript Highlights:

• The the amendment would replace >> Yes.
• billions<00:10:42.079> and costing these projects cost billions and costing these projects
• Uh, cost to the community.
• <00:25:30.640> and that may influence industry costs and that may influence industry costs
• Is is this Uh cost to the community.

Bills: HB61, HB176, SB12

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This legislation hurts lower-income workers by replacing the progressive wage replacement structure in
• It's a flat cost; their costs have been stable. Customer service is running very high.
• It's a flat cost; their costs have been stable. Customer service is running very high.
• It's a flat cost; their costs have been stable. Customer service is running very high.
• It's a flat cost; their costs have been stable. Customer service is running very high.

Bills: HF1976

Keywords: paid leave, family leave, employment law, Minnesota statute, benefit eligibility, seasonal employment, workforce, labor rights, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• would this be a replace all amendment? would this be a replace all amendment?
• happened uh in the replacement. happened uh in the replacement.
• what is the political climate replaced?
• There's not really any cost involved to it.
• technology that might cost technology that might cost a<02:46:09.760> greater<02:46:10.080

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It replaces the entire bill with the paragraph that says any person charged with a felony offense or
• But we know that there will and can be more cost-intensive and less cost-intensive periods of incarceration
• But before that, I want to ask Representative Henry, does he know how much this program costs?
• And then on page 1, line 13, it is removing all of the be it resolved paragraphs to replace them with
• a single piece. all of the, be it resolved paragraphs, to replace them with a single paragraph that

Summary: The committee heard a long agenda of criminal justice measures, with several bills and resolutions reported favorably and others rejected or deferred. Representative Baham’s HB 255, as substituted, would enhance penalties for certain felony or rioting offenses committed while wearing a mask to evade identification, with exceptions for religious, motorcycle, and medical coverings; it was reported favorably after opposition from the ACLU and support from law enforcement groups. His HB 378, as amended, narrowed a vehicle-obstruction offense to first responders and was also reported favorably. HB 1090, increasing penalties for arson of a religious building, was reported favorably with support from the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops. HR 272, requesting a study of parental discipline, abuse allegations, and juvenile delinquency, was reported favorably after sponsor testimony about confusion over current law. HB 479, the “Fiscal Truth and Sentencing Act,” sought quarterly reporting on incarceration costs and sentencing impacts; despite support from the ACLU and opposition from clerks of court over an unfunded mandate, it failed on a 4-7 roll call. HR 278, asking the Attorney General to review electronic monitoring laws and make recommendations, was reported favorably after testimony from advocates and supporters of tighter oversight. HR 273, creating a task force to study work-release programs, was also reported favorably, while SB 278 was voluntarily deferred. The committee also considered several high-profile social policy measures. HB 261, by Representative Boyd, would create an exception to abortion restrictions for rape and certain sex offenses; the hearing featured extensive emotional testimony from survivors, clergy, and legislators on both sides, but the bill was rejected on a 2-10 vote. HCR 100, as amended, urged the Gaming Control Board to ensure due diligence in proposed casino acquisitions with attention to economic development, job creation, and community benefit; the amendment resolved industry concerns and the resolution was reported favorably. SB 448, concerning the Office of the State Public Defender, was amended to add procedures for expert-witness funding disputes, sealed contradictory hearings, and interlocutory review, then reported favorably. SB 135, which would redirect sports wagering revenue away from a capped sports fund and toward early childhood seats, drew opposition from university-related interests but no motion was made. Finally, HB 778 on kratom was presented as a narrower approach that would ban synthetic and semi-synthetic kratom while allowing regulated natural products; testimony included concerns about harm, business impacts, and claimed benefits for pain management and PTSD, and the discussion was still underway at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We would replace the culvert.
• We replaced four miles of new wire and new fence.
• It's a 75-25 cost share, so it's 75% federal and 25% state and local.
• They can potentially be a sponsor, a method to move money to do the cost share.
• It costs a lot of money to go across 300 acres.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can estimate or think of how much this would actually cost if this could be done.
• If we try to go through the cost of trying to change those documents—and me, being a petroleum engineer
• Replace line 21 on page one with the following: Section 1.
• Replace lines 41 through 42 on page two with the following: Compliance would impose an... ...following
• Replace line 26 on page one with the following: Section 2.

Bills: HB1, HB247, HB1

Keywords: DUI, driving under the influence, ignition interlock, interlock device, driver license suspension, restricted license, motor vehicle, alcohol offense, first offense, repeat offender, blood alcohol concentration, BAC, license revocation, Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA, public safety, traffic safety, chemical dependency, substance abuse, court referral program

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, everybody should have it in front of them, but what it does, it replaces line 37 on page two with
• :16.720> it in front of them, but what it does, it in front of them, but what it does, it replaces
• 05:18.400> page<00:05:18.800> two<00:05:19.680> uh<00:05:19.759> with replaces
• line 37 on page two uh with replaces line 37 on page two uh with following<00:05:20.960> uh<00
• so that's really the mechanism I cost so that's really the mechanism I in<00:07:54.400> my<00

Keywords: 1136, house, all