Transcript Highlights:

• THE AMBULANCE STRIKE TEAM IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE CAN UTILIZE THE MUTUAL AID SPACE FOR BECAUSE THEY
• AGAIN, MEN AND WOMEN LIKE ME KNOW HOW TO UTILIZE SYSTEMS.
• WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BEGIN REPLACING THAT HEAVY EQUIPMENT.
• WE REPLACED OVER THESE LAST THREE YEARS 120 PIECES OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND OUR FLEET HAS AGED BUT THE
• INVESTMENTS YOU'VE MADE HAVE ENABLED US TO START REPLACING IT AT A RATE OF 2% OF OUR TOTAL FLEET EVERY

Transcript Highlights:

• to keep moving forward in replacing to keep moving forward in replacing those<01:00:42.799> older
• <01:39:03.199> the Uh until DOE can actually utilize the Uh until DOE can actually utilize
• and replacing it with 52-4G. and replacing it with 52-4G.
• > quote<03:08:46.720> Native First uh point replace quote Native First uh point replace quote
• students<03:08:59.600> studying Uh replace that with students studying Uh replace that with

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1790 HD1, which would require law enforcement and oversight agencies to collect and report data on stops, use of force, and complaints to the Hawaii Crime Lab, which would publish incident-level information and annual reports. Supporters, including the Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Rising, and the Policing Project, said the bill would improve transparency, help identify disparities, and support better policy and accountability. OHA requested amendments to ensure Hawaiians are identified as a distinct category in the data, and the University of Hawaii’s Ashley Rubin said the Crime Lab would work with agencies to make implementation as seamless as possible. The Department of Law Enforcement supported the bill’s intent but asked for a longer timeline and culturally appropriate methodology, while HPD opposed the bill as written, saying it would require too many new data points, create a significant administrative burden, and rely on subjective perceptions of race and ethnicity; HPD also noted it is piloting an e-citation system that could help with data collection. Committee members questioned HPD about current manual processes and technology options. The chair reported 18 testimonies total: 15 in support, one in opposition, and two with comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then heard HB 1611 HD1, which would phase down the general excise tax on groceries and nonprescription drugs until a full exemption takes effect in 2034. The Department of Taxation offered technical recommendations, including clearer definitions for groceries and nonprescription drugs and a technical change regarding the county surcharge exemption. Supporters, including the Hawaii Public Health Institute and the Hawaii Food Industry Association, argued the GET on groceries is regressive and worsens food insecurity, especially for low-income households, and said the bill would provide needed relief. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical concerns, including a possible wholesale-tax enforcement issue once the exemption is fully phased in. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1611, with no final committee action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the next year and a half, it would replace Minnesota's delivery and payment system for these two
• <00:33:37.279> this<00:33:37.519> leverage How will the state replace this leverage
• How will the state replace this leverage to<00:33:38.000> prevent<00:33:38.320> providers<
• They still have to make the decisions on utilization and, yeah, it's about who uses what at what cost
• , how do we have better utilization, how do we have better utilization, right?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It cannot replace one of the limitations. It cannot replace existing funding.
• This money is all designed to be additional, so none of this was designed to replace the cuts.
• They were very specific on this that this was not to replace those.
• It's again, it's not going to replace the money. It's not designed to replace the cuts.
• It's gonna need to be capitally replaced. We'll work on a project for doing that.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 50:13.040> a<02:50:13.359> difficult the utilities are having a difficult the utilities
• <02:51:55.200> focus this requirement ensures utilities focus this requirement ensures utilities
• Two, we have worked with big utility Two, we have worked with big utility companies<02:57:30.240
• So with that, I electric uh utilities.
• retail and wholesale uh utilities retail and wholesale uh utilities definitions<03:11:52.960>

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and all of the HVAC equipment replaced.
• So we will be utilizing funds from that to make those needed repairs and replacement, if needed, for
• Uh so we will be utilizing authorized.
• um working uh hopefully to um utilize um working uh hopefully to um utilize some<00:20:40.559>
• So whatever I do replaces whatever they did. Um, so there won't be duplicate.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:00:01 Recognition of New Members: 00:01:17 Disaster Response: 00:01:41 Pretrial Discussion: 00:31:25, 958, all

Summary: The committee first established a quorum, approved the minutes from the November 7, 2024 meeting, and then heard an update on disaster response and courthouse recovery efforts after the April flooding. Representatives from the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Franklin County Circuit and District Court Clerk’s office, and the Franklin Circuit Court described damage in Perry, Hardin, and especially Franklin counties. Perry County had limited roof and water infiltration issues with no operational impact. Hardin County’s justice center basement took about 18 inches of water, affecting court records and mechanical/electrical equipment, and court operations were briefly suspended. Franklin County’s courthouse was far more severely damaged, with about four feet of water on the first floor, forcing relocation of court operations to temporary sites, including AOC space and the regional jail for custody proceedings. Witnesses said damaged files from Hardin and Franklin counties were removed, sent to an out-of-state vendor for drying and remediation, and would be returned or destroyed as appropriate. They estimated combined costs for file restoration, building repair, and remediation at about $11 million, with insurance through KCOJ/KO expected to cover only part of the losses and FEMA reimbursement still pending a federal disaster declaration. They also said the Franklin County courthouse’s first floor remains gutted, electrical panels and HVAC systems need major replacement, and the second and third floors may be used temporarily once power and data are restored. Members asked about roof damage in Hardin County, the status of FEMA applications, digitization of court records, and whether Senate Bill 25 restricted funds could be used to cover the funding gap; staff said the funds cannot be spent without General Assembly authorization. The committee also discussed broader record-retention and e-filing issues, with members noting the limits of paper filing and the need for better digitization as a backup in emergencies. AOC staff said they are working with the Supreme Court and state law librarian on what records can be digitized and how long hard copies must still be retained. After the disaster-response presentation, the committee moved on to a separate informational presentation on pre-trial services, with introductions from the executive officer of pre-trial services, the president of the Kentucky District Judges Association, a circuit judge, and the manager of pre-trial services, who began explaining how the pre-trial system works for newer committee members.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the public website that we have has real-time license verifications that are utilized by the state
• So, there's numerous abilities in Regard to what we utilize polygraph examiners, that's just a few.
• We have a lot of infrastructure across the state, with the state utility, as you can imagine.
• So does that mean like 10% of them each year over 10 years need to be replaced, or is there like one
• point where suddenly you've got to replace 50% of them or something?

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we therefore are respectfully asking that this bill be amended to replace the $1 placeholder amount
• So we therefore are respectfully asking that this bill be amended to replace the $1 placeholder amount
• And then once we have this data, it's utilized throughout divisions and organizations around the state
• I am one of those people that probably utilizes things like DoorDash and those kinds of food delivery
• Senator Wynn, am I correct in understanding that the money that is utilized now currently that we had

Bills: AB102, AB108, AB117, AB213, AB220, AB221, AB251, AB259, AB331, AB336, AB375, AB379, AB409, AB475, AB476, AB550, AB575, AB594, SB466

Keywords: emergency medical services, ambulance, licensing, health district, paramedic, training requirements, outdoor education, recreation, grant program, environment, funding, special license plates, vehicle registration, custom plates, state revenue, transportation, public works, prevailing wage, custom fabrication, nonstandard materials

Transcript Highlights:

• It also requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish service quality standards and rules for
• Second, we suggest in section 5 of the bill replacing the reference to section 132D-5 with section 132D
• The other thing that's novel is that it replaces non-binding arbitration, which can be a very elaborate
• The other thing that's novel is that it replaces non-binding arbitration, which can be a very elaborate
• The other thing that's novel is that it replaces non-binding arbitration, which can be a very elaborate

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee opened by outlining testimony procedures and then heard SB 376 on tax credits, which would create a home fire safety improvement tax credit. Testimony from the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi urged that the concept would be better handled as a subsidy program and raised drafting concerns about unclear definitions and eligibility. Later, the committees agreed to pass SB 376 with amendments, including making the credit nonrefundable, clarifying third-party certification, deleting recapture-related language, and making technical changes. Members then heard SB 417, which would make unlicensed contractor work during or within five years after an emergency or disaster a class B felony. The Contractors License Board was listed for comments, and the Subcontractors Association supported the measure. The committees ultimately recommended passage with technical, non-substantive amendments and an adjusted effective date, and the measure was adopted. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on SB 782, which would require free and accessible voice communication services for incarcerated people and prohibit state agencies from profiting from those services, while also directing the PUC to set standards and providing funding for the SAVIN victim notification program. Supporters, including the Public Defender, ACLU of Hawaiʻi, Worth Rises, and others, argued the bill would reduce costs for families, improve reentry, and align adult corrections with the juvenile system. Opponents, including the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Hawaiʻi Paroling Authority, and SAVIN-related witnesses, warned that changing the funding structure could weaken victim notification and safety services. The committees deferred SB 782. The committee also heard SB 999 on fireworks, which would repeal permissible consumer fireworks uses, impose civil penalties and forfeiture remedies, and create a forfeiture special fund for safety education. The Department of Law Enforcement and Honolulu Police Department supported the bill, while fireworks industry representatives and others opposed it, arguing prohibition would be ineffective and urging stronger enforcement and education instead. The committees deferred SB 999 for further consideration, and SB 1136 on insurance was also deferred after insurers and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs opposed it. In the later joint session with the Committee on Economic Development and Tourism, SB 744 on condominium loans was heard with support from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority and banking groups, while one testifier raised concerns that the program could function like C-PACE financing and add risky debt to condominium associations; testimony and discussion continued on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• . utility. utility.
• Utilities Sierra Club Governor's Office. Utilities Sierra Club Governor's Office.
• <02:53:35.120> are you may know, municipal utilities are you may know, municipal utilities
• utilities are quite different from<02:59:24.720> investorowned<02:59:25.600> utilities.
• ensure that Colorado Springs Utilities ensure that Colorado Springs Utilities meets<03:04:20.560

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They utilize the funds for those.
• Um replace lines 126 statement data.
• Replace line 136 on assistance received.
• Replace lines 158 through 161 on key.
• >> Can the choose act dollars be utilized >> Can the choose act dollars be utilized

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an administrative law judge with the Public Utilities Commission, and I'm asking for your support
• I'm an attorney three with the California Public Utilities Commission with the CASE union.
• And some of it is, you know, direct AI replacement.
• It's actually more work than, you know, than just simply replacing someone for that work.
• It's actually more work than, you know, than just simply replacing someone for that work.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so they have taken great pains to prevent someone from utilizing their data to thank you.
• [They have taken] great pains to prevent someone from utilizing their data to identify personal things
• I could get going, four or five years, get trained, and get going and get replaced by a robot.
• has been utilized by countries, cities, counties, any bodies of government.
• We could replace different targeted populations.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This change would not in any way replace or diminish the role of law enforcement.
• Just a few months ago, three employees working for Premier Fence on a guardrail replacement in Springfield
• This critical addition will ensure that utility vehicles receive the same protections now as emergency
• These bills expand the current law to include utility and disabled vehicles.
• These bills expand the current law to include utility and disabled vehicles.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on a broad package of traffic and roadway safety bills, with repeated emphasis on work zone safety, the Move Over law, automated enforcement, and protections for pedestrians, cyclists, and roadside workers. MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver strongly supported a bill allowing MassDOT vehicles to use blue flashing lights in limited work-zone settings, arguing that blue lights reliably slow drivers and could help address a rise in work-zone crashes and fatalities. District Attorney Marion Ryan, State Police representatives, and police association leaders supported a separate Move Over bill that would raise penalties for repeat violations and add an education component, citing officers and workers killed or injured roadside and saying the goal is deterrence and safer driver behavior rather than revenue. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to automated enforcement bills for speed and red-light violations, including proposals for school zones, work zones, and broader local options. Senator Brownsberger and Senator Jalen argued that automated enforcement is needed because speeding and red-light running remain common while police traffic enforcement has declined, and they described the bills as civil, opt-in tools that issue tickets to vehicles rather than drivers. Supporters from WalkMass, T4MA, Safe Roads Alliance, MassBike, Medford officials, and other advocates cited fatal pedestrian crashes, neighborhood speeding, and the need to protect vulnerable road users, while also pointing to privacy and equity safeguards in the bills such as limits on photographs, data retention rules, public reporting, and local approval processes. Several local and advocacy witnesses backed targeted camera programs. Senator Lovely and Representative Cruz supported a Salem school-zone camera bill, describing repeated violations around schools and buses. Medford officials and school-safety advocates supported a similar statewide camera bill, citing recent pedestrian deaths and dangerous cut-through traffic. AAA Northeast and the Massachusetts Aggregate and Asphalt Pavement Association also supported targeted enforcement in work zones and school zones, while urging public education and warning periods. Some witnesses raised concerns about the color of lights for highway workers, with State Police representatives preferring green over blue to avoid confusion with law enforcement, and committee members asked about constitutional issues, surchargeability, and possible targeting concerns. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• replaced them with conspiracy theorists replaced them with conspiracy theorists and<00:08:31.800>
• Uh, in addition to property taxes, it's utilities, groceries, insurance; everything is moving in the
• ,<00:14:40.160> groceries,<00:14:40.720> insurance, utilities, groceries, insurance, utilities
• And there's always been the cost of development of, for example, installing a street, extending utilities
• That's that's always been a utilities.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a pivotal moment for the potential introduction of safe, efficacious treatment of mental illness utilizing
• This bill endorses the creation of a small, controlled pilot program utilizing a medical model that fits
• within the current DPH regulatory framework. ...controlled pilot program utilizing a medical model that
• But nonetheless, we do find still, and having just had—actually, I had both my hips replaced, and both
• and to replace the damage that it causes.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from House Chair Mindy Domb and Senate Vice Chair Robyn Kennedy, who outlined procedures for the hybrid public hearing, noted the committee would hear testimony on 15 bills related to treatment settings, and recognized members present. The first major bill discussed was H. 4200, authorizing a pilot program for psychedelic-assisted treatment in licensed facilities. Representative Jim O’Day and witnesses from Control Z supported the bill, describing it as a tightly controlled, medically supervised pilot with DPH oversight, limited sites, and screening requirements. Committee members asked about the number of sites and whether Column Health still existed; witnesses said the bill contemplated three separate pilot programs and that Column Health no longer existed after being purchased by another company. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1405 to make the drug stewardship program permanent by removing its 2026 sunset date. Senator John Keenan and others said the program helps collect and safely dispose of unused medications, reduces diversion, and should remain in place because manufacturers should bear disposal costs. A member from Boston added support based on local concerns about people searching through bags for drugs, and Keenan explained the original sunset reflected pilot status and industry pushback. A large portion of the hearing focused on S. 1394 and H. 2193, which would strengthen implementation of the 2023 Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform. The Children’s Mental Health Campaign, Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and Elliott Community Human Services testified that the roadmap’s helpline, community behavioral health centers, and crisis services are important but unevenly implemented. They urged a single point of accountability within EOHHS, regular strategic planning, a public data dashboard, and financial analysis of the behavioral health system and the access and crisis intervention trust fund. Witnesses said commercial insurance often does not fully reimburse community behavioral health center services, making sustainability difficult, and asked for better coordination across agencies and crisis response systems. Committee members asked whether the roadmap includes substance use disorder; witnesses said it is intended to cover behavioral health broadly, including mental health and substance use. The committee also heard testimony on bills to ban aversives and on suicide prevention signage. Lisa Jean Graff testified in support of S. 1394 by urging a statewide ban on aversive practices, including electric shock, withholding food or bathroom access, and other painful interventions, arguing disabled people deserve the same protections from harm as others. Fonda Bryant and Carol McLean supported a bill requiring suicide prevention signs on tall parking garages, describing personal experiences and saying the signs could create a brief pause and connect people to 988 or other help. McLean said her son died by suicide from a parking garage and that signage might have made a difference. The committee also heard strong testimony in support of creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within DMH facilities (S. 1398/H. 2204), with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a DMH nurse arguing that highly assaultive patients need specialized, more secure units to protect staff and other patients and to improve care. Additional testimony supported creating a dedicated board for licensed mental health counselors (H. 4696/S. 1382), with Rep. John Badger, the Mass Mental Health Counselors Association, and others saying LMHCs are a large and growing workforce that needs its own licensing board, clearer standards, and faster implementation of existing licensure reforms. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 2223 regarding benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics. Survivors and advocates described severe withdrawal, lack of informed consent, cognitive harms, and long-term disability, while a physician supported the bill as a way to improve disclosure of risks. Finally, the committee heard multiple witnesses in favor of H. 2231/S. 1383 to establish peer-run respite centers statewide. Advocates and people with lived experience said peer respites provide non-coercive, home-like alternatives to hospitalization, can reduce trauma and repeated admissions, and may be especially important for marginalized communities; they also cited cost savings and existing positive outcomes from current respite programs. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing portion reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're replacing two roofs. A couple years ago, we replaced the roof on the student union.
• Because there's no way that we can replace what we do in those programs in Fargo.
• We used to have another model that was utilized in place of dual credit: Advanced Placement.
• I know the teachers that utilize that, schools that utilize that, there's special training and you have
• What happened is that we're not utilizing all of those funds because of a little federal program that

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Only online, this has become a critical essential utility.
• SB 132 fixes that by expanding DUIT's equipment replacement plan to include software replacement and
• It also renames the Equipment Replacement Fund to Equipment and Software Replacement Revolving Fund because
• Replacement Revolving Fund because software is just as critical as hardware.
• We put this fund in there to make sure that we had funds to replace equipment.

Bills: HB2, SB152

Keywords: general appropriation, budget, Medicaid, education funding, public safety, telecommunications, low-income assistance, lifeline, broadband, rural broadband, universal service fund, public regulation commission, PRC, 911 surcharge, telecommunications relay service, VoIP, mobile service, internet affordability, digital equity, digital inclusion

Transcript Highlights:

• As a water utility, Solz is both an excavator and an owner of underground utilities.
• Water utilities are a bit different from other operators of underground utilities.
• Each notification costs utility of roughly around $1 150 cents a request. Utility bears that cost.
• Again, utilities Code Chapter 251.
• The utility districts.

Bills: HB206

Keywords: HB206, school district bonds, bond election, voter approval, Education Code, Chapter 45, Section 45.003, Section 45.0034, Texas schools, school finance, local tax election, bond referendum, school construction, capital improvements, election frequency, five-year waiting period, district bonds, public school funding

Transcript Highlights:

• Utilities Commission with comments.
• It doesn't replace or these challenges. It doesn't replace or reduce<00:35:17.440> regulation.
• carrier as a utility in that framework? carrier as a utility in that framework?
• . utility. utility.
• , going to do this for like as a utility, going to do this for like as a utility, right?

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard SB 2694 SD2, which would authorize the Public Utilities Commission to create automatic adjustment mechanisms for water carriers, including a water carrier inflationary cost index, and to waive certain requirements under the Hawaii Water Carrier Act. Testimony was sharply divided. The Department of Transportation, Young Brothers, and several shipping, harbor, labor, and business-related supporters argued the bill would modernize regulation, reduce the need for large catch-up rate cases, and help keep rates aligned with rising costs. Young Brothers said its current rate-setting process is expensive and delayed, and that annual adjustments with guardrails such as a 5% cap and periodic full reviews would support sustainable operations and the state’s supply chain. Some supporters also said the company’s less-than-container-load service and required inter-island routes create costs that are not fully covered by current rates. Opponents, including the Consumer Advocate, the Maui Chamber of Commerce, Hawaii Food Industry Association, restaurant and chamber groups, and other businesses, argued the bill would lead to higher costs for consumers and businesses and should not move forward. Several testified that shipping costs already significantly affect pricing and that automatic increases would worsen the cost of living. The Consumer Advocate said Young Brothers should focus on cost control and implementing its business plan rather than automatic rate increases. The Maui Chamber and others pointed to a recent PUC decision that imposed a two-year stay on rate increases and said the bill would undermine that protection. Some opponents urged the committee to defer to the PUC’s regulatory authority. The PUC explained that it regulates water carriers as public utilities under existing statute and said it had recently approved a temporary rate increase while imposing a two-year stayout period on further increases, with emergency relief still possible. PUC members said they were still examining whether they have authority to adopt the proposed WICI mechanism by rule and wanted legislative clarity. In response to questions, the PUC said it prefers the current two-year stayout as reflected in its order. Young Brothers also clarified that it serves less-than-container-load cargo, that some routes and services are cross-subsidized because they are not profitable, and that an independent observer is being put in place to monitor implementation of its updated business plan. The transcript ended with the committee still taking questions; no final vote or disposition on the bill was shown.