Transcript Highlights:

• and I'm still struggling to figure out why um we are trying to push through this bill on breakneck speed
• 00:57:42.559> neck push through this bill on break neck push through this bill on break neck speed
• with the potential of having speed with the potential of having additional<00:57:47.960> mistakes
• to special session anyway, I'm wondering why we're trying to push this through at such a reckless speed
• without necessarily if if reckless speed without necessarily if if we<01:00:12.000> weren't<01

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And even at the speed of which this information moves, you see it in stock trade as well.
• And even at the speed of which this information moves, you see it in stock trade as well.
• And even at the speed of which this information moves, you see it in stock trade as well.
• And even at the speed of which this information moves, you see it in stock trade as well.
• And even at the speed of which this information moves, you see it in stock trade as well.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Tax Expenditure Review Commission met on June 17, 2026, approved the January 20, 2026 minutes, and then adopted updated commission procedures. The procedural changes, presented by Legislative Budget Office Director Christian Larson, required a quorum of voting members to complete evaluations before a formal recommendation vote, and allowed members to bundle or unbundle tax expenditures for voting. The commission approved the revised procedures by roll call vote, with five ayes and four excused. The commission then reviewed member evaluation summaries for tax expenditures presented in December 2025 and January 2026. It first considered the alcoholic beverage tax credits for small brewers and microdistilleries, and after discussion voted to recommend repeal of those two expenditures, while leaving the small winery credit for a later meeting because it lacked enough member responses under the new procedures. The vote on the repeal recommendation passed 4-1, with Commissioner Marquart voting no. The commission next approved the lawful gambling bundle, which included bingo, raffle, and related exemptions. Larson reported that most members recommended continuation for each item, and the commission voted to recommend continuing all six lawful gambling expenditures. It then reviewed the residential utility services bundle—residential heating fuels, residential water services, and sewer services—where members generally favored continuation but several noted possible modifications or caps for higher-income users; the commission voted to recommend continuation of the bundle. Finally, the commission reviewed the data center equipment sales tax exemption, which Larson said had an estimated annual revenue loss of $95 million and was intended to create jobs in construction and data center industries. Members raised questions about its effectiveness and whether the exemption should be modified or capped, but the commission ultimately voted to recommend continuation. The meeting concluded with these recommendations set to be included in the commission’s 2026 annual report.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 10, State Highway Administration speed monitoring systems application approval.
• Administration speed monitoring systems application<00:19:59.120> approval.
• It does not expand where speed cameras can go.
• So, would it be automatic approval for the speed camera? I don't believe it is automatic approval.
• speed camera? speed camera?

Keywords: House streaming session for Monday, April 13, 2026, 957, house, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, quorum call, and a brief visit from Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, who thanked delegates for their work on the budget and legislation. The chamber then handled several conference committee and Senate messages, including House Bill 153 on residential rental apartment air conditioning requirements. The conference report changed the bill from four to 10 units, removed preemption language, and required existing units with air conditioning to keep it; the report was adopted and the bill passed on third reading with 90 affirmative votes. The House also took up a number of Senate bills on third reading. Among those passed were measures on digital asset and blockchain task force establishment, franchise registration and disclosure law changes, professional licensing portability for foreign service members and spouses, medical cannabis protections for fire and rescue employees, workers’ compensation presumptions for Carroll County correctional deputies, speed monitoring systems approval timing, veterans cemeteries interment, motorcycle safety awareness in driver testing, IT investment fund uses, child care credential funding, school bus fire safety standards, local stop-sign monitoring pilot programs, stalking penalties, divorce records under the Public Information Act, local boards of elections qualifications, local sourcing database creation, and mutual insurance holding company conversions. Most passed overwhelmingly, though several drew notable dissent, including Senate Bills 10, 223, 439, 467, 757, 775, and 877. Members used vote-change time to shift positions on several bills, and the floor leader and committee chairs answered questions on the record. On Senate Bill 10, delegates discussed the bill’s “shot clock” for State Highway Administration responses to local speed camera requests; the chair later clarified that if State Highway does not act within 120 days, approval is deemed granted. On Senate Bill 775, the Judiciary chair explained that the bill requires destruction of firearms in gun buyback programs and serial-number checks to identify stolen or evidentiary firearms, with some firearms potentially returned if stolen. The House also adopted a favorable committee report on Senate Bill 949, which the floor leader said mirrors House Bill 1069 and would allow Maryland to count state-level ballots if federal action prevents counting federal ballots. The chamber also handled an amendment and conference committee process on Senate Bill 141 concerning election misinformation, disinformation, and deep fakes, with the House and Senate appointing conferees after each declined to recede. Several bills were passed by large margins, including Senate Bills 46, 68, 85, 314, 371, 426, 480, 512, 654, 808, 968, and 982, while a few had narrower margins such as Senate Bills 443 and 757. No final adjournment or sine die action occurred in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• As for the segregation costs, speeding up the timeline will hopefully decrease the costs of individuals
• sit in segregation as they refuse testing, they have to wait for the court process and this would speed
• of the ambiguity of how that is supposed to proceed, this adds that clarification in law and will speed
• As for the segregation costs, speeding up the timeline will hopefully decrease the costs of individuals
• As for the segregation costs, speeding up the timeline will hopefully decrease the costs of individuals

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House File 3939, a bill to support a Helping Paws service-dog litter named in honor of Gilbert and the Hortman family. Testimony from Helping Paws and service-dog graduate Angie Foley described the organization’s work, the significance of the “Guided by Gilbert” litter, and how the funding would help train dogs that provide independence and support to people with disabilities, veterans, and others. Members from both parties spoke warmly about Speaker Hortman’s connection to the organization and Gilbert, and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion. The committee then considered House File 3769, the Department of Corrections’ technical omnibus bill, with an A1 amendment adopted to clarify tuberculosis testing language. The bill updates TB screening procedures in correctional facilities, including how refusals are handled, and adds Quantiferon Gold Plus testing as an option alongside existing methods. Members discussed whether the bill would create costs for counties and jails, with some noting added testing and segregation costs and others arguing the changes would improve accuracy and reduce time in restrictive housing. The bill, as amended, was recommended to the general register. House File 3978 was next, a technical cleanup bill for a provider wellness program created last year. The bill expands eligibility and confidentiality protections from physicians to all health care providers, while supporters said the program is meant to address burnout and mental health strain in the workforce and does not require new money. Some members questioned whether the change was redundant or would broaden the program without additional funding, but the Minnesota Medical Association testified that the program is separate from insurance and was intended to serve all providers. The bill was recommended to the general register. Finally, the committee began House File 3476, which Rep. Liebling described as a cleanup bill related to Minnesota’s Medicaid managed care system and public program oversight. She argued that the state spends billions through managed care organizations and that the system has never been proven better than direct payment, setting up a broader discussion of the bill’s purpose and the state’s oversight of public health care spending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this bill right now, if you have a speeding ticket or other motor vehicle violation, you get 30 days
• <00:03:54.560> ticket,<00:03:55.280> other um, if you have a speeding ticket, other
• limit, you get a speeding ticket.
• you're going a little over the speed you're going a little over the speed limit,<00:07:04.080>
• limit, you get a you get a speeding limit, you get a you get a speeding ticket.<00:07:06.160>

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, this bill speeds up the permitting process by mandating a list of private, licensed, conflict-free
• give an example, in the last couple of years, codes have changed where pumps now have to be variable speed
• So when you have a commercial variable speed pump that has been changed out, is that flow proper?
• My dad turned me loose, said, "Here is a first-gen Bronco, three-speed on the column, figure it out.

Transcript Highlights:

• this has been a long-awaited measure, and we thank the House and members as well of the Senate to speed
• <00:17:58.559> the<00:17:58.720> Senate<00:17:59.600> to<00:18:00.000> speed
• members as well of the Senate to speed members as well of the Senate to speed up<00:18:00.640>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Speed is, speed of light. You don't have to talk at the speed of light. So go ahead.
• We've got growth in production, and we've got scale and speed to scale, which is making a...
• So, speed to infrastructure and the availability of electricity to power these facilities is key.
• I used to like to say it was like a roller coaster ride, and then you hit a speed bump.
• The 45V tax incentives were in flux and didn't get an answer, which was a speed bump.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And in essence whether it is served by certain speeds, right, so basically you have two different things
• concern is that we would be putting in a law that even though you have addresses that are getting speeds
• by 20 at a minimum and in many cases like in our instance, you'd be getting multi gig symmetrical speeds

Transcript Highlights:

• There's another thing you could do: consider waiving some of the procurement rules that would speed that
• purchasing practices and then also from the major information technology project oversight committee to speed
• And then we also, as Senator Shively said, ask for an emergency clause to see if we could speed the time

Bills: HB1329

Keywords: government spending database, public expenditure transparency, open data, government transparency, school district spending, state spending, local government finance, education finance, budget database, expenditure reporting, salary transparency, benefits data, public records, Legislative Management study, North Dakota, school board training, superintendent, principal, business manager, higher education spending

Summary: The division first discussed Senate Bill 1540 and related amendments involving implementation mechanics, procurement exemptions, and an emergency clause. Bank of North Dakota representatives explained that, based on a timeline review with DPI, the project would be very difficult to implement for the 2026-27 school year without exemptions from state purchasing and IT oversight rules and without an emergency clause; they said the normal procurement process could take about 240 days and that a 15-month implementation window would likely push the start to 2027-28 if those changes were not adopted. Members also raised a separate policy question about a criminal penalty placeholder in the bill, and the committee agreed that the sentence was unnecessary and should be removed. The committee deferred means-testing questions and fiscal-note issues to the next morning, with the understanding that the bill would be drafted in a way that made it workable if it advanced. The committee then turned to the water budget bill and reviewed the latest amended version, which included changes to the Water Topics process, Southwest Pipeline line of credit provisions, Red River supply funding, Mouse River project amounts, general water funding, studies on Missouri River intakes and water governance/finance, and a carryover/transfer adjustment. Chris Cattermas of the Department of Water Resources said most of the carryover funds were already obligated, with the largest unobligated amount in flood control. After review, Senator Thomas moved a do-pass recommendation on the bill as amended, the motion was seconded, and the committee approved it unanimously. The chair noted that other bills would be taken up the next morning, including 1013, 1014, and 1540.

Transcript Highlights:

• Barnhart in his role, which the legislature put him in, is getting up to speed on this organization.
• Barnhart in his role, which the legislature put him in, is getting up to speed on this organization and
• You know, transitioning to the higher speed is going to give us better flexibility and things that we
• At the speed of light. >> Yeah. >> Very good. Any um anybody have any other questions?
• At the speed of >> They're connected. Okay. At the speed of light. light. light.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 KCNA Request for Proposal Process 00:00:01 Overview of KWIC Board and Funding of Kentucky Wired Network Refresh 00:18:10 Zayo Network Services 00:34:40 Discussion of Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Funding 00:57:32, 958, all

Summary: The committee first focused on a disputed KCNA procurement for a statewide network-related RFP. Members questioned why the RFP had been labeled non-technical, whether COT should have reviewed it, and whether the KCNA board could direct that it be withdrawn. Finance and Administration Cabinet counsel Barbie Dickens said the RFP was authorized by KCNA working with procurement services after termination of the prior contract and breach notices, was issued in November 2025, paused during a protest, later resumed, and remained an open procurement. She said the agency—not the board—directs the procurement process, though she acknowledged an agency and OPS could cancel or reissue an RFP if needed. Legislators pushed back, citing KRS 154 and House Bill 314 as evidence that the KCNA board controls contracts and operations, and one member said the board had requested the RFP be withdrawn. Dickens said she could not predict the outcome and was not KCNA’s counsel. The discussion also touched on whether the current director had asked to stop the RFP and whether that request had been denied, with no final action taken during the exchange. The committee then turned to Kentucky Wired Infrastructure Corporation and the Kentucky Wired refresh project. Jim Barnhart described the structure of the nonprofit corporation, the role of Quick and Quack in the financing and operations arrangement, and the board membership, noting that the refresh funding had been approved in the 2024-26 capital budget. He said the equipment upgrade is necessary because of end-of-life hardware and software support issues, and that the refresh would expand capacity, lower risk, and reduce operating costs. Barnhart said some equipment had already been received, the rest would be purchased later, and the project should begin before September and take about a year to complete. When asked about contract disputes involving Ledcor and whether the vendor had an ongoing contract, Barnhart and the authority representative said they had not been notified of any issues and were not directly involved in that contract dispute. Committee members also raised concerns about a prior market test and whether a lower-cost bidder had been blocked from a previous RFP process. Barnhart said he understood Quack could make that decision and that the Commonwealth did not have input so long as the network was maintained, but he was not involved at the time. A legislator then read from the KCNA statute and argued that the board, not agency staff, is supposed to direct KCNA contracts and operations, saying House Bill 314 did not change those duties. The chair agreed the committee’s intent was for the board to control KCNA and direct contracts, and the discussion ended with a transition away from the KCNA dispute toward future testimony, including a presentation from Zayo Networks on open access networks and broadband infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we are just speeding, being speed racers. Assembly Member, any comment?
• We are speed racers today. Speed racers today.
• This is speed voting. And then we will hear from the public. Okay, it’s on vote-only calendar.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration heard a series of budget proposals and informational items, beginning with the Department of Housing and Community Development’s HCD Connect system. HCD requested permanent authority for seven existing temporary positions to maintain and expand the system, and also sought funding and positions to implement eight 2025 housing-related bills. Members asked about how HCD Connect will interact with programs moving to the new Housing Development Finance Committee and about the revised implementation cost for AB 1053, which HCD said had dropped from about $6 million to $1.9 million because of shared infrastructure with HDFC and CalHFA. The committee also heard Cal ICH’s request for $339,000 to implement AB 678 on LGBTQ+ inclusive and culturally competent homelessness services, with testimony emphasizing the need for better data and training for a population disproportionately affected by homelessness and discrimination. The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation presented three continuation proposals: funding for the California Consumer Financial Protection Law program, the Debt Collector Licensing Act program, and the broker-dealer/investment adviser continuing education program. Members and public commenters focused heavily on the debt collector licensing fees, the number of licensees, and whether assessments were too high compared with other states; DFPI explained that fees are set on a pro rata basis tied to net proceeds and that the workload remains substantial. Public testimony also supported DFPI’s student loan assistance work and raised a separate request for franchise broker registration funding. The committee then took up a mandate suspension item, voting to suspend a new disclosure mandate related to deferred property taxation, and heard trailer bill language from the Department of Finance on AB 91/MENA data collection, aimed at protecting federal funding, ensuring non-disclosure, and allowing more time for implementation. The Secretary of State presented Help America Vote Act funding for VoteCal and the HAVA spending plan, as well as the Cal-Access Replacement System (CARS), the Notary Automation Program Replacement Project (NAP 2.0), and AB 1392 on confidential voter registration for elected officials and candidates. Members asked about project costs, timelines, user testing, and data migration; the Secretary of State said VoteCal funds would be exhausted in 2027–28, CARS is targeted for completion by November 2026, and AB 1392 would require system modifications and new confidentiality procedures. The committee also heard an informational overview from the California Arts Council, which described its 50th anniversary, the economic impact of arts funding, and the cultural districts program; public testimony strongly urged increasing Arts Council grant funding from $24 million to $50 million and adding support for cultural districts. Throughout the hearing, the committee took multiple vote-only actions approving the items before it, with votes recorded on the HCD, Cal ICH, DFPI, HAVA, CARS, NAP 2.0, and AB 1392 proposals, while some items were held open or discussed without a quorum at earlier points in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The horse embodies enthusiasm, speed, and fierceness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration
• The horse embodies enthusiasm, speed, and fierceness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration
• The horse embodies enthusiasm, speed, and fierceness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration
• The horse embodies enthusiasm, speed, and fierceness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration
• The horse embodies enthusiasm, speed, and fierceness, bringing a year focused on bold moves and exploration

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the February 10, 2026 journal, and received committee reports on several appointments and bills. The Finance Committee recommended confirmation of four appointments to the Advisory Committee on Governmental Accounting. It also reported Senate Bill 42 with amendments and favorable recommendation to Appropriations, while the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee recommended postponing Senate Bill 30 indefinitely. The chamber then took up a personal-privilege segment recognizing physician associates and honoring Susan G. Komen and breast cancer awareness. Senators Michaelson Jenet and Frizell spoke about the importance of breast cancer research and treatment, and Frizell shared a personal reflection on her own cancer journey. The Senate also adopted Senate Joint Resolution 10, celebrating Lunar New Year 2026 and Colorado’s Asian-American communities, by a vote of 32-0. On third reading, the Senate passed Senate Bill 64, concerning the Colorado Agricultural Future Loan Program, by a vote of 30-2, and Senate Bill 52, concerning coal transition communities and hiring preferences, by a vote of 29-3. Senate Bill 13, concerning cohabitation as a means to commit bigamy, also passed on third reading by a vote of 27-5. In Committee of the Whole, Senate Bill 19, which would combine early childhood councils and local coordinating organizations and add accountability requirements, was amended and advanced on second reading; the committee report was then adopted 33-0, and the bill was ordered engrossed for third reading. The Senate later recessed until 11:30 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, we know he was speeding when he caught us. We knew that.
• But you know, sometimes you just wanna. go down to Municipal Court and argue about the speed ticket anyway
• have a smile on his face and say, you know, I clock you at 40 miles an hour and you're in a 35-mile speed
• Harris relating to provision the Texas Department of Transportation Information regarding certain high-speed
• It holds a high-speed rail project in Texas.

Bills: HB 118, HB388, HB 114, HB205, HB2789, HB2791, HB499, HB2960, HB3163, HB3135, HB2427, HB1618, HB1672, HB1722, HB1338, HB787, HB2618, HB879, HB 1126, HB4134, HB3513, HB718, HB1536, HB1445, HB1640, HB1893, HB1734, HB3229, HB3306, HB 1276, HB3272, HB3276, HB3516, HB4145, HB1585, HB4810, HB2989, HB2558, HB3014, HB2742, HB1695, HB29, HB 125, HB145, HB171, HB255, HB50, HB363, HB 116, HB491, HB1495, HB368, HB 1285, HB1905, HB2002, HB917, HB2723, HB2067, HB 1238, HB745, HB 1188, HB1606, HB2003, HB2147, HB2355, HB2546, HB2495, HB2818, HB2249, HB3228, HB3240, HB1507, HB658, HB1748, HB1851, HB1922, HB2798, HB 107, HB1587, HB3684, HB 118, HB388, HB 114, HB205, HB2789, HB2791, HB499, HB2960, HB3163, HB3135, HB2427, HB1618, HB1672, HB1722, HB1338, HB787, HB2618, HB879, HB 1126, HB4134, HB3513, HB718, HB1536, HB1445, HB1640, HB1893, HB1734, HB3229, HB3306, HB 1276, HB3272, HB3276, HB3516, HB4145, HB1585, HB4810, HB2989, HB2558, HB3014, HB2742, HB1695, HB609, HB630, HB420, HB767, HB1708, HB1404, HB2457, HB140, HB227, HB913, HB2198, HB2763, HB 1261, HB 1135, HB1318, HB2358, HB2765, HB2735, HB3307, HB 1242, HB2842, HB333, HB201, HB694, HB2415, HB155, HB272, HB405, HB519, HB 1136, HB 1275, HB1437, HB1532, HB1675, HB1868, HB1888, HB1990, HB2286, HB2523, HB3129, HB3251, HB3354, HB3479, HB3803, HB3804, HB3805, HB3806, HB3887, HB4163, HB4238, HB 1240, HB1842, HB2029, HB2622, HB3255, HB654, HB4643, HB4945, HB3611, HB3724, HB3623, HB3810, HB4127, HCR78, HCR12, SB767

Keywords: HB 388, HB388, coordination of benefits, COB questionnaire, health benefit plan, health insurance, insurance commissioner, Texas Department of Insurance, uniform form, primary payer, secondary payer, multiple coverage, dual coverage, Medicaid, CHIP, managed care, HMO, small employer health plan, school district health coverage, self-funded plan

Transcript Highlights:

• We're impressed with the speed that you all are moving with this season, and we think that is good because
• We're impressed with the speed that you all are moving with this season, and we think that is good because
• 00:13:26.000> impressed<00:13:26.399> with<00:13:26.560> the<00:13:26.800> speed
• <00:13:26.959> that<00:13:27.200> you We're impressed with the speed that you We're
• impressed with the speed that you all<00:13:27.600> are<00:13:27.760> moving<00:13:28.000

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard House File 962, the Brady-Giglio bill, which seeks to create a more uniform statewide process for how prosecutors identify and manage law enforcement officers whose credibility may be questioned. The author explained that the bill grew out of stakeholder work over the past year, and the committee adopted the DE3 amendment, which reflected much of that negotiated language. Testifiers from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, Law Enforcement Labor Services, the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association all said the bill was moving in the right direction and emphasized the need for consistency, predictability, security, and due process in Brady-Giglio decisions. Several witnesses said the bill should prevent Brady designations from being used as the sole basis for discipline and should prohibit prosecutor-maintained do-not-call lists. County attorney and law enforcement representatives said the current draft is a major step forward but that work remains, especially on data access, data retention, sharing, and security provisions. They also noted that the language had not yet been fully approved by all stakeholder boards, though they supported continuing the process and asked the committee to advance the bill so negotiations could continue. Members raised questions about whether public defenders, defendants’ rights groups, and other public employees had been included in the discussions. The author and other supporters said the main alignment so far has been among prosecutors and law enforcement, with additional input from other groups to come later. In closing, the author described personal experiences that illustrated how an error or misunderstanding could unfairly affect an officer’s career and argued for a statewide standard. The committee then voted to re-refer House File 962, as amended, to the Judiciary Committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've tried to listen first and answer with speed and flexibility.
• We've used intergovernmental agreements to cut red tape and speed up processes and challenge local governments
• Frankly, in my limited experience in government, this is rocket speed.
• Like the mayor said, this is lightning speed for government.
• Like the mayor said, this is lightning speed for government.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I definitely agree that we need to improve the speed and agility of our requirements process.
• All the while, China goes at the speed of China.
• And so if confirmed, you know, I'll work with the joint... and of course OSD to pick up the speed, pace
• Defense. can use these 8a contractors if they want, they don't have to, but they bring efficiency, speed
• time that we have, as I mentioned earlier in my testimony, making sure that we're moving with the speed

Keywords: national security, military readiness, Kane nomination, defense budget, China threats, Russia, collaboration, modernization

Summary: The meeting centered on the nomination of retired Lieutenant General Dan Kane for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delving into various security concerns and the strategic environment facing the U.S. today. Testimonies highlighted the growing threats from adversaries such as China and Russia, with discussions around the necessity of maintaining and modernizing military capabilities to address these challenges. The need for agility in military operations and enhancing collaboration among various defense agencies was underscored. Further, concerns were raised regarding the defense budget and the importance of a strong national defense strategy were prevalent throughout the discussions. The committee members collectively emphasized the need for superior readiness and modernization to keep pace with global threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in a county with population 500,000 or more, so we establishing statewide speed restrictions and what
• So that's what the amendment is to settle their yes alter less than $500,000 adopted on speed restriction
• 24.400> statewide or more so we establishing statewide or more so we establishing statewide speed
• restrictions and what is speed restrictions and what is outlined<00:27:28.320> authorized.
• :38.960> on yes alter less than $500,000 adopted on yes alter less than $500,000 adopted on speed

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard House Bill 344 HD1, which would require new buildings to include electric vehicle charger-ready parking stalls. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from the State Energy Office, Department of Accounting and General Services, the Disabilities and Communication Access Board, and others. Members asked about cost and infrastructure impacts; the State Energy Office said the added cost would likely be modest if planned from the start, but that electrical capacity remains a key challenge for expanding EV charging. The chairs proposed two amendments: extending the bill to cover on-grade parking lots and adding language for Level 1 or Level 3 charging when appropriate. After discussion, both committees voted to pass HB 344 HD1 with amendments. In the Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs committee, the chair voted aye, one member voted with reservation, and excused members were noted; the Government Operations committee also passed the measure, with one aye vote and one vote with reservations. The committees also heard House Bill 10001 HD1 SD1, relating to the Maui wildfire settlement trust fund. The Governor’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, Maui County, and the Tax Foundation testified in support. Members questioned Hawaii Electric Industries’ ability to fund its share of the settlement and whether the state should pay first or in tranches. The chair proposed amendments requiring all defendant parties to submit payment plans and proof of ability to pay, and requiring non-state defendants to fund their shares into escrow before the state releases its share. The committee adopted the amendments and passed the bill unanimously by the members present. Later, the committee deferred action on House Bill 229 HD1 until March 20 for clarification on amendments, then passed House Bill 860 HD1 with amendments addressing liability for limited resurfacing of disputed roads, and passed House Bill 1161 HD2 with amendments concerning highway fund use, formula calculations, and EV-related county fees.

Transcript Highlights:

• Traffic volumes and speeds continue to increase along Trunk Highway 14, exacerbating safety concerns
• Traffic volumes and speeds continue to increase along Trunk Highway 14, exacerbating safety concerns
• one fatality traffic volumes and speeds one fatality traffic volumes and speeds continue<00:53:52.280
• It's high-speed traffic going over the top of a bridge, so sight lines are poor. trunk Highway 23 and
• traffic going over the top of high-speed traffic going over the top of a<00:59:48.319> bridge

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in our step away from California's leadership in hazardous substances in order to minimize cost or speed
• And there are some tools available to the agency that it can hopefully use to speed up things.
• We think these have the potential to speed up the work at the agency.
• We are eager to see whether and how the program will use the authorities in SB 502 to speed up action
• We think the program should explore whether there are opportunities to streamline and speed up action

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on DTSC’s implementation of SB 158 reforms, including enforcement, community engagement, fee stability, the hazardous waste management plan, permitting backlogs, and the Safer Consumer Products program. Senators and Assembly members emphasized protecting overburdened communities and asked how DTSC and the Board of Environmental Safety are using their authority to improve accountability, reduce delays, and address hazardous waste facilities and consumer product chemicals. The hearing also included discussion of extended producer responsibility programs and whether DTSC can support them more efficiently, including through coordination with CalRecycle. DTSC Director Katie Butler said the department is now more transparent, accountable, and fiscally stable, citing stronger enforcement actions, an interactive inspections map, expanded community outreach, and emergency response work on the Los Angeles wildfire cleanup. She said DTSC has made progress on fee reform, the hazardous waste management plan, cleanup grants, permit renewals, and safer consumer products rulemaking, including adding microplastics to the candidate chemical list. Board Chair Andrew Rakestraw said the board has held multiple public meetings and hearings, is working on fee rates and performance metrics, and is revising the hazardous waste management plan after public comment, including removing a proposal to send certain contaminated soil to municipal landfills. He also noted remaining concerns about fee structure, permit delays, and the pace of the safer consumer products program. Public witnesses offered sharply different views. A representative of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance said SB 158 reforms have improved permitting and transparency, but urged more attention to risk-based decision-making, reduced duplication, and possible General Fund support for plan implementation rather than relying only on fees. Earthjustice argued DTSC remains too slow and that communities continue to suffer from long-delayed permits and weak protections, urging the Legislature to take a more active role and to prioritize eliminating hazardous substances rather than minimizing costs. Committee members pressed the witnesses on permit renewals, community impacts, and the pace of the safer consumer products program, while DTSC defended its progress and said further legislative collaboration may be needed on hazardous waste management and emerging waste streams.