Transcript Highlights:

• We are seeing that it's going to be affecting anywhere that has grass and ground cover.

Bills: SB2309, SB2317, SB2318, SB2319, SB2321, SB2323, SB2332, SB2405, SB2485

Keywords: agricultural loans, financial support, Hawaii agriculture, food security, revolving fund, agriculture, insurance, small producers, state support, biosecurity, farm coverage, public-private partnerships, agricultural policy, agricultural statistics, data collection, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, economic analysis, market development, grant funding, climate resiliency

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several agriculture-related measures, beginning with SB 2309, which would require the agricultural loan division to sell portions of its loan portfolio and use the proceeds to expand the agriculture loan revolving fund. The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Hawaii Farm Bureau supported the bill, along with several other organizations and individuals. A committee question focused on the risk of not finding a qualified buyer for the loan portfolio; DAB said a mandatory sale of the full amount could force a less favorable rate, while flexibility to sell different amounts could produce a more equitable return. The measure drew eight supporters and no opposition. The committee then took up SB 2317, which directs DAB to study insurance coverage for small producers and report back to the Legislature. DAB and multiple farm groups supported the bill. In response to a question about cost, DAB estimated about $250,000 would be needed, with the study likely covering crop, health, and liability insurance. The next measure, SB 2318, would establish an agriculture statistics program in statute. DAB said it strongly supported the bill and could ramp up quickly if positions were provided; the committee discussed whether a first report could be completed by year’s end if the bill became law midyear, and DAB said yes. SB 2319, which would fund and make permanent a full-time grant writer position at DAB, also drew strong support from DAB, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Ulupono Initiative, the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, the local food coalition, and others, with testifiers emphasizing the position’s return on investment and success in bringing in federal funds. The committee also heard SB 2321, establishing a two-year pilot program to respond to the twoline spittlebug. DAB, ranching groups, and many others supported the bill, citing the pest’s spread and the need to act before it becomes unmanageable. A DAB pest control manager said he would need to research past response details and provide them later. Members emphasized the importance of early intervention. For SB 2323, which creates a farmland transition commission to study barriers to farmland access and recommend solutions, DAB offered comments and support for the intent, while farm groups generally supported the concept but raised concerns about the proposed age range and whether a separate commission was necessary. DAB said the Board of Agriculture likely would not have the capacity to perform the commission’s duties and estimated there would be costs to establish it, though no figure was available at the hearing. Finally, the committee heard SB 2332, which reestablishes the agriculture and food security special fund, creates a carbon emissions tax and dividend fund, gradually raises carbon-related tax rates, and provides a refundable carbon cashback credit. DAB supported the measure and deferred to Taxation on details; the Department of Taxation said it would stand on its comments, and the Attorney General’s office offered comments and recommendations. Carbon Cashback Hawaii and the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development supported the bill, arguing it would reduce emissions, protect lower-income households, and be relatively simple to administer.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, but we support this bill in order to fund working on the two-lined spittlebug because the grasses
• Uh, but we support this bill in order to fund working on the two-lined spittlebug because the grasses
• The two-lined spittlebug because the grasses that it is attacking are actually ones that are preventing

Bills: SB2319, SB2407, SB2489, SB2153, SB2321, SB2805, SB3010, SB2892, SB2595, SB2781

Keywords: agriculture, biosecurity, grant funding, food security, climate resiliency, agricultural development, Hawaii Island, property manager, agribusiness, state employment, invasive species, lease provisions, environment, food safety, farmers, local food systems, rural development, livestock, forage grasses, pest management

Transcript Highlights:

• I raise grass-fed beef and lamb and pastured pork, and direct market all my meat products to enthusiastic
• paddock before moving to the next, and then aren't allowed back into the area they grazed until the grasses
• It may sound like a simple idea, but it has amazing benefits for grass-based ecosystems because it mimics
• nature in the way that bison graze the tall grass prairie.
• It improves the amount of forage you grow.

Bills: HF3579, HF3549, HF3548, HF4388, HF3566

Keywords: eggs, donation, quality assurance, food assistance, charitable programs, agriculture, grain indemnity, financial security, crop insurance, Minnesota agriculture, farm assistance, down payment, state funding, loan modification, rotational grazing, grazing management, livestock, pasture management, soil health, erosion control

Bills: SCR180

Keywords: wildfire, fire hazard, Lahaina, West Maui, Maui wildfire, vegetation management, fuel reduction, defensible space, fuel breaks, invasive grasses, emergency access, evacuation route, fire lane, state lands, public safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal, community risk reduction, hazard mitigation, brush clearance, wildland-urban interface

Summary: The committee opened by noting it was likely its last hearing of the 2026 session, then took up several resolutions. SCR 54, on appointing a hydrogen fire safety expert and training on hydrogen-related protocols, and SCR 59, on allowing certain health care professionals to practice without a license during a state of emergency, drew no testimony. Members discussed SCR 59 as a response to past emergencies and the need for pre-approved, updated registries of professionals who could be deployed quickly in emergencies. SCR 62 SD1, which asks the 911 Board to form a working group with the disability community to address access issues in emergency and 911 responses, received testimony from disability advocates and the 911 Board. Testifiers said the measure should ensure an integrated system with EMS infrastructure, real-time access for dispatchers and field personnel, and public education about the system; they also noted that Smart911 is no longer being used on Oahu and Maui and that a statewide, integrated approach is needed. Members agreed to work the suggested language into the resolution. SCR 179, urging Maui County to enforce fire code provisions on brush clearance, fuel breaks, roadside vegetation clearing, and emergency access, was noted as having no testimony but continuing to raise important issues. SCR 74, calling for an audit of no-bid contracts issued under emergency proclamations from 2020 through 2025, drew strong support from a late testifier who tied the measure to emergency procurement concerns after the Lahaina wildfire and COVID-era contracting. The witness argued that procurement rules should not be waived in ways that compromise safety, and described concerns about unlicensed contractors and construction problems in a state housing project. Members asked about the scope of the audit and whether it would interfere with criminal investigations; the witness said the audit should cover a broad range of contracts, including nonprofit contracts, and should not be limited to the wildfire period. The committee also heard SCR 28 SD1 on creating a Hawaii Vietnam Veterans Medal, with support from the Department of Defense and veterans advocates, who said the resolution is intended to do the groundwork for a future appropriation and to determine eligibility and distribution procedures. Finally, SCR 60 SD1, requesting updates on the “Breaking Cycles” rehabilitation and restorative justice study, received support from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Correctional System Oversight Commission, and reform advocates. The department asked that reporting be annual rather than quarterly because of the complexity of the OCCC project, and supporters said the measure would promote transparency and help ensure the study’s recommendations are implemented. No votes were taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They eat a lot of forage that would otherwise be consumed by livestock.
• <00:34:38.800> on<00:34:39.040> the grass.
• I never had cheat grass on the grass.
• I never had cheat grass on the farm.<00:34:40.000> Never<00:34:40.320> did.
• <00:35:37.839> and cheap grass is really a a bad one. and cheap grass is really a a bad one

Bills: SF0025, SF0027, SF0043, SF0066

Keywords: landowner licenses, hunting, wildlife management, quota hunt areas, game and fish commission, game management, hunting regulations, black bear, tracking dogs, wildlife conservation, conservation, contracting, supervisor, funding, districts, hunting licenses, donated licenses, life-threatening illness, vision impairment, nonprofit organizations

Transcript Highlights:

• price foraging permits.
• . foraging. foraging.
• forage foraging and state natural forage foraging and state natural resources<00:32:36.799> as
• the species that you're foraging for. the species that you're foraging for.
• It's foraging. it seems controversial. It's foraging.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill would also be beneficial to those who are grazing livestock to manage perennial forages or
• beef in Wasa County probably grass-fed beef in Wasa County probably every<01:35:47.199> farmer
• and fenced in hayfields to forages and fenced in hayfields to create<01:36:13.159> some<01:36
• <01:36:32.760> outside<01:36:33.119> our have a lot of grass outside our have a lot
• <01:37:11.080> or livestock to manage perennial forages or livestock to manage perennial forages

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , you look off to your right, there's a big lake and then now there's all these small wetlands and grass
• <00:31:47.600> and all these small wetlands and grass and all these small wetlands and grass
• I don't know if the rules have changed for foraging on that yet or what, but you could forage.
• <00:52:38.559> on the rules have changed for foraging on the rules have changed for foraging
• , that yet or what, but you could forage, that yet or what, but you could forage, you<00:52:41.200

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The lake management plan sets goals of holding torpedo grass to less than 5,000 acres.
• Torpedo grass will form thick stands.
• Torpedo grass will form thick stands that outcompete other vegetation and have very little value for
• Since then, trees, wildflowers, orchids, grasses, and emergent plants and shrubs have been planted to
• Not great for wading birds foraging, not great for bass spawning, not great for much of anything.

Summary: The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources met to hear presentations on Lake Okeechobee from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Water Management District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. FWC described the lake as a major recreation, water supply, and habitat resource, and outlined its habitat management plan, including control of invasive plants, prescribed fire, and restoration of native vegetation. The agency said low water levels have helped submerged aquatic vegetation recover, with gains in 2025 exceeding 24,000 acres and meeting its target, while torpedo grass and floating invasive plants remain active management priorities. Senators asked about bass fishing trends and blue-green algae; FWC said water levels are the main driver of fishery health and that it was not seeing current water-quality impacts on bass, though algal blooms can affect habitat and wildlife. The South Florida Water Management District focused on nutrient pollution, lake ecology, and restoration projects across the watershed. Director Drew Bartlett said the district’s work is aimed at reducing harmful discharges, improving water quality, and moving more water south to the Everglades through storage and treatment projects, including the EAA Reservoir, C-43 and C-44 reservoirs, aquifer storage and recovery, and wetland treatment areas. He said the state and federal governments have invested about $9 billion in restoration, roughly split 50-50, and that the EAA Reservoir is now targeted for completion in 2029. He also said Lake Okeechobee BMAP participation is around 92% and that recent data show phosphorus and nitrogen loading declines, though the lake remains impaired and eutrophic. An industry witness from Associated Industries of Florida said the BMAP and agricultural best management practices are producing measurable improvements and urged continued funding for water storage and treatment. The Army Corps of Engineers then explained LOSOM and Lake Recovery operations, saying the new operating approach balances flood control, water supply, navigation, ecology, and estuary protection. Colonel Brandon Bowman said Lake Recovery was implemented in late 2024 to bring the lake below 12 feet long enough to help submerged vegetation rebound, and reported that the lake met both recovery metrics, with water levels low enough to support a major increase in SAV from about 4,000 acres to 28,000 acres in 2025. He also noted benefits such as improved water clarity and more Okeechobee gourd plants, but acknowledged drawbacks including reduced navigation and some impacts to wading birds and snail kites. Senators pressed the Corps on the C-44 reservoir’s sloughing issue; Bowman said repairs are underway, the problem is geological rather than a safety failure, and the Corps expects to award a contract by 2027 and complete work by 2030. The committee did not take any substantive vote on the presentations and adjourned after Senator Smith moved to do so.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the sage grass, now you've got my curiosity up here.
• sheep and sage grass habitat areas. sheep and sage grass habitat areas. >> Good.
• They affect sage grass.
• They affect sage grass. affect wildlife. They affect sage grass.
• , things, uh fires, you know, cheat grass, things, uh fires, you know, cheat grass, whatever<02:49

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• tell you too much about cheat grass. tell you too much about cheat grass.
• appears that you can keep cheat grass. appears that you can keep cheat grass.
• Again, this is a invasive grasses, primarily cheat grass project on the North Platte River.
• <00:15:27.440> cheat a invasive grasses, primarily cheat a invasive grasses, primarily cheat
• fine fuels in there like cheat grass fine fuels in there like cheat grass that<00:15:58.240>

Bills: SF0052, SF0024

Keywords: wildlife management, environmental restoration, funding, invasive species, aquatic ecosystems, native fish, habitat conservation, lottery, debit card payments, gambling regulations, state revenue, financial transactions, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you allow it just to grow and die back, it actually inhibits the growth of the grasses that are there
• Now, one of the greatest threats to our prairies is the invasion of cool-season non-native grasses.
• of cool seasoned non-native grasses of cool seasoned non-native grasses limited<01:02:35.079>
• at Bay now we've been engaged in grasses at Bay now we've been engaged in recent<01:02:44.920> years
• infrastructure on public and TNC lands, and an effort that has resulted in expanding the acres of grass

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we can't do small things like cut our grass and bale our hay, you know, and our neighbors, they're
• , you know, we'll bail your your grass, you know, we'll bail your hay,<00:46:41.839> but<00:46
• We've seen no negative effects on forage growth for the cows.
• <01:20:44.000> In<01:20:44.159> fact,<01:20:44.880> we forage growth for the
• In fact, we forage growth for the cows.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It looks like it's producing more grass. So we have a randomized study.
• The grass, that's the native range where we mulched it and where we seeded it.
• The grass, that's the native range where we mulched it and where we seeded it.
• And with these cedars, the worst part is they can handle grass fires.
• There was no grass there. There was complete drought. The grass wasn't burning.

Summary: The meeting began with a budget presentation from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Secretary Blaine Arthur and Deputy Commissioner Jan Lee described the agency’s divisions and recent efforts to improve efficiency, including expanded online licensing, electronic veterinary inspection certificates, and a new laboratory information system. They highlighted youth and workforce programs, local food initiatives for schools, market development efforts, and ongoing animal health concerns such as avian influenza, equine herpesvirus, and the threat of New World screwworm. They also discussed staffing, turnover, and uncertainty around federal cooperative agreement funding, while noting they were not requesting new or additional appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year. Members asked about meat inspection staffing, the use of one-time forestry firefighting funds, biosecurity and national security coordination, and agency staffing levels. The department said meat inspection was currently in good shape but dependent on federal funding stability, and explained that prior firefighting dollars had been used for equipment purchases. They also said they work with state and federal partners, including DHS and FBI, on threat preparedness and have reduced turnover by adjusting salaries and maintaining staffing at or below prior levels. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission then presented its budget and program overview. Staff described the agency’s long history and current work in water quality, flood control, soil health, unpaved roads, wetlands, and woody species control, especially eastern red cedar removal. They emphasized data-driven, voluntary conservation practices, citing stream cleanups, flood-control dam benefits, pond cleanouts during drought, and the Cherry-Peach watershed project as examples of programs that improve water resources and reduce wildfire risk. The agency said its workload has grown significantly and requested funding for critical dam repairs, local conservation district staffing, continued unpaved roads work, and expansion of woody species control statewide. Members asked about county matching for road and dam projects, who to contact about flooding roads, sediment removal from pond cleanouts, and the effectiveness of county training programs. Commission staff explained that county in-kind work can count as match, local conservation districts are the first point of contact, and the road training has produced measurable savings and better maintenance practices. They also clarified that “high hazard” dams are those where failure could threaten people or infrastructure downstream, not necessarily dams that are structurally failing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've got folks in there cutting trees on my property because I'm wanting to manage for grass and I'm
• I've got folks in there cutting trees on my property because I'm wanting to manage for grass and I'm
• I've got folks in there cutting trees on my property because I'm wanting to manage for grass and I'm
• I've got folks in there cutting trees on my property because I'm wanting to manage for grass and I'm
• underforage underground under forage underforage underground under forage that<00:46:13.599>

Bills: HB0078, SF0012, SF0013, SF0052, SF0069, SF0070

Keywords: forest health, grant program, state forester, wildfire prevention, environmental conservation, habitat improvement, military, national guard, reenlistment, extension bonus, funding, Wyoming, Wyoming National Guard, recruitment, referral bonus, military service, eligibility expansion, incentive program, wildlife management, environmental restoration

Transcript Highlights:

• This is all real time so they can see information about movement, they can see information about forage
• built monitoring kits, so each child had a Hoop to throw, uh, these guys taught them how to clip forage
• , dry forage in a little paper bag weigh it, identify plants.
• Animals and they're grass feeding those animals and they're having a lot of success keeping those animals
• Uh, We are doing that research to see about the tenderness in the grass-fed on that end also. Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're going to say that yield factor of 2 and a forage factor—in most of our forages, have a nitrogen
• They're going to say that yield factor of 2 and a forage factor in most of our forages have a nitrogen
• And that's where the forages—for me, biosolids is a forage system—and so those forages tend to remove
• for me biosolidge is a is a forage system and so those forages tend With that, this little graph—and
• We see more yield, or forages reproduce more.

Summary: The meeting focused on the use of biosolids on farm and ranch land, with testimony from Oklahoma State University experts, a conservation official, and an engineering representative about the benefits, risks, and regulatory implications. Dr. Lusk described OSU’s long history of soil fertility research and said biosolids can provide nutrients and organic matter, but also may carry contaminants such as PFAS, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and pathogens. He emphasized that many questions remain unanswered, especially about contaminant uptake into soil, crops, livestock, and humans, and said existing EPA and Oklahoma DEQ regulations address some treatment and application standards but may not fully cover PFAS. Dr. Arnell expanded on nutrient management, explaining that biosolids can function similarly to manure as a fertilizer source, especially for nitrogen and phosphorus, but should be tested, incorporated into soil, and applied under permit conditions to reduce runoff and other losses. He said PFAS testing methods are not yet standardized and that more research is needed to determine sampling protocols, movement in soil, and long-term effects. Committee members asked whether farmers and ranchers should be notified of risks, whether PFAS is currently tested, how many counties use biosolids, and what research would be needed for a dissertation-level study. The witnesses generally agreed that landowners should be informed of known risks and uncertainties, but said the science is still developing. Dr. Arnell said a unified testing method is needed before reliable PFAS monitoring can be done, and suggested that a multi-year study would be required to understand soil movement, crop uptake, and livestock impacts. Greg Scott of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission framed the issue as a waste-management problem, noting that human waste streams contain contaminants and that soil type affects how pollutants move; he said sandy soils pose greater movement risks than clay soils and that current best practice is incorporation, careful timing, and avoiding steep or sensitive sites. He also said PFAS are widespread and not naturally occurring in the way some other compounds are, and that liability and cleanup costs are major concerns. Mary Elizabeth Mock of Garver Engineering focused on the practical and financial consequences of a possible moratorium on land application, saying most of Oklahoma’s biosolids are currently land applied and would otherwise have to go to landfills. She warned that many landfills are nearing capacity, tipping fees could rise sharply, and cities such as Tulsa and Norman could face large increases in disposal costs, which would ultimately be borne by ratepayers and taxpayers. She also said septic system maintenance costs could rise if land application options shrink, potentially leading to deferred maintenance and system failures. Mock urged a tiered, data-driven approach to PFAS regulation and said advanced treatment technologies may help in the future, but they are still emerging and expensive. No votes were taken; the session consisted of presentations and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• seed that will actually grow or grass seed that will actually grow or grass will<01:14:42.360>
• Northern Minnesota grass seed industry has a long history of turf seed development.
• , forage grasses, and legumes in environments that differ from the seed-producing region; number three
• , forage grasses, and legumes in environments that differ from the seed-producing region; to develop
• The northern Minnesota grass seed industry has a long history of turf seed development.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They're kind of an aquatic seed grass.
• They're kind of an aquatic um seed<00:14:42.680> grass.
• um<00:14:44.800> upon<00:14:45.240> detection,<00:14:46.079> and seed grass
• But, um upon detection, and seed grass.
• When wolves kill livestock or when elk damage fence, forage, or feed, those losses hit our operations

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• WATERCRAFT COLLISION ENTRAPMENT AND COLD STRESS THE STATE HAS WORKED WITH COUNTLESS PARTNERS TO RESTORE FORAGING
• AND WE HAD A PRESENTATION FROM YOU ALL ABOUT MANATEES STARVING AND NOT HAVING ENOUGH FOOD OR AN OF GRASS
• THAT WE PRIORITIZE FUNDING FOR IN THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON WE ADDRESS THESE ISSUES WITH RESTORING SEE GRASSES
• IT WAS ALSO A ONE RAKE AT A TIME SUPPORT WHERE WE WENT DOWN AND RAKED THE ALGAE OFF THE SEE GRASS TO
• PREVIOUS YEARS AND THAT ITS CONTROL OF INVASIVE AND NON NATIVE PLANTS THAT ARE IMPACTING THE NATIVE GRASSES