Transcript Highlights:

• THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE ASKING OUR STATE EMPLOYEES AND OUR MUNICIPAL BLOY EMPLOYEES TO NOT DO BECAUSE
• AND WE'RE WITHIN OUR POWER AS A LEGISLATIVE BODY TO DIRECT OUR STATE EMPLOYEES TO DIRECT MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES
• It prohibits state employees and local government employees from asking someone if they are a citizen
• But I guess the subsections within there, it is municipal employees, state employees, county employees
• , and all employees.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with routine proceedings, approval of the prior day’s journal, and several motions to restore previously passed bills to the third-reading calendar. Senate Print 2436A, an amendment to the Administrative Code of New York City, and Senate Print 7160, an amendment to the Elder Law, were both reconsidered and restored to the calendar by roll call. Amendments were also received on Senate Print 9960, which retained its place on the third-reading calendar. The chamber then paused to honor Madeline Wilson on her 100th birthday and Marilyn D. Mosley through previously adopted resolutions, with family members and guests recognized on the floor. The Senate also welcomed Columbia Kicks Cancer, a student-run East Greenbush fundraising team that raised more than $239,000 for blood cancer research and care. The Finance Committee reported Senate Print 9005C, a budget bill amending Chapter 268 of the Laws of 1996, directly to third reading, and the Senate accepted the report and the message of necessity. The bill was then taken up on the controversial calendar, leading to extended debate on Part LL, which focused on limits on state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, including 287(g) agreements, informal cooperation, masking rules for law enforcement, sensitive locations such as polling places, and the creation of an Office of Immigration Trust within the Attorney General’s office. Supporters argued the bill would keep state and municipal employees focused on their own duties, protect constitutional rights, and prevent New York resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement; they also said it would not bar all cooperation or prevent local police from responding to crime. Opponents argued it would hinder public safety, restrict law enforcement cooperation, and interfere with local discretion, while some raised concerns about constitutional issues and the practical effects on sheriffs, county jails, and police agencies. The debate also included a separate provision creating a civil cause of action for constitutional-rights violations by federal, state, or local officials, which supporters described as an accountability measure. Members further discussed the masking section, with supporters saying it applied broadly to officials and was intended to withstand constitutional scrutiny, while opponents cited a recent Ninth Circuit ruling striking down a similar California law. The Office of Immigration Trust and its complaint/referral process were also examined, including the role of the Governor and the State Education Department in reviewing alleged violations. No final vote on the controversial calendar bill was taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is health insurance, if you will, for state employees.
• So I'm sure when we look at what we pay our employees...
• It's, you know, five digits per employee.
• We represent about 10,000 retired state employees.
• and welfare of our retired state employees.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations from the Legislative Budget Board and agency officials on several agencies, starting with the Texas Historical Commission. LBB described a large biennial reduction driven mainly by the removal of one-time funding and discussed capital projects, rider changes, and exceptional items including Presidio La Bahia and the National Museum of the Pacific War. Senators asked about heritage trails, courthouse grants, unexpended balance authority, and the status of historical-site funding. Historical Commission leadership emphasized preservation, courthouse restoration, heritage tourism, coordination with the Alamo and other Texas Revolution sites, and requested additional IT, staffing, and vehicle funding. No votes were taken. The committee then reviewed the Pension Review Board and the Employees Retirement System. The Pension Review Board’s budget was largely unchanged aside from IT maintenance and salary adjustments, with an exceptional item for additional IT enhancements. Members discussed the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System’s funding dispute and the need for a workable restoration plan. ERS presented a much larger budget, including funding for the retirement system, the group benefits plan, and the legacy payment intended to reduce unfunded liability. Senators focused heavily on pension investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health-care costs, especially pharmacy spending driven by GLP-1 drugs; ERS said the plan covers about 540,000 lives and that premiums would rise 8% while benefits remain unchanged. ERS also said it had no exceptional items, and committee members requested more detailed benchmark information. The committee also heard from the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. TESSORS reported an unfunded liability, an infinite amortization period, and requested additional state support, staffing, and IT funding, including a statutory change to allow a higher contribution level; the agency warned that without more funding it may have to cut benefits. CEPRIT’s presentation covered its bond-funded cancer research and prevention portfolio, revenue-sharing from funded projects, and a request to increase salary limits for its CEO and chief scientific officer. Senators questioned CEPRIT’s accomplishments and return on investment, while CEPRIT cited screening, prevention, and research outcomes, including tens of thousands of detected cancers and precursors and hundreds of thousands of first-time screenings. The meeting ended after these presentations and questions, with no recorded committee action or vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• The employees are paying for that, but for the 2% additional employee contribution that will be paid
• The employees are paying for that, but The employees are paying for that, but for<00:10:31.040><c> the
• </c><00:10:33.040><c> or</c> for the 2% uh additional employee or for the 2% uh additional employee or
• :13:40.480><c> were</c> employees who were employees who were an<00:13:41.760><c> employee</c><00:13:
• Multiple times, we have had employees, Multiple times, we have had employees, sometimes<00:14:49.560>

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Dollars per hour for employees, and that pay band is within.
• Many of our employees were not near midpoint over the last two years.
• We still have several employees that are not appropriately placed.
• This is an employee benefits category.
• They currently have 25 employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• An employee that works three days a week, $2,800. Business expenses, $1,239.
• Every workplace and every set of employees have very different needs.
• So small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
• Once employees who had utilized those benefits, maybe their children grew or those employees no longer
• And we... direct conversations with employees.

Summary: The California State Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs held its first hearing to examine the state of child care access, affordability, and provider compensation. Chair Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and other members described child care as essential infrastructure for working families and the economy, noting that costs are unaffordable for many households and that providers are underpaid. Early testimony came from a San Francisco parent, Quinn Chung, who described the difficulty of finding safe care and the financial and career sacrifices caused by lack of child care, and from Tuolumne County provider Anita Viscini, who detailed her monthly costs, low margins, and the need to work weekends and teach CPR classes to make ends meet. Assemblymembers also emphasized the crisis in rural communities and the need for a long-term strategy. The first policy panel featured Jennifer Troia of the California Department of Social Services, Laura Pryor of the California Budget and Policy Center, and Alexa Frankenberg of Child Care Providers United. Troia said the state has nearly doubled child care funding in five years, expanded subsidy slots, and reached a new tentative three-year agreement with providers that includes cost-of-living adjustments, stabilization payments, and continued work on an alternative rate methodology and single rate structure. Pryor argued that despite funding gains, child care remains too expensive, only a fraction of eligible children receive subsidies, and provider wages remain far below comparable jobs, worsening racial and gender inequities. Frankenberg said the tentative agreement is progress but not enough, calling for a true cost-of-care system, fair wages, paid time off, better support for emergency and nontraditional care, and stronger integration of family child care into the mixed-delivery system. Members asked about why the crisis persists, how the alternative methodology will work, how family fees and sliding-scale help are being used, and why middle-income families still struggle. The panel said the problem reflects long-term underinvestment, a broken market, and a system that still leaves many families without access. The committee also heard an economic panel from Ashley Hoffman of the California Chamber of Commerce and Sarah Bone of the Public Policy Institute of California. Hoffman described employer child care benefits and public-private partnership models in other states, including shared-cost programs and local chamber efforts. Bone said child care costs reduce family financial security and labor force participation, especially for mothers of young children, and estimated that if mothers of young children worked at the same rate as mothers of older children, more than 80,000 additional women could be in the workforce each year. In the final panel, parent and provider advocates, including Jennifer Greppie and Black Californians United for Early Care and Education co-founder Keisha Doyle, argued for fully funding child care, ending waiting lists, protecting culturally affirming care, and addressing racial inequities and private equity’s role in the sector.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the cash payment section, we do want to make sure cash is legal tender, and often our employees want
• So in Washington State, employees are entitled to all the wages they're owed.
• The fund is intended to make early payments available to employees to avoid the kind of immediate harm
• or the valid employee.
• or the valid employee.

Summary: The committee heard a report on the Underground Economy Task Force in Washington’s construction industry. Labor and Industries said the task force, created by a 2024 budget proviso, met 11 times and developed consensus recommendations to improve enforcement against worker misclassification, unregistered contractors, and unpaid taxes and premiums. Consensus items included defining and regulating construction labor providers, improving interagency data sharing, increasing penalties for repeat offenders, expanding L&I authority over successor accountability, reviewing agency penalty rules, and exploring tracking of cash payments. Majority-but-not-consensus ideas included posting subcontractor notices at job sites, setting an independent-contractor threshold that would trigger L&I review, holding direct contractors liable for unpaid wages owed by subcontractors, and reviewing reporting requirements. Testifiers from labor, business, and the Attorney General’s Office generally supported stronger enforcement and transparency, while business representatives cautioned against overregulation and said any new rules should avoid burdening legitimate contractors or restricting lawful cash payments and independent contracting. L&I said the final report would be distributed by December 31 and the task force work group would be reconvened. The committee then reviewed the wage recovery work group report. L&I explained current wage complaint procedures and said the work group, made up of labor and business representatives, reached five consensus recommendations: allow L&I to prioritize wage complaints strategically, permit aggregation of related complaints, raise the minimum penalty under the Wage Payment Act from $1,000 to $1,500 and create a penalty matrix, improve employer awareness with materials for new hires, and establish a wage recovery fund. The fund would be seeded by penalties, would not require new employer assessments, and would allow limited early payments to eligible workers facing hardship, with a proposed cap of $2,500 and a later review of the program. Business and labor representatives both supported the overall framework, though business raised concerns about fraud safeguards and recovery of funds if a claim is later found invalid. Members also received an overview of Washington’s apprenticeship system. L&I described the state’s apprenticeship agency structure, the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, and the difference between Washington’s state apprenticeship standards and the federal Office of Apprenticeship system. The presentation highlighted current participation levels, program approval and objection processes, and strong post-completion outcomes, including median annual earnings above $100,000 and an estimated $7.80 return for every public dollar invested. Committee members asked about how apprentices apply, how sponsors work with L&I, and whether recurring objections could be addressed earlier in the process. Finally, the committee heard updates on wildland firefighter respiratory protection, federal cuts to NIOSH, and economic and federal policy impacts on unemployment insurance and workforce services. L&I said wildland firefighters face significant smoke exposure and cancer risk, but current rules do not require respiratory protection for that work because of technical and operational challenges; the agency is watching efforts in other jurisdictions and at the federal level. On NIOSH, L&I warned that federal staffing and grant cuts could weaken occupational safety research, training pipelines, and programs affecting Washington workers, including firefighter cancer tracking and Hanford exposure assessments. ESD reported rising UI claims, a stable unemployment rate, and pressure on the trust fund, while also describing technology and process changes that have improved claims handling. ESD also said HR1 will significantly increase demand on WorkSource services through new work-search requirements for SNAP and Medicaid recipients, creating an unfunded mandate that the agency is preparing to implement with partner agencies.

Transcript Highlights:

• Companies don't exist without employers and companies don't exist without employees.
• , and no employee is hired without a company.
• Not only to those businesses but not only to those employees but to members of Congress who can take
• You know, we were able to move forward. around government employees. I want to just get a sense.
• Paid in a political contribution from employees that are not asked, can we use your money?

Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

Keywords: PRO Act, labor laws, worker rights, unionization, right-to-work, public testimony, political polarization

Summary: The meeting centered around an in-depth discussion of the PRO Act, with representatives expressing passionate opinions both for and against the legislation. Representative Chavez de Rimmer emphasized the importance of worker freedom, arguing that the PRO Act would infringe upon individual rights by coercing unionization. This perspective was strongly received by members from right-to-work states, who articulated their concerns about the potential erosion of workers' choices and protections. Speaker after speaker conveyed conflicting views on labor laws, indicating a deeply polarized environment surrounding labor issues at the moment.

Transcript Highlights:

• or former employee.
• or fi a claim filed by an employee or fi a former<01:08:42.560><c> employee</c><01:08:43.600><c> um<
• : The wage claim is filed by an employee or former employee directly against their employer.
• </c><01:11:12.719><c> can</c> [snorts] responded the employee can [snorts] responded the employee can
• </c> wage claim results in an employee wage claim results in an employee initiating<01:11:45.199><c>

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• By state employees. So who's overseeing those state employees?”
• “Who who's overseeing those state employees currently with the state agencies?”
• So I had the local employees on the left side of the table.
• So do you make all of these, how many thousands of state employees, local employees?
• or city employees.”

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The committee met to hear an update from consultants Mason Bishop and Cameron Christie on Arkansas’s “one door” or “no wrong door” workforce and social services modernization effort. The discussion focused on moving the state toward a work-first system that better connects job seekers, employers, education, and public assistance programs, with goals of increasing upward mobility, improving labor force attachment, reducing inefficiencies, and adapting to changes such as AI and other economic disruptions. The consultants argued that Arkansas’s current system is fragmented across multiple offices, portals, agencies, and funding streams, and that people often have to navigate separate doors for workforce services, TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and related supports. Bishop repeatedly pointed to Utah as the model, describing how that state integrated workforce and human services into a single department, used cost allocation to blend funding behind the scenes, and saw improved customer service and outcomes after reform. He said TANF should be treated as a workforce program, not just a benefits program, and suggested that Arkansas could use TANF and other tools to cross-train DHS staff, co-locate services, and create a more unified service delivery model. Members asked about federal flexibility, waivers, and whether the state could use one large waiver or a broader restructuring to simplify the system. Bishop explained that a federal pilot authority proposal failed in Congress, so the current approach relies on waivers, cost allocation plans, and possible state-level changes. The committee also discussed the relationship between DHS and workforce offices, the role of local workforce boards, how disability and vocational rehabilitation cases would be handled, and how the governor’s Restore Hope/Hope Hub and faith- and community-based initiatives might fit into the broader plan. Bishop said Arkansas already has rehabilitation services within the workforce department and emphasized that case managers should focus on people rather than programs. No votes were taken. The chair said the committee would revisit case management at its August meeting and adjourned the meeting after thanking the consultants.

Transcript Highlights:

• , the Wagner-Peyser funding was just not adequate to be able to fund all the employees.
• So are there 83 employees involved in being dismissed over there in Commerce?
• of OPM to get those employees placed in government where it makes sense.
• Are there sufficient employees left?
• I had 1,800 employees. But if I had one that was mismanaging in a division, I dealt with it.

Committee: All ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (ALC)

Summary: The council opened with a prayer, approved the prior meeting minutes, and received the February 2026 Monthly Revenue Report from Carlos Silva of the Bureau of Legislative Research. He reported gross revenues of $5.36 billion and net collections of $4.5 billion, both above the prior year to date, and said the updated forecast now shows a larger expected surplus. Members asked about declines in some tax categories, natural gas severance fee fluctuations, inflation, and economic development incentives; Silva attributed several changes to timing, refunds, tax cuts, weather, and price volatility, and generally described the state’s revenue trend as positive. The Executive Committee, Administrative Rules, Claims Review, Game and Fish, Higher Education, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Medicaid studies, Occupational Licensing Review, State Insurance Programs Oversight, and other subcommittee reports were adopted. The Medicaid studies report drew extended discussion about DHS staffing and contract nursing costs at state hospitals and human development centers; DHS officials said they were working on a recruitment and retention plan, reported significant vacancies and turnover, and said the state was not at risk of overspending the contracts. Several members urged reducing reliance on contract labor and moving staff onto state payrolls. The Review Subcommittee report prompted questions about a Department of Public Safety aircraft maintenance item and a Department of Shared Administrative Services contract for Deloitte to implement performance and goals management software tied to the state’s new personnel system. After discussion, the aircraft maintenance item was held briefly and then withdrawn from the hold, while the shared services contract was explained as a one-time integration/configuration project for a system that will support employee evaluations and performance-based pay; the report and the separate contract vote were approved. The Personnel Subcommittee also heard testimony from Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald about reductions in force at the Division of Services for the Blind, which he attributed to funding shortfalls and fiscal mismanagement; members questioned the impact on blind and visually impaired clients, the status of board appointments, and whether federal funds could be at risk. The report was adopted with immediate consideration, and the meeting ended after filing the remaining APER report and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is health insurance, if you will, for state employees.
• It's, you know, five digits per employee.
• We represent about 10,000 retired state employees.
• I was encouraged to run for the employees, for the Board of Trustees for the Employees Retirement System
• and welfare of our retired state employees.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard budget presentations for the Texas Historical Commission, the Pension Review Board, the Employees Retirement System (ERS), Social Security and benefit replacement pay, the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System (TESSRS), and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The Legislative Budget Board outlined recommendations and major changes for each agency, including reductions tied to one-time projects at the Historical Commission, continued funding for courthouse grants, heritage trails, and Holocaust/genocide education, as well as new or modified riders and capital items. For the pension-related items, LBB described funding changes for PRB, ERS, Social Security, and TESSRS, including ERS health plan cost growth driven largely by pharmacy costs, the status of pension funding reforms, and TESSRS’s request for additional state support to address its unfunded liability and staffing needs. Members asked extensive questions about the Historical Commission’s one-time funding, unexpended balance authority, courthouse preservation, the Presidio La Bahia and National Museum of the Pacific War projects, and coordination of Texas history messaging across sites such as the Alamo, San Jacinto, Washington on the Brazos, and other heritage locations. The Historical Commission chair emphasized heritage tourism, economic development, and the need for continued investment in historic sites, staffing, IT modernization, and vehicles. On the pension items, senators discussed PRB oversight of local systems, including the Dallas police and fire pension situation, and ERS investment returns, benchmark comparisons, and rising health costs. ERS officials said the plan remains well funded overall, noted a 2021 cash balance reform and a planned supplemental legacy payment, and explained that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro are a major driver of pharmacy spending; they also said the agency is working with the Texas Pharmacy Initiative and that rebates are contractually returned to ERS. For TESSRS, LBB and agency staff said the system serves volunteer and part-paid emergency personnel, is facing an infinite amortization period, and is requesting additional appropriations, staffing, and IT funding, along with a statutory change to allow an actuarially determined state contribution. The agency said it may otherwise need to cut benefits for volunteer firefighters. For CPRIT, LBB reported about $600 million in recommended funding for the biennium and a 10-FTE increase, while the agency described its $6 billion voter-approved program, $3.75 billion in grants awarded to date, and $10.4 million in revenue sharing since 2011. CPRIT’s only exceptional item was a request for a 10% salary increase for two exempt positions. No committee votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Harris County Sheriff's Office has approximately 5000 employees serving approximately 5 million people
• With 5000 employees at this size, the deputies, detention officers, and other employees should have the
• We are only asking for a structured mechanism for employees in the county to come together, and this
• OSHA has a regulation that says 85 decibels for 8 hours is illegal to do to your employees.
• That means employees have more defense than I do. Right?

Committee: House S/C on County & Regional Government

Transcript Highlights:

• But I was more focused on the employees and the students rather than the employee.
• But I was more focused on the employees and the students rather than the employee.
• than employees and the students rather than the<00:28:45.840><c> employee.
• </c> employees and employers. employees and employers.
• </c> an employee. an employee.

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Navee Purrier, on behalf of the California School Employees Association in support.
• To use this law, an employee must work for an employer with five or more employees, and the employee
• must have worked For an employer with five or more employees, and the employee must have worked for that
• These are individuals who are not employees. They are treated differently.
• It doesn't replace company employees.

Committee: House Labor and Employment

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I rise to join the rest of the nation in celebrating National Correctional Officers and Employees Week
• Our dedicated correction officers and employees are responsible for the care, custody, and security of
• We need to make sure that our state employees go to work every day and they remain in a work in a safe
• Traditionally, a small business is considered a business with 500 or less employees.
• Why wouldn't you have set that threshold at 500 employees and above?

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, approved the journal, and welcomed several guest groups, including Saugerties student government officers, the Marlboro High School boys bowling state champions, a civics group, a National Guard/9-11 responder advocate, family members honoring Salvador Vizcarrondo Jr., architecture professionals, correctional officers and employees, and small business representatives. Members also offered resolutions recognizing Architecture Week, Correctional Officers and Employees Week, and Small Business Week, along with tributes to community leaders and student achievements. The chamber then took up a series of bills on the non-controversial calendar, passing measures on education leave for incarcerated people, utility interconnection study, property tax exemption, alcohol regulation, executive law, school drill requirements, victim sentencing rights, public health, public officers, public authorities, election law, environmental conservation, veterans/homeland security, labor, and other topics. Several bills were laid aside. Some measures drew brief explanations of vote, including concerns about school safety drills, correctional staffing and safety, and a victims’ rights bill that one senator said mirrored an earlier version he had carried. The most extended debate centered on the 21st Century Antitrust Act (Calendar 879), with supporters arguing it would modernize antitrust enforcement against dominant firms, especially big tech, and opponents warning it would create vague standards, invite private lawsuits, and harm small and rural businesses. Another debated bill (Calendar 818) would restrict sharing of utility consumption data with police; supporters framed it as a privacy measure requiring normal legal process, while opponents said it would hinder law enforcement while still allowing state regulators access. Both bills were ultimately restored to the non-controversial calendar and passed, and the Senate adjourned until the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> benefits that these impacted employees benefits that these impacted employees can<00:19:41.679><
• Wages for all employees.
• </c> employees and now these same employees employees and now these same employees some<00:26:18.960>
• Then we have used it for support for all the employees.
• Then we have used it for support for all the employees.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:04 Economic Development Projects Funding 00:01:25 Blue Oval SK 00:05:20, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum to hear a recap of the 2021 special session legislation, Senate Bill 5, and then receive testimony from the Secretary of Economic Development on the Blue Oval SK project and related economic development issues. Staff explained that Senate Bill 5 appropriated five amounts from the budget reserve trust fund for a project tied to a minimum $2 billion investment: $350 million for forgivable loans through the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, $10,639,600 to pay off a Hardin County loan tied to 47 tracts of property, $20 million for Bluegrass State Skills Corporation training grants, $5 million for KCTCS training grants, and $25 million for a KCTCS on-site training center. Staff also noted there were no job-related requirements in the bill itself. The secretary said the Blue Oval SK incentive was structured as a $250 million forgivable loan rather than the state’s usual pay-as-you-go incentives, with clawback provisions tied to jobs, wages, investment, and changes in ownership or operations. He said the project had already exceeded the $2 billion investment threshold, that corporate guarantees were required from SK On and Ford, and that the agreement’s compliance period begins in December 2026 with payments starting in March 2027 and running through 2038. He said the state’s goal after the joint venture dissolution was to protect taxpayers, support affected workers, and preserve future job creation, while also ensuring the money would be repaid if performance targets are not met. Members asked about the workforce impact, the training programs, and whether the jobs targets would be revised. The secretary said the project had about 1,850 workers at the site, with both production and salaried employees affected, and described state-led job fairs, a job portal, and other rapid-response efforts to help displaced workers find new jobs or training. He said Ford had agreed to continue discussions, invest an additional $2 billion in the site for energy storage solutions, and pursue roughly 2,100 new jobs, while the state sought to keep the company accountable for the full repayment obligation if jobs are not created. One senator raised broader concerns about mega-projects displacing small businesses and creating infrastructure burdens in surrounding communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• The majority of these TROs were filed by DOE employees, and I was one of them.
• > them when employees under my supervision them when employees under my supervision raised<00:43:16.760
• </c><00:44:31.559><c> who</c> attacks to you and other employees who attacks to you and other employees
• </c><00:44:37.040><c> involved</c> the duties of haido employees involved the duties of haido employees
• Also, for HGEA employees, I think they also deserve step increases as well.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Education met on January 30 and heard testimony on several bills, beginning with an announcement asking testifiers and members to keep remarks brief because of weather. The vice chair also explained that HB 440, relating to immigration issues in schools and state hospitals, was removed from the agenda because the proposal would not create meaningful legal protections and immigration policy is governed by federal law. The committee then moved through a series of education-related measures, with testimony largely from the Department of Education, the School Facilities Authority, the Attorney General’s office, unions, advocacy groups, and individual testifiers. On HB 330, concerning school impact fees, the School Facilities Authority supported the bill as aligning policy with implementation, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii said the fee accounts have accumulated large balances, including more than $20 million in impact fee funds and nearly $9 million from predecessor fair-share contributions, and urged that collected money be used rather than left idle. DOE said it would follow up on the balance and why it was not being used. On HB 1188, dealing with workforce housing, DOE and the Charter School Commission offered comments or support, the Attorney General suggested clarifying the phrase “within commuting distance” by using a mileage standard and adding repayment language, and HSTA, HGEA, and others supported the bill, with HSTA saying teachers need housing to be able to live and work in Hawaii. On HB 624 and HB 625, both related to school psychologists, DOE said it would participate in a work group on the pathway bill and supported the incentive program bill; school psychologists and related groups supported the measures, while one testifier said DOE should not lead the work group alone because school psychologists may work in many education settings beyond DOE schools. The committee also heard HB 1314 on youth mental health in schools. DOE described its student support process, universal screening tools, and behavioral health services, saying schools already identify and respond to concerns and that staff are trained to report issues, while the Attorney General warned the bill could expose schools to liability and recommended a broad liability waiver. Testimony was mixed, with several supporters and one opponent. On HB 616, concerning school safety and harassment protections for educational workers, the Attorney General sought clarifying amendments on harassment definitions, temporary restraining order costs, and paid leave, while HSTA, HGEA, and individual teachers strongly supported the bill, describing harassment incidents and arguing for a standardized statewide response. DOE said it already has reporting pathways, visitor codes of conduct, trespass notices, and an ethics hotline, but acknowledged implementation varies by school and that staff can escalate concerns if needed. The committee also began hearing HB 88 on a three-year pilot program for athletic travel, but the transcript cuts off before that bill’s testimony is completed or any votes are taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• would create a uniform state standard, which would apply to members of the judiciary or staff or employees
• And if so, how would it affect existing employees? everybody. everybody.
• :04:00.520><c> it</c><00:04:00.640><c> affect</c><00:04:01.000><c> existing</c><00:04:01.520><c> employees
• </c> how would it affect existing employees? how would it affect existing employees?
• but also the law does good employee but also the law does prohibit<00:04:36.720><c> the</c><00:04:36.960

Bills: SB2661

Committee: House Legislative Management

Keywords: nepotism, transparency, public officials, accountability, government ethics, 910, house, all

Summary: The Legislative Management committee met to hear Senate Bill 2661 SD1, which addresses nepotism. The bill’s sponsor said it would create a uniform state standard covering the judiciary, legislative branch, and related offices such as the Ombudsman, Auditor, and State Ethics Commission, and would include a good-cause exception to allow for unique circumstances, especially in rural areas. The sponsor emphasized the value of a consistent public standard and said the measure was intended to be transparent and broadly applicable. A member asked whether the bill would apply prospectively and how it would affect current employees. The sponsor responded that it would apply prospectively but would still affect existing supervisory relationships involving related or household members, unless a good-cause exception or grandfathering provision were added. The sponsor noted that the current bill does not contain a grandfather clause and described how, in the executive branch, similar situations were handled by changing supervision or temporarily delaying enforcement to work through transitions. The committee then moved to decision-making and recommended passing SB 2661 SD1 with amendments, including changing the effective date to July 1, 3000. The acting chair, vice chair, Representative Morikawa, and Representative Matsumoto voted in favor; Representative Quinlan was excused. The recommendation was adopted and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:24:47.200><c> out</c> of pushing all those employees out of pushing all those employees out according
• Instead, the company employees.
• </c> maintains that its drivers are employees maintains that its drivers are employees of<00:33:36.240
• So, if the employer uh and the employee.
• </c><01:35:28.800><c> and</c> uh they trained this many employees and uh they trained this many employees

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But when you look at us as an institution, you know, we are about 590 actual employees. 240 of those
• However, we at DIR do receive also complaints from both employers and employees.
• And so I would just say that, of course, it’s keeping employees. Perspective.
• They’re training all their employees on every change and every policy and procedure.
• about these hazards and employees about their responsibilities under the law.

Summary: The Senate Rules Committee met to consider several gubernatorial appointments and procedural items. It unanimously approved three appointments not required to appear: Frank Damrow Jr. to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board, Michelle Edger to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and David Galavis to the State Park and Recreation Commission. The committee also approved bill referrals, a rule waiver to allow SB 1447 (Health) to be heard past the policy deadline, and floor acknowledgments, all by 4-0 votes. The committee then heard testimony from Clint Kellam, nominee to lead the Department of Cannabis Control. Senators focused on illicit cannabis activity, consumer education, youth protection, labeling, and packaging that may be attractive to children. Kellam said the department’s goal is to shift consumption from illicit to legal sources, not increase use, and described efforts including the Real California Cannabis campaign, the SB 540 pamphlet, inspections, a package-review team, and an AI image analyzer for licensees. He also discussed enforcement against illicit cultivation, coordination with local, state, and federal agencies, and the department’s role in helping bring legal market compliance and access into balance. The committee voted 4-0 to advance his appointment to the full Senate. The committee next heard from Jennifer Osborne, nominee to direct the Department of Industrial Relations. Questions centered on Cal/OSHA audit findings, workplace safety, PAGA-related litigation, case backlogs, staffing shortages, and how her administrative background would help manage the department. Osborne said she would focus on fixing systemic issues, improving staffing and classification rules, modernizing IT systems, adding intake and investigative capacity, and addressing the Cal/OSHA audit recommendations. She also said DIR would continue working on worker safety, compensation, and apprenticeship programs, and would follow up on some questions about natural-disaster-related enforcement and backlog metrics. Public commenters from employer groups and labor organizations spoke in support, and the committee approved her appointment 4-0 for consideration by the full Senate.