Transcript Highlights:

• SB 954, CEQA Advanced Manufacturing Exemption.
• The motion is do pass as amended per author to specify that final-tier manufacturing does not include
• SB 954, CEQA Advanced Manufacturing Exemption.
• The motion is do pass as amended per author to specify that final-tier manufacturing does not include
• SB 996, Manufactured Housing, Classification as Real Property.

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• voters a constitutional amendment concerning the five-year ad valorem exemption for qualified manufacturing
• So in the Constitution, if you read it, it says that, for the purpose of inducing any manufacturing concern
• to locate and expanding manufacturing facilities within the county in this state, a qualifying manufacturing
• For example, right now, there could be a manufacturing company that would qualify under the Constitution

Bills: HB4248 , HB4429 , HB2588 , HB3472 , HB4317 , HB3462 , HB2035 , HB3501 , HB3127 , HB3143 , HB3144 , HB3260 , HB4321 , HB3011 , HB3522 , HB3530 , HB3940 , HB3078 , HB3043 , HB3005 , HB3007 , HB3403 , HB1907 , HB3175 , HB3986 , HB3466 , HB3411 , HB4246 , SJR49 , HB3281 , HB4319 , HJR1086 , HJR1024 , HJR1087

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, prayer, and several introductions recognizing the Doctor and Nurse of the Day, visiting school groups, and other guests in the galleries. Members also heard a personal privilege statement from Senator Peterson marking the 100th anniversary of his father’s immigration to the United States, followed by a reception announcement in the lounge. The chamber then took up H.J.R. 1024, a proposed constitutional amendment revising the Judicial Nominating Commission by removing political affiliation restrictions, changing term rules, and allowing consecutive service. An amendment was adopted to move the special election date to August 25, 2026, but the special-election provision later failed on a 27-17 vote. After extended debate over judicial independence, transparency, and political influence, the resolution itself passed 35-8. The Senate next considered H.J.R. 1087, which would place before voters a constitutional amendment on the five-year ad valorem tax exemption for qualified manufacturing facilities and allow the Legislature to set reimbursement levels for local entities. Supporters said it would give the state more control over costly reimbursements; the measure passed 38-7, and the special-election provision also passed 38-7. The Senate then laid over two agenda items, made committee and event announcements, and adjourned until Monday, April 13 at 1:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• already home to 36 of the 60 minerals identified as critical to our national security, advanced manufacturing
• It aligns mapping, permitting, modernization, workforce training, and advanced manufacturing incentives
• And if we're serious about advancing manufacturing, energy, resilience, and long-term job growth, then
• they're just, they're looking to retool those facilities that already have FDA approval and begin to manufacture
• Fourth is manufacturing. The fifth is transportation and logistics.

Committee: House Higher Education and Workforce Development

Transcript Highlights:

• Moses Lake and Grant County have become a hub for advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, food
• Moses Lake and Grant County have become a hub for advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, food
• So in that situation, ...because the manufacturer doesn't know what the price is going to be at that
• you say that, are you saying that there's a sole source requirement because only one particular manufacturer
• Because only one particular manufacturer is a source for what you need for these kinds of facilities,

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills related to transportation, utilities, housing permitting, and port financing. Substitute Senate Bill 6309 would give regional transit authorities, such as Sound Transit, more flexibility to apply for permits before acquiring property, exceed certain local height/setback limits when needed for rail systems, and use development agreements to vary local standards; the sponsor and Sound Transit testified that the bill would speed delivery of light rail and bus rapid transit, and an amendment was described to allow permits on property not yet owned if the transit authority remains responsible for obtaining property rights. Substitute Senate Bill 6076 would streamline procurement rules for public utility districts on clean energy, storage, transmission, and distribution projects by raising self-performance and contract thresholds, allowing limited noncompetitive procurement in certain reliability or specialized-technology situations, and extending some provisions until 2045; supporters from PUDs, labor, and industry said the changes are needed because of rising costs, long lead times, and grid reliability demands, while committee members asked about the size of the threshold increases and the scope of the bidding waivers. Substitute Senate Bill 5729 would prohibit local governments from charging applicants for third-party plan review when a licensed local staff professional of the same discipline has already reviewed the materials, while still allowing third-party review at the applicant’s cost in certain cases; the sponsor said the bill was narrowed from a broader version and was intended to prevent duplicative fees, and builders supported it as a permitting streamlining measure. Senate Bill 6132 would create a narrow debt-limit exception for the Port of Moses Lake to support a rail project and preserve federal funding eligibility; the port and economic development supporters said the project is ready to bid and needs additional borrowing capacity because of inflation, and the sponsor clarified that the bill is intended to apply only to that port. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5374 would require tribal governments to be included in transportation planning coordination under the Growth Management Act and create a tribal traffic safety coordinator grant program; the sponsor emphasized severe pedestrian fatality disparities for Native people and said the bill is about consultation and safety, while county representatives supported the policy goal but asked for clearer cross-references to existing GMA consultation and dispute-resolution processes. The committee also took up Substitute Senate Bill 6070/6076-related testimony and, at the end of the hearing, announced that bills would be executed the next day and amendment requests should be submitted as soon as possible.

Transcript Highlights:

• Small distillers, small manufacturers certainly don't have the scale of bigger manufacturers.
• I do know our market may be a challenge for a small supplier whose manufacturing process is more expensive
• A challenge for a small supplier whose manufacturing process is more expensive than a larger supplier
• Small manufacturers kind of do suffer the same symptoms as they would in the liquor environment, liquor

Summary: The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee heard presentations on the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the State Liquor Division. For Agriculture, legislative staff reviewed the agency’s structure, staffing, dedicated funds, and FY 2026–2027 budget requests, including pay adjustments, replacement items, IT hardware, a reappropriation for the Resilient Food Systems Grant, and two major one-time requests: a deficiency warrant for exotic pest response and a supplemental appropriation for quagga mussel treatment. Director Chanel Tewalt emphasized the history and urgency of Idaho’s invasive species program, described the state’s rapid response to quagga mussels, and explained how the program uses inspections, stations, chemicals, and other tools to reduce risk. Members asked about grant timing, vehicle replacement, signage costs, research into alternative treatments, chemical costs, possible use of sturgeon, and whether budget cuts would affect inspection stations; the director said some station openings or hours could be delayed or reduced, but priority would be given to border crossings and higher-risk locations. The committee then reviewed the State Liquor Division budget. Staff outlined the division’s dedicated-fund operations, personnel levels, statutory distributions, and FY 2027 requests for inflation, replacement items, and IT/security equipment, all recommended by the governor. Director Andrew Arulenandum said his priorities were safety, legal exposure, and operational continuity, citing a store shelving collapse and warehouse safety needs as reasons for some requests. Members asked about a policy proposal to restrict bulk lottery ticket purchases by out-of-state syndicates, the division’s pricing and markup structure, and whether Idaho might move away from a state-run liquor model. The director and his staff said the lottery restriction would not have a fiscal impact, that the markup is standardized, and that while the division remains open to efficiency ideas, the current control-state structure is intended to support revenue and temperance. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would return the next day to take action on FY 2027 maintenance budgets.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1659 establishes the Missouri Defense and Energy Independence Act to help Missouri manufacturers
• distribute... ...the additional funding to be able to actually mine or process or distribute or manufacture
• Currently, most active pharmaceutical ingredients, APIs, are manufactured in China and India.
• to come and speak in favor of it because we do believe it would benefit, you know, mostly any manufacturer
• Well, I will comment and say the only reason I knew about API is because there was a manufacturing seminar

Committee: House Higher Education and Workforce Development

Transcript Highlights:

• greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production stages, including extraction, transport, and manufacturing
• environmental product declaration is a verified report of the environmental impacts of product manufacturing
• Embodied carbon is the climate impact of the materials used to build a building, emissions from the manufacturing
• The technologies available, the manufacturing industry, including concrete and steel industries, are
• The emissions tied to building materials, from extraction to manufacturing to construction, contribute

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on several housing, building code, and permitting bills. HB 2228 would direct the State Building Code Council to convene a technical advisory group to recommend code amendments allowing scissor stairs in buildings with more than two dwelling units. Supporters, including architects, builders, and housing advocates, said scissor stairs could improve safety, reduce corridor and stair footprint, lower costs, and allow more efficient and denser housing layouts. The bill was then closed to public hearing. HB 2381 would create a performance-based code pathway for low-rise residential buildings and allow recognition of third-party certifications. The chair described it as a move from prescriptive to performance-based standards, with flexibility for builders and potential alignment with clean building goals. The Building Industry Association of Washington opposed the bill as written, saying the main need is a performance pathway in the energy code rather than the IBC, while FutureWise supported the concept but urged caution about the complexity and timeline of converting code to performance-based standards. The public hearing on HB 2381 was closed after testimony. HB 2418 would change permit review processes, including vesting rules for residential project permits in urban growth areas, pausing review clocks in certain circumstances, extending timelines to other fee-charging reviewing entities, and requiring a single permit responsible official and point of contact by 2027. Builders, developers, and housing advocates generally supported the bill’s coordination and timeline provisions, saying they would reduce delays and costs, though several groups raised concerns about the vesting section and completeness definitions. FutureWise and county representatives warned the vesting changes could create litigation or records issues, while the sponsor said the vesting portion might be reconsidered. The committee also heard HB 2273, which would require embodied carbon reduction standards for larger building projects through reuse, product-based reductions, or whole-building life-cycle assessment. Support came from architects, Commerce, and environmental justice advocates, who said the bill would reduce climate impacts and encourage innovation; opponents from the concrete and aggregate industry and a taxpayer group raised concerns about costs, supply-chain issues, conflicts with other legislation, and exemptions such as for schools. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after closing the public hearings.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or you can click manufacturing... ...and you can click manufacturing or just heavy industrial, where
• example, how many of the Moving Washington projects or the Connecting Washington projects were your manufacturing
• areas... ...your manufacturing areas, you can now see the Connecting Washington projects, how they relate
• to manufacturing, how they relate to zoning.

Bills: HB2201 , HB2154

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: urban growth, city planning, county regulations, development standards, land use, land ownership, conservation districts, property rights, regulatory authority, environmental policy

Transcript Highlights:

• CENTURY ECONOMY AND ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE ENSURING OUR HOMES BUSINESSES SCHOOLS HOSPITALS MANUFACTURING
• FOR ECONOMIES BY PROMOTING JOB CREATION WITH RESTAURANTS, AGENCIES FIELD APPLICATORS, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
• TO OCCUR OVER THE NEXT FEW DECADES FROM A COMBINATION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION, ON ENSURING MANUFACTURING
• OTHER INDUSTRIES THAT BENEFIT AT&T'S USE OF AI TOOLS ARE AMERICAN MANUFACTURING AND HEALTHCARE.
• AT&T BUSINESS IS HELPING USHER IN THE FACTORY OF THE FUTURE BY GIVING MANUFACTURERS REAL TIME VISIBILITY

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, the bill bans vape pens that were manufactured in China.
• It also includes products manufactured in China, which are dangerous and illegally on the market.
• The Chair recognizes Charlotte Owen testifying on behalf of the American Vapor Manufacturers Association
• I do PMTAs every day, so I know what's in them, the actual... ...good manufacturers.
• The manufacturers are using the same playbook as the tobacco industry did years ago.

Bills: SB2024 , SB227 , SB268 , SB1467 , SB1580 , HB5537 , SB1313 , SB1677 , SB918 , SB331 , SB2207 , SB2721

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• ACTION INVESTMENT GROUP INVOLVED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE MACHINES WE WOULD LIKE TO ECHO COMMENT OF
• I AM WITH FLORIDA SWIMMING POOL ASSOCIATION MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS.
• OWNED FOURTH-GENERATION FAMILY, OWNING AND RUNNING A LUMBER MANUFACTURING COMPANY FOR, NEXT YEAR IS 100
• MANUFACTURERS CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER INCLUDE ESSENTIAL FOR MASS TIMBER INSTRUCTION LOCALLY SOURCED WOOD
• UPDATING THE FBC TO COMMIT TALL MASS TIMBER BUILDINGS TO STIMULATE INVESTMENT IN ITS MANUFACTURING AND

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Chair Truenow: SPECIFICALLY WHERE DO THEY MANUFACTURE THE PROJECT?
• WE HAVE SEVERAL BRANDS THAT CARRY IN FLORIDA. >> Chair Truenow: THAT MANUFACTURER IN FLORIDA?
• >> I BELIEVE THEY ARE OUTSOURCING THEIR HEMP >> Chair Truenow: THAT MANUFACTURER IN FLORIDA?
• FROM CALIFORNIA, COLORADO OR WHEREVER THEY ARE MANUFACTURED.
• THAT'S WHY THEY ARE MANUFACTURED.

Transcript Highlights:

• As part of that discussion, we had one of the manufacturers speak to us about how the retail price of
• It costs about $5 per unit to manufacture this.
• It costs about $5 per unit to manufacture<01:40:10.400><c> this.
• </c> manufacture this. manufacture this.
• , manufacturers, manufacturers, and<01:45:20.320><c> maybe</c><01:45:20.639><c> most</c><01:45:20.960

Transcript Highlights:

• It adds mandates for auto manufacturers. It hurts our auto industry.
• it hurts our Auto industry manufacturers it hurts our Auto industry it<00:01:59.159><c> actually</c>
• Chair: Representative, there is a mandate on dealers to buy vehicles from manufacturers.
• The manufacturers will load dealers with vehicles that the dealers need to find customers for.
• Chair: Representative, there is a mandate on dealers to buy vehicles from manufacturers.

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• housing park or manufactured house, like they don't have to buy the property, right?
• housing park or or manufactured housing park or or manufactured<02:18:00.960><c> house,</c><02:18:01.200
• </c> law for protecting manufactured law for protecting manufactured homeowners<02:29:27.520><c> and<
• </c><02:29:31.040><c> the</c> gives uh manufactured homeowners the gives uh manufactured homeowners the
• So if property of the manufactured home.

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• Instead, what we have here is a manufactured culture war written in... into law.
• It is very clear in the bill, Representative Zwiener, the mailing, the distribution, the manufacturing
• There are other distributors, there are other manufacturers that are knowingly... ...violating state
• The statute's very clear with respect to manufacturing, distributing, prescribing, and providing.
• HB 7 by Leach relating to prohibitions on the manufacturing and provision of abortion and using drugs

Bills: SB 8 , HB7 , HB15 , HB265 , HCR13 , SB8 , HB7 , HB15 , HB265 , HCR13

Transcript Highlights:

• So again, that tax wouldn't be subject to every single citizen because it was a manufacturer tax.
• It's every single manufacturer, but it's not a broad-based tax. I would not classify it as that.
• So again, that tax wouldn't be subject to every single citizen because it was a manufacturer tax.
• It's every single manufacturer, but it's not a broad-based tax. I would not classify it as that.
• and not by there's no manufacturers and not by there's no citizen<00:17:30.799><c> component</c><00:

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• John Bargainer to come up from Manufacturer Alabama as a proponent. and reinforces the state flexibility
• I believe today, and members of the committee, John Bargainer with Manufacturer Alabama.
• John Bargainer, with Manufacturers Alabama, said he represents manufacturing companies throughout the
• He said that is because it is trying to restore some uniformity in the United States so manufacturers
• and farmers are States so manufacturers and farmers are not<00:19:54.480><c> living</c><00:19:54.640

Bills: SB23 , SB71 , SB105 , SB109 , SB115 , SB131 , SB148 , SB165 , SB23 , SB71 , SB105 , SB109 , SB115 , SB131 , SB148 , SB165

Committee: Senate County and Municipal Government

Keywords: law enforcement, taser, restrained individuals, police procedures, civil rights, income tax, tax exemption, Alabama tax code, Section 40-18-3, civilian employees, Department of Defense, DoD, Armed Forces, military pay, combat zone, deployment, National Guard, Reserve components, emergency response, federal employees

Transcript Highlights:

• IF YOU ARE A MEDICAL MANUFACTURER PLANT WITH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IT APPLIES TO ANYBODY WHO WOULD
• I KNOW WE HAVE SEVERAL MANUFACTURING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTES WHO ARE LOOKING TO COME TO FLORIDA SO THIS
• SB 41820 MOTOR MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS. >> Senator Leek: THIS IS THE AUTOMOBILE DEALER BILL ADDRESSING
• THREE AREAS RELATING TO THE RELATIONSHIP WITH AUTOMOBILE DEALERS AND MANUFACTURERS.
• THE BILL CLARIFIES THE MANUFACTURER CANNOT TERMINATE OR FAIL TO RENEW A PERMIT UNLESS THE DEALER HAS