Transcript Highlights:

• yourself and present your testimony. yourself and present your testimony.
• Wood, for your testimony. very much, Mr. Wood, for your testimony.
• support submitted in written testimony support submitted in written testimony and<00:42:29.040><
• First, Minnesota written testimony.
• We're looking provide your testimony.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:22:52.159> Giles for your testimony. Appreciate it. Giles for your testimony.
• Just testimony.
• testimony. Appreciate it. Tony Swilleny. testimony. Appreciate it. Tony Swilleny.
• It's on the sheet testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I ask that you be clear and concise with your testimony.
• If there are none, um, we'll, we'll proceed to testimony.
• Thank you very much for your testimony. Thank you, sir. Thank you for your testimony, General.
• I really thank you for your testimony today.
• All right, we'll proceed to testimony. Uh, the chair calls.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:22:50.799> I<00:22:50.960> would testimony before the Senate, I would testimony
• thank you very much for your testimony. thank you very much for your testimony.
• If you've got written testimony, If you've got written testimony, >> pass<01:00:53.920> it
• Thank you for your testimony. So this will be your testimony to fill the commissioner's seat?
• listen to to that additional testimony. listen to to that additional testimony.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:12:00.560> Any Thank you for your testimony. Any Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony. Do right. Thank you for your testimony.
• testimony. Questions from the committee. testimony. Questions from the committee.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony. Thank you for your testimony.
• Thank you for your testimony. Thank you for your testimony.

Bills: S0092, S0110, S0192, S0212, S0260, S0350, S0394, S0422, S0434, S0442, S0484, S0546, S0556, S0684, S0696, S0706, S0748, S0786, S0820, S0824, S0838, S0840, S0848, S0856, S0962, S1000, S1014, S1036, S1050, S1054, S1080, S1118, S1134, S1338, S1480, S1500, S1506, S1622, S1724

Keywords: employee protections, whistleblower, retaliation, public trust, ethics complaint, Commission on Ethics, Public Employees Relations Commission, public employee, local government attorney, public officer, adverse personnel action, protected disclosure, whistleblower retaliation, state agency, independent contractor, public employment, civil service, reinstatement, back pay, front pay

Summary: The Committee on Rules met with a quorum and considered a long agenda of bills, many of them retained from the prior week. The most debated measure was CS for SB 706, which would preempt naming of major commercial service airports to the state and designate Palm Beach International Airport as the Donald J. Trump International Airport, subject to FAA approval and a trademark agreement. Amendments were offered and rejected, including proposals to prevent private financial benefit from the naming. Several senators spoke in opposition, citing concerns about naming an airport after a sitting president, lack of local input, and the trademark/licensing arrangement; supporters argued there was no cost to the airport and that the bill simply set a state naming policy. The committee reported the bill favorably after a roll call vote. The committee also reported favorably CS for SB 546 on conservation land notice requirements, CS for CS for SB 1014 on municipal utility service to properties outside city limits, CS for SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, SB 962 on excluding farms from certain zoning definitions, and CS for SB 820 on problem-solving court reporting requirements. The committee then approved several bills from Senator DiCeglie and Senator Arrington. SB 840, addressing land-use regulations for local governments affected by natural disasters, was supported by local-government and environmental advocates who said it would restore local control after SB 180’s hurricane-related restrictions; the sponsor said it was intended to correct unintended consequences of last year’s law. CS for SB 856, requiring online listing platforms to show estimated ad valorem taxes on residential listings, was amended to exclude social media platforms and broaden liability protections; the sponsor and a county property appraiser described it as a consumer-transparency measure. CS for SB 110, clarifying homestead exemption treatment for long-term leases that end at death, was also reported favorably. The committee took up a controversial strike-all amendment to SB 212, which focused on public swimming pools and added residency and related restrictions for certain sex offenders and offenders on community control or probation. The amendment drew strong opposition from advocates and affected families, who argued it would worsen homelessness, impose broad geographic restrictions, and lack evidence of improving child safety; supporters said it was a targeted public-safety measure. Despite the objections, the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also approved SB 684 on electronic signatures for total-loss vehicle and vessel titles, SB 394 on reinsurance intermediary managers, SB 434 on property tax assessment treatment for wind-hardening improvements, CS for CS for SBs 658 and 608 on water-safety requirements for rental properties with pools or nearby water, SB 748 on adding voting-rights restoration information to sentencing score sheets, and CS for SB 824 requiring school districts to inventory unimproved real property. The meeting ended while the committee was beginning SB 848 on stormwater treatment, with an amendment being introduced as the transcript cut off.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:01:40.640> support stands and is really testimony support stands and is really testimony
• <00:02:39.840> in Farm bu down on testimony in Farm bu down on testimony in support<00:02:
• will'll stand on our written testimony will'll stand on our written testimony providing<00:02:57.319
• We stand on our written testimony.
• <01:21:34.080> thank wow please read by testimony thank wow please read by testimony thank

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard Senate Bill 659, which would exempt the Department of Education from the electronic procurement system for purchases of fresh local agricultural products and local value-added processed agricultural or food products up to $100,000, and require geographic preference guidelines for locally sourced products. The Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and State Procurement Office all testified in support or support of the intent. DOE said the bill would give it short-term flexibility to buy local items not currently on the vendor list, such as poi and limu, while procurement staff said they would provide written comments and a corrected version of their testimony. Committee members questioned why the bill was needed, why the threshold would rise from the current $24,999 small-purchase limit to $100,000, and whether the department should instead amend its vendor list or RFP process. Members raised concerns about efficiency, administrative burden, whether the bill was a temporary fix for procurement planning gaps, and whether purchases would remain compliant with federal USDA rules if federal school-lunch funds were used. DOE responded that the measure would help it expand local purchasing, support farmers, and allow purchases of products not currently available through existing distributors, and said it was working with partners on food-safety certification and federal compliance. The committees then voted to pass SB 659 with amendments. The Joint Committee on Education approved it 3-2, and the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Environment later approved the amended measure 4-0. The chair noted an amendment and a deferred effective date, and the motion was adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today we just hear testimony, presentation of the bill, hear testimony from agency, organization, and
• <00:43:25.359> Thank justice key testimony. Go ahead. Thank justice key testimony.
• Kyle Maris to the testimony table and Mr. Mohan go ahead with your testimony.
• David Johnson um to the testimony table. David Johnson um to the testimony table.
• guess they were on remote uh testimony. guess they were on remote uh testimony.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for that testimony.
• Johnson, for your testimony.
• <00:40:25.000> and yourself and present your testimony and yourself and present your testimony
• <00:48:59.920> please minutes of testimony please minutes of testimony please proceed<00:49
• chair yeah if I remember your testimony chair yeah if I remember your testimony right<01:04:32.960

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you wish to give testimony, If you wish to give testimony, you fill out a card.
• We can hear testimony, but let's wait before we vote on that.
• We can hear testimony, but let's wait before we vote on that.
• Thank you so much for your testimony.
• That's your name before you give your testimony, please.

Summary: The Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs met on May 21, 2012, with a quorum present and first approved the minutes from the prior meeting. The committee then heard Senate Bill 230 by Senator Barrow, a proposed constitutional amendment to let voters decide whether Louisiana should establish a state livable/minimum wage starting at $10.25 per hour in 2027, with future increases tied to the Consumer Price Index. Senator Barrow and several supporters framed the bill as a response to stagnant wages, rising housing and living costs, poverty, and related social problems, including crime, family instability, and child care barriers. A technical amendment was adopted to correct the bill’s language after questions were raised about whether it improperly required all employers to pay the stated wage rather than setting a minimum wage floor. Public testimony was largely in favor. Supporters included Mother Pearl Porter, who described decades of wage stagnation compared with sharply rising costs of rent, food, and gas; Angela Adkins of 10,000 Women Louisiana, who said workers should be able to cover basic expenses and that indexing wages to inflation would prevent future erosion; Jan Moeller of Invest in Louisiana, who argued the bill would help the ALICE population and noted Louisiana’s high poverty and inequality rates; Julie Schwamm Harris, who linked low wages to broader economic and social harms; Tom Costanza of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, who cited Catholic social teaching and the common good; and Tyler Phillips, who spoke about the impact of low wages on students and low-income communities. The Louisiana Restaurant Association opposed the bill, arguing it did not account for tipped workers and would increase costs for restaurants and consumers. After debate, Senator Boudreaux moved to report SB 230 as amended. The motion failed on a roll call vote, 2 yeas and 3 nays, so the bill was not reported from committee. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those testimonies are not separate from HB 160; they are exactly why it matters.
• Thank you for your testimony. You're a great advocate. The board is clear.
• Thank you for your testimony. There are no questions. The board is clear.
• Please give us your testimony. Thank you, Mr.
• Yes, sir, if you want to give us your testimony. Thank you.

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We stand by our testimony with comments on this measure, and I'm available for any questions you guys
• <00:01:27.840> with Um we uh stand by our our testimony with Um we uh stand by our our testimony
• So with that, the university stands on its testimony. Mahalo. >> Thank you.
• the university stands on its testimony. the university stands on its testimony. Mahalo.
• Uh, we stand on our written testimony and support and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered three bills, all related to outdoor lighting or permitting. On SB 2278, which addressed light pollution and outdoor lighting standards, testimony was mixed: the University of Hawaiʻi and others raised concerns that the bill’s 4,000K color temperature standard and other provisions conflicted with dark-sky and wildlife-protection recommendations, while some groups testified in support. A lighting industry engineer also questioned how turtle-lighting provisions would apply in practice and urged a workable standard that balances safety, design, and wildlife concerns. On SB 2908, relating to permitting, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and several business groups testified, generally standing on written testimony or supporting the measure. Committee discussion focused on a proposed statewide permitting intake platform; the Office of Planning said the SPEED Task Force believed counties were better suited to handle permitting information, and members asked whether the appropriation was sufficient. The committee voted to pass SB 2908 with amendments, including a deferred effective date of July 1, 2050. On SB 2987, also relating to light pollution, the University of Hawaiʻi strongly supported the bill and proposed amendments to create campus lighting zones tailored to safety and foot traffic, while the Department of Land and Natural Resources stood on its comments and several other organizations testified in support or opposition. The chair said the committee would address business safety concerns by making technical and nonsubstantive amendments, exempting outdoor light fixtures for airports, highways, and harbors, and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. The committee then adopted the recommendation to pass SB 2987 with amendments and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Public testimony will be limited to 2 minutes per speaker.
• All right, thank you for your testimony. I appreciate that.
• Thank you for your testimony here today.
• Um, thank you for your testimony.
• We appreciate your testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please introduce yourself and begin your testimony. Thank you, Chair and members.
• Please give your name and begin your testimony. Yes, thanks. Thank you, Mr.
• Please introduce yourself and begin your testimony. Good afternoon, Mr.
• Please introduce yourself and begin your testimony. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• Shultz, please introduce yourself and begin your testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for your testimony. Thank you for your testimony.
• I should excuse Joe Henry was invited, and then we determined that one testimony would be okay, so Joe
• testimony thank you for your testimony testimony thank you for your testimony uh<00:05:05.080>
• Thank you, Representative Myers, or your testifier, Miss Dwight. open it up to testimony I'm not seeing
• open it up to testimony I'm not seeing any<00:08:12.400> other<00:08:13.400> folks<00:

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard House File 1120, the follow-up “Keep It Clean” bill from Representative Andrew Myers, which would create grant funding for local governments and organizations to improve garbage removal and related clean-water programs, especially around frozen lakes and winter recreation areas. Myers said the earlier Keep It Clean effort to enforce litter laws on frozen lakes had already reduced garbage in the water, and he framed this bill as a way to expand that success with additional resources. Testifier Robin Dwight of the Upper Red Lake Area Association and Keep It Clean Coalition described growing problems with trash and human waste on ice, said the coalition now has 60 members representing more than 10,000 lakes, and explained that local programs use dumpsters and separation systems to manage waste. Tom Johnson of the MPCA and Assistant Commissioner Bob Myers of the DNR both testified in support, saying improper disposal of human and solid waste is a real and growing problem and that the public education campaign has changed behavior on the ice. Members asked about the bill’s results and funding needs. Representative Pelz asked for more context on the coalition’s impact, and Dwight said the group has been active for about three years and recently launched a survey to gather more data on infrastructure needs for wheelhouse users. Representative Fiser asked what dollar amount would be needed, and Myers said the bill seeks general fund dollars, with a rough ideal range of one to two million dollars, though he emphasized he wanted to work with the committee on the final amount and funding mechanism. The discussion also noted a second related bill with a $10 wheelhouse fee as another possible funding option. No opposition testimony was presented. After discussion, the chair renewed the motion to lay over House File 1120 for possible inclusion in a future bill, and the bill was laid over.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please introduce yourself and then present your testimony.
• Please introduce yourself and then present your testimony.
• Please introduce yourself and then present your testimony.
• Please introduce yourself and then present your testimony.
• And with that, I can stop my testimony.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, we'll be taking public testimony on a few bills.
• And we'll be taking public testimony.
• Thank you again for your testimony and your work.
• This is how I do my testimonies, is with my little posters.
• Thank you for your testimony. Thank you so much. Thank you. Members, thank you for your testimony.

Bills: HB5, HJR3, HB155, HB513, HB5, HB155

Keywords: dementia, research, health care, Texas Institute, grants, medical breakthroughs, oversight, prevention, funding, healthcare, Texas, autopsy, confidentiality, public records, medical examiner, law enforcement, HB 513, surgical smoke, surgical plume, smoke evacuation

Transcript Highlights:

• But if you have testimony that is seconding somebody else's testimony, if you can kind of keep it briefer
• <00:03:17.560> thank record and begin your testimony thank record and begin your testimony
• Thank you for your testimony.
• And I totally appreciate the testimony of the advocates here.
• Fuller, your testimony was eloquent and heartbreaking.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Looking forward to today's testimony. Thank you.
• Thank you for hearing my testimony today.
• I won't repeat what I said in my written testimony.
• I won't repeat what I said in my written testimony.
• Thank you very much for your testimony.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing heard testimony on several housing bills, with much of the discussion focused on seasonal communities and funding for year-round housing in places like Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, and the Berkshires. Speakers supported bills including H. 4410/S. 966 and related seasonal communities legislation, which would allow local option real estate transfer fees and expand tools for towns to preserve and create affordable housing. Testimony emphasized severe housing shortages, high home prices, workforce displacement, and impacts on public safety, schools, health care, and local businesses. Many witnesses said the transfer fee would provide a sustainable local revenue stream, citing prior land bank models on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard as proof the approach can work. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3989 regarding seasonal community designation, with supporters arguing that towns should be included automatically or through a simpler opt-in process, and on H. 4568 to expand the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, which would broaden access to a federal voucher-based savings and self-sufficiency model. Senator Edwards testified in support of a bill to create training for municipal board members, describing it as a toolkit to improve informed local decision-making. Senator O’Connor testified for a bed bug bill, saying it would create clearer landlord and tenant notification and treatment requirements and provide needed legal guidance after his family’s experience with an infestation. Senator Lovely also testified for the Homeworks program, which provides transportation so homeless children in motels and shelters can attend after-school activities. The committee further heard testimony on a bill to fund housing in seasonal communities through a transfer fee and on a companion measure to expand the seasonal communities toolkit, with repeated calls for favorable reports. Witnesses from public safety, health care, housing nonprofits, schools, and local government described staffing shortages and housing insecurity as urgent problems. Later, the committee took testimony on H. 1559/S. 102 to maintain stable housing for families with pets, with animal welfare groups supporting protections against eviction, breed discrimination, and excessive pet rent. They said housing-related pet surrenders are a major driver of shelter intake. The hearing also included testimony on H. 1498 to limit criminalization of homelessness, which would restrict citations, fines, and related consequences for outdoor camping tied solely to homelessness.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:11:02.320> and you called um stand on our testimony and you called um stand on our testimony
• You have our written testimony providing comment. We stand on that testimony.
• <00:12:58.320> providing you have our written testimony providing you have our written testimony
• <00:13:25.720> to five we provideed revised testimony to five we provideed revised testimony
• in the committee report uh testimony in the committee report uh testimony from<00:38:35.880>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees considered a large number of Senate bills, with many measures advanced either unamended or with technical or substantive amendments. Early action included SB 88 and SB 11 SD1, both passed unamended, and SB 562 SD1 and SB 642 SD1, which were passed with amendments reflecting agency testimony. SB 1133 SD1 was amended to remove duplicative county requirements and clarify tax credit carry-forward eligibility, while SB 1569 SD1 on sports wagering was deferred. Later, SB 933 on nonprofit/federal funding support drew strong testimony from nonprofit and health advocates emphasizing the risk of federal funding freezes and the importance of protecting services such as early learning, domestic violence support, housing, and workforce supports; the committee recommended amendments to define eligible organizations, require reporting, and include the Judiciary. SB 934 and SB 935 were also amended, with SB 934 tying mass transit funding to Honolulu project milestones and SB 935 revising retirement-system language to change “fewer than five years” to “five or more years.” The committees then took up additional measures with targeted amendments. SB 1033 was amended to clarify that the bill applies to legal entities, not individuals, though members noted concerns about closely held family corporations and asked that the issue be reflected in the committee report. SB 1166, SB 1249, and SB 1256 were advanced with amendments or committee-report notes reflecting concerns from the Attorney General, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, and Hawaii Farmers Union United, respectively. SB 1432 and SB 137, both relating to electric utilities, were amended to require retention of covered employees after mergers or acquisitions and to direct the PUC to consider whether proposed transactions further state policy goals. SB 157 on antitrust was narrowed to focus on coordinator conduct in rental housing markets, SB 252 on invasive species received a defective effective date, and SB 336 on defense of state employers and employees passed unamended. SB 536 on the Hawaii Community Development Authority was deferred to a later hearing, and SB 1064 on medical cannabis was heavily amended to authorize cultivator licenses with limits on canopy size, license counts, physician fees, and a special-fund appropriation for enforcement. In the Ways and Means portion, the committee passed several bills unamended, including SB 19, SB 124, SB 264, SB 345, SB 422, and SB 741 and SB 747 later in the agenda. SB 361 was amended to remove references to the attorney general and delete an appropriation section, SB 438 was amended to redefine buffer zones and landfill-unit language, and SB 441 and SB 494 were amended to blank appropriations and, in SB 494, assign charter-school audit responsibility to the state auditor. SB 659 was substantially amended to promote local procurement, including county-level geographic preferences and higher thresholds for locally sourced purchases, and SB 732 was amended to adjust film tax credit provisions, including the streaming-platform definition and sunset-related language. SB 819 was amended to replace references to “educators” with “teachers.” Throughout, most measures were adopted without recorded opposition, though several members noted reservations on particular bills.