Transcript Highlights:

• 00:10:42.120><c> procedural</c><00:10:42.680><c> vote</c><00:10:42.839><c> to</c><00:10:43.000><c> block
• vote to block the full expulsion<00:10:45.120><c> question</c><00:10:45.680><c> absolutely</c><00:10
• But we weren't even able to get to that vote because Senator Mitchell deliberately blocked the effort
• But we weren't even able to get to that vote because Senator Mitchell deliberately blocked the effort
• But we weren't even able to get to that vote because Senator Mitchell deliberately blocked the effort

Transcript Highlights:

• The discretionary block grant, incredible opportunities that we've had.
• Before the discretionary block grant, incredible opportunities that we've had this every year since 2020
• the next two, what would be the last two tranches, if you will, of the Learning Recovery Emergency Block
• And probably you'll see some additions to the mandated cost block grant for schools would have to add
• For the description of the block grant, we recommend that the funding be distributed in alignment with

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill proposes revisions to the juvenile justice realignment block grant formula commencing in 2026
• one-time Prop. 98 General Fund for the Student Support and Professional Development Discretionary Block
• The bill appropriates $60 million one-time Prop. 98 General Fund to establish the Student Support Block
• The bill appropriates 60 million one-time Prop 98 general fund to establish the student support block
• Megan Tokanaga Block, Department of Finance.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee held an informational hearing on the final three-party budget agreement and related trailer bills, with the Department of Finance outlining the major budget bill and omnibus measures. Finance described a package built around balancing the state budget amid economic uncertainty, preserving core health and safety-net programs, and making significant ongoing reductions in some state programs. The budget bill included major items such as shifting $1 billion from the General Fund to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for Cal Fire, funding universal transitional kindergarten, deferring some UC and CSU funding, supporting foster care and homelessness programs, providing Proposition 36 implementation funding, and achieving Medi-Cal savings through changes to benefits and eligibility. The committee also heard that votes on the budget bills were expected later in the week and the following Monday. Finance then walked through the trailer bills, including health, human services, early learning, education, resources, energy, transportation, labor, housing, tax, public safety, courts, general government, cannabis, and energy-related measures. Notable provisions included a Medi-Cal enrollment freeze for certain adults, new premiums and benefit changes for some immigrants, child care COLA changes, education funding for literacy, teacher support, universal meals, and community college student support, as well as resource and climate measures affecting Cal Fire staffing and energy permitting. The housing trailer bill drew the most discussion, with provisions on CEQA streamlining, a vehicle miles traveled mitigation banking program, a renters’ credit trigger, and a six-year moratorium on new residential building standards. Members also discussed a film tax credit expansion, cannabis enforcement funding, a tribal police pilot program, and changes to tax policy, including military retirement income exclusions and wildfire settlement payment exclusions. Committee members largely praised the staff and the budget process, but several raised concerns and asked detailed questions, especially about the housing trailer bill’s new wage standards, tribal consultation provisions, and possible effects on prevailing wage protections. Finance explained that the housing language was intended to set wage floors for market-rate projects receiving CEQA streamlining, with different county-based tiers and a notwithstanding clause preserving existing prevailing wage laws. Members also questioned the size and timing of funding for the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, Clean Cars for All, Proposition 36, and the film tax credit expansion. Other members highlighted support for public safety, veterans’ tax relief, child care providers, housing production, and higher education, while some expressed concern that the budget’s policy changes were being negotiated too quickly or without enough stakeholder input.

Transcript Highlights:

• We get our boxes from Rango Packaging in Kapolei, our machine parts from GT Scientific and Salt Lake,
• We get our boxes from Rango Packaging in Kapolei, our machine parts from GT Scientific and Salt Lake,

Bills: SB2709 , SB3154

Committee: Senate Agriculture and Environment

Summary: The hearing began with SB 2709, which would require the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to establish rules to enforce the Okami arrival program and strengthen quarantine enforcement for plants, non-domestic animals, and microorganisms. The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council supported the bill, as did DAB, saying it would improve biosecurity and make some provisions mandatory rather than optional. Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines supported the goal but raised concerns about language changing inspections from “may” to “shall” for aircraft, warning of possible federal preemption and operational conflicts unless the bill is clarified to align with federal aviation safety, security, and operational requirements. Committee members questioned DAB about inspection timing, scope, and compliance; DAB said the measure is intended to increase enforcement, improve form completion rates toward a 90% goal, and expand beyond airlines to other entry modes, while also noting plans to restore detector dog use and improve software/AI tools for processing forms. Decision-making on SB 2709 was deferred to February 17 at 3:02 p.m. in Room CR229. The committees then took up SB 3154, an administration measure authorizing the Department of Transportation to assume certain National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities for highway, rail, public transportation, and multimodal projects, with the aim of streamlining environmental review. DOT supported the bill and explained that it would allow the department to work directly with federal resource agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife and SHPO rather than routing everything through federal highways. After brief discussion, the Committee on Transportation voted to pass SB 3154 with technical amendments, and the AEN committee followed with the same recommendation; the measure was adopted with five votes in favor. A later portion of the transcript shifted to SB 2374 on the blue economy. DBED said it supported the concept but noted that it already sits on many working groups and would need resources if a new working group is created. DBED suggested the committee could instead request research through a letter or memo, and said agencies including ADC, HTDC, and Agriculture had already begun internal discussions. Testimony in support came from IMUA Alliance, Hawaii Food Policy, and others, emphasizing the potential for blue economy ventures to support survivors, align with climate and cultural goals, and create economic opportunity. No final vote on SB 2374 appears in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• being proposed today, each one of them would come with a fiscal note, which would add a little bit of salt
• Each one of them would come with a fiscal note, which would add a little bit of salt to our propositions

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• since 2006, over 180,000 times since 2006, Interlocks<01:47:56.639><c> have</c><01:47:56.800><c> blocked
• have blocked drunk driving attempts<01:47:59.040><c> in</c><01:47:59.280><c> Colorado.
• But I want to talk to my constituents directly and every Colorado who drove past a block camera on their
• Colorado who drove directly and every Colorado who drove past<02:35:51.520><c> a</c><02:35:51.920><c> block
• camera on their way here past a block camera on their way here today. today. today.

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:26:11.840><c> state</c><00:26:12.240><c> police</c><00:26:12.760><c> to</c><00:26:13.400><c> block
• </c><00:26:13.840><c> the</c> using the state police to block the using the state police to block the
• </c> that's on his property and just block that's on his property and just block access<00:44:07.800>
• And this bill would effectively allow those landowners to block alleys, block driveways that have for
• And this bill would effectively allow those landowners to block alleys, block driveways that have for

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• a major blocking, right?
• a major blocking, right?
• a major blocking, right?
• a major blocking, right?
• a major blocking, right?

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Summary: The joint HHS and LBT meeting opened with accessibility concerns, as several blind attendees arrived after the general public had already been seated. The chair apologized and said future hearings would try to seat blind members earlier. The committee also announced the hearing was being streamed on YouTube, testimony would be limited to one minute, and written testimony was available online. The first bill heard was SB 2281, relating to the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The Department of Health supported transparency for patients but preferred disclosure through provider websites and office signage rather than a new regulatory program. The Hawaii Medical Association and Healthcare Association of Hawaii generally supported the bill’s intent but raised concerns about administrative burden and suggested a working group or model policies. Hawaii Pacific Health said it already uses AI for note-taking and patient portal functions and worried that written notice requirements could create too much consumer information. In response, the chair emphasized that patients should be informed when AI is used, especially if it affects diagnosis or consequential decisions, and said AI should not be making medical decisions. The committee later voted to recommend SB 2281 pass with amendments, including narrowing the definition of consequential decisions, removing certain language requested by DOH, adding a two-year implementation period, and setting a far-future defective date for further discussion; both committees adopted the recommendation, with the chair voting aye and the vice chair voting with reservations. The second major bill was SB 2852, a civil rights measure focused on digital access for people with disabilities. The Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and the National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii all supported the bill, arguing that existing law clearly protects physical access but should also make digital access explicit. Blind testifiers described how accessible technology, such as VoiceOver on iPhones, allows them to participate independently in public processes and warned that inaccessible digital systems can create barriers for thousands of blind residents. One testifier, an attorney with disability-law experience, supported the bill’s intent but said the draft had flaws, including no exceptions for archived materials, no distinction between small and large businesses, and concerns about the timing and choice of accessibility standards; he suggested delegating regulatory authority to the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. The bill’s sponsor said he supported DAB’s proposed amendments, and the committee indicated those amendments would address many of the concerns raised. No final vote on SB 2852 was taken in the portion provided. The committee then took up SB 2751, which defines compounded prescription drugs for workers’ compensation purposes. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations supported the bill but requested clarifying amendments to keep pharmacists as the primary professionals authorized to compound in licensed pharmacies and to limit any physician compounding authority to the physician’s own patient. Supporters included the Work Injury Medical Association of Hawaii, while Solera Integrated Medical Solutions opposed the measure, arguing the current definition was already broad enough and warning about cost inflation, especially with 503B bulk compounding facilities and physician dispensing. In questioning, members asked about rural access, reimbursement for 503B products, and late testimony suggesting definitions for 503A and 503B facilities, limits on physician dispensing to 30 days post-injury, and pre-approval for non-FDA-approved drugs. DLIR said not every rural community has licensed pharmacists available, that products with a national drug code are reimbursed at 140%, and that 503B facilities raise concerns because they are bulk manufacturers rather than patient-specific compounding operations. The meeting then moved into decision-making on SB 2281; the chair’s pass-with-amendments recommendation was adopted by both committees, with the vice chair voting with reservations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Blocking it, as HB 530 proposes, would set our communities behind.
• Blocking it, as HB 530 proposes, would set our communities behind.
• Blocking it, as HB 530 proposes, would set our communities behind.
• Blocking it, as HB 530 proposes, would set our communities behind.
• Blocking it, as HB 530 proposes, would set our communities behind.

Bills: HB21 , HB211 , HB223 , HB323 , HB524 , HB530 , HB636 , HB762 , HB21 , HB211 , HB223

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: housing finance, multifamily residential, low income, tax exemption, audit requirements, affordable housing, local government, development bonds, housing assistance, financial assistance, low income housing, community support, affordability, veterans housing, community involvement, air conditioning, tenant support, healthcare, elderly, taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• In December, a citywide power outage in San Francisco caused 1,500 Waymo stoppages that blocked intersections
• officials are not stepping in and saying, hey, this car needs to move, when it's just not moving and blocking
• We think that having the local incident technician... ...and blocking traffic and disrupting the public
• , which is critically important given the latency time between the U.S. and other countries. and blocking
• We've had examples of them entering into live fire incidents, running over fire hoses, blocking ingress

Summary: The Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee met with several bills on the agenda, beginning with SB 739 (Arreguín) on the Clean Miles Standard and Incentive Program for transportation network companies. The author and supporters from Lyft, Uber, and TechNet said the bill would update EV miles traveled and greenhouse gas targets to reflect current market conditions, add flexibility for CARB and the CPUC, and protect drivers from losing platform access while also creating a path for future electrification. Opponents including the American Lung Association, Sierra Club California, and NRDC argued the bill would weaken a program meant to accelerate EV adoption and should retain stronger targets. Members discussed affordability, charging infrastructure, and the need to balance climate goals with feasibility. The committee approved SB 739 as amended and re-referred it to Appropriations, later recording a 9-0 vote when the roll was completed. The committee then heard SB 1190 (Grove), the “Safe Passage for Youth Act,” which would regulate private youth transport services used for out-of-state residential placements. The author and sponsor testimony described abusive practices such as nighttime pickups, blindfolds, restraints, and emotional trauma, and said the bill would require CPUC permitting, TrustLine background checks, training, parental consent, and bans on certain practices. Support came from youth and disability advocates, with no opposition testimony. The bill was moved on a due pass as amended recommendation and later passed 9-0. SB 1191 (Ochoa Bogh) would extend the sunset for California High Cost Fund A and B universal service programs that help provide affordable telephone service in rural and high-cost areas. Supporters from rural telecom companies and industry groups said the funds are essential for maintaining service, 911 access, and emergency communications in remote communities. There was no opposition, and the committee advanced the bill on a due pass recommendation; it later passed 9-0. The consent item, SB 985 (Strickland) on the 911 emergency system, was also approved. Finally, the committee heard SB 1246 (Cortese) on autonomous vehicles and emergency response. The author and supporters from SEIU California and the California Professional Firefighters said the bill would require AV companies to provide incident response, notify local jurisdictions during system failures, ensure U.S.-based remote drivers, and prevent public safety workers from having to manage AV breakdowns. Industry opponents argued the bill intrudes on federal vehicle standards, gives local governments enforcement authority they should not have, and could create overly broad notification and response requirements. Members raised questions about local control, response times, and whether the bill was premature given existing DMV regulations. Despite those concerns, the committee passed SB 1246 on a due pass as amended recommendation, later recording a 7-1 vote. The committee then recessed and returned to complete roll calls before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• about the members in the correctional facility about the inability to take vacation time, where it is blocked
• about the members in the correctional facility about the inability to take vacation time, where it is blocked
• about the members in the correctional facility about the inability to take vacation time, where it is blocked
• about the members in the correctional facility about the inability to take vacation time, where it is blocked
• about the members in the correctional facility about the inability to take vacation time, where it is blocked

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:

• Education at the federal level were to be abolished and the only thing that we got here in Idaho were block
• How fantastic for us as a state to establish... ...what that criteria looks like as it comes as a block
• This is slightly related to that question, which is related to those block grants that we would then
• My understanding is that those block grants have never met the burden of complying with federal laws.
• And so I wonder, you know, if we're left with those block grants and you're having these conversations

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Block. Aye. Senator Block votes yes. Senator Boone votes yes. Senator Brant votes yes.
• Senator Block to debate. Thank you, Mr. President.
• Thank you, Senator Block. Seeing no further debate.
• Senator Block votes no. Senator Boone votes no. Senator Brantley votes no. Senator Campos votes no.

Summary: The Senate debated House Joint Resolution 5, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow legislative compensation tied to median household income. Supporters argued that paying legislators would broaden access, improve representation, and help people who cannot afford to serve without outside income, while opponents said lawmakers should not raise their own pay given the legislature’s performance and the state’s budget and job losses. Three floor amendments were offered and all failed: one to change the ballot language to more directly say it would pay legislators a salary, one to add 16-year term limits, and one to deny per diem and mileage for meetings within 50 miles of a member’s home. After extended debate, the Senate adopted the resolution on a roll call vote of 23-19, sending H.J.R. 5, as amended, forward. The chamber then passed Senate Memorial 31, which creates a work group to study the 2020 suspension of COLAs for retired state employees and possible retirement-fund recommendations, by a 42-0 vote. Senate Memorial 17 also passed unanimously, calling for a task force to study the status and backlog of sexual assault examination kits in New Mexico. The Senate also received several House messages on bills returned or amended by the House, and adopted a committee report covering multiple House bills, including HB 20, HB 38, HB 108, HB 200, HB 270, HB 291, HB 306, and HB 309. The meeting ended with announcements about committee schedules and a recess until 10:30 a.m. the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• And part of this is because I live three blocks from this location.
• concerns we have in our neighborhoods, met with a lot of the individuals up and down the two or three blocks
• lot of concerns in our neighborhoods met with a lot of the individuals up and down the two or three blocks
• If the path to the community is blocked by impossible administrative hurdles, the entire SBP statute
• radius of my home, the closest one being convicted of rape of a child in the first degree, just one block

Bills: SB6339 , SB6184 , SB6224 , SB6255 , SB5977 , SB5979 , SB6249 , SB6007 , SB6186 , SGA9299

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: alternative placements, individual ownership, restrictive policies, healthcare, operational control, homeless youth, youth services, mental health, support programs, state law, behavioral health, children, support services, poverty reduction, intergenerational poverty, WorkFirst, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, self-sufficiency, economic justice

Transcript Highlights:

• if you're in a 1,200-square-foot manufactured home, I cannot put you in a 2,000-square-foot center block
• And my presentation today is about our community development block grant disaster recovery programs,
• So the community development block grant disaster recovery funds that... Awarded to the state.
• So the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds, they're a little different than the
• This is in Miami, a concrete block home, 3-2. And every home is built to local building codes.

Committee: Senate Community Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum present and heard two hurricane-recovery presentations focused on Florida’s response and long-term recovery efforts. Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, reviewed response and recovery operations for Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, including meals, water, sheltering, search and rescue deployments, power restoration, debris removal, flood-control efforts, and generator distribution. He also described ongoing public assistance and mitigation funding, the state’s FROC system for standardizing and speeding reimbursement documentation, and the Elevate Florida residential mitigation program, which will use about $400 million to elevate or reconstruct eligible flood-insurance properties and may expand to county-run programs. Senators asked about manufactured homes, school shelter hardening, mobile home tie-downs, reimbursement for USAR teams, debris hauling, regional sheltering, and FEMA review delays; Guthrie said the state is trying to move recovery faster and more proactively, while acknowledging some limits and federal bottlenecks. The committee then heard from Justin Domer, Deputy Secretary of Community Development at Florida Commerce, on HUD Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery programs. He explained that Commerce administers long-term recovery funds through its Office of Long-Term Resiliency for housing, infrastructure, and economic development, with funds used as a last resort after FEMA and insurance. Domer outlined the process for the most recent $925 million allocation covering multiple disasters, including Idalia, Debby, Helene, Milton, Broward flooding, and North Florida tornadoes, and said the state currently manages about $3.4 billion in DR funds, rising to over $4 billion with the new allocation. He highlighted completed and ongoing housing programs for Hurricane Irma, Michael, and Ian, plus workforce recovery programs and subrecipient infrastructure grants. Senators asked about Broward and Fort Lauderdale funding, homeowner turnaround times, and mobile home eligibility; Domer said Broward and Fort Lauderdale will have separate HUD-directed programs, and the committee adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Block. Senator Boone. Senator Bram.
• Allison Block Chavez. She is a partner at the law firm Aldridge, Hammer, and Wexler, PA.
• It's not blocking innovation and not blocking economic development.
• Senator Block votes no. Senator Munoz votes yes. Senator Pinto votes yes.
• Senator Block. Voting no. Senator Brantley. Voting no. Senator Lanier. Voting no.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Chair Pinto (member_13464) and Representative Block.
• Thank you, Chair Pinto (member_13464) and Representative Block.
• Representative Block: Thank you, Madam Chair.
• I think a lot of my questions around population were asked by Representative Block.
• I have a beta representative, a block representative, and some more centers.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• He banned travel and blocked remittances.
• He has cut off and blocked remittances.
• The clerk will designate the amendments in block on block number one, consisting of amendments numbered
• The amendments in block are adopted.
• </c> ignored, testimonies blocked, oversight ignored, testimonies blocked, oversight treated<07:50:34.478

Bills: HB3944 , HR519

Keywords: appropriations, military construction, veterans affairs, VA funding, USDA, agriculture appropriations, legislative branch appropriations, fiscal year 2026, omnibus, spending bill, rural development, rural housing, broadband, SNAP, WIC, school lunch, food safety, FDA user fees, veterans health care, toxic exposure

Transcript Highlights:

• I would entertain a motion to take those up in a block.
• There's a motion we take them up in a block. All in favor say I. Those no, the eyes have it.
• entertain a motion to take those up<00:28:51.280><c> in</c><00:28:51.360><c> a</c><00:28:51.400><c> block
• 00:28:56.080><c> a</c> There's a motion we take them up in a There's a motion we take them up in a block
• . block. block.

Committee: Joint Public Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• They have become some of the most foundational early literacy building blocks and family building blocks
• They have become some of the most foundational early literacy building blocks and family building blocks
• They have become some of the most foundational early literacy building blocks and family building blocks

Committee: Senate Families & Children