Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other devices are on mute or silent mode.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Conference Committee met to continue negotiations on the higher education budget, projects, and proviso language. Senator Harrell presented the Senate’s counteroffer on the budget and projects, noting that changes from the original budget and project lists were highlighted in the packet, and said the Senate was ready to keep working toward agreement. The House presented its first proviso offer, focused on items that differed most from the chambers’ starting positions, and said it would review the Senate’s proposal. No public testimony was offered, and members did not raise questions or comments during the meeting. Both sides expressed optimism about continued progress and a desire to conclude negotiations soon. The committee took no substantive votes or actions on the merits of the offers. Representative Young moved to adjourn, and the meeting was concluded with notice that the committee remains on one-hour call.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please ensure that cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed in silent mode

Summary: The conference committee on the House Justice Budget Subcommittee and the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice met to discuss budget-related negotiations, including projects, proviso items, implementing language, and back-of-the-bill provisions tied to House Bill 5403E. Members exchanged offers and noted that progress had been made on closing out projects, with both sides expressing optimism that additional items could be resolved with more time. Senate and House members thanked each other and staff for their work and indicated they would continue reviewing offers and preparing responses for a later meeting. No public testimony or public comment was offered. The committee reminded members that future meetings would be on one-hour notice. With no further business, Senator David Smith moved to rise and adjourn, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that your cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent

Summary: The Conference Committee on State Administration, Budget, Agriculture, Environmental, and General Government Appropriations met briefly to receive the Senate’s first offer on the budget spreadsheet, proviso language, projects, the back of the bill, and the implementing bill. Senator Brodeur said the offer included substantial movement and agreement, with many items grayed out or highlighted to show progress toward compromise, and he expressed hope it would bring the chambers closer on several issues. House members responded positively, saying the offer looked good and thanking the Senate for its work, while noting they would review it and follow up soon. No additional substantive comments were made, and there was no public testimony. With no further business, the committee reminded members that the next meeting would be noticed on a one-hour basis and then adjourned without any votes or formal actions taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Everyone, please make sure your electronic devices are turned off or on vibrate.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we actually manufacture these devices here in Hawaii.
• So we actually manufacture these devices here in Hawaii.
• So we actually manufacture these devices here in Hawaii.
• provide<00:32:23.440> more<00:32:24.000> uh<00:32:24.159> it another device
• and provide more uh it another device and provide more uh it can<00:32:24.559> provide<00:32:

Bills: HB2284

Keywords: energy assistance, low-income households, electricity costs, Hawaii home energy assistance program, energy efficiency, 910, house, all

Summary: The hearing covered House Bill 2284, which would create the Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program in the Department of Human Services to help qualifying households pay energy bills and direct the Public Utilities Commission’s public benefits fee administrator to provide information and assistance to recipients. Testimony from the Division of Consumer Advocacy, DHS, and the Public Utilities Commission was in support. A committee member asked about how the program would interact with existing TANF-related energy assistance and whether rules could be adjusted to avoid duplicative benefits; DHS said logistics would need to be worked out and that the agencies would make the rules. The committees noted the bill’s $1.5 million appropriation and moved it forward with amendments, including blanking out amounts and noting them in the committee report. Both committees voted to pass HB 2284 with amendments, with the recommendation adopted. The committee then heard House Bill 2486, relating to plug-in or balcony solar. DCCA, the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, and the Public Utilities Commission stood on prior testimony in support of the bill’s intent. Multiple advocates and organizations, including Carbon Cashback Hawaii, 350 Hawaii, Bright Saver, Sierra Club of Hawaii, and others, testified in support, arguing that plug-in solar would lower electricity bills, expand access for renters and condo residents, and reduce emissions. Several speakers urged the committee to remove or avoid registration, reporting, feed-in tariff, interconnection fee, and other requirements they said would create barriers. Bright Saver testified that the systems are safe and would not back-feed during outages. No vote was taken on HB 2486 during the excerpt. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 1568, which would prohibit the importation or storage of LNG in the state and the construction of related infrastructure. State agencies including the Consumer Advocate, Hawaii State Energy Office, Public Utilities Commission, and Hawaiian Electric opposed the bill, with the Energy Office arguing LNG would perpetuate oil use on Oahu and expose the state to price volatility. Supporters included Life of the Land, Sierra Club of Hawaii, Greenpeace Hawaii, 350 Hawaii, Earthjustice, Our Hawaii, and others, who argued LNG would lock Hawaii into another fossil fuel dependency, create major infrastructure costs and safety risks, and undermine the state’s renewable energy goals. Several testifiers cited climate and affordability concerns and urged the committee to reject LNG. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1568, before any committee action or vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other devices are on mute or silent mode.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Conference Committee met to continue negotiations on the higher education budget, projects, and proviso language. Senators and House members noted that both chambers had submitted new offers, with the Senate presenting a counteroffer on budget and projects and the House presenting its first proviso offer. Members said the changes were highlighted in the packet and focused on areas where the chambers’ starting points differed most. Senator Harrell thanked the House for reviewing the Senate’s initial offer and said the Senate had also worked through project items in addition to the budget. House members said they would study the Senate’s offer and continue working toward agreement. No public testimony was offered, and no questions or substantive objections were raised during the meeting. The committee adjourned after brief closing remarks from both sides expressing hope for a quick conclusion to the negotiations. Representative Young moved to rise, and the meeting ended with a reminder that the committee was on one-hour notice for future meetings.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that your cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please ensure that cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent mode

Summary: The Appropriations Conference Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development met to exchange budget offers and narrow the list of unresolved items. The House presented its first offer on the budget, GR projects, proviso, back of the bill, and the implementing bill, saying it would resolve most outstanding issues. The Senate accepted the offer in part but identified numerous budget lines and several proviso and implementing-bill items as still unresolved, while noting that GR projects and DOT projects remained open issues despite prior agreement on project allocation. The House agreed that the listed budget lines and proviso/implementing-bill items represented the remaining differences between the chambers. The committee then authorized staff to make any technical corrections needed to implement the decisions. There was no public comment, and the committee reminded members that the next meeting would be on one-hour notice. With no further business, Representative LaMarca moved to adjourn, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please ensure that cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent mode

Summary: The Appropriations Conference Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development/Transportation and Economic Development convened, organized itself by electing Senator DiCeglie as chair and Representative Schofield as vice chair, and noted that Representative Schofield was excused from the meeting. Members were directed to conference materials on the meeting webpage, including the budget spreadsheet, projects, proviso, back of the bill, implementing bill, and conforming bill, which show each chamber’s starting positions. The Senate presented an initial offer to the House. The chair explained that gray rows on the budget spreadsheet indicated items already agreed to, while black-highlighted rows reflected the Senate offer. A separate offer was also presented for general revenue local funding initiatives, with black-highlighted rows marking the Senate position. The committee noted that road projects were not being negotiated at this time and would be addressed later. Representative Snyder responded that the House would review the offer and continue working under Chair Schofield’s leadership to resolve budget issues and move toward a balanced, responsible budget. No public comment was offered. The meeting was then adjourned, and members were told to watch for the next meeting notice, with the committee now on one-hour notice.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that all cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent

Summary: The Agriculture and Natural Resources Conference Committee convened and was formally organized by adopting motions naming Representative Snyder as chair and Senator Brodeur as vice chair. Members were provided original side-by-side documents showing the starting positions for the budget, proviso, back of the bill, implementing bill, and conforming bills. Senator Brodeur presented the Senate’s offer to the House on the budget, proviso, back of the bill, implementing bill, projects, and the Senate conforming bill, SB 2506E, which concerns fuel taxes. He noted that highlighted figures in the budget spreadsheet reflected Senate movement. The House said it would review the offer and return with a response, and both chambers expressed a willingness to continue working through the budget issues. There was no public comment. Members were told to watch for notice of the next meeting, likely the following day, with a one-hour notice requirement. The committee then adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that cell phones are on silent or any other device that makes noises, tamagotchis, whatever

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that all cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent

Summary: The Agriculture and Natural Resources Conference Committee convened and was formally organized by adopting motions naming Representative Snyder as chair and Senator Brodeur as vice chair. Members were told that an original side-by-side packet had been provided showing the starting positions for the budget, proviso, back of the bill, implementing bill, and conforming bills. Senator Brodeur then presented the Senate’s offer to the House on the budget, proviso, back of the bill, implementing bill, projects, and the Senate conforming bill, SB 2506E, which relates to fuel taxes. He noted that highlighted figures in the budget spreadsheet showed where the Senate had moved. The House said it would review the offer and return with a response, and both sides expressed a willingness to continue working through the budget issues. There was no public comment. Members were advised to watch for notice of the next meeting, likely the following day, with one-hour notice. Senator Truenow moved to adjourn, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• to directing the Department of Health to create an informational pamphlet concerning intrauterine devices

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Women’s Issues Committee met on March 25 at 9:38 a.m. with a quorum present, including Senators Baskin, Serrano, Scarcella-Spanton, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Stavisky, and Weik. The committee considered several public health and insurance bills focused on women’s reproductive and maternal health, with Senator April Baskin and Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick present for the meeting. The bills discussed were S.3578, establishing a uterine fibroids awareness and education program; S.56658, establishing a dual awareness and education program; S.494, requiring health insurance coverage for doula services as maternity care; S.862, creating doula-friendly work spaces; and S.9076, directing the Department of Health to create an informational pamphlet on intrauterine devices. Members asked no substantive questions during the meeting, and the measures were generally advanced by motion and second. All five bills were reported out of committee and moved to first reading. On S.494, Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick voted without recommendation; the other bills were approved without recorded opposition. The meeting then adjourned after the final bill was advanced.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that your cell phones and other communication devices are turned off.

Summary: The conference committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government convened and was formally organized by adopting motions naming Senator Brodeur as chair and Representative Esposito as vice chair. Members were welcomed, and the committee was reminded to keep phones off and to remain on one-hour notice for a possible quick reconvening. The main discussion centered on the Senate’s first budget offer and the conference budget spreadsheet, including proviso items, back-of-the-bill provisions, and implementing and conforming bills. Senator Brodeur explained that many items were already agreed to and grayed out, while highlighted yellow items reflected areas where the Senate had moved closer to the House position in a good-faith effort to narrow differences. The House indicated it would review the Senate offer and respond at the next meeting. There was no public comment or additional committee business. The committee then adjourned without objection after Senator Truenow’s motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• So when we last met, we talked about some concerns about the recording devices.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee reconvened with a quorum and Representative Freilich reported back on concerns previously raised about recording devices. He explained that after reviewing the issue with Jonathan Alm and legislative council, they concluded the existing bill language and other provisions of the Century Code already addressed the concerns, and that adding more language could risk interfering with First Amendment rights. Members noted that most of the House changes were technical or grammatical, with one substantive change related to setting a deadline for repayment of overpayments. Senator Hogan moved to accept the House amendments, Representative Ruby seconded, and there was brief discussion indicating the proposal was straightforward. The clerk called the roll, and the motion to accept the House amendments passed unanimously, with all members voting aye. After the vote, the group confirmed the carrier for the measure, with Representative Freilich agreeing to remain the carrier. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, whether or not the landowner would like to protect it with some sort of security device is on that
• lot in committee, um, throughout the interim, and there was a lot of discussions in interim about devices
• /c><02:38:18.560> on<02:38:18.720> that<02:38:18.960> landowner, of security device
• discussions in interim about devices discussions in interim about devices that<02:38:44.000>
• we have is 9 mters or 3 GPS devices we have is 9 mters or 3 meters<02:44:52.000> which<02:44:

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other devices are on mute or silent mode.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Conference Committee met to review and compare House and Senate counteroffers on the higher education budget, implementing bill, conforming bill, and related provisos. Members noted that several items were now in agreement and marked closed, including specific lines in the implementing bill, multiple lines in the conforming bill, and a number of budget and proviso items that had moved closer between the chambers. Remaining unresolved items were set aside to be bumped to leadership for further negotiation. Senator Harold thanked the committee and staff, expressing confidence that the final budget would support a strong higher education system and that the outstanding issues would be resolved soon. The chair also thanked House and Senate staff for their work and announced that future meeting notices would be posted, with the committee operating on one-hour notice. No public testimony was taken, no questions were raised, and no formal vote on the budget items was recorded. The meeting concluded with a motion to rise.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that your cell phones and other communication devices are turned off or placed on silent

Summary: The Conference Committee on State Administration, Budget, and Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Appropriations met to resolve outstanding differences between the House and Senate on the budget, proviso, back of the bill, projects, and implementing bill. Senator Brodeur presented the Senate’s remaining offers, and the House responded by agreeing to many items while specifying numerous lines to be “bumped” for further consideration. The committee also agreed to bump the conforming bills HB 5203E, HB 5207E, and SB 2508E in their entirety. The House and Senate then confirmed the lists of lines to be bumped on the budget, proviso, and implementing bill offers, indicating that the remaining disputed items would move to the next level. After the Senate concurred with the House’s proposed bumps, the chair noted that the committee’s work was complete. A motion was made and adopted to allow staff to make technical conforming adjustments related to the bump process. There was no public comment. Representative Hodgers moved to adjourn, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure all cell phones and other devices are on mute or silent mode.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As a friendly reminder, please ensure your cell phones and other communication devices are turned off

Keywords: 999, senate, all