Video & Transcript Research : 'split sentencing'
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HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
HSH Public Hearing - Tue Feb 11, 2025 @ 9:45 AM HST
Human Services & Homelessness
Transcript Highlights:
- >
they ability to enhance a sentence if they ability to enhance a sentence if they feel<00:07: - extended sentencing extended sentencing to<00:13:25.640>
be <00:13:25.800>able <00: - sentence on top of that. sentence on top of that.
- What wide range of sentencing options.
- pre-sentence report. pre-sentence report.
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on HB 963, which would make crimes against elders age 60 and over strict liability offenses by removing the requirement that the perpetrator knew or should have known the victim’s age. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing that removing the state-of-mind element would create unfair and subjective results and suggesting sentencing enhancements or broader vulnerability-based language instead. Supporters, including Sandy Wong and another testifier with elder-abuse experience, said the current knowledge requirement creates a loophole that lets offenders avoid the elder enhancement even when they target vulnerable older adults. No vote was taken on the measure in the portion provided.
The committee also heard HB 384, which increases penalties for promoting minor-produced sexual images, extends probation terms for felony obscenity offenses, tolls the statute of limitations during a victim’s minority, and requires sex offender registration for certain felony obscenity offenses involving minors. The Public Defender opposed the bill as overly broad and warned of absurd results, while the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney supported it, saying the bill addresses sextortion and other exploitation cases where adults solicit images from minors and that the 3-year age-gap threshold preserves ordinary teen relationships. Committee members questioned whether the bill was aimed at adults only and whether the age-gap carveout was narrow enough; the prosecutor said it was intended to cover adult predators and not consensual peer conduct. No final action was reported.
HB 1100, which renames the Neighbor Islands Blind and Visually Impaired Service Pilot Program to use “low vision” instead of “visually impaired,” was supported by the Department of Human Services and disability advocates, who said the current term is derogatory and that the change responds to the blind community. The department said it was beginning work on administrative rules and expected to seek an appropriation, with implementation hoped for in 2026. The committee then heard HB 1283, exempting paternity proceedings from mediation when domestic abuse is alleged; the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and others supported it as consistent with divorce law and important for survivor safety. HB 689, creating safe harbor protections for survivors of sexual exploitation who seek medical or law enforcement help, drew support from HPD, Emua Alliance, the Judiciary, and others, who said it would prevent traffickers from using prostitution charges to silence victims. Finally, HB 383, reinstating mandatory minimum jail terms for successive violations of protective orders and removing the court’s ability to suspend those minimums, drew opposition from the Public Defender, who said some repeat violations stem from mental health or substance use issues, and support from the Prosecuting Attorney, who argued the bill treats protective orders like temporary restraining orders and preserves judicial discretion within a misdemeanor framework.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Appropriations Feb 12th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- a gang and commits a crime will receive the maximum sentence allowed for that crime.
- There was already the potential of prison sentence.
- In that instance, 500 criminal aliens conditionally commuted their sentences.
- A person who is convicted of this must be sentenced to just over a year.
- They could take that, and that also is eligible for a life sentence.
Summary:
The Senate Appropriations Committee met to hear SB 2-C, a major immigration enforcement bill sponsored by Senator Gruters and co-introduced by Senator Fine. The sponsor described the bill as a response to federal immigration priorities and said it replaces a single immigration officer with a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, expands local-federal cooperation, increases penalties for crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants, requires detention in certain cases, broadens information sharing, funds detention-bed expansion and law-enforcement training, and ends in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. The bill also includes provisions related to sanctuary policies, voter fraud, transport of unauthorized aliens, and driver’s license-related offenses. The sponsor said the bill appropriates roughly $300 million overall, including $250 million for grants and $48 million for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for interdiction and border-related enforcement work.
Committee members questioned the bill’s scope, costs, and implementation. Senators focused heavily on the tuition-waiver repeal, asking how many students would be affected and whether the bill would harm students who have long lived in Florida. They also pressed on whether the bill should include stronger E-Verify provisions, how sanctuary-policy enforcement would work, whether local officials could be penalized for policy choices, and how immigration status would be verified in court and jail settings. The sponsor and Senator Fine said the tuition waiver would be removed for undocumented students, that the bill does not address E-Verify, and that the measure is intended to make immigration status a factor in detention and sentencing. Questions also addressed detention-bed capacity, reimbursement rates, and whether corrections staff would receive bonuses or salary increases; sponsors said bonuses are included for participating law enforcement, while broader salary issues would be handled in the regular budget process.
Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters and information-only witnesses, including Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and former officials, said the bill would help Florida coordinate with federal authorities, expand bed space, and close loopholes in existing immigration enforcement. Opponents from the Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU of Florida, Florida Policy Institute, labor groups, and immigrant advocates argued the bill is unconstitutional, likely to trigger litigation, and harmful to families, schools, and the economy. They warned that the pretrial detention provisions could lead to wrongful detentions and that the tuition changes would reduce access to higher education and cost the state tuition revenue. No final vote is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee continued through public comment and extended the meeting to complete the agenda.
NV
Transcript Highlights:
- make the language so that when you are hiring a full-time one, this language covers so that if you're split
- contracting, you are resolved of this issue, if you are split contracting, and you can answer that.
- full-time one, this language covers so that if you're, you are resolved of this issue, if you are split
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
House - Appropriations and Finance Mar 20th, 2025
House Appropriations & Finance
Transcript Highlights:
- I usually it's kind of split down the middle, or maybe not the middle.
- It's kind of split on the two-thirds to one-third side, where I'm around.
- Tewa, you know, there are six villages that speak various dialects of Tewa, so we didn't You know, split
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government (2-18-26)
State & Local Government
Transcript Highlights:
- I am Nicole Porter, senior director of advocacy with the Sentencing Project, a national research and
- And the sentencing pro project Columbia.
- restores voting rights after sentence restores voting rights after sentence completion<00:18:52.559
- That is served by the judiciary. >> Thank you. >> They've gotten their sentence.
- >> They've<00:20:27.600>
gotten <00:20:27.840>their <00:20:28.000>sentence.
Keywords:
Meeting Start: 00:05
Attendance Roll Call: 00:10
SB 70 Discussion: 00:58
SB 70 Vote: 04:36
SB 80 Discussion: 05:16
SB 80 Vote: 31:45
SB 127 Discussion: 32:30
SB 127 Vote: 39:38
SB 154 Discussion: 41:25
SB 154 Vote:
Adjournment: 47:14, 958, all
Summary:
The committee first considered Senate Bill 70, which would modify the Public Pension Oversight Board by adding one House member and one Senate member, automatically placing the House and Senate chairs of state and local government on the board, adding the state treasurer, broadening who the Speaker and Senate President may appoint, and reducing the governor’s board appointments from two to one. After a brief procedural correction about a committee substitute, the bill was explained and then passed by a 9-0 favorable vote.
The committee then heard Senate Bill 80, a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to people with felony convictions after they complete imprisonment, probation, and parole, while excluding certain offenses such as election fraud, violent felonies, sex offenses, and crimes against children. The sponsor and Senator Herron argued that Kentucky’s current system is confusing and leaves the state as one of the few with lifetime disenfranchisement, while witnesses from the Sentencing Project, the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, and an advocacy group for people with lived experience supported restoration but urged a simpler, broader, automatic approach without offense-based carveouts. Committee members raised questions about implementation, clerk guidance, and how the proposal interacts with expungement and gubernatorial pardons; one senator specifically asked whether serious offenders, including child rapists, would regain voting rights under a broader version, and the witness answered yes. The bill passed with a favorable expression by an 8-1 vote.
The transcript then began discussion of Senate Bill 127, also sponsored by Senator Hickden, but the exchange was cut off before the bill was fully explained or any vote was taken.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Election Laws Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Election Laws
Transcript Highlights:
- of oppression, from slavery to redlining, but modern-day practices in which over-policing, over-sentencing
- I'm 75 years old and have been serving a natural life sentence for the past 40 years.
- I am Nicole Porter, Senior Director of Advocacy with the Sentencing Project, and I am requesting your
- Yes. their sentence inside of Prisoner Jail. Oh, can you hear me? Yes, sorry. Oh.
- Some of this comes out from the Sentencing Project. They have a report on that.
Summary:
The committee heard extensive testimony on S. 7 and H. 63, proposed constitutional amendments to restore voting rights to people incarcerated for felony convictions. Sponsors Rep. Erica Iderhoven and Sen. Liz Miranda argued that Massachusetts should reverse the 2000 disenfranchisement change, describing it as a recent and racially discriminatory policy that excludes thousands of residents—disproportionately Black and Latino—from civic participation. They said the amendment would put the question before voters, likely in 2028, and noted that implementation details such as domicile and where incarcerated people would register to vote would be handled separately through legislation and existing jail-based voting work.
A large number of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people testified in support, many speaking remotely from MCI Norfolk, MCI Shirley, and MCI Framingham. They said voting would affirm dignity, accountability, rehabilitation, and connection to community, and several described civic education programs inside the facilities that had helped them engage with public policy. Witnesses repeatedly characterized disenfranchisement as “civil death,” linked it to racial injustice and the legacy of slavery, and urged the committee to advance the bills favorably. A few speakers also addressed practical questions about voting location and domicile, with sponsors saying those issues are not specified in the constitutional amendment and would be worked out later.
Committee members asked several questions, including whether incarcerated people would vote in the community where they were incarcerated or where they previously lived, and whether future legislation could include carve-outs based on offense type or time served. Testifiers and sponsors generally said the amendment itself does not decide those implementation questions, and some said they would oppose carve-outs. One member raised a broader moral objection about allowing people convicted of serious crimes to vote; supporters responded that punishment should not erase democratic rights and that voting can support rehabilitation and reentry. No vote or final committee action was taken during the transcript provided.
The hearing also briefly included testimony on a separate matter, S. 521, a proposed ratification of the federal Child Labor Amendment. Witnesses supporting that measure warned against renewed child labor rollbacks in other states and argued Massachusetts should reaffirm protections for children and education. That portion of the hearing was separate from the voting-rights discussion.
LA
Transcript Highlights:
- A mandatory sentence tied purely to geography criminalizes place, not conduct.
- Mandatory sentences mean judges cannot weigh individual circumstances.
- Mandatory sentences mean judges cannot weigh individual circumstances.
- Now, the judge that there before has to sentence them to jail time.
- I was just looking at my phone when you said that last sentence.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Legislative Session Day 34 (2-25-26)
Kentucky Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- The question was whether our sentencing statutes clearly give judges the tools they need to consider
- caregiving responsibilities when establishing the appropriate sentence. care.
- strengthen Kucky's existing sentencing strengthen Kucky's existing sentencing framework<00:19:35.679
- awaiting sentencing or who are<00:22:08.400>
pregnant <00:22:08.640>at <00:22:08.880>- . sentencing. sentencing.
Summary:
The Senate convened with prayer and the pledge, called the roll, excused absent members, and approved the prior day’s journal. The chamber then received House messages noting passage of House Bills 1, 422, 568, and 627, and heard second-reading reports for several measures, including bills on the state dog breed, mortgage loan income limits, virtual currency kiosks, agriculture, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Committee reports also advanced a number of bills from Appropriations and Revenue, Health and Services, Natural Resources and Energy, and State and Local Government, with many sent to the Rules Committee for further action. New bills and resolutions were introduced, including measures on transportation, tobacco/nicotine/vapor products, Public Schools Week, and honoring Joseph H. Mattingley Jr.; the Rules Committee later posted several bills for the next day and committee referrals were announced.
The Senate then took up Senate Bill 98, relating to welding safety. The sponsor explained that the bill requires inspections by American Welding Society-certified personnel on certain projects where those standards apply, citing a prior school structure collapse in Kentucky as the public-safety rationale. After debate, the bill passed by a vote of 33-4. The chamber next considered Senate Bill 122, which updates alternative sentencing law to allow judges to consider caregiving responsibilities when sentencing defendants. A floor amendment, developed with input from judges, broadened and clarified the caretaker definition and moved the language into the existing sentencing statute while preserving judicial discretion. Supporters said the bill is intended to help keep families together without mandating probation or reducing penalties; after the amendment was adopted, the bill passed 35-2.
Later, the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 57 honoring Father Patrick McDow on his ordination, and Senate Resolution 60 was read in full to honor the YMCA on its 175th anniversary in the United States, highlighting the organization’s history and Kentucky service. Members also announced upcoming committee meetings, including a special Health Services Committee meeting on artificial intelligence in rural health, and other committee schedules. The session concluded with the Senate in recess for committee meetings and then returning to report additional committee referrals and announcements.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice
Transcript Highlights:
- They make up 37% of kids who are sentenced and committed to DYS as their sentence. Did the math?
- and committed to DYS as their sentence.
- So adult sentencing, adults, at the end of the, at the end of a, diversion.
- They had determinate sentences. And so, under that system, it's easier to factor in time served.
- They only have a six-month sentence.
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice held an informational hearing focused on diversion programs and services for high-risk youth, with no bills before the committee and no votes taken. The chair and members emphasized that the session was intended to hear from invited testimony and discuss how to strengthen diversion, reduce court involvement, and improve outcomes for youth. The committee heard first from the Office of the Child Advocate and diversion providers, who described the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program, its statewide expansion to 10 of 11 court counties, and its reported success rate of about 80% completion without reoffending. Testimony highlighted that diversion keeps youth out of court, connects them more quickly to community-based services, and can address needs such as mental health, education, and substance use. Witnesses also pointed to racial and ethnic disparities in arrests versus summonses, regional variation in diversion access, and the need for clearer statutory authority, more funding, and broader use of pre-arrest diversion.
Committee members asked about the difference between arrest and summons, who can initiate diversion, why arrest rates have increased relative to summonses, and how diversion might prevent harmful downstream consequences such as detention or immigration enforcement involvement. Witnesses said police, clerk magistrates, district attorneys, and judges can refer youth to diversion, and argued that local policy, training, and legislative changes could expand use. They also discussed the impact of detention on youth, including stigma, lost school time, and the lack of credit for time served in the juvenile system. Testimony from Citizens for Juvenile Justice focused on prevention, school discipline, and the school-to-prison pipeline, arguing for more restorative practices, better data, and legislation to limit suspensions and expulsions, especially for younger students and nonviolent conduct. They also raised concerns about DCF-involved and foster youth, who are disproportionately represented in the juvenile system.
The final panel, the Children's League of Massachusetts and transition-age youth providers, shifted to child welfare and young adult supports. They supported reducing court involvement in child requiring assistance cases, expanding family resource centers, and strengthening services for transition-age youth leaving DCF or DYS custody. Providers described housing instability, homelessness, and the need for education, employment, behavioral health, and supportive housing services for young adults ages 18 to 23. Across the hearing, witnesses consistently argued that early intervention, community-based supports, and diversion are more effective than court processing or detention for most youth, and that the legislature can help through funding, statutory clarity, expanded eligibility, and stronger data collection.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Fraud Committee Meeting - 2025-05-05
Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- Like that person I mentioned who got a prison sentence of 93 months.
- Because you haven't really talked about the sentencing.
- Wonka, are you asking for generally what the sentencing guidelines prescribe?
- That is a stayed prison sentence of one year and one day.
- to 17 years and I think the other one was sentenced to 16 years.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Courts, Corrections and Justice Aug 27th, 2025
Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- as an adult or sentenced as a juvenile.
- , but there are limitations on that sentencing.
- But I've heard that if they're given a two-year sentence, that time can be extended.
- It's a 24-month sentence, not years. And again, the same standards are applied.
- And that comes to court, back in front of the sentencing judge.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - Part 1 - 03/27/26
Judiciary and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- when half the sentence has been heard. when half the sentence has been heard.
- of the sentence being fully commuted. of the sentence being fully commuted.
- it's an It has to be an active sentence. it's an It has to be an active sentence.
- their sentence. their sentence.
- should have this sentence in the bill. should have this sentence in the bill.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- when committed against a law enforcement officer, to the list of offenses for which a court must sentence
- matter how mitigating the circumstance, that judge after a trial would have no discretion but to sentence
- what I believe to be the intent behind the bill, which is trying to ensure that there is a life sentence
- Could the prosecutors have achieved this sentence under current Florida law without a need for this bill
- Could they have achieved prosecuting successfully a life sentence in this case, this tragic case of our
Summary:
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met with a quorum present and took up several bills, beginning with SB 350 on public records for crime victims. Senator Graal explained that the bill clarifies victim privacy protections under the Florida Constitution and extends temporary confidentiality to the identity of an officer involved in a use-of-force incident for 72 hours, with a possible 60-day extension by written agency findings. Supporters including Marcy’s Law representatives and the Florida PBA said the measure protects victims and officers while preserving public access, and the committee reported the bill favorably.
The committee then heard SB 296 and SB 298, both by Senator Berman. SB 296, as amended, directs a feasibility study for a secure web-based silent alert system for domestic violence victims and expands Florida’s address confidentiality program to dating violence victims. SB 298 similarly extends address confidentiality protections to dating violence victims. Both bills received supportive testimony from advocates, including survivors and organizations such as Florida NOW and the Alliance for Safety and Justice, and both were reported favorably.
Members also approved SB 398, which replaces references to “child pornography” in Florida statutes with “child sexual abuse material,” and SB 168, which expands public nuisance law to include gambling houses and increases enforcement tools such as penalties, attorney fees, and foreclosure on unpaid fees. SB 54, as amended, was also reported favorably; the amendment broadened the bill’s scope from “mass shooter” to “violent offender,” clarified medical examiner duties, and added reporting requirements related to toxicology and psychotropic substances.
The most debated measure was SB 156, the Jason Raynor Act, which would revise resistance-to-arrest provisions and add an automatic life sentence for manslaughter committed against a law enforcement officer. Law enforcement groups supported the bill, but the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and some senators raised concerns about removing judicial discretion and eliminating language about unlawful arrests. After debate, the committee reported SB 156 favorably, with Vice Chair Smith voting no. Several other members later asked to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on multiple bills before adjournment.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Prioritizing Public Safety – Senator Ron Latz Apr 14th, 2025
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, it would create a task force on mandatory minimum sentences.
- Well, we haven't had a really comprehensive look at mandatory minimum sentences in Minnesota that I'm
- Um, and mandatory minimum sentences are one-size-fits-all sentences that judges are supposed to follow
- of default sentences when you get into certain categories of serious offenses and criminal history.
- when you get into of default sentences when you get into certain<00:07:49.440>
categories <00:
CO
Colorado 2026 Regular Session
Colorado House 2026 Legislative Day 101 Apr 24th, 2026
Colorado House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- But then you mandate the very next sentence.
- I couldn't hear that last sentence. >> Sorry, I need to stand closer to the microphone.
- couldn't<03:39:23.760>
hear <03:39:23.920>that <03:39:24.160>last <03:39:24.399>sentence - couldn't hear that last sentence. couldn't hear that last sentence.
Summary:
The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal from April 23, and then moved through announcements and recognitions before taking up third-reading business. Members recognized a guest connected to the Mason Museum and Learning Center in Aurora, honored the family of a bicyclist killed in a 2021 hit-and-run, and heard reminders about open enrollment and an upcoming Auctioneer Day fundraiser for nonpartisan staff. The chamber also welcomed guests from Concerned Women for America and celebrated a pair of birthdays with the capital choir.
On legislation, Senate Bill 95, concerning measures to support victim survivors of certain crimes without changing substantive criminal offenses, passed third reading 58-0 with five excused. House Bill 1132, which would increase pollinator habitats through conservation of native plant materials on state lands, passed 43-18 with four excused. House Bill 1130, requiring baby diaper changing stations in public restrooms, drew extensive debate: supporters said it would improve accessibility for parents and that small businesses were exempted or given flexibility, while opponents argued it was an unfunded mandate that would burden small businesses, raise installation and liability costs, and create safety and maintenance concerns. The bill ultimately passed 35-28 with two excused.
The chamber also passed Senate Bill 136, requiring reporting of missing livestock to the Department of Agriculture, by a vote of 63-0 with two excused, and House Bill 1287, continuing certain Division of Real Estate regulatory functions under the sunset process, by a vote of 49-14 with two excused. Senate Bill 43 was laid over until Monday. At the end of the excerpt, the House began receiving committee reports from Appropriations, listing several bills recommended for referral onward.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Working Group on Omnibus Transportation Bill - 06/06/25
Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Lee, I will be splitting up a hopefully brief spreadsheet walkthrough to begin with.
- This is for the Washington Avenue pedestrian bridge, and there's a split in the dollars used to fund
- This specifies that a person may not lane split or lane filter in certain types of road types.
- <00:37:23.920>
This splitting and lane filtering. This splitting and lane filtering. - context um for motorcycle lane splitting context um for motorcycle lane splitting and<00:37:56.400
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Senate Executive Departments and Administration (03/19/2025)
Executive Departments and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- So you're advocating for an equal split, absolute equal split?
- <02:25:50.640>
absolute <02:25:51.000>equal <02:25:51.279>split <02:25:51.760 - >
I'm equal split absolute equal split I'm equal split absolute equal split I'm advocating<02: - five and half so it generally ends split five and half so it generally ends up<02:26:49.000>
being - <02:27:19.880>
among split among split among um<02:27:21.399>among <02:27:21.800>parties
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- with the duty of meeting out sentencing with the duty of meeting out sentencing that's<00:16:09.240
- 70660.1 already addresses the sentencing 70660.1 already addresses the sentencing of<00:20:26.080
- 34.880>
people <00:20:35.600>with judges already sentenced people with judges already sentenced - people with mandatory<00:20:36.720>
sentences mandatory sentences mandatory sentences uh<00:20 - for firearms as well as for sentences for firearms as well as for ghost<00:21:29.039>
guns.
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs met on March 19, 2025, and heard testimony on several firearms-related bills. HB 125 would require firearm sellers or transferors to provide buyers notice about secure storage laws, expand secure-storage requirements, and clarify criminally negligent storage. The Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Education supported the bill. The Office of the Public Defender raised constitutional concerns under District of Columbia v. Heller and suggested narrowing the bill so a firearm need not be made inoperable when the lawful owner is home. Supporters, including Brady, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, veterans, and other advocates, said secure storage would reduce accidental shootings, youth access, theft, suicides, and school shootings. Opponents argued the bill was redundant, could criminalize victims of theft, and imposed strict liability. The committee noted 24 individuals in support and 103 in opposition.
The committee also heard HB 137, which would impose a mandatory prison term for violent felons who violate firearm or ammunition possession prohibitions. DLE, the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, and the Hawaii County Prosecutor supported the measure, arguing it targets repeat offenders and strengthens public safety. The Office of the Public Defender opposed mandatory sentencing, saying judges already have discretion to impose lengthy sentences and that mandatory terms can be inappropriate in some cases. The committee then heard HB 392, which would prohibit ghost guns and establish mandatory minimum sentencing for use of a ghost gun in a felony. DLE and the Honolulu Prosecutor supported it, while the Public Defender and several opponents said parts of the bill were redundant or could create definitional problems; the committee recorded five supporters and 70 opponents.
HB 995 would amend deadlines for annual firearms carry reporting by the Attorney General and county police chiefs. The Attorney General’s office and HPD supported the bill, with the Attorney General asking for more time for police departments to submit complete data and for the April 1 deadline to be removed. The committee also heard HB 664, which would create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a grant program, a resource bank, and a special fund. The Department of the Attorney General supported the concept but recommended consolidating the new office’s duties with the existing Gun Violence and Violent Crimes Commission to avoid duplication and possibly repealing the existing commission statute. DLE supported HB 664, while the Tax Foundation objected to the special fund. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
HSH Public Hearing - Tue Mar 11, 2025 @ 10:00 AM HST
Human Services & Homelessness
Transcript Highlights:
- And some may seek to assure you that murderers who torture children to death already face stiff sentences
- <00:08:24.720>
You <00:08:24.960>should already face stiff sentences. - You should already face stiff sentences.
- Um, currently judges can sentence a person to up to a year in jail on a violation of this.
- sentence is necessary or not. sentence is necessary or not.
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on SB 281 SD1, which would define and prohibit torture as a Class A felony. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, HPD investigators, and other supporters said the bill is needed because existing laws do not adequately capture torture, especially cases involving children and vulnerable persons. Several testifiers emphasized that starvation is a common method of torture that often leaves little visible evidence, and they urged the committee to restore the original starvation language removed from the measure. The Office of the Public Defender said it did not oppose the bill’s purpose but raised concerns that the language was too broad and could create trial issues, particularly around minors and vulnerable people, and suggested narrowing amendments. The chair indicated the testimony had made a strong impression and said the committee would try to move the bill forward.
The committee then heard SB 292 SD1, relating to sexual exploitation and safe harbor protections for survivors seeking medical or law enforcement help. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office supported the measure, noting that a prior version raised equal protection concerns that were no longer present, and said survivors should be able to seek help without fear of prosecution. Written support was also noted from several advocacy and state groups. Testimony in support focused on retaliation fears, trafficking, and the need for manpower and resources to address exploitation and related crimes.
Finally, the committee took up SB 295 SD1, which would increase penalties for violating temporary restraining orders and orders for protection and treat a violation of one as a second offense for the other. The Public Defender’s Office objected to the mandatory jail component, arguing judges should retain discretion and that there was no clear evidence mandatory jail deters violations. The transcript cuts off before any final committee action or vote on SB 295 was recorded.
AR
Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session
LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Mar 12th, 2026
LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Transcript Highlights:
- And so I guess the vendor and the school worked it out to where they would each split that final loss
- That's just interesting that the vendor would choose to split the loss when they didn't receive any of
Summary:
The Legislative Audit Education Institution Subcommittee met to adopt the previous minutes and review 57 education audit reports, 52 of which had no findings and were filed as reviewed. The committee heard several findings involving school district spending and internal control issues, including Camden-Fairview’s use of operating funds for an employee awards banquet and unauthorized credit card charges, Forest City’s use of operating funds for an end-of-year celebration and entertainment event, Nettleton’s fraudulent vendor payment scheme involving $1.9 million in attempted transfers, Cedar Ridge’s misallocation of Title I funds and payroll/bank reconciliation errors, and Green County Technical’s diverted vendor check that was recovered. Three of the reports had been referred to the prosecuting attorney and attorney general.
Members asked questions about whether district officials were present, how the questionable expenditures were broken down, and whether school boards had prior knowledge or approval. The committee deferred the Camden-Fairview, Forest City, and Nettleton reports to the June meeting and requested district representatives attend to answer questions. Cedar Ridge and Green County Technical were not deferred; Cedar Ridge was filed, and Green County Technical was reviewed without further action.
Staff also discussed recurring fraud and banking-control issues seen in school audits, including altered checks, email-based banking changes, and the use of positive pay and in-person verification for deposit changes. Members encouraged better communication with school districts and noted that clean audits should be recognized. The committee then filed the remaining no-finding reports and adjourned with no new business.