Video & Transcript Research : 'burial sites'

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HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

WAL Public Hearing - Thu Feb 5, 2026 @ 9:00 AM HST

Water & Land

Transcript Highlights:
  • Under the Hawaiian Kingdom laws, burial burials were afforded as a high level of protection.
  • Burial sites were understood to be sacred and inviolable, and any unlawful disturbance was treated as
  • <01:08:30.960> Burial<01:08:31.440> sites from their place of origin.
  • Burial sites from their place of origin.
  • Burial sites were<01:08:32.000> understood<01:08:32.480> to<01:08:32.640> be<01:
Summary: The committee first heard HB 1527 relating to gambling. The chair outlined hearing rules, including a two-minute limit and a warning that bills not heard would die. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from a prosecutor, Honolulu Police Department, and Stop Predatory Gambling, all arguing that casinos and sports betting increase crime, sex trafficking, harassment of athletes, and broader social harm. No opposition testimony was presented, and the committee moved on without questions or action taken on the bill. The committee then heard HB 1823 relating to coastal zone management and HB 2490 relating to coastal resilience. For HB 1823, DLNR, the Office of Planning, and Maui County testified, with Maui County supporting the measure and its proposed amendments. For HB 2490, DLNR expressed concern about exempting a proposed Mokuji Bay pilot project from permits and regulation before a long-term plan is finalized, while the County of Maui, the Mokuji Soto Zen Mission, and the Office of Planning supported the bill as a coastal resilience pilot. The mission described severe erosion, sea-level rise impacts, and years of unsuccessful efforts to stabilize the shoreline; its consultant said the study is leaning toward nature-based and hybrid solutions. In questioning, members and DLNR discussed whether the bill should say the project “shall” or “may” be exempt, and the chair indicated the language would be adjusted to preserve DLNR discretion and to change the lead agency reference to OPSD. No vote was taken in the transcript. Finally, the committee took up HB 2223 relating to historic preservation reviews. SHPD said it stood on its written comments, while OPSD and DHHL supported the bill. DHHL argued the measure would streamline reviews, improve transparency, and help address long wait times for its projects, saying it could alleviate burden on SHPD and better serve beneficiaries. Representative Shimizu questioned whether the bill would create redundancy and expand government rather than strengthen SHPD, noting a separate staffing bill already exists. SHPD responded that DHHL is uniquely subject to 6E review and that the bill would not waive federal or state historic review requirements; the discussion also touched on possible federal-style grant support and the existing memorandum of agreement between SHPD and DHHL. The transcript ends during questioning, with no final committee action shown.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Veteran and Military Affairs Apr 9th, 2026

Veteran and Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • of that is because a lot of times a grandchild is helping navigate, for example, the grandmother's burial
Bills: SB1533, SB2026
Summary: The committee heard two veterans-related bills. Senate Bill 2026 would allow county clerks to retain military discharge papers and expand who may access them after a veteran’s death from the current family members to include grandchildren. The bill sponsor said the change is voluntary and intended to help grandchildren handle burial and benefits matters. After a brief question about who could access the records, the committee voted 8-0 to report the bill due pass. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1533, which would require the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs to provide burial services for an Oklahoma veteran who dies out of state, so long as the veteran remains an Oklahoma resident. The sponsor explained that current law does not obligate the state in those circumstances. With no questions or debate, the committee voted 8-0 to pass the bill. At the end of the meeting, the chair noted that these were the last bills expected for the committee at that time, unless additional measures were brought forward later.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Veteran and Military Affairs Apr 9th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Veteran and Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • because a lot of times a grandchild is helping navigate, for let's say, you know, the grandmother, the burial
Bills: SB1533, SB2026
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/02/2026 - House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Veterans and Military Affairs REVISED Feb 12th, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Veterans and Military Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • This bill also creates the National Guard Veteran Burial Revolving Fund to be housed by the Military
  • Members, SB1533 is cleanup language to define eligibility requirements for the Dignity and Burial Act
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Feb 10th, 2026 at 10:06 am

Senate Indian, Rural & Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • I believe it's around $20 million, but we need to continue to put money into that fund for those sites
  • Cleaning up four sites goes a very long way, even though people say it doesn't hardly matter.
  • It does, because before last year none of these sites had been cleaned up.
  • , as well as other sites that have been unremediated throughout New Mexico.
  • Navajo families still today live near these killing sites filled with radioactive waste. Why?
Bills: SB201, SB226, SB242, SB249
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • So they transitioned to a K-8, basically having an on-site K-8, which actually only goes to sixth grade
  • We are proud of our public school system in Norman, and we are definitely proud of those school sites
Summary: The House convened, completed the roll call, received an invocation focused on grief and remembrance, and heard several special presentations recognizing a brave child, visiting groups, and multiple student-athlete teams and school groups in the galleries. The chamber also introduced the Doctor of the Day and Nurse of the Day. The main business was consideration of the Joint Committee report on Senate Bill 1177, the general appropriations bill, presented by Chairman Caldwell-Trey. Most of the floor time was spent on extended questions about the budget’s major features. Caldwell-Trey explained the bill as a largely flat or modestly increased budget that includes a $200 million transfer to a new sovereign wealth fund, $225 million in set-asides, a $12.5 million “dream accounts” program for newborns, and funding tied to teacher pay, education, workforce, public safety, agriculture, and health agencies. Members questioned the use of one-time funds for recurring expenses, the reduction in state contributions to the OPRS pension system, Medicaid assumptions, emergency management funding, veterans’ services, child care, school counselors, and the lack of funding for some requested items such as National Board Certified Teacher stipends and veterans’ facility maintenance. Caldwell-Trey defended the budget as transparent, early, and designed to preserve cash reserves while supporting core services. No final vote on the appropriations report is reflected in the transcript excerpt. The House also heard explanations that the limits bills would be run later in committee, and that the budget negotiations were still ongoing with the Senate and governor on some related items. The session ended with the queue closed after the budget questioning, and the transcript cuts off during additional remarks from Representative Timmons.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

HWN-WLA, HWN DEFER Public Hearings 02-10-2026

Hawaiian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Burial sites are not always visible on the surface.
  • Burial sites are beginning of a project.
  • Burial sites are not<00:02:36.000> always<00:02:36.480> visible<00:02:36.879> on
  • The state carries a fiduciary duty to protect Native Hawaiian burial sites with the highest standard
  • <00:46:29.359> sites parameters of the state burial sites parameters of the state burial sites
Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures affecting Hawaiian affairs, historic preservation, water access, and land governance. SB 1406 would let the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands assume historic preservation review for projects on lands under its jurisdiction, except for properties listed or nominated for the state or national historic registers. DHHL supported the bill, while a descendant testifier strongly opposed it, arguing that burial and preservation review protects ancestors and should not be streamlined or reduced. No questions were raised and the bill was moved on after testimony. SB 521 would require DHHL to work with county water boards or water departments to provide potable and agricultural water on Hawaiian homelands, with agreements made public. DHHL said it already works with counties but objected to the bill’s mandatory language, saying it could undermine the department’s discretion and independence. A public testifier supported the measure, and committee discussion focused on how water requirements could affect subsistence lots and infrastructure decisions. The committee then took up SB 3247, which would create a Royal Mausoleum Commission within DLNR to oversee preservation, operations, and outreach at Mauna Ala. State Parks said it valued existing collaboration with the aliʻi trusts but wanted clarity on roles, coordination, and funding if a new commission is created. The Royal Order of Kamehameha strongly supported the bill as a culturally grounded way to protect the site, while several other testifiers opposed it, saying the real issue is the curator selection process and warning that a commission could add bureaucracy and delay. The committee also heard SB 1654, authorizing transfer of certain state lands to DHHL, and SB 112, which would add the DHHL chair or designee to the Hawaii Community Development Authority; the Attorney General and HCDA offered technical and policy comments, with HCDA opposing the board change and DHHL supporting participation to protect beneficiary interests. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Mar 26th, 2025

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:
  • Site, odor, all kinds of things would be considered a nuisance. Hold on.
  • Site, odor, all kinds of things would be considered a nuisance. Hold on.
  • I just don't think that we're going to see that many, that crowd, you know, going to those burial sites
  • I know my brother-in-law bought a property and didn't know that there was a family burial site.
  • Cemetery or a private burial ground? Yes.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Conservation Jan 29th, 2026 at 09:13 am

Senate Conservation

Transcript Highlights:
  • We have a thousand sites in New Mexico that are considered abandoned uranium mine sites left over from
  • another for non-uranium types of sites.
  • These sites pose ongoing risk to public. contaminated sites across New Mexico.
  • When we say 1,000 sites, some of those sites can be within the same mine, but they're different areas
  • These things also create Superfund sites.
Bills: SB66, SB79, SB108
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

WLA Public Hearing 02-04-2026

Water, Land, Culture and the Arts

Transcript Highlights:
  • I have several cases, including some where SHPD review happened prior to when they actually had burial
  • sites, and this was like some of these are from pre-90s.
  • sites, and this was like some of these are from pre-90s.
  • We'll figure that out after the fact. properties specifically burial sites and properties specifically
  • burial sites and this<00:13:20.000> was<00:13:20.160> like<00:13:20.320> some<00
Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2603, which would designate the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra as the state orchestra of Hawaii. Testimony was uniformly supportive from the Attorney General’s office, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Symphony, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association, and others. Supporters emphasized the bill’s value to arts education, cultural vitality, and the visitor economy. The chair noted there were also many written testimonies submitted, and the bill was left without questions or action in the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2083, which would create a state-owned historic properties preservation plan working group within DNR. The State Historic Preservation Division supported the bill and said it would help create a statewide database and better planning for state-owned historic properties, while noting its current review work is reactive and project-by-project. The committee asked about duplication and existing consultation processes; SHPD said it already reviews state projects under existing law and has in-house architectural staff. The measure was then set aside after brief discussion, with no vote shown in the excerpt. Next was Senate Bill 2341, which would authorize phased review of certain private-property projects and change SHPD’s review deadlines. SHPD and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development supported the bill, saying it could encourage more proactive, programmatic review and that the current average review time for simple projects is about 56 days. Several opponents, including Sierra Club of Hawaii, Bianca Isaki, Malama Kane Lua, and Tara Roas, argued phased review would delay projects, create conflict, and weaken historic preservation protections, especially for iwi kūpuna and burial sites. Committee members raised concerns about whether the bill conflicted with prior court decisions and asked SHPD for its view; SHPD said it was not a legal question for them and suggested a programmatic alternative. The bill was not voted on in the excerpt. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 2306 on administrative fees for the Bureau of Conveyances. HGEA opposed the measure, focusing on a provision allowing the special fund to be used for qualified contractors, while the Bureau of Conveyances supported the bill as a fee correction that would equalize recording fees between systems. The bureau said specialized technical work sometimes requires outside contracting and that it could consider a contract period; the chair and members discussed the HGEA concern and asked whether the issue could be addressed. No final action was shown in the excerpt.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Veteran Affairs Apr 15th, 2025

Veteran Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • The committee may select up to seven sites, and selection criteria are based on factors such as land
  • The committees may select up to seven sites and selection criteria based on factors such as land donations
Summary: The Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs heard several bills focused on veterans’ mental health, criminal justice coordination, cemetery expansion, housing, vehicle registration, and anti-discrimination protections. SB 2926 would transfer administration of veterans’ mental health initiatives from HHSC to the Texas Veterans Commission, create a community-based mental health grant program, require a statewide veteran suicide prevention action plan, and add annual reporting requirements. SB 2938 would require county jails to verify and report veteran status at intake, help veteran inmates apply for federal benefits, and provide access to county veteran services and free visitation with service coordinators. Both bills were described as joint or practical efforts to improve coordination and service delivery for veterans, and both were left pending after no public testimony was offered. The committee also heard SB 2543, which would give more flexibility to expand the Texas veterans cemetery system, and SB 2545, which would explore using manufactured homes as another affordable housing option for veterans through the Veterans Land Board. SB 2545 drew questions about how manufactured-home loans would work; a Texas Veterans Land Board witness said implementation would likely require closing at a title company rather than through a retail bill of sale, and the Texas Manufactured Housing Association testified in support. Both cemetery and housing bills were left pending. Members then heard SB 2007, which would let vehicle registration applicants voluntarily designate military status so the DMV could record it and help with benefits and towing/impound issues involving deployed service members. Witnesses from the towing industry and DMV supported the bill, saying the current system lacks enough identifying information to run military-status checks and that the indicator could help prevent vehicles from being sold while owners are deployed. SB 2104 would add military status as a protected class under state anti-discrimination laws for employment, housing, and utilities; the author said it would address ongoing discrimination against service members, veterans, and military families. The Texas VFW supported the bill, citing the Leroy Torres case as an example of why additional state protections are needed. After discussion about overlap with federal law and existing state protections, SB 2104 was also left pending.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • 2023 and urge you to please consider the profound human impact that adequate funding could do. for burials
  • to rest without the basic respect we afford to all. consistent statewide funding for this type of burials
  • Across the state, counties are required to provide. at end of life services, including burials, for those
  • record, though, that we do have hospitals that believe this is a more efficient way to derive that site
  • have a concern with this in particular, they don't have, right now, unique NPI. for all their clinic sites
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Health and Human Services Apr 8th, 2025

Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • Investing in consistent statewide funding for this type of burials is not just a matter of financial
  • Across the state, counties are required to provide end-of-life services, including burials, for those
  • federal law requiring good faith estimates, and we appreciate the inclusion of language related to site
  • record, though, that we do have hospitals that believe this is a more efficient way to derive that site
  • But I think for Medicare it can be the one site, is my understanding, and I might be wrong on that.
Summary: The committee first took up several pending bills and reported them favorably: SB 968, SB 636 as substituted, SB 1137, and SB 1138 as substituted. Each was advanced by roll call vote, and the committee also recommended the approved bills for the local and uncontested calendar. The chair then moved to the posted agenda and heard SB 719, a mental health bed-capacity study bill by Senator Eckhart, with a committee substitute that refined the data collection to distinguish state and non-state beds, child and adult beds, include two point-in-time counts, and capture jail diversion data. Testimony on SB 719 was largely supportive from Integral Care, NAMI Texas, and the Children’s Hospital Association of Texas, all of whom said Texas needs better data on inpatient psychiatric capacity, workforce needs, and future demand. Several witnesses described long waits for beds, especially for forensic restoration, and argued the study would help target future investments. Senator Perry and others noted the state has already made major investments in new beds and urged the bill to account for beds already coming online; the committee ultimately withdrew the substitute and left SB 719 pending after public testimony closed. The committee then heard SB 1864, which would allow small egg producers to sell ungraded eggs more broadly, including to restaurants and retailers, with the substitute increasing the weekly sales threshold and addressing sanitation and labeling. Supporters said grading is about size, not safety, and that the bill would help small farms reach new markets; opponents from the Texas Poultry Federation argued grading and candling help identify cracks and defects that can affect safety and quality. The committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending. It also heard SB 1467, requiring DSHS to share death record information with hospitals for record accuracy and quality review, and SB 912, which would modernize continuing education tracking for health licensing agencies; both bills drew supportive testimony and were left pending. Finally, the committee heard SB 2023, which would create an HHSC grant program to help counties pay for indigent burial costs, with county representatives testifying in support.
DE

Delaware 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Health & Social Services Committee Meeting Jun 17th, 2026

Health & Social Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • With 83 burials last year alone, the state is running out of space.
  • In addition to navigating the burial plot shortage, cremation costs about one-third and does not introduce
  • However, it is clear that the state needs to make some changes to the indigent burial program to ensure
Bills: HB359, HB385, HB165
Summary: The Senate Health and Social Services Committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the prior two meetings, and briefly acknowledged the tragedy at Christiana Care before moving to legislation. The committee heard House Bill 385, which creates a statewide nurse preceptor grant program to expand clinical training placements for nursing students; testimony from nursing organizations, health care associations, and educators emphasized workforce shortages, the need for preceptor stipends and training, and the bill’s potential to help students complete programs and remain in Delaware. Members asked about eligibility and reporting, and several senators asked to be added as co-sponsors. Public comment was uniformly supportive, and the bill was advanced out of committee. The committee then considered House Bill 424, which repeals Delaware’s Autism Surveillance and Registration Program and requires DHSS to expunge protected health information collected through the registry. The sponsor and DHSS said the registry is no longer used for research or policy development and that repeal would reduce outdated reporting burdens; Autism Delaware, the Delaware Health Care Association, and the State Council for Persons with Disabilities support the change. A committee member raised the question of whether families would be notified before records are expunged, and DHSS said that process was not yet clear and would need further verification. Members discussed the issue, and the bill also moved forward. House Bill 419 was next, making children in foster care automatically eligible for the Purchase of Care child care subsidy and extending the same treatment to certain kinship and safety-plan placements through House Amendment 1. The Children’s Department and advocacy groups said the bill would provide immediate stability for children and caregivers, reduce delays from applications and income verification, and support working foster and kinship families. The committee also heard House Bill 359, which would allow cremation as an option for unclaimed and indigent remains when there is no family objection or next of kin cannot be found, addressing a shortage of burial plots and lowering costs; funeral industry testimony focused on preserving next-of-kin rights. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 475, creating a Delaware Nursing Advancement Fund financed by a $10 surcharge on nursing licenses and disciplinary fines to support workforce data collection and analysis through a nonprofit partner, and House Bill 165, authorizing physician associates, occupational therapists, and APRNs to perform dry needling under training and practice standards set by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. All of the bills received supportive testimony, several members added their names as co-sponsors, and the committee adjourned after moving through the agenda.