Transcript Highlights:

• There is some potential for urban expansion over there, light industrial, but most of the expansion lands
• There is some potential for urban expansion over there, light industrial, but most of the expansion lands
• There is some potential for urban expansion over there, light industrial, but most of the expansion lands
• There is some potential for urban expansion over there, light industrial, but most of the expansion lands
• There is some potential for urban expansion over there, light industrial, but most of the expansion lands

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several housing, land use, and preservation bills. HB 1008 HD2 would require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to complete historic preservation determinations for state affordable housing projects within 90 days and create sensitivity-based review pathways. HHFDC, DLNR’s State Historic Preservation Division, and written testimony from DBEDT supported the bill as an expedited process for projects unlikely to affect significant historic resources. Members asked how the bill would define significant versus non-significant historic properties, how it would interact with Kapakai analysis, and whether burial councils had been consulted; SHPD said the bill would not replace Kapakai review and that burial councils had not been included. Written support also came from OHA, Hawaii Realtors, and the Maui Chamber of Commerce. HB 1093 would clarify the Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s powers relating to housing projects. HPHA supported the measure, saying it would align definitions with prior law and help deconcentrate poverty by allowing mixed-income rebuilding. The director also said the bill was increasingly urgent because of reported federal HUD priorities that could affect public housing and Section 8 funding. HB 1096 HD1 would repeal state low-income housing preferences for disabled veterans and spouses of deceased veterans, with HPHA saying federal veteran programs such as VASH are a better mechanism and that the state preference has not been used in years. HB 1411 would allow HHFDC projects to give sale or lease preferences to applicants who live or work within five miles of a project; HHFDC and the Hawaii Chapter of NAIOP supported it as a way to keep residents connected to their communities, while members raised constitutional concerns about broader local-preference policies. The committee also heard HB 367 HD1, which would create county permit exemptions for certain agricultural and maintenance activities. Written testimony included opposition from the Department of Planning and Permitting and support from the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Grassroot Institute, and others. A public testifier opposed the bill, arguing that permit exemptions could worsen safety and compliance problems. Finally, HB 826 HD1 would allow county planning commissions, by special permit, to authorize residential housing in agricultural districts for agricultural workforce housing, long-term rental, or fee simple ownership under certain conditions. HHFDC supported it as a faster alternative to lengthy state land-use redistricting, but the Department of Agriculture, Land Use Commission, and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development raised concerns about food production impacts, due process, service provision, jurisdictional conflicts, and the use of special permits for what could amount to district boundary changes. Public testimony was mixed, with some support and some opposition. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We did not see an expansion to three-year-olds. We did not see universal early childhood education.
• We also did not see an expansion of medicine. makers priorities are, and they are not with hardworking
• We did not see an expansion to three-year-olds. We did not see universal early childhood education.
• We also did not see an expansion of medicine. Representative Nixon: Education.
• We also did not see an expansion of Medicaid.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Donnell C. Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. A quorum was announced, the journal was approved, and the Speaker said the chamber would take up 11 budget conference reports, with debate and final votes on each report. The first report considered was HB 7031E, the tax package, followed by HB 501E, the state budget appropriations bill. On HB 7031E, Chair Duggan explained that the conference report included a range of tax reductions and tax-related changes, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related provisions, reductions in certain taxes and fees, and new exemptions or administrative clarifications. He said the package also added items such as sales tax relief for certain university construction projects, a tennis admissions exemption, and changes to agricultural property tax treatment, and that the amendment reduced state and local tax revenues by $272.2 million. Members questioned the bill about the child care tax credit reduction from three years to one, the homestead exemption provision for certain diplomats and foreign service personnel, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the inclusion of firearm accessories and tennis tickets in sales tax holidays. After structured debate, the House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began the conference report on HB 501E, the $114.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, which was described as below the prior year’s spending level and leaving more than $14 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major allocations across education, higher education, IT, health care, transportation and economic development, justice, state administration, and agriculture/natural resources. Highlights included increased FEFP funding and veteran teacher raises, full funding for Bright Futures, major IT modernization projects, Medicaid and behavioral health funding, transportation and local infrastructure spending, correctional and law enforcement investments, fire station and emergency response funding, and large environmental and water-quality appropriations. Members asked detailed questions about school voucher fraud oversight, scholarship funding, teacher raises, preeminence funding, ADAP changes, SNAP data tools and error rates, Medicaid rate changes, prison wastewater monitoring, and other budget items, but the transcript ends during the budget questions before final action on HB 501E is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, the budget includes $6 million to fund expansion of the school guardian program into the college
• We did not see an expansion to three-year-olds. We did not see universal early childhood education.
• We did not see an expansion to three-year-olds. We did not see universal early childhood education.
• We also did not see an expansion of medicine. Representative Nixon: Education.
• We also did not see an expansion of Medicaid.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1026 by Representatives Marshall and Ham and Senator Kulkar, concerning an expansion of plan
• > of</c><01:02:09.040><c> online</c><01:02:09.520><c> gaming</c><01:02:10.000><c> in</c> largest expansion
• of online gaming in largest expansion of online gaming in the<01:02:10.400><c> state's</c><01:02:11.200
• of</c><01:03:07.359><c> slot</c><01:03:07.680><c> machines</c><01:03:08.720><c> aren't</c> and expansions
• of slot machines aren't and expansions of slot machines aren't legal.<01:03:10.480><c> It</c><01:03:

Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, approved the previous day’s journal, and received several committee reports and House messages. Committee reports advanced a number of bills and appointments, including Senate Bill 163, House Bill 1320, Senate Bill 160, House Bill 1210, and several board and commission appointments recommended for the consent calendar. The chamber also received House action on multiple bills, including concurrence in Senate amendments to House Bills 1239, 1262, and 1110, a request for a conference committee on House Bill 1084, and transmission of several other measures to the Revisor of Statutes. The Senate then took up Senate Joint Resolution 22, designating July 12-18, 2026, as Plastic Pollution Awareness Week. Senator Cutter spoke in support, arguing that plastic pollution harms environmental and human health, disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, and cannot be solved by recycling alone. The resolution was adopted on a 25-9 vote, with several senators recorded in opposition, and co-sponsors were noted. The chamber also recognized guests from the Colorado Society of Enrolled Agents and the National Association of Tax Professionals, as well as visitors from the Colorado School of Mines and former Senator John Evans. Later, the Senate considered special orders on the consent calendar, including House Bills 103, 1026, and 1051, and adopted the committee reports and the bills. House Bill 1026 was amended and House Bill 1051 was advanced to third reading and final passage. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 117, concerning permissible methods for the sale of lottery tickets. Senator Bridges explained that the bill was intended to respond to lottery rules allowing online sales and credit card purchases, but said the measure had been narrowed in committee and then raised constitutional concerns under Colorado’s prohibition on slot machines outside limited gaming areas. The transcript ends during that debate, before final action on Senate Bill 117 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The expansion of that through the $3 million was for the pilot to expand to San Juan County and Hobbs
• There is a plan for expansion.
• We were planning the expansion with the $3 million for these two last fiscal year and then looking to
• So I believe that there was expansion of services that relate to behavioral health.
• Rapid pre-K expansion has benefits but also risks as we've seen in other states.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I think working closely with Judiciary in terms of any of the expansion plans would help, uh, with
• Um, I think working closely with Judiciary in terms of any of the expansion plans would help, uh, with
• Judiciary in terms of any of the expansion plans would help, uh, with that. So that's our comments.
• </c><00:21:27.840><c> down</c><00:21:28.039><c> the</c><00:21:28.200><c> road</c> likely further expansion
• down the road likely further expansion down the road let's<00:21:28.799><c> say</c><00:21:29.799><c>

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on House Bill 1064, which would implement recommendations from the Fire Safety Research Institute’s Maui wildfire report, clarify the role of the State Fire Marshal, and appropriate funds. Testimony was generally supportive from DLNR, the Climate Advisory Team, the State Fire Council, Hawaiʻi Electric, the Attorney General’s office, the Honu Fire Department, AARP, the Hawaiʻi Insurance Council, and others. Governor Green’s office said it supported the bill but wanted the office of the State Fire Marshal placed under the Department of Defense rather than the governor’s office, citing constitutional and administrative concerns. Members also questioned the State Fire Council about the selection process for the fire marshal and about defensible space and wildfire resilience in different communities. After discussion, the committees deferred decision-making on HB 1064 to Friday, March 14, at 3:00 p.m. in Room 225 for the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, with the same recommendation from the other committee. The hearing then moved to House Bill 697, which would expand who may review automated speed enforcement images. HDOT supported the bill but said it would prefer funding from the Highway Special Fund or the automated speed enforcement special fund rather than general revenues. Opposition testimony from the ACLU raised privacy concerns, argued the bill blurs the line between law enforcement and infrastructure management, and said DOT staff lack the mandate and expertise for the task. Judiciary said it would need additional capacity to process citations and hearings, and noted the program’s likely workload and costs were still uncertain. The committees then took up House Bill 277 on vehicular pursuit policy. The Attorney General and the Law Enforcement Standards Board urged the committees to defer the bill and let the board develop policy first, while Hawaii County Police opposed the measure as unnecessary, confusing, and too restrictive of officer discretion. Honolulu Police Department and the Policing Project supported the bill, arguing that clearer statewide standards and transparency are needed because pursuits can cause serious injuries or deaths and existing policies are inconsistent or not public. The Policing Project said the bill could be improved with amendments on serious crimes, but supported legislative action to set statewide standards while still involving the board. No final vote or action on HB 277 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• This expansion creates more opportunities for the Delta Conservancy to continue its habitat conservation
• Delta Conservancy will create a holistic approach to conservation of this crucial ecosystem and its expansive
• With me today to testify... ...ecosystem and its expansive watershed.
• AB 2216's expansion to the whole of the existing counties the Delta Conservancy already serves has broad
• suspecting they can't take a position, but is there any perspective from the Conservancy today on this expansion

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills related to parks, wildlife, water, and veterans. AB 1592 would authorize the Department of Parks and Recreation to partner with the California Indian Heritage Center support organization; supporters said it would help move the long-planned center forward with Native-led governance. AB 2216 would expand the Delta Conservancy’s service area and update its authority to better support watershed-scale conservation, climate resilience, workforce, tribal grants, and related projects. AB 1702 would expand state parks access for veterans, National Guard, reservists, and active duty service members by broadening eligibility for the Distinguished Veterans Pass and creating a discounted parks pass. AB 1673 would allow county fish and game commissions to use certain revenues to reimburse sheriffs for fish and wildlife enforcement and wildlife-conflict prevention, especially in rural counties with limited state enforcement presence. The committee also considered AB 1912, which would allow archery deer hunters to carry concealed firearms while hunting, aligning deer hunting rules with those already in place for other big game archery hunts. Supporters argued it would improve hunter safety in remote areas without harming wildlife enforcement, while opponents were not present. AB 1987 would dedicate revenues generated from state wildlife areas back to those areas for operations, maintenance, and habitat management; supporters said the areas are underfunded and need a stable funding source. All of these bills received due pass recommendations and were later approved by the committee, with AB 2216 passing 11-1 and the others passing 12-0. The most contested measure was AB 2630, which would give the State Water Resources Control Board emergency-style authority to make measurement and reporting changes for water diversions and use, with a five-year sunset. The author and supporters said the board needs flexibility to update the CalWATRS reporting system quickly as technology and conditions change. Water agencies, farm groups, and business groups opposed the bill, arguing it would bypass public input and could allow repeated emergency regulations affecting compliance and operations. After extended debate, the committee passed AB 2630 on an 8-4 vote. The committee also approved two consent items, AB 1804 and AB 2260, both unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• This expansion creates more opportunities for the Delta Conservancy to continue its habitat conservation
• Delta Conservancy will create a holistic approach to conservation of this crucial ecosystem and its expansive
• With me today to testify... ...ecosystem and its expansive watershed.
• AB 2216's expansion to the whole of the existing counties the Delta Conservancy already serves has broad
• suspecting they can't take a position, but is there any perspective on the Conservancy today on this expansion

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Transcript Highlights:

• Future expansion would bring additional high-quality jobs, continued private sector investment, and further
• unintentionally create uncertainty and discourage precisely the kind of long-term investment and expansion
• So House Bill 2301 creates an expansion of the extended producer responsibility program in law for what
• It delays the expansion of the program... ...it delays the expansion of the program until around 2030

Bills: HB2436 , HB2322 , HB2343 , HB1420 , HB2426 , HB2271 , HB2215 , HB2421 , HB2301 , HB2296

Committee: House Environment & Energy

Keywords: oil tanker, tank vessel, restricted waters, Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Rosario Strait, Admiralty Inlet, Discovery Island, New Dungeness, tug escort, pilotage, marine safety, spill prevention, oil transport, petroleum shipment, coast guard authorization, Board of Pilotage Commissioners, articulated tug barge, bunker vessel, refueling vessel

Transcript Highlights:

• Future expansion would bring additional high-quality jobs, continued private sector investment, and further
• unintentionally create uncertainty and discourage precisely the kind of long-term investment and expansion
• So House Bill 2301 creates an expansion of the extended producer responsibility program in law for what
• It delays the expansion of the program. It delays the expansion of the program until around 2030.

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2436, a technical fix to Washington’s oil tanker escort tug requirements in Puget Sound waters. The bill would require escort tugs to have either horsepower equal to 5% of the tanker’s deadweight tonnage or 3,000 horsepower, whichever is greater. Rep. Lekanoff and the Washington State Board of Pilotage Commissioners said the change aligns statute with existing rules and industry practice and supports protection of the Salish Sea and southern resident killer whales. No opposition was raised, and the hearing was closed without action at that point. The committee then heard House Bill 2322, which changes Clean Fuels Program rules and tax incentives for alternative jet fuel. Supporters, including Rep. Dent, Sky Energy, 12, and the City of Moses Lake, said the bill would provide certainty for large-scale sustainable aviation fuel investment by changing the trigger for tax incentives and clarifying that certain renewable electricity, including hydro, can count as zero carbon. Ecology opposed the bill’s treatment of electricity accounting, saying it would weaken incentives for new renewable generation and could reduce the clean fuels program’s emissions benefits. U.S. Oil asked for additional clarification or changes to allow Pierce County participation or define “blender.” No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. In executive session, the committee passed several bills. Substitute House Bill 2343, dealing with discharge permits for publicly owned animal facilities, passed 21-0. Proposed second substitute House Bill 1420, creating a textile and apparel coordinating organization for a needs assessment, passed 12-9. House Bill 2426, allowing Pollution Control Hearings Board appeals to be heard by a single member or alternative panel by agreement, passed 19-2. Substitute House Bill 2271, expanding post-consumer recycled content requirements for certain plastic products, passed 12-9. Substitute House Bill 2215, adjusting Climate Commitment Act fuel supplier thresholds, passed 12-9. Substitute House Bill 2421, restricting 6PPD and certain substitutes in tires, passed 11-9 with one excused after an amendment to exempt rural eastern Washington was rejected. Action on House Bill 2301 and House Bill 2296 was deferred to a later meeting due to time constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• annual groundwater withdrawal limit for irrigation use from non-exempt wells and irrigation non-expansion
• As you know, we have active management areas, and we have irrigation non-expansion areas.
• The question for non-expansion irrigation areas, the INAs, is that it doesn't allow expansion of the
• area, but it doesn't address the amount of water being pumped. ...expansion of the area, but it doesn't

Summary: The meeting covered a long list of House bills, mostly on third-read consent calendars, spanning appropriations, elections, education, public safety, water, taxation, and criminal law. Early discussion focused on HB 2148, which would give the legislature authority to appropriate non-custodial federal funds, described by the sponsor as a transparency measure. Other measures discussed included HB 2091 on insurance-related assessment limits, HB 2122 on reciprocity for BTR-related professions, HB 2138 clarifying firefighter workers’ compensation coverage, and HB 2008 barring public school libraries from using public money to pay library professional associations. HB 2110, removed from consent, would allow school governing body members to pray at meetings, with members noting Supreme Court precedent supporting such prayer. Several bills addressed school safety and parental rights. HB 2142 would create a School Safety Center at the Arizona Department of Education and allow up to 10% of school safety program funds for administration, with supporters citing an audit and lack of oversight. HB 2249 would expand the Parents’ Bill of Rights to require notice if a school employee facilitates social transitioning of a minor and to provide broader access to educational records, with penalties discussed for violations. HB 2074 would add mandatory reporting for anyone in a medical facility who knows a partial-birth abortion is occurring, and HB 2144 would allow child support calculations to begin during pregnancy based on a confirmed pregnancy test and related DNA testing provisions. The committee also took up election-related measures. HB 2022 would make permanent changes tied to the federal Electoral Count Act, including moving Arizona’s primary earlier to preserve military and overseas voting access, while keeping petition dates valid and preserving existing deadlines for candidates. HCM 2001 urged federal designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, and HCM 2002 supported a separate congressional effort involving CARE and related federal review and designation processes; members debated the distinction between direct designation and a request for federal investigation. HCR 2001 proposed a constitutional amendment to limit voting to U.S. citizens, require government ID to register, prohibit foreign contributions, and end early voting by the Friday before an election. Water, land use, and tax bills were also reviewed. Measures included HB 2024 on snowpack augmentation as a water supply development project, HB 2029 and HB 2030 tightening how Water Conservation Grant Fund money is used, HB 2053 appropriating $100,000 for updated stormwater recharge mapping, HB 2096 expanding revolving fund uses to address cesspools, HB 2097 capping groundwater withdrawal in irrigation non-expansion areas, and HB 2116 funding potential Colorado River litigation. On the tax side, HB 2016 would remove late-filing penalties when no tax is due, HB 2104 and HB 2105 would protect agricultural property owners from repeated reclassification and require notice of inspections, and HB 2289 would update truth-in-taxation examples to reflect higher home values. The committee also heard bills on criminal penalties and other matters, including HB 2043 on felony murder involving an unborn child, HB 2045 on discharging a weapon near a vehicle, HB 2131 and HB 2132 on weapons trafficking and fentanyl penalties, and HB 2062 authorizing a Buffalo Soldiers memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza.

Transcript Highlights:

• 15, an act proposing to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to Medicaid expansion
• 15, an act proposing to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to Medicaid expansion
• relating of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to<00:29:07.679><c> Medicaid</c><00:29:08.080><c> expansion
• </c><00:29:08.880><c> Representative</c> to Medicaid expansion.
• Representative to Medicaid expansion. Representative Burke. Burke. Burke.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the jurisdictions, has looked at the possibility of reimagining and rebuilding public safety expansion
• In addition, the agencies that also need to change, for example, YSC's expansion, that's been a big topic
• the The Reentry Center: what we are envisioning is that we're looking at $13.4 million for that expansion
• You all talked about the cost of an expansion, and I was wondering if you had a timeline in mind as well
• So the question that I have is, in your expansion, it says space to house for sleeping.

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a community-based expansion initiative. building on and expanding and sustaining community-based
• This proposed expansion is not just an investment in capacity, but... but a necessary response to the
• It's very rural and it's expansive.
• Which would be part of you and that's a huge expansion, a huge expansion to the, I think it would be

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:21:11.679><c> included</c><00:21:12.000><c> in</c><00:21:12.240><c> an</c><00:21:12.400><c> expansion
• </c> potentially be included in an expansion potentially be included in an expansion that<00:21:13.039
• </c><00:48:11.119><c> to</c><00:48:11.359><c> accommodate</c> facility expansions to accommodate facility
• expansions to accommodate additional<00:48:12.480><c> food</c><00:48:12.720><c> service</c><00:48:13.119
• Thank you. uh, for expansion and and buying more uh, for expansion and and buying more kitchen<00:51:

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• conveyance would help the City of Jefferson while protecting state assets, especially given campus expansion
• It's those adjacent areas that you need for the expansion and the completion of construction.”
• It's those adjacent areas that you need for the expansion and the completion of construction.

Committee: House Corrections and Public Institutions

Transcript Highlights:

• With the recent expansion of the program to cover bipolar disorders with psychotic features, in addition
• With the recent expansion of the program to cover bipolar disorders with psychotic features, in addition
• We've approved scoring adjustments for the February bar and an expansion of the provisional licensing

Transcript Highlights:

• presenting Senate Bill 1252, otherwise known as the Rogue Act, Restraint of Government Uncontrolled Expansion
• Government Uncontrolled Expansion — kind of an ominous acronym, but the letters fit, so I used it.
• Also, I believe inflation is caused by expansion of the money supply.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• federal money state money emphasis on federal money state money emphasis on broadband<00:02:18.959><c> expansion
• I</c><00:02:19.680><c> mean</c><00:02:19.840><c> there's</c><00:02:20.080><c> been</c> broadband expansion
• I mean there's been broadband expansion I mean there's been such<00:02:20.800><c> a</c><00:02:21.200

Bills: SB95 , HB322 , SB95 , HB322

Committee: House Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure

Keywords: underground facilities, excavation safety, One-Call Notification System, utility protection, public safety, underground damage prevention, notification system, construction safety, pipeline protection, utility management, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, director compensation, municipality, electricity supply, board of directors, postpartum depression, postnatal care, maternal mental health, perinatal depression, postpartum screening

Transcript Highlights:

• I brought this amendment forward to try to rein in a little bit the unrelenting expansion of per se Consumer
• I brought this amendment forward to try to rein in a little bit the unrelenting expansion of per se Consumer
• I brought this amendment forward to try to rein in a little bit the unrelenting expansion of per se Consumer

Summary: The Housing Committee reviewed three bills: House Bill 1542, which would establish minimum rights for senior independent housing residents and allow enforcement under the Consumer Protection Act; House Bill 2452, which concerns service of rent increase notices; and House Bill 2664, which removes the certified mail requirement for unlawful detainer and related notices. Staff explained amendments to HB 1542 that would narrow the definition of senior independent housing, replace Consumer Protection Act enforcement with Attorney General enforcement and civil penalties, and remove a Commerce Department reporting requirement. For HB 2452, an amendment would remove the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act portion and leave only Manufactured Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act notice rules. For HB 2664, there were no amendments. On HB 1542, the committee rejected the amendment narrowing the housing definition and rejected the amendment replacing Consumer Protection Act enforcement with civil penalties. It adopted the amendment removing the Commerce report requirement. Members supporting the bill said seniors need stronger protections, while opponents argued the bill was too broad and could create unintended consequences, especially for age-restricted and manufactured housing communities. The committee then approved a second substitute version of HB 1542 with a due pass recommendation by a 10-7 vote. HB 2664 was supported as a fix to prior certified-mail requirements that had caused many notices to be returned undeliverable; the bill was reported out with a due pass recommendation by voice vote. HB 2452 was amended to remove the RLTA portion and keep only the manufactured housing notice provisions, with members saying this would restore clarity and align with the earlier passage of HB 2664. The committee then approved Substitute House Bill 2452 with a due pass recommendation by a 17-0 vote, and adjourned.