Transcript Highlights:

• Allow them to lead with love, kindness, and dignity. We thank you for this great state of Texas.
• That can lead to kidney failure, dialysis, and transplant.
• This can lead to inconsistent decisions and uncertainty in the regulatory process.
• Given two or three opportunities to comply, it can lead to Class C misdemeanors.
• And Texas has to lead, Senator, on all these things. We need to lead.

Bills: SB111, SB128, SB203, SB205, SB261, SB317, SB393, SB397, SB466, SB510, SB582, SB705, SB731, SB748, SB801, SB867, SB876, SB913, SB1071, SB1086, SB1087, SB1250, SB1285, SB1310, SB1400, SB1444, SB1483, SB1553, SB1556, SB1581, SB1608, SB1698, SB1723, SB1730, SB1835, SB1858, SB1903, SB1946, SB1950, SB1986, SB2017, SB2043, SB2056, SB2058, SB2063, SB2082, SB2105, SB2133, SB2137, SB2177, SB2203, SB2260, SB2311, SB2334, SB2344, SB2403, SB2417, SB2446, SB2519, SB2522, SB2532, SB2600, SB2611, SB2619, SB2637, SB2688, SB2717, SB2764, SB2785, SB2790, SB2794, SB2841, SB2847, SB2857, SB2878, SB2891, SB2943, SB2955, SB2972, SB2995, SB3037, SB3057, SB3059, HJR2, HB26, HB206, HB334, HB451, HB517, HB554, HB1109, HB2081, HB2756, HB3204, HB3809, SJR3, SB5, SB72, SB509, SB616, SB963, SB985, SB1025, SB1080, SB1143, SB1172, SB1245, SB1267, SB1271, SB1273, SB1355, SB1422, SB1759, SB1786, SB2361, SB17, SB314, SB455, SB761, SB1023, SB1968, SB2122, SB2371, SB2420, SB2544, SB1, SB260, SB1506, SB1637, SJR36, SJR50, SJR63, SCR12, SCR39, SB2023, SB62, SB666, SB847, SB284, SB854, SB1073, SB810, SB1505, SB583, SB507, SB1434, SB1772, SB2016, SB1163, SB1122, SB731, SB397, SB508, SB1436, SB287, SB261, SB1882, SB393, SB1791, SB209, SB2429, SB511, SB2309, SB510, SB1085, SB1975, SB2717, SB1262, SB636, SB2056, SB884, SB1200, SB1845, SB2458, SB801, SB3014, SB3013, SB758, SB2797, SB2076, SB2876, SB1640, SB1449, SB1181, SB1359, SB1234, SB2926, SB2972, SB2841, SB1528, SB2891, SB1854, SB317, SB2532, SB1250, SB2082, SB2203, SB1285, SB1237, SB2819, SB629, SB2608, SB1602, SB1723, SB1858, SB1946, SB2009, SB2177, SB2460, SB2785, SB867, SB1608, SB640, SB1698, SB705, SB748, SB2680, SB2994, SB2747, SB1950, SB913, SB1071, SB1086, SB1087, SB1483, SB1444, SB1553, SB1556, SB1703, SB2133, SB2297, SB2298, SB2622, SB2955, SB3059, SB2637, SB2334, SB1861, SB2043, SB1367, SB2857, SB128, SB3058, SB2044, SB2363, SB2311, SB1986, SB2565, SB2943, SB1888, SB2417, SB3048, SB3052, SB3053, SB3036, SB3057, SB3056, SB3043, SB3037, SB3050, SB3063, SB3047, SB3035, SB2446, SB466, SB2611, SB2794, SB2105, SB2017, SB1790, SB1778, SB1730, SB2995, SB2847, SB205, SB2619, SB1903, SB203, SB3061, SB1581, SB2600, SB2799, SB2790, SB2688, SB2515, SB1230, SB876, SB2522, SB2639, SB2137, SB2519, SB2403, SB2459, SB3051, SB2655, SB2251, SB2764, SB2878, SB1884, SB111, SB582, SB2617, SB1835, SB2751, SB2063, SB1400, SB2058, SB2260, SB2928, SB1310, SB2566, SB2344, SB1897, SB1749, SB1361, SB2549, SB2553, HJR2, HJR1, HB1109, HB517, HB1130, HB1689, HB2884, HB1393, HB2559, HB26, HB2756, HB3204, HB3012, HB1327, HB451, HB109, HB206, HB1238, HB2890, HB9, HB2081, HB4215, HB2970, HB37, HB1899, HB3809, HB334, HB554, HB1593, HB2607, HB3526, HB3810, HB5092, HB388, HB2809, HB1151, HB913, SB2919, SB1782, SB1705, SB2696, SB1944, SB2215, SB644, HB3307, HB879, HB116, HB12, HB2703, HB1610, HB1615, HB1620, HB30, HB21, HCR7, HCR75, HCR86, HCR92, HCR93, HCR126

Keywords: special education, school districts, legal fees, reporting requirements, transparency, hospital reporting, child abuse, neglect, administrative penalty, medical ethics, child protection, student privacy, numerical class rank, education policy, academic programs, high school, fetal development, health curriculum, public schools, middle school health education

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm concerned that disagreements at polling locations could lead to violence and that civil unrest may
• Lowering the handgun age won't make Texas safer; it'll only lead to more funerals, more heartbreaks,
• We know that firearms are the leading cause of ... death for children and teens in Texas.
• Gun violence is already the leading cause of death for youth 18 to 20 years of age.
• Texas should lead in protecting its citizens from federal overreach and ensure that lawful gun owners

Bills: HB259, HB259, HB 1128, HB1337, HB1506, HB1794, HB2215, HB2470, HB2771, HB2882, HB2993, HB3053, HB3428, HB3669, HB3789, HB3924, HB4201, HB4675

Keywords: redistricting, Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission, Texas Legislature, elections, district boundaries, voter representation, healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical expenses, access to care, affordability, legislation, firearms, penal code, regulation, short-barrel firearms, ammunition, gun control, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• like we are in a really good position with the contractor that we've selected, uh, to certainly be leading
• permits, uh, our plan is, is to launch some early procurement packages where we purchase, uh, long lead
• Uh, Texas leads the nation in petrochemical manufacturing, supporting over 500 direct and indirect jobs
• So water security is one of the reasons Texas became the leading chemical manufacturing state in the
• Uh, our members represent the leading companies that are building these and are actively involved in

Transcript Highlights:

• these permits our plan is is to launch some early... ...procurement packages where we purchase long lead
• So water security is one of the reasons Texas became the leading chemical manufacturing state in the
• And so thank you Chairman Harris for leading us. on that.
• With five cities, Texas leads...
• This is not a category where Texas should be leading, and we don't want to be the first.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I just think that that's really, I think it could lead into some question.
• Like, that just leads it up for a lot of discrimination that could happen.
• <00:12:50.760> into really I I think it's could lead into really I I think it's could lead
• I just think that that's really, I think it could lead into some question.
• And I did speak to DFL lead Leeling, who is the DFL lead on the Judiciary Committee, and she agrees that

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That they're able to expand production will lead to currently fallow lands being put back into active
• gr expanded that they're able to gr expanded production<00:13:01.199> will<00:13:01.360> lead
• ><00:13:01.600> to<00:13:01.839> currently<00:13:02.199> phow production will lead
• to currently phow production will lead to currently phow lands<00:13:03.120> being<00:13:03.399
• in this waste arsenic chromium and lead in this waste much<00:17:54.799> higher<00:17:55.240>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Economic Development and Technology heard testimony on HB 976, a measure related to incentives for renewable fuels, including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Supporters said the bill would help close the cost gap between renewable and conventional fuels, strengthen Hawaii’s energy security, support climate goals, and encourage local economic development. Testifiers from Pono Pacific, PAR Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Airlines, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, Pacific Biodiesel, Aloha Carbon, and others described ongoing or planned projects, local feedstock development, and potential benefits for agriculture, waste diversion, and emissions reductions. Several testifiers also discussed proposed amendments. The Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition said it wanted to remove the import tax credit, eliminate the aggregate cap increase to avoid additional state funding, and revise local-production language to rely on a carbon-intensity threshold rather than location-based preferences. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii raised technical concerns about the bill’s administration, including prorating credits if the cap is exceeded and the feasibility of a 30-day filing window. Some supporters urged keeping solid waste, including construction and demolition debris, as eligible feedstock, while Energy Justice Network opposed that approach and also urged removing GMO-related language and waste-based feedstocks because of environmental and toxic emissions concerns. Opposition testimony focused on the bill’s cost and feasibility. Energy Justice Network and Ted Metros argued the measure could become a large subsidy for a refinery and questioned whether Hawaii has enough land and water to produce meaningful quantities of biofuel locally. Metros also criticized the refundable credit structure and said the state should not bear the cost for what he described as a benefit largely tied to tourism and imported fuel. No vote was taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the chair later noted the committee had received 13 testimonies in support, 18 in opposition, and seven comments, and then invited further discussion on cost allocation and lowering caps to broaden participation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Immigration is a federal issue when the federal government is taking the lead.
• Federal issue, and the federal government is taking the lead.
• With the help and support of local law enforcement, this legislation ensures we continue to lead the
• Would it be inaccurate to suggest that the leading driver of illegal immigration to the state of Florida
• But what leads me to run this bill are the stories that we know.

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.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am family court judge for Lincoln, Pulaski, and Rockcastle counties, and I serve as the lead for the
• This ensures that the parents have access to the necessary... 2021 its Passage would follow the lead
• Why should Kentucky lead the way? I have three keys that I like to share.
• traffickers to escalate control leading traffickers to escalate control leading into<00:28:46.399
• <00:31:41.679> the involved why should Kentucky lead the involved why should Kentucky lead

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:05 Roll Call: 00:00:14 SB 26: 00:01:50 SB 64: 00:18:29 SB 73: 00:22:54, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. Senate Bill 26, sponsored by Chair Storm, would protect parents and prospective parents with disabilities by barring disability alone from being the sole basis for denying an adoption petition or terminating parental rights. Testimony from Judge Marcus Vanover and Crystal Adams described the bill as a product of the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health and its work groups, cited Kentucky and national cases and federal ADA guidance, and said the bill would require consideration of supportive services, clearer documentation, retention of records, and conforming language changes. Senator Carroll asked how the bill would apply to a hypothetical adult child with special needs; witnesses said the bill is aimed at adoption and termination proceedings where the Cabinet is already involved, not proactive service requests. The committee approved SB 26 by a unanimous 7-0 vote and sent it to the floor with favorable expression. The committee next considered Senate Bill 64, also sponsored by Chair Storm, which would expand the definition of key infrastructure assets to include telecommunications services such as telephone lines and broadband and make damaging, tampering with, or rendering those services inoperable a Class D felony. Representatives from Charter/Spectrum and AT&T testified that copper theft and vandalism have increasingly damaged fiber and other facilities, citing more than 20 incidents in Kentucky in 2024 affecting over 30,000 customers and diverting resources from broadband expansion. The committee adopted a committee substitute and then passed SB 64 by a 7-0 vote with favorable expression. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Senator Julie Adams, which would create a felony offense for sexual extortion, allow victims or their representatives to bring civil actions, include the offense in Kentucky’s sex-crime definitions, and require school-based notification and education efforts along with resource information for students. Senator Adams and witness Lady T. Thompson described sextortion as a fast-growing online crime targeting minors, often through social media, gaming, and messaging apps, and argued that stronger penalties and prevention efforts are needed. The transcript cuts off before any committee action on SB 73.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are acutely aware of that, and Senator K.C. has been working, or leading, the Senate's efforts
• <00:36:10.160> the K C has been working or leading the K C has been working or leading the
• So let us lead with love. Let us lead with aloha.
• We have a governor who is leading it. Maybe we can save the Aloha before we go.
• We have a governor who is leading it. Maybe we can save the Aloha before we go.

Keywords: Order of the Day: PENDING, 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• HCA will be leading the charge in applying for that grant. So our floor estimate is $100 million.
• Now, some of them, most of them, don't lead to harm, but mistakes happen at that rate.
• This significant stress and distress can lead to the practitioner becoming a second victim.
• These differences can lead to more potential errors, more lawsuits, and ultimately more burnout among
• I really want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead this organization.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm pleased to present SB 237 as one of the lead authors on this bill.
• things that we need to do to be visionary in terms of what are our goals, what do we need to do to lead
• things that we need to do to be visionary in terms of what are our goals, what do we need to do to lead
• California has led the world, and thanks to the member from Thousand Oaks, will continue to lead the
• Leadership, first of our Speaker, in identifying leaders to lead our working groups, as was done here

Summary: The chamber reconvened after a late-night session and first adopted the consent calendar, including ACR 107 on the Diablo Range, by a 48-0 vote. Members then took up several Senate bills and Assembly measures, with repeated remarks about the long hours and the need to respect staff and keep proceedings moving. A vote change was also announced for Assembly Member Patel on SB 414, changing from aye to not voting. The main policy debate centered on energy, climate, and affordability. SB 237, dealing with oil and gas policy, refinery closures, pipeline safety, Kern County permitting, gasoline blend flexibility, and regional fuel coordination, drew strong support from members who framed it as a managed transition to stabilize fuel supply and protect jobs, and strong opposition from members who called it a giveaway to oil interests and a setback for climate goals. The bill passed 59-0. SB 254, an energy affordability and wildfire package, included wildfire mitigation financing, a successor wildfire fund, transmission cost reductions, clean energy permitting changes, and energization timelines; members raised some concerns about local control, but the bill passed 58-0. SB 840 and AB 1207 advanced the cap-and-invest reauthorization package, with supporters emphasizing emissions reductions, housing, transit, wildfire prevention, and community air programs, while opponents argued it would raise costs and function as a tax-and-spend scheme. SB 840 passed 54-15 and AB 1207 passed 55-10, both with urgency and immediate transmittal. Members also approved SB 352, which makes the Bureau of Environmental Justice permanent and requires air quality monitoring and reporting on AB 617 implementation, by 43-19. AB 825, authorizing California to help establish a Westwide electricity market, was presented as a way to lower bills, improve reliability, and reduce emissions; it passed 67-2 and was sent to the Governor. Additional actions included concurrence in Senate amendments to AB 8 on cannabinoids and AB 383 on firearms cleanup, and the chamber began consideration of AB 764 on wildlife as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• gift of this day and for the responsibilities that you've placed on the men and women in this room to lead
• this chamber would be an echo of that, and that each life would be centered on you, Lord Jesus, who leads
• nine-month program with the purpose of effectively equipping leaders and then sending them out to lead
• . with the purpose of effectively equipping leaders and then sending them out to lead.
• Overall, this bill is going to allow patients to lead productive lives while managing their illnesses

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard an invocation, adopted the prior day’s journal, received House messages, and adopted several resolutions and recognitions, including Senate Resolution 496 honoring Leadership Garland and resolutions 503 and 504. The chamber also recognized guests, including a North Dakota senator and the Doctor of the Day, and received gubernatorial nominations for the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board and the Nueces River Authority Board. The Senate then took up and passed a series of bills, often by suspending the regular order and the constitutional three-day rule. Measures approved included SB 614 on Texas Forensic Science Commission referrals to the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs; SB 250 on municipal annexation across railroad rights-of-way; SB 1660 on toxicological evidence retention and destruction procedures; SB 2586 requiring property owners associations to file governing documents with the Texas Real Estate Commission; SB 1588 increasing penalties for certain failures to report child sexual abuse; HB 912 on compensation for distributed renewable generation outside ERCOT; SB 1957 setting eligibility standards for civilian oversight boards; HB 2525 clarifying a charitable property tax exemption; SB 1525 limiting repeated prior authorization for neurodegenerative disease drugs; SB 865 requiring CPR/AED training and cardiac emergency response planning in schools; SB 1212 elevating human trafficking penalties; SB 2690 on solicitations for Secretary of State documents; SB 1802 on landlord repair duties for ramps, elevators, and handrails; SB 905 on licensing rules for speech-language pathologists and audiologists; SB 2929 allowing removal of disruptive spectators at school athletic events; SB 2675 creating a narrow McAllen-specific parkland conveyance exception; SB 872 increasing punishment for burglary of a vehicle involving firearm theft; and SB 1113 clarifying sales rules for certain converter-license holders. Several bills drew extended debate. SB 2487, dealing with crisis and mental health services for homelessness, was amended to make the county model permissive rather than mandatory and to remove state funding/assistance requirements before passing 28-3. SB 2138, barring higher education funds from contracting with firms that boycott fossil fuels through ESG policies, also passed after questions about fiscal effects and First Amendment concerns. SB 2615, restricting remote work at public institutions of higher education, advanced 22-9. The Senate also began consideration of SB 3016, which would expand enforcement tools against local governments that fail to comply with state law, but the transcript cuts off before action on that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• that should have been put into law or not, and the disadvantages or the advantages that that could lead
• <00:08:01.919> We<00:08:02.160> can that will lead us down that path.
• We can that will lead us down that path.
• Solar panels contain toxic substances like cadmium, lead, and selenium.
• It's important. substances like cadmium, lead and substances like cadmium, lead and selenium.<00:30:04.799

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:50.959> to the February reimbursement leading to the February reimbursement leading
• I am a member of the Lead MN Governing Council.
• MN the fall I am a member of the lead MN governing<00:25:26.480> Council<00:25:27.480> I
• Jesse Rosi, who's with us today, is a project lead on the residency programs and is scouring anything
• on the res SE programs is a project lead on the res SE programs is scouring<00:46:17.680> anything

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a unique opportunity, but what we need to see today is continuing to ensure New Mexico leads
• What are our opportunities to continue to lead and make additional investments to grow that sector?
• We're in the process of hiring an entrepreneur lead in our Office of Science and Technology Strategy.
• So it applies to the state and when we're working with the RLD lead.
• It was mentioned by the analysts around that lead a piece with somewhat on the site readiness.

Transcript Highlights:

• They do not simply participate, they lead.
• They lead.
• And we're really grateful that they are taking these initiatives sooner now in their young lead ages
• AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL THAT THEY ARE TAKING THESE INITIATIVES SOONER NOW IN THEIR YOUNG LEAD AGES
• The only thing that we're leading the world in right now is what not to do in energy policy.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the journal, and took up a series of motions to discharge identical Assembly bills to the Third Reading Calendar, along with committee reports and amendments. The chamber also received an introduction from Senator Gonzalez honoring Maria Raine and her advocacy for guardrails on AI chatbots after the death of her son, and later adopted a Rules Committee report sending several General Business Law bills directly to Third Reading. The resolution calendar was adopted with some exceptions, and the Senate recognized several previously adopted resolutions honoring individuals and observances, including Barnabas McHenry, Arthur Jones Jr., Floyd Todd Peterson III, the Lexington School for the Deaf, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Apraxia Awareness Month, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, Prevention Week, Physician Anesthesiologists Week, and Golf Day in New York. The Senate then considered and passed numerous bills, many on consumer protection and public policy topics. Measures included bills on General Business Law, Public Health Law, Correction Law, Environmental Conservation Law, Executive Law, Vehicle and Traffic Law, Public Officers Law, Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, Public Housing Law, Education Law, Labor Law, and Public Service Law. Several bills were laid aside, including a Public Health Law bill by Senator Fernandez and a Public Service Law bill by Senator Parker. The chamber also passed a concurrent constitutional resolution by Senator Stec proposing an amendment to Article 14. During floor debate, senators explained votes on several measures. Senator Ramos spoke in support of paid sick leave for domestic workers, describing the bill as a long-overdue labor protection for a workforce historically excluded from such rights. Senator Fernandez described her bill as the Manufacturer Disclosure and Transparency Act, aimed at requiring notice and public disclosure of certain pharmaceutical patent settlement agreements to improve transparency and competition in prescription drug pricing. Senator Ryan and Senator Martins supported a bill restricting hidden algorithmic price manipulation online, and Senator May supported a bill limiting excessive rental car fuel charges as part of a broader consumer protection package. The Senate also passed a memorial highway bill naming a portion of Route 19 in LeRoy for Lieutenant Gary A. Scott, with Senator Borrello explaining the veteran’s service and sacrifice.

Transcript Highlights:

• Three, stated that he was leading legislative efforts on the issue.
• Three, stated that he was leading Three, stated that he was leading legislative<00:05:00.640>
• NMW, as the organization that I work for, has many facets to it besides leading the Campaign to Save
• the Campaign to Save the leading the Campaign to Save the Boundary<00:21:26.120> Waters.
• And, as I stated, NMW leads the coalition branded as the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• with vulnerability, leading with compassion.
• <00:17:30.160> with lived experience, leading with lived experience, leading with vulnerability
• ,<00:17:30.960> leading<00:17:31.240> with<00:17:31.360> compassion.
• vulnerability, leading with compassion. vulnerability, leading with compassion.
• Then we did take up GM 779 earlier in our agenda, which leads us to our last item, which is our final

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several gubernatorial nominations to the Hawaii Workforce Development Council and one nomination to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board. For GM 779, Mark Fong Su Wat said he would bring his experience as an electrician and labor community member to workforce development, and he committed to serving if confirmed. Testimony was unanimously supportive, with 10 in support and none opposed, and the committee voted to recommend advise and consent; the recommendation was adopted. For GM 792, Sheryl Cross sought a second term on the Workforce Development Council and described her work on employer engagement, military veteran affairs, and military spouse employment. In response to questions, she emphasized the need to better connect military spouses, underrepresented workers, and students pursuing trades or non-college pathways to jobs, including through school academies and online hiring initiatives. The item was held for later decision-making. For GM 793, Ashley Lohua, also nominated to the Workforce Development Council, said her focus would be helping people stay in Hawaii by improving job retention, listening to community concerns, and building pathways between sectors. Support testimony highlighted her work with marginalized communities and her empathy and leadership. She told the committee she would use her nonprofit and HR experience to help address vacancies and workforce barriers; the item was also held for later decision-making. For GM 774, Douglas Thomas Moore, nominated to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board, said his first priority would be reducing the backlog. He proposed using informal conferences and mediation to speed workers’ compensation appeals and suggested recruiting more practitioners, especially younger ones, into the field. The committee noted 11 supportive testimonies and no opposition; no vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I believe that this amendment puts the legislature in the lead on deciding, designing what comes
• ><00:14:32.480> on<00:14:32.640> deciding<00:14:33.640> uh legislature in the lead
• on deciding uh legislature in the lead on deciding uh designing<00:14:34.280> what<00:14:34.480
• Um, will the elected chair be the lead of that committee, like we have here?
• of that committee alike uh be the lead of that committee alike uh we<00:29:28.919> have<00:29

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that leads into my question with you to represent the regents here now this afternoon.
• We all agree with that, and I'm so proud that we have taken the lead, and the president's taken that
• lead.
• Because that certainly leads to a lot of verbal hearsay and he said, she said.
• What was clearly communicated as relates to a lead-up to the actual termination.

Keywords: 970, all