Transcript Highlights:

• HR number 309 by Darby recognizing the Texas Food and Fuel Association. The chair recognizes Mr.
• Members, HR 309 honors the Texas Food and Fuel Association, TFFA over 75 years of dedicated service in
• The Texas Food and Fuel Association plays a critical role.
• Today marks the Texas Food and Fuels Association advocacy day.
• Would you please stand if you're part of the Texas Food and Fuel Association, be standing and recognize

Transcript Highlights:

• HR number 309 by Darby, recognizing the Texas Food and Fuel Association. The chair recognizes Mr.
• It honors the Texas Food and Fuel Association, T-F-F-A, over 70 years. 75 years of dedicated service
• state's energy industry, serving the businesses that process... transport, and distribute refined fuel
• Today marks the Texas Food and Fuel Association Advocacy Day.
• Please stand if you're a part of the Texas Food and Fuel Association. Be standing and recognized.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as I uh as I said, but no, this is this is making sure that we have the right, you know, toggle switches
• as I uh as I said, but no, this is this is making sure that we have the right, you know, toggle switches
• as I uh as I said, but no, this is this is making sure that we have the right, you know, toggle switches
• as I uh as I said, but no, this is this is making sure that we have the right, you know, toggle switches
• as I uh as I said, but no, this is this is making sure that we have the right, you know, toggle switches

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• and convenience stores with roughly 800, closer to 1,000, ...fueling and convenience stores with roughly
• Bill 6352, about the distributions of the increase, the inflationary adjustment associated with the fuel
• And there's a big issue at the head of this whole thing: it's a combo of fuel taxes.
• It's a combo of fuel taxes.
• If ESHB 2711 passes, it locks in the 2% annual inflation adjustment on fuel taxes starting July 2026.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee held a work session on two major corridor projects before moving to public hearing and executive session. In the Yakima area, WSDOT, Yakima County, and Ecology described the Interstate 82/east-west connector work as a coordinated effort to add capacity, improve interchanges, and address the Boise Cascade mill site contamination that sits in the project footprint. County and Ecology witnesses said the county is ready to remove wood waste and contaminated material, but the project is stalled pending a draft work plan and a de minimis consent decree; several senators pressed for faster action and clearer direction from Ecology. The committee then heard an update on the SR 3 Belfair freight corridor, where WSDOT said environmental review is complete and the next major step is an access hearing this summer, followed by right-of-way acquisition and construction likely in late 2027 or early 2028. Local and tribal partners emphasized the project’s importance for freight mobility, housing growth, emergency access, and regional economic development. The public hearing was on engrossed substitute House Bill 2711, a transportation resources bill that largely tracks provisions from prior legislation but also adds or changes several tax and account provisions. Staff explained that the bill clarifies fuel tax and peer-to-peer tax distributions, treats trade-in value differently for recreational vessel and luxury vehicle taxes, provides a six-month motor home exemption and penalty waiver for the luxury vehicle tax, allows lease payments to be made over time, exempts tribal members and nonresidents, creates a Preserve Washington account, changes some transfer timing, and repeals the luxury aircraft tax. Testimony was mixed: aviation groups supported repealing the luxury aircraft tax; trucking and some citizens opposed fuel tax and diesel tax increases; Sound Transit, transit advocates, labor, and ferry interests asked for amendments such as 75-year bonding authority, mobile driver’s licenses, ferry funding, and bike education funding. Alaska Airlines and Delta also supported adding mobile ID language. In executive session, the committee advanced several bills, including SHB 1823, SHB 2114, E2SHB 2251, SHB 2323, SHB 2410, EHB 2588, 2SHB 1923, and HB 2495, all with due pass recommendations after adopting amendments where applicable. The committee adopted a striking amendment to E2SHB 2251 adjusting Climate Commitment Act account distributions and a striking amendment to EHB 2588 limiting the ferry district changes to Whatcom County and removing the voter-approval tax provision. It also adopted an amendment to 2SHB 1923 that added further conditions for passenger-only ferry districts, including whale-protection and fare-related provisions. Senator King voted no on E2SHB 2251, objecting that the bill reduced the transportation share of Climate Commitment Act revenues. The chair announced one more executive action meeting would be held Wednesday morning, with amendment requests due the prior day.

Transcript Highlights:

• And uh, in regards to the community fuels program, uh, having the Department of Land and Natural Resources
• manage all the fuels on state lands would put an unfunded mandate upon the department to uh greatly
• </c><00:04:06.159><c> program,</c> regards to the community fuels program, regards to the community fuels
• /c><00:04:10.239><c> manage</c><00:04:10.640><c> all</c><00:04:10.959><c> the</c><00:04:11.439><c> fuels
• </c> natural resources manage all the fuels natural resources manage all the fuels on<00:04:12.400><c

Bills: SB3294

Keywords: wrongful conviction, compensation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, innocence, legal process, burden of proof, case manager, medical coverage, judicial discretion, 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees first took up SB 3294, a controversial measure concerning post-release assistance for people pursuing reversals of prior court decisions where innocence is in question. Members discussed keeping the bill moving on the “human side” while a House companion addressed the legal issues. The adopted amendments removed advanced compensation language and instead required DCR, with DHS, to help petitioners prepare applications for financial and medical assistance, notify DHS upon release, assign a case manager to assist with a cell phone for one year, housing, employment, mental health counseling, and expedited benefits, and provide a state ID upon release. The measure also included technical amendments and a defective date, and it passed unanimously. The joint committees then heard SB 2237 on fire prevention, which would require state agencies to create and update hazard maps and direct DNR to adopt rules and clear brush. DLNR testified that a single lead agency should develop the maps with input from other agencies, that a five-year timeline would be more reasonable, and that assigning DNR all fuels management on state lands would create an unfunded mandate. Members discussed using the newly created fire marshal’s office as the lead, and the committees ultimately deferred the bill in favor of a broader wildfire mitigation measure already moving in another committee. The final agenda included SB 2596 on government leases, SB 30002 on the Hawaii State Planning Act and green infrastructure, and SB 3067 on records and filing requirements. SB 2596 was advanced unamended to Ways and Means. On SB 30002, OPSD explained that a 2025-2027 comprehensive review of chapter 226 is underway, with a report and draft legislation due in 2027, and members debated whether to move piecemeal changes now or wait for the broader review; the bill nevertheless passed unamended. SB 3067, which updates outdated filing formats and drawing scales, also passed unamended with DAGS supporting the measure in writing.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a result, Mexican fuel haulers often overload trucks via transloading in order to decrease the number
• of trucks crossing while maximizing the amount of fuel on board.
• Specifically, DPS officers have intercepted fuel trucks weighing up to 150,000 pounds.
• in April 2003 involving an overloaded fuel vehicle from the Port of Brownsville traveling northbound
• This outdated limit often delays routine purchases like fuel, equipment, repairs, and supplies.

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum, an invocation, and routine business including dispensing with the previous day’s journal, receiving a House message on HB 104/HJR 34, and a gubernatorial message naming two appointees to the Texas Real Estate Commission. The chamber also adopted several resolutions recognizing Alzheimer’s Advocacy Day, Golf Day in Texas, Cindy Ramos-Davidson, and the 50th anniversary of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District. Members then adopted memorial resolutions honoring fallen first responders, including Deputy Jesse Ray Perez and Deputy Melissa Pollard, and the Senate agreed to adjourn in their memory. The Senate considered and passed several bills. SB 2199 increased penalties for loading overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials; SB 1959 adjusted permit factors for the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District; SB 1376 changed supervision rules for code enforcement officer trainees; SB 2595 created a new offense for harassing, intimidating, or threatening someone while concealing identity with a mask or similar headgear; SB 1012 authorized sale or lease of certain surplus state property in Austin; SB 2245 revised bonded title procedures; SB 2605 created a municipal housing authority asset commission; SB 3044 expanded and adjusted the board of the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District; SB 628 clarified county fire code enforcement authority through interlocal agreements; SB 2778 raised the spending threshold for emergency services district employees; SB 3039 addressed public higher education transfer issues; and SB 2523 allowed release from municipal extraterritorial jurisdiction by petition. Most of these bills were passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and final passage was completed, often by wide margins. The chamber also took up SB 1844, which would require cities to provide services before expanding taxing areas into limited-purpose jurisdictions; a floor amendment narrowed the bill, and it was passed to engrossment. SB 2284 clarified municipal and county authority over firearms, airguns, archery equipment, and related items, and was passed despite opposition. SB 2529, dealing with the vote threshold for taxing units to adopt higher tax rates or issue tax bonds, prompted extended debate over voter approval and representative decision-making; after questions, the bill was passed to engrossment and held. At the end of the session, the Senate recessed for 20 minutes and announced it would meet as the Caucus of the Whole.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> less and you pay less if you have a fuel less and you pay less if you have a fuel efficient efficient
• So really fossil fuel-based vehicle.
• </c> equivalent fossil fuel vehicle will pay. equivalent fossil fuel vehicle will pay.
• It's we need to have different fuel and we need to drive less.
• Uh, and the fuel part is still very confusing to me.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I hate to say that word, but in 2024, when we needed to have the ability to move fuel trucks very quickly
• throughout the state to make sure that your constituents had access to fuel.
• And so in using our aviation fleet, we're able to move just millions of gallons of fuel in real time
• with, ...were able to move just millions of gallons of fuel in real time without any traffic congestion
• , so they were able to plot out their routes in advance and give the drivers of the fuel trucks real-time

Summary: The committee heard two presentations on domestic security. Deputy Commissioner David Binder of FDLE described the state’s domestic security structure, including FDLE’s coordination role, the fusion center system, regional task forces, and private-sector infrastructure partnerships. He emphasized the Domestic Security Oversight Council’s grant-ranking process and warned that federal homeland security funding has dropped sharply over time, with possible future cuts threatening fusion center analysts and other capabilities. Binder also focused on emerging threats, especially drones and counter-UAS issues, noting current legal limits on mitigation authority, concerns about tethered drones and drone use near correctional facilities and military sites, and the need for a turnkey solution if state or federal authority expands. He also highlighted FDLE’s cataloging of critical infrastructure sites through Florida Kicker and the growth of trusted private partners. Director Dave Kerner of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles then outlined the Florida Highway Patrol’s role in domestic security. He paid tribute to a fallen sergeant and discussed FHP’s structure, criminal interdiction work, border integrity and trafficking enforcement, dispatch and communications, aviation and drone use, and immigration enforcement under 287(g). Kerner said troopers have seized large amounts of narcotics and currency this year and have arrested thousands of unlawful immigrants. He also described FHP’s involvement in operations such as Lone Star, Vigilant Sentry, and Faithful Service, and said the agency is working toward expanded counter-UAS authority through federal discussions and Sergeant Dooley’s testimony. Members expressed support for both agencies, discussed the dangers and potential benefits of drones, and the committee adjourned without objection after no public testimony was offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sunflower Fuels is using renewable fuels or renewable crops to create fuels.
• Sunflower Fuels is is those parasites.
• Sunflower Fuels is is using<00:31:22.559><c> uh</c><00:31:22.799><c> renewable</c><00:31:23.279><c> fuels
• c> create</c><00:31:25.279><c> fuels.
• And again, crops to to create fuels.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met and approved the August 21, 2025 minutes. The main presentation came from Brandon Reid of the Kentucky Office of Agriculture Policy, who reported that implementation of the Kentucky Agriculture Economic Development Board created by Senate Bill 28 and House Joint Resolution 31 is ahead of schedule. He said the board has been appointed and has met several times, has adopted guidelines and an application process, and has launched its application on the KDA website. He also noted new staffing, including a project manager, and said the office is already working on projects, though some are confidential because of coordination with the Economic Development Cabinet and nondisclosure agreements. Members praised the effort and emphasized the importance of having agriculture represented in economic development work. Reid also described ongoing outreach by Commissioner Jonathan Shell, including farmer appreciation and classroom visits across the state. The committee then heard from Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Bluegrass Ag Tech Development Corp. executive director Jacob Ball about the Bluegrass Ag Tech Development Corp., a public-private partnership involving Lexington-Fayette, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky, and Altech. They said the organization aims to make Kentucky a national and international hub for ag tech, and that it has already awarded challenge grants to startups. Ball explained that the program focuses on animal protein, nutrition, sustainability, mid-size farm solutions, and Kentucky traditions such as distilling and equine. He reported that two rounds of grants have totaled $925,000, with the first round’s seven companies leveraging that into nearly $7 million in follow-on investment, supporting 56.5 Kentucky jobs and creating more than a dozen new jobs. The presentation also highlighted statewide outreach, including applications and engagement from counties across Kentucky, and the goal of expanding participation in eastern Kentucky. Members expressed support for both initiatives and discussed the value of agriculture-specific expertise in economic development. Reid said the Department of Agriculture and the Economic Development Cabinet maintain regular communication and that the new board gives agriculture a seat at the table for future site and industry recruitment efforts. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Eddie Lucio with Gray and Strama Lucio on behalf of Titan Fuels testifying for the bill.
• And just as previously stated, Titan Fuels is the, the largest, um, tenant and terminal that, uh, operates
• that particular bridge could be down equipment or down manpower, and they will close to southbound fuel
• So you have a truck with fuel ready to go south and they're turned away.
• complete destruction to outdated age-out infrastructure, fatigue on drivers and equipment, better fuel

Bills: HCR 114, HB 137, HB 283, HB 1398, HB 1960, HB 2153, HB 2431, HB 2638, HB 2699, HB 2999, HB 3208, HB 3389, HB 3413, HB 3510, HB 3642, HB 3859, HB 3974, HB 3986, HB 4142, HB 4173, HB 4174, HB 4542, HB 4605, HB 4663, HB 4731, HB 5064, HB 5216, HB 5218, HB 5332, HB 5453, HB 5577

Keywords: memorial, pedestrian bridge, Houston, Sergio Ivan Rodriguez, city council, oversize vehicles, transportation permits, Hidalgo County, port authority, highway routes, healthcare, insurance, mental health, treatment access, state funding, transportation, axle weight, aggregates, regulations, Texas law

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Eddie Lucio with Graydon Straughan Lucio on behalf of Titan Fuels, testifying for the bill
• As previously stated, Titan Fuels is the largest. ...tenant and terminal that operates out of the Port
• that particular bridge could be down due to equipment or manpower issues and may close to southbound fuel
• So you have a truck with fuel ready to go south, and they're turned away.
• What's really important about overweight corridors is that it limits the times and conditions that fuel

Bills: HB137, HB283, HCR114, HB137, HB283, HB1398, HB1960, HB2153, HB2431, HB2638, HB2699, HB2999, HB3208, HB3389, HB3413, HB3510, HB3642, HB3859, HB3974, HB3986, HB4142, HB4173, HB4174, HB4542, HB4605, HB4663, HB4731, HB5064, HB5216, HB5218, HB5332, HB5453, HB5577

Keywords: state budget, fiscal biennium, budget repeal, financial management, state funding, Medicaid, healthcare access, Affordable Care Act, federal funding, low-income individuals, insurance coverage, memorial, pedestrian bridge, Houston, Sergio Ivan Rodriguez, city council, oversize vehicles, transportation permits, Hidalgo County, port authority

Transcript Highlights:

• to get the medical care they needed before they could switch.
• Switching to another Advantage plan isn't going to solve my problem.
• opportunity to switch to another one, and if you switch to Anthem, which is a little more active here
• switches switches back<04:58:49.638><c> um</c> back um back um the<04:58:52.638><c> the</c><04:58:53.000
• </c><04:59:36.878><c> over</c> unique class that you're switching over unique class that you're switching

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 437, which would change New Hampshire law on undischarged mortgages by creating a shorter period after which certain old mortgages would be treated as unenforceable. Prime sponsor Representative Bill Boyd said the bill was developed with input from bankers, lawyers, realtors, the Attorney General’s office, and the Banking Department, and he noted a drafting correction needed on line 18. He explained that the proposal would replace current law with a new framework modeled partly on Massachusetts, including a five-year expiration after a stated maturity date and a 35-year period for mortgages without an expiration date. Supporters said the bill would help clear obsolete title defects, reduce costly quiet-title litigation, and make real estate transactions easier for consumers, attorneys, and conveyancers. Representative Mary Hakken-Phillips, Susan Cole of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, and Michelle Coffin all testified in support, describing the bill as a consumer protection measure. They said undischarged or improperly discharged mortgages often surface during title searches, causing delays, legal expenses, and failed or delayed closings. Coffin and Hakken-Phillips emphasized that many of these cases involve old, effectively obsolete mortgages and that the current process often requires expensive court action even when no one contests the title. Cole described a recent transaction in which a title defect caused a buyer to walk away and later restart the financing process, creating costs for both buyer and seller. A committee member asked about notice to mortgage holders; the response was that the lender bears responsibility for recording and extending the mortgage, and that due process rights would remain if a lender later contested the discharge. Ryan Hill of the New Hampshire Bankers Association said the banking industry had reviewed the bill and was generally comfortable with it, while requesting a delayed effective date so members would have time to adjust their recording practices. He said the bill’s January 1, 2028 effective date reflected that request. After closing the hearing on HB 437, the committee opened a hearing on House Bill 721, the Gold and Silver Legal Tender Act. Representative Juliet Harvey-Bolia introduced it as a bipartisan economic justice bill intended to recognize gold and silver as legal tender, protect against inflation, and address concerns about trust, taxes, and government taking. She argued that gold is a stable store of value and discussed tax treatment in neighboring states, federal history, and digital gold platforms. The hearing on HB 721 was still in progress when the transcript ended, with the chair limiting questions because of time.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in effect, switching the consumer advocate position to that of a non-lawyer would... testifying in
• So in effect,<00:19:56.720><c> switching</c><00:19:57.039><c> the</c><00:19:57.280><c> consumer</c><00
• :19:57.679><c> advocate</c> effect, switching the consumer advocate effect, switching the consumer advocate
• We can hold this and... >> I also agree with you know Senator McHugh that switching those words, you
• </c><01:14:50.239><c> those</c> Senator McHugh that switching those Senator McHugh that switching those

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• gasoline resilience rather than fuel and gas prices in Arizona.
• Probably chief among those agreed-upon amendments is extending the repeal date for the ACA fuel and gas
• House Bill 2696, an act providing for the Arizona Commerce Authority reduced fuel and gas prices.
• Reduced fuel and gas prices.
• on Natural Resources, Energy, and Water recommends that House Bill 2696, which deals with reduced fuel

Summary: The Senate met in floor session, began with prayer and the Pledge, approved the journal, received communications, and handled a return of Senate Bill 1456 from the House for reconsideration. Members then moved through several Committee of the Whole calendars, considering and amending bills on court fees, information technology, environmental quality, agricultural property inspections, property tax notices, veterans services, zoning and electric generation siting, fuel and gas resilience, and disturbing religious services. Several amendments were adopted, including changes to HB 2265 on criminal court fees, HB 2311 on conversational AI disclosures and privacy limits, HB 2986 on environmental quality/fuel resilience, HB 2104 and HB 2105 on agricultural property inspection rules, HB 2406 on veterans services, HB 2494 on electric generation siting and environmental compatibility, HB 2696 on fuel and gas prices, and HB 4117 on interference with religious services. Most of these bills were reported out of committee with do pass recommendations, though members raised concerns on HB 2311 and HB 4117 about privacy, free speech, and prosecutorial discretion. The chamber then took up a long series of third readings and final votes. Bills passed included HB 2015 on single-audit compliance, HB 2041 on child neglect and poverty factors, HB 2048 on AHCCCS prescription drug coverage, HB 2417 on excessive speed, HB 2611 on child welfare, HB 2793 on annexation, HB 2950 on special districts, HB 2995 on family law, HB 4018 on county officers, HB 2404 on mental health services, HB 2279 on limitations of actions, HB 2502 on the state retirement system, HB 2733 and HB 2953 on pharmacy regulation, HB 2979 on credit unions, HB 4042 on parent-child relationship determinations, HB 4010 on health professional regulatory boards, HB 4043 on public schools, HB 4049 on the Attorney General, HB 2265 on court fees, HB 2311 on information technology, and HB 2986 on environmental quality. HB 2601 on state highways and routes failed. Several members explained votes on bills involving fiscal impacts, child welfare, road safety, annexation, and criminal justice concerns. The Senate also adopted a group concurrence motion on several conference committee reports, including HB 2003, HB 2010, HB 2133, and HB 2874, and then voted on those measures. HB 2003 on driver’s license instruction permits, HB 2010 on advertising, HB 2133 on disclosure of sexual material and synthetic depictions, and HB 2874 on campaign committees and termination statements were all advanced after conference committee action, with debate on HB 2133 focusing on First Amendment and content-moderation concerns. The session ended with introduction of a large package of transportation-related appropriations bills and a motion to suspend certain committee notice rules for Appropriations to hear legislation and strike-everything amendments on short notice.

Transcript Highlights:

• The reason it's prickly is because it really does force us to look at fossil fuels versus clean energy
• So we're balancing the fossil fuel with the clean energy.
• So we're balancing the fossil fuel with the clean energy.
• Again, balancing fossil fuel with clean energy incentives.
• But those goals are only as strong as the availability of fueling infrastructure to support them.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Between time, labor, fuel, and fees, small farmers simply cannot compete.
• For the last four years, I've led more than 2,500 acres of fuels reduction work in Cle Elum, Roslyn,
• The cost of doing that fuel break was less than a quarter of 1% of what it cost to fight that fire.
• The cost of doing that fuel break was less than a quarter of 1% of what it cost to fight that fire.
• We can do proactive thinning and fuels management to reduce the risk.

Summary: The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held public hearings on several bills and a joint memorial, with testimony largely focused on steelhead recovery, agricultural viability, wildfire funding, and shellfish fees. On SB 6241, which would create a wild broodstock conservation program for steelhead, staff described a statewide program with a fiscal note of about $14.6 million in FY 2027, while sponsor Sen. Braun argued the concept could boost wild populations and fishing opportunity at lower cost than the fiscal note suggests. Proponents, including anglers and conservation groups, said broodstock programs could improve fisheries, preserve genetics, and support local economies; opponents, including Trout Unlimited, argued the bill was too broad, not sufficiently science-driven, and should be left to agency and co-manager discretion. The public hearing closed with a strong pro/con sign-in count in favor of the bill. The committee then heard SB 6104, a broad agriculture-protection bill that would require agricultural impact statements for certain agency actions, annexations, and zoning changes, and would direct mitigation measures when actions harm agricultural or natural-resource-based commercial activities. Sponsor Sen. Muzzall said Washington agriculture is under severe pressure and losing farms, while supporters from farm groups said the bill would force agencies to consider ag viability and compensate for impacts. Opponents, including a small farmer and environmental advocates, said the bill was too procedural, could burden modernization or conservation efforts, and might create uncertainty around existing conservation funding accounts. The hearing ended with more testimony in opposition than support. The committee also heard SJM 8015, urging the federal government to ensure wildfire-response consolidation does not reduce capacity or firefighter safety. Sponsor Sen. Short and many testifiers, including private forest owners, tribes, students, conservation groups, and local officials, emphasized the importance of maintaining and fully funding Washington’s wildfire response and forest-restoration investments, especially the 1168 account. Testimony highlighted fuel breaks, early detection, community protection, and the economic costs of wildfire. The memorial drew overwhelmingly pro testimony. Finally, the committee suspended the five-day notice rule to hear SB 6318 on commercial shellfish fees; staff explained it would cap Department of Health fee increases after a recent fee review, and shellfish growers strongly supported the bill as necessary to keep small farms viable. The committee also took a work session on beaver relocation and habitat restoration, where presenters described beavers as a water-retention and wildfire-resilience tool and discussed coexistence, relocation, and possible future management changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• strongly discourages installation of these, uh, and um, and in some cases will encourage people to switch
• If they've switched over heating systems completely, I think this absolutely could work.
• The heating plant's gone and the tank has remained in place, and a fuel company comes and delivers to
• c><01:21:10.640><c> company</c><01:21:11.040><c> comes</c><01:21:11.280><c> and</c> in place and a fuel
• company comes and in place and a fuel company comes and delivers<01:21:11.840><c> to</c><01:21:12.000

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have higher fuel cost.
• If you look at this higher fuel cost.
• </c> 41% of their costs are related to fuel 41% of their costs are related to fuel oil<00:58:55.760><
• </c><01:00:10.319><c> and</c> effective compared to fossil fuel and effective compared to fossil fuel
• </c> otherwise be paying for fossil fuel otherwise be paying for fossil fuel effect.<02:24:11.200><c>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational briefing on the Public Utilities Commission’s performance-based regulation (PBR) framework and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ whistleblower complaint process. Chair Jared Kohole opened the meeting, noted it was informational only with no public testimony, and explained that members would hear presentations and then have an opportunity for questions. The committee heard first from Ulupono Initiative, which provided background on why utilities are regulated, how Hawaii’s cost-of-service model and rate cases work, and why PBR was adopted to shift utility incentives away from a capital-investment bias and toward performance, efficiency, cost control, and policy goals such as renewable energy and reliability. Ulupono described Hawaii’s PBR structure as a five-year multi-year rate plan with annual revenue adjustments, a customer dividend, a Z factor for extraordinary exogenous events, and an exceptional project recovery mechanism for large projects. It also outlined performance incentive mechanisms tied to renewable portfolio standard progress, interconnection speed, reliability, and shared savings. The presentation said the current docket is evaluating a possible hybrid approach that would combine forward-looking forecasting with historical results, and Ulupono advocated for stronger incentives, arguing the current rewards are too small relative to utility revenues and should be more meaningful to better align utility behavior with legislative intent. The PUC then presented its own overview, emphasizing that the PBR docket is open and active and that the briefing was limited to the record to avoid ex parte concerns. The commission described the development of PBR in Hawaii through multiple phases beginning in 2018: an initial collaborative phase to set goals, a formal contested-case phase that produced the initial framework, later phases adding scorecards, reported metrics, and additional performance incentive mechanisms, and subsequent refinements including sunset of some mechanisms and adjustments after the August 2023 Maui wildfires. The PUC said the framework is intended to be customer-centric, administratively efficient, and protective of utility financial integrity, and that current work includes evaluating how to balance forward-looking and historical test-year approaches within the rebasing process. No votes or formal actions were taken at the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Line 16 is the sustainable aviation fuel credit proposal that was introduced in the governor's bill.
• 24.600><c> the</c><00:04:24.720><c> sustainable</c><00:04:26.080><c> aviation</c><00:04:26.640><c> fuel
• </c> 16 is the sustainable aviation fuel 16 is the sustainable aviation fuel credit<00:04:28.000><c>
• </c><01:08:34.640><c> That's</c> and uh sustainable aviation fuel.
• That's and uh sustainable aviation fuel.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to say that just goes to prove how reliable fossil fuels are.
• So, we should reliable fossil fuels are.
• And I, you know, the other thing about fossil fuels, they are dependable.
• Give me a comparison between uh fossil fuel natural gas versus doing this on this building.
• Give me a comparison between fossil fuel natural gas versus doing this on this building.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all