Transcript Highlights:

• Water is the biggest need.
• Water is the biggest need.
• Water is the biggest need.
• I think the biggest infrastructure need above everything else is water. Water is the biggest need.
• c> in</c> um solve the water situation water uh in um solve the water situation water uh in the<00:43

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land opened with housekeeping remarks about testimony limits, video availability, and that decision-making would follow the hearing. The committee then heard and considered several SCRs authorizing long-term nonexclusive easements over state submerged lands for existing public or private infrastructure on Oahu, including stormwater outfalls, shoreline protection structures, concrete stairs, seawalls, and a rock revetment. DLNR supported each measure and generally requested only technical or clarifying amendments; for SCR 3, DLNR asked that the title be clarified to specify the easement would be granted to the City and County of Honolulu. After discussion, the committee adopted the chair’s recommendations, passing SCR 3 with amendments and SCRs 4, 6, and 7 unamended, while SCR 5 was passed with technical, non-substantive amendments. Senator Meli noted general concerns about seawalls and hardening but said he would support the measures because they involved repair of existing structures and public access, though he indicated a reservation on SCR 6. The committee then took up governor’s messages for HCDA appointments. For GM 58, Gerald Gordner was nominated to the Kalaeloa district seat; HCDA’s executive director and another supporter praised his urban planning, housing, zoning, GIS, and collaborative skills, and Gordner described his interim service and background in housing affordability and disaster recovery. Members also discussed a former military hangar in Kalaeloa and possible future uses, with Gordner noting he understood there had been restrictions that were later lifted, while the chair raised concerns about airport operations and modular housing use. The committee also heard support for GM 559, nominating Micki Lidstone as cultural specialist; HCDA said she had been an active and reliable board participant and cultural resource, and Lidstone said she valued learning from Native Hawaiian testimony and helping balance community perspectives. Finally, GM 688 nominated Deborah Kabibi to the Leeward Oahu/Maui district seat; HCDA said her community ties would be valuable for South Maui planning, and Kabibi said she had learned a lot from the board’s collaborative process and was eager to represent her community. The transcript ends during discussion of GM 688, before any vote on the nominations is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> dangerous areas such as bodies of water dangerous areas such as bodies of water busy<00:14:59.680
• They are drowned to water.
• And just naturally, children are drawn to water. Children are drawn to water.
• Um, but with it, I guess I just say definition of water: you could go into, is it water fountains?
• a specific attraction to water.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We use 11% of the water.
• I live north of I-10, which is on private water. South of I-10 is on city water.
• I live north of I 10, which is on private water. South of I 10 is on city water.
• So, you know, whether it's water pipe, sewer pipe, water treatment facilities, wastewater facilities,
• They are paying for water parks. The town of Florence has a water park.

Bills: HB2780, HB4029, HB4030, HCR2052

Keywords: judicial foreclosure, tax lien, redemption rights, excess proceeds, property auction, income tax, federal tax conformity, revenue analysis, legislative session, tax reporting, municipal fees, county fees, utility rates, moratorium, tax classification, local government, inflation, economic stability, tax increases, cost-of-living protection

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:46.920><c> Resources</c> fund our ecological and Water Resources fund our ecological and Water
• </c> aquatic invasive species and water aquatic invasive species and water protection<00:10:05.839><c
• So just as an example, the first water use fee tier is up to 50 million gallons of water per year.
• </c> Watershed based approach to water Watershed based approach to water management<00:23:55.039><c>
• </c> the overall goals of the Clean Water the overall goals of the Clean Water fund<00:24:24.720><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll now have the Water, Idaho Water Resource Research Institute, Director Kendrick Kaiser, if you'd
• Water professionals across the state.
• And then beyond that, water quality was...
• I'll focus on water quantity.
• Communities are concerned about drinking water.

Summary: The committee began by introducing several RS drafts and sending them to print by unanimous voice vote. It then heard the gubernatorial reappointment of Dave Bobbitt to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. Bobbitt described his background in banking and lifelong hunting and fishing in Idaho, and said his priorities include wolf and grizzly bear delisting and more state control over wildlife management. Senators asked about wolf depredation, population goals, hunting technology rules, and federal involvement in wolf management. The chair said the confirmation would not be voted on until the next meeting. The committee next considered House Bill 502, which would move Idaho Forest Products Commission provisions from administrative rule into statute and consolidate related definitions, nomination, chair/vice-chair, and assessment requirements in the code. Senator Harris said the bill was mainly a codification and streamlining measure with no material policy change. The bill was moved to the floor with a do pass recommendation. The committee also heard House Joint Memorial 9, urging Congress to reaffirm FLPMA as the primary authority for federal land management and exchanges. Support testimony came from J.R. Simplot Company representative Elizabeth Kreiner, who described a long-running land exchange dispute and argued the memorial would preserve certainty for western land exchanges. The memorial was sent to the floor with a do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee received an update from Idaho Water Resources Research Institute Director Kendra Kaiser on the institute’s funded research and priorities. She said the institute had distributed more than $500,000 across Boise State, Idaho State, and the University of Idaho, and that water scarcity, technology/monitoring, and water quality were the main statewide research themes. She highlighted projects on snowpack and streamflow forecasting, flood forecasting, harmful algal blooms, managed aquifer recharge, monitoring gaps, East Snake Plain water supply modeling, and Lake Pend Oreille management. Senators asked about curtailment forecasting, the Snake River Basin Study, and how the research would help tributary water users. Kaiser said the institute’s curtailment analysis was for early planning only and that results would be posted publicly and shared through presentations and advisory groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• quality and water supply.
• So water management, water quality, water cleanliness is not just an issue of politics; it is an issue
• So water management, water quality, water cleanliness is not just an issue of politics; it is an issue
• So water management, water quality, water cleanliness is not just an issue of politics; it is an issue
• Cross, if anyone in here knows about water, water management, it's you.

Summary: The House met in special session, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the journal, and adopted the special order report setting the day’s calendar. The chamber then took up CS/House Joint Resolution 1F, the Governor’s property tax proposal, which would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes, lower the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%, and restrict county and municipal ad valorem revenue to public safety and certain other uses. Sponsor Rep. Overdorf said the measure would return money to homeowners and give local governments flexibility, while opponents repeatedly argued the ballot language was misleading and that the proposal could create large local revenue shortfalls, shift costs to other taxpayers, and threaten local services and debt obligations. Members debated a series of amendments aimed at protecting specific programs from the bill’s effects. Rep. Bartleman’s amendment to exempt Children’s Services Councils and Children’s Trusts was defeated 25-74 after supporters said those entities fund child care, mental health, aftercare, and family support, while opponents said local governments could still choose to fund them. Rep. Cross’s amendment to include water management districts in allowable uses of ad valorem taxes was also defeated, despite testimony that the districts are essential for flood control, water supply, Everglades restoration, and drought response. Rep. Eskamani’s amendment to require the Legislature to backfill public safety funding failed 25-71 after debate over whether the proposal could reduce police and fire budgets and response times. The House then rejected Rep. Woodson’s amendment to require state backfill for senior services, with supporters citing Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day care, and other aging services, and opponents saying the state already funds senior programs. Finally, Rep. Gant’s amendment to protect veteran services was introduced and debated, with members emphasizing housing, mental health, transition assistance, and homelessness concerns for veterans; the transcript cuts off before the vote on that amendment. Throughout the debate, sponsors and supporters of the main resolution maintained that local governments would retain spending discretion and could use other revenue sources, while critics argued the measure lacked clear backfill provisions and could force cuts or tax shifts at the local level.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> over 30 years focusing on um water over 30 years focusing on um water issues<00:05:22.479><c> and
• </c> quantity of our Water quantity of our Water Resources<00:13:44.000><c> subdivision</c><00:13:44.639
• But, you know, the impact of flooding, especially with water and clean drinking water, what it does to
• </c> districts uh it's called the water districts uh it's called the water quality<00:30:33.679><c> 3D
• </c> he certainly wants you know clean water he certainly wants you know clean water as<00:51:26.240>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, there's regulation of produced water. Right now, there's regulation of produced water.
• We are threatened by permanent water shortages, making the extraction of our sacred waters in this way
• , or taking unnecessary steps to clean the water but inadvertently polluting the water.
• So there are a number of... clean the water but inadvertently pollute the water.
• air, land, and water as much as possible.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director at the Utah Division of Water Resources.
• And when I say water projects, that is in the broadest sense, from a drinking water system to a wastewater
• of Drinking Water, and the Division of Water Quality, that submitted their relevant agency plans to
• the Water Development Coordinating Council.
• residents pay for that cost of water, right?

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we have really bad water right now.
• The water is safe to drink.
• Donna Clinton: The majority of our water problems were deemed aesthetic by the Florida Rural Water Association
• Donna Clinton: The Florida Rural Water Association.
• They store and move fresh water, help recharge groundwater, and protect drinking water supplies.

Transcript Highlights:

• Who is responsible for the potable water lines, the maintenance, repair, and replacement of potable water
• Who is responsible for the potable water lines, the maintenance, repair, and replacement of potable water
• North Miami Beach's water fund funds the salary, benefits, and pensions of over 130 water utility employees
• The residents that receive water from Miami-Dade County and receive water from Opa-locka, their surcharge
• Our primary purpose is to assist water and wastewater systems with every phase of their water and wastewater

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and considered several bills, reporting each favorably after hearing sponsor presentations, public testimony, and member questions. SB 578 would allow wine to be sold in recyclable containers, aligning wine with beer container rules; it received support from Americans for Prosperity and passed without debate. SB 606 clarified when guests in public lodging or food service establishments may be removed for nonpayment, updated notice and checkout provisions, and removed a mandatory arrest requirement, with support from hotel and restaurant industry groups; it also passed favorably. Members then heard SB 202, which addresses a municipal water utility surcharge issue affecting Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach by requiring the utility to charge residents where the plant sits the same rate it charges its own residents. The sponsor and supporters described it as a fairness issue, while North Miami Beach argued it would shift costs and threaten utility finances; the bill was reported favorably. SB 570 modernized and clarified the scope of work for swimming pool and spa contractors, and SB 928, as amended, regulated non-approved disposable nicotine devices by restricting advertising and display, increasing inspections and penalties, and adding a school-buffer provision; both were reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 346, which repeals state preemption over local regulation of hoisting equipment and cranes, prompted by concerns after Hurricane Milton and a crane collapse in St. Petersburg. Supporters said local governments need authority to address storm-related crane safety, while industry representatives warned against patchwork regulation and said local oversight already exists in some areas. Finally, the committee took up SB 652, creating Veterinary Professional Associates to perform certain tasks, including limited surgeries under veterinarian supervision; animal welfare groups supported it as a way to expand access, while some veterinarians opposed the surgery provisions. The bill was reported favorably after amendment. The committee then began SB 354, a major overhaul of Public Service Commission oversight, including expanding the commission, adding financial expertise, tightening rate-setting and storm-hardening review, and increasing transparency for nonprofit water and wastewater utilities; the substitute amendment was adopted and public testimony was heard from consumer advocates and utility-related groups, but the transcript ends before final action on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• That you can use the funds in the strategic water reserve.
• It's probably not going to happen, but it could be drinking water or agricultural water.
• It is not just surface water.
• It could include tribal uses, religious uses of water.
• Could this have an impact on private water rights? Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> other water other water customers<00:03:10.120><c> and</c><00:03:10.560><c> uh</c><00:03:10.760>
• </c> through water tanks to through water through water tanks to through water treatment<00:06:09.280
• </c><00:06:18.919><c> drinking</c><00:06:19.479><c> water</c> actually providing water drinking water
• actually providing water drinking water meeting<00:06:20.759><c> all</c><00:06:20.960><c> federal</c
• </c><00:48:40.280><c> Resource</c> the commission on Water Resource the commission on Water Resource

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing focused primarily on Senate Bill 1409, which would cap county user fees charged to Department of Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries. Department of Hawaiian Home Lands supported the measure, arguing it would reduce monthly housing-related costs for lower-income beneficiaries and help make homesteading more affordable. Several testifiers, including the Tax Foundation of Hawaii and some individuals, also submitted comments or support. County and city water and sewer agencies, including the County of Kauai Department of Water, the City and County of Honolulu Department of Facility Maintenance, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and the City and County Department of Environmental Services, strongly opposed the bill, saying it would shift substantial costs to other ratepayers, create lost revenue, and could force fee increases for everyone else. They also raised concerns about the bill’s cap structure and potential misuse, while noting their systems are funded by user fees rather than taxes. During committee discussion, Honolulu Board of Water Supply officials estimated about 4,500 DHHL customers on Oʻahu and projected lost revenue of roughly $30 million to $36 million over five years, with larger cumulative impacts over time; they said any waiver would be absorbed by other customers. The County of Hawaiʻi representative estimated nearly 2,000 DHHL customers on the Big Island and about $2.4 million in annual lost revenue. DHHL responded that it is pursuing revenue-generating projects on unused lands, but members questioned whether the department should do more to generate its own revenue and suggested looking at other affordability mechanisms, including market rent on commercial properties or a similar cap on other beneficiary fees. After hearing the testimony and discussion, the committee chair announced the recommendation to defer SB 1409 indefinitely, and the Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs agreed with that decision. The hearing then moved to Senate Bill 1408, a housekeeping measure. DHHL testified in support, saying the bill was part of an effort to lower housing costs through a modular manufacturing approach. DHHL described plans to use an unused hangar at Kalaeloa for a potential modular housing manufacturing plant, including discussions with the University of Hawaiʻi and a Denver-based company, and said it was also exploring a pilot project with Habitat for Humanity on Maui. No vote or final action on SB 1408 was taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2023, water restrictions left Kalinga short of 600 acre-feet of water.
• In my home community of Delano, we have faced severe water quality issues.
• Water is the lifeblood.
• I'm the Executive Director for the Delta View Water Association.
• When water was released, a few short days after, When water was released, a few short days after, birds

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several natural resources and water-related bills. SB 224 by Senator Hurtado would require the Department of Water Resources to implement audit recommendations, improve climate-informed water supply forecasting, and provide annual updates to the Legislature; supporters emphasized the need for better transparency and more accurate water planning, and the bill passed as amended to Appropriations. SB 556, also by Senator Hurtado, would fund floodplain restoration in the Tulare Basin to reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, and provide habitat and other community benefits; local officials and conservation groups supported it, some initial concerns about Proposition 4 were resolved, and the bill passed as amended. SB 630 by Senator Allen would streamline State Parks and other state real property acquisitions by raising review thresholds and reducing duplicative approvals; conservation groups and park advocates supported the measure, while some members raised oversight and fiscal concerns, and it passed as amended. SB 718 by Senator Allen would reduce hunting and fishing license costs for low-income Californians, framed as helping subsistence users and disabled veterans and seniors, and it passed as amended. The committee also approved SB 427 by Senator Blakespear, which extends the sunset of the Habitat Conservation Fund from 2030 to 2035. Supporters said the fund has protected more than 1.2 million acres, leverages other funding, and supports habitat, recreation, and climate resilience; members highlighted its importance for areas like the Salton Sea and the need to protect the funding stream from future sweeps. SB 586 by Senator Jones, an e-moto off-highway vehicle bill, was taken up with little discussion and passed as amended. SB 639 by Senator Ashby would extend the deadline for Sacramento-area flood protection projects in the Natomas Basin and Beach Lake subareas from 2025 to 2030 to allow completion of remaining work and avoid delays to infill housing; city, county, and flood agency representatives supported it, and it passed as amended. Throughout the hearing, witnesses and members repeatedly emphasized water reliability, flood protection, conservation funding, and reducing bureaucratic delays. Several bills drew broad support from local governments, water agencies, tribes, and conservation organizations, and multiple members requested to be added as coauthors. All of the measures discussed were reported out of committee, generally with amendments and with some items left open for add-on votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• chair members ER Water Supply afternoon chair members ER Water Supply Center<00:05:48.520><c> support
• How many does the Board of Water Supply have in this area?
• </c> future how many does the Board of Water future how many does the Board of Water Supply<00:12:09.120
• </c> differences in the height of the water differences in the height of the water table<00:15:28.040
• </c> relating to Water relating to Water Resources<00:20:07.480><c> um</c><00:20:08.120><c> having</c

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Energy, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Economic Development and Tourism met on February 11, 2025, and heard testimony on several measures. Senate Bill 1338, relating to long-duration clean energy storage, received support from the Energy Office, DEED, HTDC, and the gas company. With no opposition or questions, the committees recommended passage with technical, non-substantive amendments and a deferred effective date of 5/13/2040. The committees then heard Senate Bill 233 on climate resilience, which drew support from the Hawaii State Community Office and other testifiers. SB 492, relating to the general excise tax, had mixed testimony, with support from DHHL, the Office of Planning, county representatives, and others, and opposition from the Grassroots Institute and another testifier. The chair explained that SB 492 would be amended to remove language that would prevent DHHL from benefiting, along with technical amendments and the same deferred date of 5/13/2040. For Senate Bill 1634, relating to water resources, the Board of Water Supply testified in support and urged expanding the bill from two to six monitoring wells, citing Red Hill contamination concerns, PFAS detections in Halawa Shaft, and the need for a broader monitoring grid to track groundwater movement. Members discussed the connected aquifers and the need for more data. The committee recommended passage of SB 1634 with amendments to allow funding for six monitoring wells, include a sentinel monitoring system, and make technical, non-substantive changes. The committee also voted to pass SB 233 unamended, and all recommendations were adopted by the members present.

Transcript Highlights:

• You mentioned that, um, water. Y'all service how many homes with water?
• </c> about 6,000 water connections. about 6,000 water connections.
• water.
• water.
• water.

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 210; 20 January, 2026: 8:45 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And just a couple reminder water.
• If you we have with water fluidation.
• </c> Louisville that maybe also supply water Louisville that maybe also supply water to<00:30:01.360>
• </c><00:30:24.399><c> gets</c> the the system producing the water gets the the system producing the water
• ,</c><00:38:22.640><c> I</c> fluoride in their drinking water, I fluoride in their drinking water, I

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:10 Roll Call 00:00:24 HB 108 Discussion 00:03:45 HB 108 Vote 00:05:15 HB 194 Discussion 00:07:13 HB 194 Vote 00:09:45 HB 276 Discussion 00:11:53 HB 276 Vote 00:13:35 HB 290 Discussion 00:15:32 HB 290 Vote 00:18:29 HB 103 Discussion 00:20:31 HB 103 Vote 00:46:59 Adjournment 00:50:36, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Data centers and water consumption.
• So the water usage is minimal.
• , and that should be to convert that brackish water into fresh water.
• ; like the water is an input.
• So that's what's on the water.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam President, members of the Senate, 1020 is the water budget.
• Municipal water is kind of everybody, all the communities and cities and for their water projects, and
• It's this redesign of water topics.
• And what was happening in water and what happened in strippers, whether... water stabilization fund,
• the board of well-water contractors that we changed in January.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present and handled a mix of conference committee appointments, appropriations bills, policy bills, and House amendments. Early in the session, the chamber appointed conference committees for SB 2399 and for House-amended SBs 2213 and 2354, and also named conference committees for HB 103, HB 1308, and HB 1169. The Senate then took up several appropriations measures, including HB 1612, which creates the North Dakota Center for Aerospace Medicine at UND; the Senate adopted an amendment shifting the funding to a one-time $250,000 Community Health Trust Fund appropriation with a required $250,000 match from other sources, and the bill passed 39-7. HB 1193, the “Back the Blue” grant, was amended to make the funding one-time and focus on officer retention, then passed 41-5. HB 1329, a government spending database proposal for school districts, was amended into a legislative study and passed 42-4. HB 1020, the water budget, received extensive amendments reducing and reallocating funding across major water projects, adding studies and oversight changes, and passed 45-0 with the emergency clause. HB 1581, a tribal tourism grant, also passed 40-6. The Senate rejected HB 1330, which would have authorized divestment from direct investments in Chinese companies; after debate over the prudent investor rule, trade impacts, and whether the bill singled out one nation in law, it failed 20-26. HB 1534, limiting property valuation increases, and HB 1266, adjusting the disabled veterans property tax credit, both failed unanimously or nearly so after committee recommendations against them. HB 1566, which would have created a regulatory framework for a product discussed as kratom, was amended on the floor to convert it into a study and then passed 31-15. The chamber also passed HB 2241 on charter schools after a House amendment changed the funding formula to the statewide average from the prior year, and HB 2022, the indigent legal counsel budget, after House changes added funding flexibility, offset lost fee revenue, and included a study on a public defender office. The Senate concurred in several House amendments and then passed a number of Senate bills. SB 2375, allowing joint negotiations between dental providers and insurers under Attorney General oversight, passed 44-2. SB 2251, clarifying that open records requests during state audits should be referred to the audited agency, passed 46-0. SB 2159, related to nuclear energy research, passed 43-3 after House amendments required Industrial Commission approval and consultation with the radioactive waste advisory council. SB 2155, changing gratis antelope license rules, passed 30-16 after debate over landowner rights and tag distribution. SB 251, setting fees and an audit for the Private Investigative and Security Board, passed 44-2. SB 2280, the prior authorization health insurance bill, passed 43-3 with a House-added study and consumer protections. SB 2023, the Racing Commission budget, passed 41-5 after a House change made internship funding one-time. SB 2232, changing prenatal substance exposure reporting requirements and related toxicology rules, passed 44-2. SB 2241, authorizing public charter schools, passed 39-7. The session ended while the Senate was still processing SB 2022’s final passage vote, but the bill had already cleared concurrence on House amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• The water is pristine.
• The water is pristine.
• And how much is the water having to put with it, Central Water?
• If you're that concerned about sediment and water quality and water control, have you ever put money
• But when we're protecting water, not just my drinking water—and this is my drinking water now—but also

Keywords: 1204, all