Transcript Highlights:

• and create additional bed capacity for critical behavioral health services.
• and create additional bed capacity for critical behavioral health services.
• , 380 beds at Florida State Hospital, and 94 beds at Northeast Florida State Hospital.
• capacity at a state level.
• capacity study—and it did point us to the need for additional beds, as you can imagine.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services heard presentations on the governor’s proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget for the health and human services agencies. Kendall Kelly outlined the overall HHS budget at $48.5 billion, with AHCA accounting for the largest share, and agency heads then highlighted major proposals for Medicaid behavioral health redesign, APD waiver enrollment and facility needs, DCF child welfare, opioid, and mental health investments, DOEA funding for Alzheimer’s, home care, and community services, DOH funding for cancer research, public health initiatives, and lab capacity, and VA funding for facility improvements, cybersecurity, and medication management. Several members praised specific proposals, including increased reimbursement for private duty nursing, Alzheimer’s supports, and the Florida FIRST blood-in-ambulance initiative. Senators also questioned the proposed changes to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), with the Surgeon General explaining that the department expects a reduction in covered patients from about 30,000 to about 20,000 because of funding pressures tied to rebates, federal changes, and premium tax credit issues. Public testimony strongly criticized the ADAP changes, citing lack of transparency and warning that many patients could lose access to medications. Other questions focused on the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, DCF’s substance abuse and mental health data dashboard, Kids Care/CHIP expansion implementation, APD bed and facility planning, and the FX Medicaid technology project. DCF said about $7 million is set aside for the dashboard system, and AHCA said the governor’s budget includes $124.4 million for FX maintenance and continued module development, with $13.5 million to begin claims processing work. The committee did not take a substantive vote on the budget presentations and adjourned after questions and public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but also in my personal capacity as a child that grew up with a... ...capacity, but also in my personal
• They take up 20 beds right now, 20-plus beds at Valleywise, 365 days a year.
• They take up a bed at Valleywise. We just spent a billion dollars on Prop 409 building more beds.
• This bill does not, in and of itself, increase bed capacity at the state hospital, but if that is the
• This bill does not in and of itself increase bed capacity at the state hospital but if that is the intention

Bills: HB2408, HB2434, HB2725, HB2728, HB2729, HB2730, HB2731, HB2732, HB2733, SB1192, SB1398, SB1399, SB1494, SB1557, SB1813, SB1821

Keywords: nursing board, regulatory actions, disciplinary actions, expungement, healthcare professionalism, controlled substances, prescription monitoring, opioid crisis, healthcare regulations, patient safety, prescription drugs, opioids, healthcare, pain management, utilization controls, AHCCCS, Department of Economic Security, social services, welfare programs, vocational rehabilitation

Transcript Highlights:

• that are state beds from those that are the non-state hospital beds. to specify the beds that are child
• beds from adult beds.
• and then the adult beds. beds and their thoughts of how they're going to roll those beds, which was
• The critical need for increased psychiatric bed capacity is undeniable and it hits home. for my family
• This bill will require the state to assess inpatient psychiatric bed capacity. by region and population

Bills: SB500, SB719, SB912, SB1232, SB1467, SB1777, SB1864, SB2023, SB2119, SB2458

Keywords: SB 500, Texas adoption law, Family Code, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child-placing agency, prospective adoptive parents, adoption records, confidential information, nondisclosure agreement, child history report, health history, social history, educational history, genetic history, termination of parental rights, permanency plan, single source continuum contractor, privacy, redaction

Transcript Highlights:

• capacity at that facility.
• The beds less the support beds? The beds less the support beds.
• So if there's a cell with three beds in it, that's a capacity of three. Yes. Yes. Thank you.
• That's about 208 beds? No, more than not. Sorry. RTU is 208 beds across the system. I got you.
• The orange are the support beds that are not factored into operational capacity.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission approved the July 11 minutes and then received a detailed follow-up presentation from the Department of Correction on facility footprint, mission-driven housing, programming, and technology. Commissioner Jenkins and Deputy Commissioner Peterson explained recent and planned facility changes, including the closures of Walpole, MCI Cedar Junction, and MCI Concord, the transition of the Plymouth Section 35/Mass Act program to Health and Human Services, the return of Bay State to DOC control for possible future use, and the Shattuck Hospital move to East Newton Pavilion. Members asked about operational capacity, the exclusion of support beds from occupancy figures, and the status of mothballed or unused facilities. Framingham drew particular attention because of its historically low women’s population and planned renovations; members raised concerns about the cost and the need to consider the broader women’s correctional system. A major portion of the meeting focused on mission-driven units and evidence-based programming. DOC described specialized units for health services, nursing care, clinical stabilization, mental health, residential treatment, protective custody, reentry, emerging adults, education, and substance use recovery, and noted that security threat group support beds are not used. Staff explained the distinction between general population beds and support beds, and between programming and treatment. They said core recidivism-reduction programs are based on risk-need responsivity and COMPAS assessments, with Spectrum Health Systems as the current vendor, and presented recidivism data showing lower reoffending among participants who completed programs such as violence reduction, criminal thinking, and the Correctional Recovery Academy. For women, they highlighted the pathways model at MCI Framingham, which combines trauma-informed, gender-responsive services, and reported strong outcomes for those engaged for at least 26 weeks. Members asked about how needs are identified and counted, how declinations are handled, and how the department distinguishes completion from ongoing maintenance. DOC said participation is voluntary, individuals are re-recommended over time, and completion is recorded in the system when criteria are met. They also discussed educational supports for learning disabilities and trauma, including IEP/504 coordination, tutoring, and a new school psychologist for testing. Questions were raised about family reunification programming, and DOC pointed to family-focused services, mediation, Read to Me Mommy, and the Brave unit for young fathers. Sheriff Cabral and Sheriff Cochie praised the presentation and emphasized the importance of family reunification and the realities of trauma in incarcerated people’s lives. The final section highlighted the expanded use of tablets across all facilities. DOC said tablets now support free phone calls, emails, video visits, surveys, educational content, medical updates, sick-call requests, and an earned-good-time app, while also helping with communication during facility closures and with ongoing programming. Staff said the tablets are used both for learning and recreation, and that more than half of the incarcerated population uses them monthly for educational purposes. Members discussed whether user feedback or “reviews” of programs could help increase participation, and DOC said tablet-based surveys make that possible. The meeting ended with general agreement that the department has expanded programming and technology substantially and is using them to support reentry, communication, and facility operations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now we have beds.
• So around there, 300 beds more or less. Yeah, there's 300 available beds.
• So around there, 300 beds more or less. Yeah, there's 300 available beds.
• available beds. I just don't have the humans to supervise those beds.
• So it is the physical bed capacity of one facility.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard the Legislative Budget Board’s overview of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 2026-27 budget, followed by extensive testimony from DPS leadership. The LBB presentation covered funding and staffing changes across driver license services, facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, and border security. The recommendations included added support for customer service staffing and trooper hiring, but did not include several DPS exceptional items such as major driver license staffing and technology requests, new regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio, and other capital projects. Members also discussed proposed rider changes, including a new rider to lapse unused trooper funding and require reporting after recruit schools. Much of the committee’s questioning focused on driver license operations, where senators criticized long call wait times, low call-answer rates, appointment delays, and what they viewed as an overreliance on adding staff rather than improving processes. DPS and LBB witnesses said the agency is pursuing some technology upgrades, including automation, online pre-population of applications, and appointment-system improvements, but acknowledged that the driver license division remains a major problem area. Senators also raised concerns about whether the 2019 efficiency study led to meaningful changes and whether the agency should consider broader process redesign or even a different administrative structure. Colonel Freeman and other DPS officials then defended the agency’s broader law enforcement and border-security work, emphasizing the need for the Williamson County training academy, the 500 additional troopers funded in prior sessions, and continued support for Operation Lone Star. They described DPS’s role in border interdiction, threat-to-life investigations, oilfield theft cases, Capitol and Alamo security, and highway safety, and said the agency is stretched thin by deployments and overtime. Members asked about border reimbursement possibilities, regional staffing differences, pursuit safety, fleet and aircraft replacement needs, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame museum. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This MOU also references the number of beds that are made available to counties, as well as the bed rates
• daily bed rate.
• by an additional 44 beds.
• That's creating over 9,553 new residential beds.
• They have the capacity, so our funding again is consistent with what their current capacity is.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• on the right hand side is the capacity on the right hand side is the capacity per<00:49:23.880><
• That's the capacity. per facility. That's the capacity.
• issues get to capacity. issues get to capacity.
• <01:05:19.920> So, Clearly, we have beds available. So, Clearly, we have beds available.
• be a day that I may need a bed, right? be a day that I may need a bed, right?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The meeting opened with the pledge and prayer, a roll call established quorum, and members announced a Veterans Caucus meeting to follow the session. The committee also recognized distinguished veteran Joe Mash Masterson of Bardstown, who was praised for his Army service, long-time advocacy for veterans, and leadership in the American Legion and local veteran organizations. Masterson thanked his family, the American Legion Post 121, and the VA staff, and several members offered remarks honoring his service and the committee’s practice of recognizing veterans. The committee then briefly addressed a referred administrative regulation, 017 KAR 001 030, which leadership described as technical updates to existing policy; no vote was taken. After that, members heard testimony from KDVA and Finance and Administration officials on the ongoing HVAC replacement project at the Radcliffe Veteran Center. Officials said the system had been problematic for years, that design work began early to accelerate the project, and that the work was complicated by the need to replace the system in an operating nursing facility. They explained that the project was bid in March, awarded to Less Mechanical, and that protective measures, shop drawings, and equipment orders were underway. Committee members pressed officials on why the problem had taken so long to resolve, why the original system had been installed, whether the issue had been communicated regularly, and whether the state should be paying for a replacement in a relatively new facility. Officials said the original system’s components and warranties had failed, that they had tried to replace parts before moving to a full replacement, and that the system’s manufacturer and quality differed from a similar facility in Glasgow that had not had the same issues. They said the current phase one contract was about $6 million, with the remaining funds held for phase two to restore full occupancy; phase two design was nearly complete and could be bid later if funding is approved. Officials estimated phase one completion around January 2026 and full completion around March 2027, depending on funding and scheduling.

Transcript Highlights:

• Facility, a 30-bed facility for children.
• in residential treatment capacity.
• <00:02:30.040> in Minnesota has lost over 850 beds in Minnesota has lost over 850 beds in
• <00:02:31.680> This residential treatment capacity. This residential treatment capacity.
• <00:02:45.080> throughout We need to develop capacity throughout We need to develop capacity

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's not just a bed.
• You funded 5,600 dorm beds. There are 400 apiece. There are 400 dorm beds each.
• We have 30 million in- Detention bed capacity building and this is one-time funding and we broke this
• And over the From that became a one 500 bed unit. And then now, and then two 100-bed units.
• Shelter beds like respite beds that would for children who don't want detention could be critical to

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's full to capacity.
• It's full to capacity.
• What is the capacity happening up there right now?
• What is the capacity happening up there right now?
• I'm guessing you need more than physical beds.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now we have beds.
• The 5,600 beds that we talked about are also air-conditioned beds, and that puts you up over 80 when
• So how many beds do you all have currently at Hospital Galveston? We have an operational capacity.
• There's a capacity issue.
• That's over $2 million a bed.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard a presentation from the Legislative Budget Board on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Article 5 budget. LBB recommended $3.7 billion in all funds for 2026-27, a 5.2 percent decrease from the base, while FTEs would rise by 856.7. Major items included funding for driver license services, DPS facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, border security, and rider changes. The committee also reviewed DPS exceptional items not included in the recommendation, including additional staffing, technology, and facility requests. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, criticizing long wait times, call abandonment, and repeated staffing increases without clear process improvements. LBB said the agency’s call-answer rate was about 9 percent in fiscal 2024, with average hold times around 34 minutes, later reduced to roughly 22-25 minutes. Senators questioned whether more FTEs alone would solve the problem and urged a broader efficiency study and better use of technology. DPS officials said they were pursuing process changes, including appointment-system upgrades, online pre-population of forms, and remote issuance options, while noting that Real ID requirements and population growth continue to drive demand. DPS leadership then outlined the agency’s priorities: completion of the Williamson County training academy, recruitment and retention of troopers, capital needs for vehicles and aircraft, and expanded responsibilities at the Capitol complex and the Alamo. Officials said the new trooper funding would help address staffing shortages, public safety, and border operations, and that overtime and deployment patterns had been adjusted to reduce burnout and improve flexibility. They also discussed Operation Lone Star, saying DPS spending is largely overtime, travel, and fuel, and that the agency continues to coordinate with federal partners while awaiting clarity on possible federal reimbursement for border security costs. Senators also raised concerns about oilfield theft, cartel activity, high-speed pursuits, bilingual pay, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and DPS said it would follow up on some of those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the first was for us to increase, number one, capacity for crisis services, meaning those crisis beds
• beds.
• We had Senate Bill 330 that required us to do a bed capacity study and a gap analysis. ...that we do
• We had Senate Bill 330 that required us to do a bed capacity study and a gap analysis.
• We had Senate Bill 330 that required us to do a bed capacity study and a gap analysis.

Summary: The Human Services Subcommittee met to review implementation of House Bill 7021, the recent overhaul of Florida’s Baker Act and Marchman Act, and to hear from DCF Assistant Secretary Erica Floyd Thomas about how the department is using the $50 million appropriation tied to the bill. Representative Maney, the bill sponsor, gave a lengthy background on why he pursued the reforms and emphasized that the goal was to improve access, reduce unnecessary crisis interventions, and give agencies the resources needed to carry out their responsibilities. He and the chair both noted that the bill was the product of many years of work and broad bipartisan support. DCF reported several early outcomes and implementation steps, including a statewide reduction in Baker Act initiations over the past five years, strong diversion rates from crisis through 988, mobile response teams, care coordination, and forensic multidisciplinary teams, and the creation of new tools such as a Baker Act dashboard and the first annual Marchman Act report. The department described key statutory changes: law enforcement discretion in initiating Baker Acts, a single-petition process, remote appearances, stronger discharge planning, interim services, updated parent notification and hold-period rules, an ombudsman office for children’s behavioral health, and regional collaboratives to identify local service gaps. DCF said it has updated manuals, FAQs, trainings, and rules, and that the managing entities have begun contracting for services. Members asked about how the $50 million was allocated, why much of it went to crisis capacity rather than outpatient care, how much has been spent so far, whether administrative costs are capped, and how the department will measure success. DCF said most of the money was used to preserve and expand crisis beds, detox beds, CSU beds, short-term residential treatment, discharge planning, and outpatient supports, with $1.3 million for the ombudsman and regional collaboratives and $48.3 million to managing entities. The assistant secretary said the department tracks readmissions, utilization, provider capacity, and monthly and quarterly reports from managing entities, but it is still early to see full effects because contracts were only recently executed. Members also raised concerns about children, families, veterans, workforce shortages, transparency, and gaps for hard-to-place individuals, including those with developmental disabilities or dementia. The meeting ended with no formal action beyond adjournment after questions were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• This MOU also references the number of beds that are made available to counties, as well as the bed rates
• daily bed rate.
• beds.
• That's creating over 9,553 new residential beds.
• They have the capacity, so our funding again is consistent with what their current capacity is.

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), the Commission for Behavioral Health, and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) on budget proposals and implementation updates. DSH outlined its proposed 2026-27 budget, including funding for patient operating expenses, IST solutions savings, conditional release program costs, LPS bed allocation changes, electrical infrastructure projects at Napa and Patton, SB 380 transitional housing feasibility work, and expanded dental services at Metropolitan and Patton. DSH also reported that it has met court-ordered IST treatment benchmarks in the Stiavedi v. Clinton case, with average time to initiate treatment down to about five days and pending placements reduced to roughly 250, while noting that Proposition 36 could increase referrals and SB 1323 may divert some individuals earlier into community-based treatment. Members asked about rising outside hospitalization costs, Medicare enrollment, the timing and structure of capital projects, and whether IST solution funds are being fully used; DSH said the savings reflect slower-than-expected ramp-up of community programs and that the Central California FACT replacement program is still on track for January 2027 activation. The Commission for Behavioral Health described its role under the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), including data, evaluation, grantmaking, technical assistance, and transparency work. It highlighted the new statewide Innovation Partnership Fund, a five-year, $20 million-per-year program with small and large grant categories; the first RFA drew strong interest, with more than 400 questions and over 1,000 bidders’ conference participants. The Commission also discussed a proposed extension to spend down about $4.1 million remaining for the Alcove Youth Drop-in Center grants so sites can finish implementation and Stanford can complete the final evaluation. Members asked about grant duration, whether projects can be renewed, what qualifies as innovation, and whether the fund could support service delivery rather than awareness campaigns or training; the Commission said awards are expected to be three-year contracts and that proposals must be new or meaningfully expanded approaches that support BHSA priority populations. DHCS reviewed major behavioral health changes under CalAIM and BH Connect, including peer support, mobile crisis, contingency management, traditional health care practices for tribal members, updated specialty mental health access criteria, and new substance use treatment standards based on ASAM’s fourth edition. DHCS reported strong contingency management results, with more than 13,000 members served and 95% testing negative for stimulant use during treatment, and said 21 Indian health care providers have been approved to offer traditional health care practices. It also described BH Connect initiatives such as the $1.9 billion access reform and outcomes incentive program, workforce investments, evidence-based practice expansion, IMD participation by four counties, and transitional rent services. On BHSA implementation, DHCS said it is not tracking individual county contract cuts but is monitoring county plans and statewide outcomes, while stakeholders raised concerns about local prevention and service gaps. DHCS also outlined its H.R. 1 implementation strategy, including outreach, streamlined renewals, exemptions for disabled, substance use, and medically frail individuals, and proposed clinic navigator and outreach funding; it said it has not yet produced a focused estimate of H.R. 1 impacts on behavioral health populations. The discussion ended with DHCS noting that B-CHIP bond funding has supported 437 infrastructure projects, creating 546 new or expanded facilities and more than 9,500 residential beds across the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• As an example, OCCC is designed, has a bed capacity of 628.
• has a bed capacity of 628. has a bed capacity of 628.
• capacity of 954. capacity of 954.
• We're not in capacity at separate law. We're not in capacity at facility<00:18:16.400> yet.
• Um, it has a design and bed capacity of 200. We have 92, so it's less than 50%.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When we talk capacity, it's beds, it's nurses, it's doctors, but it's also transportation.
• When we talk capacity, it's beds, it's nurses, it's doctors, but it's also transportation.
• When we talk capacity, it's beds, it's nurses, it's doctors, but it's also transportation.
• When we talk capacity, it's beds, it's nurses, it's doctors, but it's also transportation.
• <00:57:52.359> it's<00:57:52.640> beds hallways when we talk capacity it's beds hallways

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You're showing the current number of beds that are cool beds is 48,000, is that correct?
• We make sure that those are housed in air-conditioned beds. We refer to them as cool beds.
• If you’re seeing cool beds, that is an air-conditioned bed. Also, regarding a text...
• There's not enough contract capacity, there's not enough vendor capacity to pull that project off in
• How do you define—I mean, the cool bed? The cool bed is air-conditioned HVAC.

Bills: HB1826, HB2854, HB3006, HB4614, HB5261, HB5639

Keywords: mental health, women's health, county jail, depression screening, criminal justice, HB 2854, Pokuaa-Flowers Act, parole, mandatory supervision, electronic monitoring, releasee, parole officer, hospital visit approval, general hospital, law enforcement notification, DSHS, Department of State Health Services, corrections, public safety, liability immunity

Transcript Highlights:

• Subsequently, New Hampshire Hospital has been able to recover to its full 185-bed capacity and then Philbrook
• were 24 beds for kids. were 24 beds for kids.
• <00:53:58.800> capacity Hampshire's inpatient bed capacity Hampshire's inpatient bed capacity
• <00:54:44.240> capacity recover to its full 185 bed capacity recover to its full 185 bed capacity
• <01:03:13.520> and those beds would be community beds and those beds would be community beds

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But the units that DMH operates, these over 700 beds, primarily serve people whose needs beds primarily
• This means we're occupying beds for longer.
• So, as you might imagine, with over 700 beds and plus we operate 120 Section 35 beds, with all of those
• These 16 beds are doing standard acute care.
• Youth who are boarding today often are waiting for a hospital bed and need a hospital bed.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard budget testimony from Department of Mental Health Commissioner Brooke Doyle, who said DMH serves about 29,000 people and is facing rising demand, higher operating costs, and uncertainty about federal funding. She explained that the FY26 budget prioritizes fully funding the state-operated inpatient system, which is at 100% occupancy and often serves people transferred from Bridgewater State Hospital, while making reductions in other areas to balance the budget. Those reductions include a 50% cut to case managers, a pause on closing the Pocasset unit pending a working group on Cape access, and changes to youth and contracted services such as right-sizing IRTP and CIRT, reducing Youth PACT from seven teams to three, scaling back flex and jail diversion grants as ARPA funds wind down, and preserving the behavioral health helpline and community-based crisis services. Members from Western Massachusetts and the Cape raised concerns about access, staffing, and the impact of cuts, and Doyle said the department would continue operating IRTP services, improve the referral process, and work with stakeholders on the Pocasset review and other access issues. The committee also discussed school-based mental health, 988, loan forgiveness for workforce recruitment, and the role of co-response programs for law enforcement. Secretary Robin Lipson then testified for the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, describing a proposed FY26 budget increase of about 21% to support councils on aging, home care, elder abuse investigations, caregiver support, care transitions, and nutrition programs. She said the agency is managing rising demand, especially from the growing 80-plus population, and noted uncertainty around federal Older Americans Act funding after the federal disbursement agency was disbanded. To control costs, the office will manage intake and caseload growth in a fully state-funded home care program, but current clients will not lose services. Lipson also highlighted a new $1 million line item for local mini-grants to support age-friendly initiatives. In questions, members focused on elder scams, and Lipson said scams are increasing and the agency is working with banks, district attorneys, and public awareness campaigns. The Health Policy Commission’s Executive Director David Seltz presented the agency’s FY26 request and said the biggest challenge is health care affordability, with family premiums near $29,000 annually and many residents delaying care because of cost. He emphasized that recent legislation significantly expands HPC’s role through a new Office of Pharmaceutical Policy and Analysis, which will examine the drug supply chain and pricing, and a new Office of Health Resource Planning, which will support statewide planning around closures and access gaps. The new law also creates task forces on maternal health access and primary care, and adds transparency and oversight for private equity in health care. Members asked about pharmaceutical costs, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, 340B, and maternal health closures; Seltz said the data show rapid growth in GLP-1 spending and that the new offices will help the state better understand cost drivers and access problems. The Center for Health Information and Analysis then began its testimony, describing its role as the state’s data hub for health care spending, utilization, quality, and affordability analysis.

Transcript Highlights:

• We believe we'll be able to get our enterprise above the 90% bedding bed fill threshold at least in four
• We've got a whole bunch of beds.
• But bottom line is we've we've got to utilize the beds. We need more beds.
• We will have soon beds once the acquisition of SSM is done, and we have those beds up at Ennita that
• The beds were in the process of making sure we have beds and other equipment up there to house those

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it per person or per bed? It's per person per bed. We bill about $96 a day.
• What will happen is as the bed space capacity goes down, like we used to have 1,600 folks there.
• per person or It's per person per bed. per person or It's per person per bed.
• > like the bed space uh capacity goes down like the bed space uh capacity goes down like we<00
• decades stagnated that bed for the for decades stagnated that bed for the for decades where<00

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard three resolutions first. STR 32/SR 18 asked the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to work with the Department of Transportation to use inmate work furlough programs for state roadway and highway maintenance. Testimony was generally supportive of the intent, but the Correctional System Oversight Commission raised concerns about using work furlough for maintenance and emphasized that participants should be paid at least minimum wage, be able to meet restitution and support obligations, and not have their release timing affected. The measures were later recommended and adopted by both committees with no amendments in the joint portion. STR 199/SR 179 concerned increased caution regarding foreign infrastructure. There was no public testimony. In decision-making, the committees split the measures: STR 199 was deferred because of a similar measure, while SR 179 was passed with amendments. The amendments were described as clarifying Hawaii’s goals of self-sufficiency, local self-reliance, and self-determination, and encouraging scrutiny by departments and agencies to reduce dependence on imports. STR 231/SR 207, which would direct DOT to install electronic equipment at state airports and harbors to scan for illegal fireworks, drew mixed testimony, including support from the Oahu Filipino Community Council and comments from Matson Navigation. DOT said it supported the intent. The committees adopted amendments to address Matson’s concerns by moving inspections to a place outside the immediate loading and unloading area, and both committees passed the measures as amended. The Public Safety and Military Affairs committee then took up additional resolutions. STR 113/SR 94, designating Hawaii as a Purple Heart state on August 7, 2025, received no testimony and was not discussed further. STR 204/SR 164, asking the Department of Law Enforcement for information on disposal, detonation, and destruction of explosive fireworks and similar hazardous materials, also drew no testimony in the excerpt. STR 107/SR 88, urging military branches in Hawaii to provide hurricane-resistant shelters for active and retired personnel and families, likewise received no testimony. STR 148/SR 119, supporting construction of a floating dry dock at Pearl Harbor, drew broad support from industry, military, and state economic development representatives. STR 149/SR 120, creating a vegetation management working group to address wildfire risk, received extensive testimony in support and comments, with speakers from DCCA, PUC, Hawaiian Electric, IBW 1260, Hawaiʻi Telecom, and Kamehameha Schools discussing wildfire hazards, responsibility for vegetation near utility infrastructure, and the need to include workers and landowners in the process. STR 126/SR 105, calling for an incremental reduction in the number of inmates housed in private out-of-state facilities, prompted a lengthy discussion with DCR. The director said Hawaii’s out-of-state incarceration is driven by overcrowding and security needs, not a quota, described the per-person-per-day cost of CoreCivic housing, noted that Hawaii pays about $96 per inmate per day out of state versus about $37 in-state, and said the department is working on a master plan and future facility needs. The committee also discussed the need for a new prison and possibly a new jail. The excerpt ends with the committee still in discussion, without showing a final vote on STR 126/SR 105.