Video & Transcript : 'foreign assistance' :

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KY

Kentucky 2026 Regular Session

House Legislative Session Day 28 (2-17-26)

Kentucky House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • It strengthens the child care assistance program by reforming the provider payment formula.
  • It strengthens the child care assistance program by reforming the provider payment formula.
  • It strengthens the child care assistance program by reforming the provider payment formula.
  • It strengthens the child care assistance program by reforming the provider payment formula.
  • </c> Hussein to release hundreds of foreign Hussein to release hundreds of foreign human<00:50:08.240
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Friday, January 3, 2025)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut Medicaid, cut veterans' benefits, or cut nutritional assistance
  • 14:06.119><c> or</c><02:14:06.400><c> cut</c><02:14:06.639><c> nutritional</c><02:14:07.760><c> assistance
  • </c> benefits or cut nutritional assistance benefits or cut nutritional assistance from<02:14:09.119>
  • swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign
  • policy this package Mr Speaker foreign policy this package Mr Speaker sets<04:24:12.000><c> the</c><
Bills: SCR3 , SCR2 , SCR1 , HCR1 , HR6 , HR5 , HR4 , HR3 , HR2 , HR1
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Labor & Commerce Jan 16th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Labor & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:
  • So our agency is federally funded to administer and provide oversight of the Foreign Labor Certification
  • So our agency is federally funded to administer and provide oversight of the Foreign Labor Certification
  • Program. administer and provide oversight of the foreign labor certification program.
  • Regardless of if someone, a third party, is assisting you or if you're filing on your own behalf, filing
  • And Alina Cole is our committee assistant. And John Wynn is our hearing room specialist.
Bills: SB6014 , SB5972 , SB5869 , SB5874
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • We license physical therapists and physical therapist assistants right now under the statute; they're
  • physical therapist and<00:03:08.440><c> physical</c><00:03:08.799><c> therapist</c><00:03:09.319><c> assistant
  • </c><00:03:10.319><c> right</c> and physical therapist assistant right and physical therapist assistant
  • When we have a foreign licensed physical therapist, do they have to work in another state for a period
  • That's just what I want to make sure we have covered: that a foreign graduate coming into the country
Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Licensing and Occupations met on March 27, 2025, with a quorum present and first took up House Bill 255, relating to physical therapy. The bill sponsor and representatives of the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy and APTA Kentucky said the measure is mainly a cleanup and modernization bill that updates outdated statutory language, changes PTAs from “certified” to “licensed,” gives the board authority to purchase liability insurance, moves fee and fine caps into regulation without changing current fees, renames temporary permits as provisional licenses, and creates a pathway to more easily recognize some internationally trained physical therapists already practicing in other states. Senators asked whether the bill changed training, scope of practice, Medicaid, or supervised practice standards; witnesses said it did not, and that supervised practice requirements remain in place with out-of-state practice accepted only when equivalent or more stringent. The committee approved HB 255 with favorable expression. The committee then considered House Bill 618, an alcoholic beverages measure with a Senate committee substitute. The bill was described as having three parts: allowing restaurants to buy limited quantities of alcohol from retail outlets to meet customer demand while keeping the three-tier system intact and requiring quarterly reporting; creating a temporary auctioneer license to auction previously retail-sold alcohol in original packaging, such as estate or bourbon collections; and giving quota bar license holders the same opportunity restaurants already have to sell barrel picks by the bottle. Testimony supported the bill as a way to help restaurants, auctioneers, and bars, while a senator raised a question about sales tax on auction sales and another noted that nonprofit or church-related alcohol auctions already require permits under existing law. One senator suggested future guardrails to encourage local purchasing, but no amendment was adopted. The committee passed HB 618 with favorable expression.
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Thursday, May 8, 2025)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c><00:14:51.199><c> He</c><00:14:51.519><c> shattered</c> assists, and four steals.
  • He shattered assists, and four steals.
  • c> nuclear</c><00:20:54.880><c> safety</c> From food assistance to nuclear safety From food assistance
  • </c> frozen enforcement for the foreign frozen enforcement for the foreign corrupt<02:57:50.479><c> practices
  • ,</c><03:13:18.399><c> and</c> projectbased rental assistance, and projectbased rental assistance, and
Bills: SCR12 , HR276
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

April 10, 2025 - 09:00 AM

Transcript Highlights:
  • digital asset stockpile, a store of value that's immune to inflation, currency manipulation, and foreign
  • Recent geopolitical instability, whether it's from shifting U.S. leadership or foreign governments like
  • Geopolitical instability, whether it's from shifting U.S. leadership or foreign governments like China
  • When automation or AI is used to assist in claims processing, a licensed individual must make the final
Summary: The Insurance and Banking Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. HB 487 would authorize the CFO and State Board of Administration to invest up to 10% of certain state funds in Bitcoin, require specified custody methods, allow Bitcoin lending under rule, and create a process for accepting taxes and fees in Bitcoin. The sponsor and several proponents argued it would diversify state investments, hedge inflation, and position Florida as a leader in digital assets. Members raised concerns about volatility, security, valuation, and whether Bitcoin was being singled out over other cryptocurrencies, but the bill was reported favorably after debate and a roll call vote. The committee then considered HB 7011, an Open Government Sunset Review measure for records of insolvent insurers. The bill would continue some exemptions but make additional records public, including underwriting files, risk-solvency assessments, corporate governance annual disclosures, and the names, benefits, and compensation of insurance executive officers. There was no public testimony, and members discussed privacy and safety concerns, but the bill passed and was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HB 1433 on hurricane mitigation grants and insurer regulation. The bill would tighten restrictions on former executives of failed insurers, raise capital requirements for new insurers, and require mitigation credits when homeowners receive Safe Florida Home funds. An amendment was adopted to require a licensed person to make final claim-denial decisions when AI or automation is used and to prioritize filings that lower rates. Consumer advocates supported the transparency and consumer protections, while industry representatives urged caution on the AI provisions. After debate, the amended bill was reported favorably. The meeting ended with closing remarks from the ranking member, vice chair, and chair reflecting on the committee’s work and likely final meeting of the term.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Community Safety Feb 23rd, 2026 at 01:30 pm

Community Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • So going to a foreign country, I just think that is opening up a real hard can of worms, even when we're
  • Those new alerts are Ebony Alerts, which are for assisting in the recovery of missing Black persons,
  • and Purple Alerts, which are for assisting in the recovery of missing persons with a disability.
  • He could not have left home without assistance.
  • Volunteers will not be allowed to assist in the enforcement of civil immigration laws, and they will
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • The name of the firm escapes me, but they will be an evaluator of this driver assistance program and
  • We track every trip, offering emergency assistance if needed, and give riders and drivers tools like
  • It's foreign to you because no one else is required.
  • It's foreign to you because no one else is required to have this insurance. It's not foreign to me.
  • Thank you for this opportunity to share a perspective, and we remain eager and able to assist in this
Summary: The hearing focused on transportation network companies in California, with the chair framing it as an informational hearing on the history, regulation, safety, climate, accessibility, and data issues surrounding Uber, Lyft, and smaller or autonomous TNC services. The CPUC described its decade-long regulatory role, including safety rules, background checks, insurance requirements, reporting obligations, and two major legislative programs from 2018: the Clean Miles Standard and the Access for All program. Members asked about complaint trends, data collection and disclosure, program implementation, and how the CPUC uses annual reports for policymaking, compliance, and program oversight. Uber and Lyft said the statewide framework has supported growth while providing safety and access benefits, but both companies emphasized that insurance is a major cost driver and argued that California’s UM/UIM requirement is unusually high compared with other vehicles. They said the Clean Miles Standard is pushing electrification but faces headwinds from EV affordability and charging infrastructure, while Access for All has expanded wheelchair-accessible service but still needs continued support. They also discussed transit partnerships, wildfire response, and the potential role of autonomous vehicles, with both companies saying human drivers will remain important and that future regulation should account for new technology. The final panel, including the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and UC Berkeley researchers, presented evidence that TNCs have increased congestion and reduced transit ridership, especially in dense urban areas. They described prior research showing TNCs contributed to congestion growth in San Francisco and noted that this work helped spur local taxes on ride-hailing trips to fund safety and transit improvements. The panel also discussed the CPUC’s evolving data-disclosure decisions, arguing that public access to TNC trip data is important for understanding transportation impacts and informing local policy.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • Your great support, assistance.
  • the same confidentiality protections we apply to terrorism-related data also apply to threats from foreign
  • what's the benefit to Texas by establishing an office within the governor's administration to aid or assist
  • And it assists the— it helps. It helps. It helps.
  • I'm an assistant professor of data analytics at Troy University, but this is my professional opinion
Summary: The committee first took up pending business and quickly reported several measures favorably, including HB 12, SB 1361, SB 1705, SB 1749, SB 1897, SB 2344, SB 2566, HB 3809, and HB 4215, with most sent to the Local and Uncontested Calendar. HB 12’s substitute clarified a limited midterm review of regulatory agencies tied to Sunset Commission recommendations. SB 2696’s substitute changed med spa regulation from a license to a certificate, with training instead of an exam, plus background checks, continuing education, and two-year renewals. HB 3809 dealt with battery energy storage decommissioning and recycling, and HB 4215 was reported without a substitute. SB 1978, concerning interconnection of electric facilities in ERCOT and federal jurisdiction concerns, was reported out on a 5-3 vote after debate, but then the chair later announced the bill was withdrawn and left pending subject to the call of the chair. HB 1899 was also reported favorably, with one nay. A major portion of the meeting focused on HB 14, the advanced nuclear energy bill. Senator Schwertner described it as creating a Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, a nuclear permitting coordinator, a development fund, a completion grant program, and a workforce development program. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including representatives from Fermi America, Dow/X-energy, CPS Energy, Paragon Energy Solutions, Bridge to Nuclear, Aalo Atomics, and the Texas Association of Business, argued that Texas should lead in advanced nuclear, citing future baseload demand, data centers, industrial power needs, supply-chain development, and long-term energy diversification. Opponents, including Public Citizen, Texas Nuclear Watchdogs, Sierra Club, and individual citizens, argued the bill would subsidize unproven, expensive technology, create grants rather than loans, and expose taxpayers to major risk while doing little to meet near-term energy needs. Several members questioned whether the state should fund projects that may not produce grid power for years, and whether the bill’s grant structure and new office were justified. The committee also heard HB 5061, which Senator Schwertner said would prohibit unethical surveillance and misuse of confidential information by state contractors, create a confidential reporting system through the State Auditor’s Office, authorize Texas Rangers investigations, protect whistleblowers, and impose penalties including contract termination, fines, and contracting bans. No public testimony was offered, and the bill was left pending. HB 132, sponsored by Senator Hughes, would extend confidentiality protections for sensitive information to hostile acts by foreign adversaries; it was also left pending after no testimony. HB 1584 was then laid out, with Senator Schwertner explaining it would require utilities to maintain and update priority restoration lists for critical facilities after Hurricane Beryl exposed communication failures, but the transcript cuts off before any action on that bill.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/23/2026 - Senate Finance

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • And so at times, people will reach out about issues that are going on in the system and ask for assistance
  • So if we bring in all of the materials from foreign countries and we bring in all the workers from foreign
  • countries, that's not going to benefit... ...countries and we bring in all the workers from foreign
  • Senator Fernandez: Yeah, the TSM issue with bringing in foreign workers, they didn’t actually want to
  • , advise on all aspects of issuing bonds to assist the district in achieving the most effective cost
MO

Missouri 2026 Regular Session

Economic Development Jan 13th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • without the consent of Congress, enter into any agreement or compact with another state or with a foreign
  • without the consent of Congress enter into any agreement or compact with another state or with a foreign
  • There's no, like, assistant, or at that point that's over? I would have to double-check on that.
  • without the consent of Congress, enter into any agreement or compact with another state or with a foreign
  • Now, the direction that you're going, you might as well enter into contracts with foreign powers.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • They provide food through food assistance.
  • But what this bill really does is provide an opportunity for foreign investment and building that foreign
  • Secretary Black, the Secretary of Economic Development, is his outline of how New Mexico has built these foreign
  • What Secretary Black just discussed with us was that what we're looking at is bringing those foreign
  • others that really represent what, or could influence what we're doing in New Mexico and build those foreign
Summary: The committee heard a lengthy presentation from the New Mexico Rural Library Initiative in support of fully funding the rural library endowment with an additional $29.5 million. The presenters described rural libraries as essential community infrastructure that provide not only books and internet access, but also early childhood programs, adult education, workforce support, telehealth, disaster response, and civic meeting space. They argued that the endowment would provide stable annual support for staffing and operations, help sustain libraries in very small towns and tribal communities, and support new or developing libraries. Members asked about eligibility, county coverage, how funds are distributed, and whether the state tracks broader outcomes such as job placements or certifications; the presenters said the State Library administers the funds and that the initiative itself is a nonprofit capacity-building organization, not the fund manager. Some members raised concerns about whether an endowment is the best long-term model versus recurring annual appropriations, and about the need for better reporting and state-library involvement. The committee then heard from food bank leaders Jill Dixon and Katie Anderson about food security and its economic impact. They said New Mexico’s five food banks and more than 500 partner agencies serve all 33 counties, distribute over 45 million meals, and rely mostly on philanthropy, with some state and local support. They emphasized that SNAP is a major economic driver, supporting grocery access, jobs, and local spending, and that recent legislative growth funding helped food banks respond to a surge in demand during a SNAP disruption. They also highlighted food banks as community hubs that can connect people to health care, job training, and other services, including through clinic referrals and closed-loop systems. In response to questions, they said food access gaps remain in some rural areas, that clients can generally seek food at other distribution sites without barriers, and that longer-term solutions should include more grocery access, healthy corner stores, and stronger broadband and health care infrastructure. The final presentations came from the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce and the Artesia Chamber of Commerce. Gallup-McKinley described a shrinking workforce, youth outmigration, crime, health care shortages, malpractice costs, and gross receipts tax burdens as major barriers to rural economic growth, and urged action on workforce pipelines, housing, public safety, malpractice reform, and tax/regulatory changes. Artesia highlighted its murals, library, sports tradition, oil and gas, agriculture, federal training center, and refinery, while also noting workforce shortages, health care recruitment challenges, housing constraints, and the need for quality-of-life investments and more flexible regulation. The committee also briefly heard a bill presentation proposing a New Mexico-Ireland Trade Commission to promote bilateral trade and investment, especially in technology, agriculture, and energy sectors. No votes were taken because quorum was not reached, and the endorsement item was not acted on.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • This means the current landscape in which two foreign proxy advisory firms have an outsized influence
  • thousands of proposals a year that address nuanced issues, and I'm sympathetic to the need to enlist assistance
  • Both of these proxy advisors are foreign-controlled and claim that they are making recommendations to
  • Now, the House Committee on the Judiciary has alleged that ISS and Glass-Lewis are a foreign-owned duopoly
  • based on non-financial considerations, whether that be ESG or DEI, their consulting business or their foreign
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - Part 2 - 03/19/26

Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • They definitely did not say that foreign corporations have an absolute right to spend in Minnesota's
  • </c> They definitely did not say that foreign They definitely did not say that foreign corporations<00
  • We'll identify the next bill. and then a foreign entity which in this and then a foreign entity which
  • </c><01:48:44.480><c> Law</c> assistance from law enforcement. Law assistance from law enforcement.
  • There are many resources that are without cost for our coaches and assistant coaches to be trained.
AK

Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Floor Session Jul 16th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Alaska House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • become law without signature: House Bill 14, amended Senate, effective date, added Senate, medical assistance
  • For those concerned about foreign ownership and changes in ownership, foreign ownership reporting is
  • The full legal name of any foreign entity involved must also be provided.
  • ends up being what we do, you can now demand... ...that alternative volumetric tax go to community assistance
  • There was no requirement that there be disclosures of foreign investments.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Senate May 19th, 2026

Louisiana Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • and Revenue Trust Program, and the Louisiana Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust Kindergarten
  • Senate Bill 200 by Senator Hodges is an act in Title 29 relative to foreign adversaries and agents of
  • foreign adversaries.
  • Senate Bill 200 by Senator Hodges is an act in Title 29 relative to foreign adversaries and agents of
  • foreign adversaries to provide for the protection of military bases.
Bills: SR126 , SR129 , SCR71 , SCR72 , SCR73 , SCR12 , HB221 , HCR54 , HCR79 , HCR87 , HCR94 , HCR95 , HCR97 , HCR102 , HCR104 , HCR58 , SB480 , SB514 , HB12 , HB66 , HB145 , HB167 , HB175 , HB196 , HB213 , HB218 , HB222 , HB256 , HB291 , HB325 , HB326 , HB352 , HB401 , HB430 , HB433 , HB434 , HB448 , HB456 , HB476 , HB481 , HB487 , HB492 , HB549 , HB579 , HB608 , HB621 , HB624 , HB626 , HB632 , HB637 , HB656 , HB722 , HB745 , HB749 , HB804 , HB818 , HB821 , HB833 , HB864 , HB867 , HB874 , HB893 , HB909 , HB951 , HB968 , HB969 , HB978 , HB979 , HB985 , HB988 , HB989 , HB1001 , HB1005 , HB1007 , HB1024 , HB1032 , HB1038 , HB1050 , HB1051 , HB1056 , HB1059 , HB1077 , HB1080 , HB1081 , HB1086 , HB1108 , HB1112 , HB1153 , HB1172 , HB1173 , HB1175 , HB1192 , HB1193 , HB1204 , HB1218 , HB1242 , HB1244 , HB1249 , HB1252 , HB1254 , HB538 , SCR3 , SCR23 , SCR38 , SCR24 , SB102 , SB133 , SB151 , SB165 , SB169 , SB170 , SB200 , SB217 , SB280 , SB291 , SB300 , SB303 , SB330 , SB449 , SB489 , SB521 , SB45 , SB156 , SB181 , SB203 , SB274 , SB304 , SB379 , SB396 , SB410 , SB425 , SB427 , SB436 , SB54 , SB72 , SB129 , SB164 , SB232 , SB287 , SB322 , SB374 , SB375 , SB386 , SB409 , SB447 , SB458 , SB222 , SB399 , SR119 , SCR58 , SCR65 , SCR9 , SB35 , SB65 , SB215 , SB246 , SB249 , SB269 , SB282 , SB296 , SB323 , SB363 , SB369 , SB474 , SB490 , SB492 , SB500 , HCR41 , HCR47 , HCR63 , HCR69 , HCR31 , HB87 , HB115 , HB162 , HB195 , HB214 , HB217 , HB233 , HB283 , HB290 , HB319 , HB324 , HB345 , HB362 , HB363 , HB368 , HB377 , HB380 , HB382 , HB386 , HB392 , HB406 , HB431 , HB441 , HB466 , HB503 , HB533 , HB559 , HB575 , HB590 , HB593 , HB618 , HB655 , HB664 , HB685 , HB692 , HB707 , HB715 , HB732 , HB738 , HB741 , HB748 , HB776 , HB807 , HB822 , HB856 , HB860 , HB868 , HB887 , HB888 , HB905 , HB908 , HB961 , HB980 , HB990 , HB992 , HB999 , HB1000 , HB1010 , HB1146 , HB1157 , HB1233 , HB1236 , HB1243 , HB54 , HB137 , HB180 , HB192 , HB310 , HB321 , HB396 , HB512 , HB552 , HB578 , HB638 , HB663 , HB708 , HB717 , HB718 , HB1009 , HB1082 , HB1104 , HB1107 , HB1198 , HB1246 , HB27 , HB143 , HB205 , HB259 , HB267 , HB288 , HB308 , HB403 , HB405 , HB414 , HB417 , HB478 , HB546 , HB548 , HB555 , HB557 , HB609 , HB670 , HB672 , HB740 , HB779 , HB786 , HB796 , HB812 , HB848 , HB915 , HB917 , HB921 , HB930 , HB933 , HB1095 , HB1096 , HB1103 , HB1129 , HB1154 , HB1166 , HB1187 , HB1195 , HB1230 , HB17 , HB36 , HB41 , HB47 , HB73 , HB119 , HB126 , HB129 , HB133 , HB140 , HB159 , HB166 , HB211 , HB226 , HB245 , HB271 , HB280 , HB337 , HB351 , HB354 , HB399 , HB571 , HB677 , HB712 , HB723 , HB726 , HB728 , HB750 , HB759 , HB789 , HB844 , HB850 , HB870 , HB966 , HB1006 , HB1018 , HB1036 , HB1241 , SB29 , SB42 , SB43 , SB382 , SB441 , HB134 , HB258 , HB359 , HB782
Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, heard a prayer from guest minister Troy Brigadio, and recited the pledge. The chamber then handled journal approval, committee and House messages, and a large number of resolutions and bills, with many items lying over or being referred to committees. Several Senate resolutions were adopted by voice or machine vote, including commendations for World Preeclampsia Awareness Day, Kathy Holloway, Jensen LeBlanc, and River Bend Station, and the Senate also recognized Senator Mike Reese’s new role as president of McNeese State University. The body spent much of the meeting concurring in or rejecting House amendments to Senate bills. Concurrences were approved on measures including SB 102, 133, 151, 165, 169, 170, 200, 280, 291, 303, 330, 396, 410, 425, 427, 436, 489, 521, 45, 156, 181, 203, 304, and 399. The Senate rejected House amendments on SB 217, SB 300, SB 274, and SB 379, sending those matters toward conference or further work. One notable floor debate occurred on SB 449, where Senator Moore objected to concurring in amendments affecting the North Orleans Belt Railroad; after discussion about corruption concerns and public bid laws, the chamber rejected the amendments 26-9. The Senate also took up numerous House bills on final passage, approving measures on local governance, public safety, education, tax policy, and infrastructure. These included HB 87 on Livingston Parish Gas Utility District per diem, HB 115 on abolishing the police chief office in Edgefield, HB 162 on a neighborhood improvement district fee, HB 195 allowing pepper spray on campus, HB 214 and HB 217 on optional ad valorem tax exemptions for rehabilitated blighted property, HB 233 on jury compensation, HB 354 renaming a bridge as the Caleb Easterling Memorial Bridge, HB 283 on protections for assaulted school employees, HB 290 recreating the Department of Treasury, and HB 319 adjusting civic education commission membership. Several of these passed unanimously or with only a few dissenting votes, and members frequently moved to reconsider and record objections after final passage.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • So it's not as if our workers are still exposed to those foreign oil entanglements under the existing
  • It only allows, really, our foreign competitors to come in with a fuel that's not to our standard, not
  • And how we define foreign oil would become an interesting concept, I think, for us to wrestle with going
  • Is Texas foreign oil? Or is Iran foreign oil? Or is it all just foreign?
  • They're used for programs such as energy procurement, low-income assistance, greenhouse gas revenues,
Summary: The committee first heard SB 804, the Hydrogen Pipeline Safety Act, from Senator Arreguín. He said the bill would designate the State Fire Marshal as the safety regulator for intrastate hydrogen pipelines and require hydrogen-specific standards, while not mandating any pipeline construction or bypassing environmental review. Supporters included labor groups, utility employees, and the City of Burbank, while Air Products opposed unless amended, citing concerns about the bill’s specificity, fee structure, and the need for a hydrogen-specific rulemaking process. The committee discussed safety, fees, and regulatory certainty, and later passed SB 804 on a 9-0 vote to Emergency Management with commitment to take amendments. The committee then took up SB 905 by Senator Becker, aimed at reducing electricity rates by changing utility incentives. The bill would tie part of executive compensation to keeping rates below inflation, require more performance metrics, and allow the CPUC to consider lower returns on equity for certain lower-risk investments and alternative financing options. Support came from consumer, environmental, agricultural, and large energy user groups, while Southern California Edison, CalChamber, PG&E, and utility labor groups raised concerns that the bill could reduce investment, create regulatory uncertainty, and raise borrowing costs. After extensive discussion about utility affordability, wildfire costs, and capital markets, the committee passed SB 905 on a 7-1 vote to Appropriations. SB 913, also by Senator Becker, would create a clearer pathway for distributed energy resources such as batteries and smart thermostats to participate in the resource adequacy market and compete with utility-scale resources. Supporters said the bill would better use existing grid capacity, lower costs, and build on the state’s Demand Side Grid Support Program; PG&E opposed unless amended, saying the use case was not yet proven and was already being addressed in other rulemakings. After the committee accepted amendments, one opposition group moved to neutral and another said it might do so after reviewing the changes. The bill passed 8-0 to Appropriations and was placed on call. Several other measures were heard and advanced, including SB 1196 on faster utility hookups for small energization projects such as ADUs and EV chargers, SB 931 reauthorizing the Diablo Canyon Essential Services Mitigation Fund through 2028, SB 1158 reducing the frequency of joint reliability assessments from quarterly to twice yearly, and SB 1245 directing further study of California’s gasoline market and potential use of non-CARBOB fuel during supply disruptions. SB 1196 and SB 931 both passed with broad support and no opposition after amendments, SB 1158 passed without testimony, and SB 1245 drew strong support from consumer and environmental advocates but opposition from fuel industry and business groups concerned about costs, confidentiality, and fuel standards.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

House Chamber - Wed Mar 18, 2026, 12:00PM HST - Day 29

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Andrew's Priory, who's been accepted at Tufts University and will be studying foreign relations.
  • Andrew's Priory, who's been accepted at Tufts University and will be studying foreign relations.
  • Andrew's Priory, who's been accepted at Tufts University and will be studying foreign relations.
  • Andrew's Priory, who's been accepted at Tufts University and will be studying foreign relations.
  • </c> Lands wait list, providing assistance Lands wait list, providing assistance for<00:50:32.360><c>