Video & Transcript : 'gridlock' :

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US
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Tuesday, January 6, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

US
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • consideration in the House of the bill HR 1834 to advance policy priorities that will break the gridlock
  • that will to advance policy priorities that will break<07:39:09.440><c> the</c><07:39:09.600><c> gridlock
  • All</c><07:39:10.718><c> points</c><07:39:10.958><c> of</c><07:39:11.120><c> order</c> break the gridlock
  • All points of order break the gridlock.
  • Bill HR 1834 to advance policy priorities that will break the gridlock.
Bills: HB4593 , HR780 , HR977 , HR979 , HR978
Keywords: showerhead, regulation, energy policy, consumer protection, overregulation, gridlock, policy priorities, House resolution, legislative process, procedural motion, committee, House of Representatives, Mr. Knott, ethics, membership, Doug LaMalfa, memorial resolution, condolence, death of a member, adjournment in honor
US
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

US
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Thursday, January 8, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

MN
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Press Conference: Majority in the Middle 2025 State of Bipartisanship Report - 10/03/25

Transcript Highlights:
  • .<00:09:40.080><c> Gridlock</c><00:09:40.720><c> is</c><00:09:41.040><c> not</c><00:09:41.440><c> an<
  • Gridlock is not an option Washington.
  • Um, Senator Gustafson mentioned the federal shutdown and the gridlock in Washington.
  • </c><00:47:23.680><c> Um</c><00:47:24.560><c> this</c> and the gridlock in Washington.
  • Um this and the gridlock in Washington.
MN
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee 3/10/25

Rules and Legislative Administration

Transcript Highlights:
  • There is that element of the risk of gridlock, and again the commission's structure has resulted in that
  • gridlock in the past. place to minimize the partisan dynamics place to minimize the partisan dynamics
  • </c><00:21:51.440><c> the</c><00:21:51.600><c> risk</c><00:21:51.880><c> of</c><00:21:52.039><c> gridlock
  • </c><00:21:52.679><c> and</c> that element of the risk of gridlock and that element of the risk of gridlock
  • ><00:21:57.320><c> in</c><00:21:57.440><c> the</c><00:21:57.640><c> past</c> ...resulted in that gridlock
Bills: HF550
Committee: House Rules and Legislative Administration
MA
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • is, by the way, the only way in and out of that peninsula in our area, we see a lot of, you know, gridlock
  • We all driven down UMass, the back roadways, and have all experienced the gridlock. Thank you, sir.
  • You mentioned the gridlock you've been in.
Committee: Joint Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
Summary: The committee opened by explaining new attendance and public-testimony procedures, including that testimony would be recorded, livestreamed, and generally made public, with possible redactions for sensitive material. The chairs also noted that no committee rules were being formally adopted yet and that no votes would be taken during the hearing. Senator Collins briefly emphasized the committee’s oversight role on land takings and Article 97 issues, including concerns about proposed regulatory changes and the legislature’s constitutional role. The first major bill discussed was H. 3324, concerning the former Christos site on Crescent Street in Brockton and a proposed transfer of state-owned land from DCAM. Representative Michelle DuBois, Representative Rita Mendes, Mayor Sullivan, the Metro South Chamber’s Chris Cooney, Catholic Charities’ Larry Mayne, and Brockton planning director Rob May all supported the bill, describing the parcel as long vacant and arguing it should be reused for a mixed-use project with Catholic Charities, including affordable/workforce housing, an early education center, food pantry, workforce development, and language classes. Several speakers said the project would help retain Catholic Charities in Brockton and bring tax revenue and community services. DuBois outlined expected amendments, including moving one parcel into a municipal sale partnership and changing a “shall” to “may” regarding a right-turn lane. Some members raised questions about whether a deed transfer to a nonprofit was preferable to a long-term lease and about affordability definitions, but the bill was generally supported. Representative Connolly then testified on two Cambridge bills: H. 3308, relating to the Riverside Boat Club and a reconfigured DCR parcel boundary to support a lease with no loss of public space, and H. 3309, which would facilitate access to justice by preserving consideration of a vacant former probate court site for future court use. Senator DiDomenico supported the Riverside Boat Club measure and the broader goal of restoring court access in Cambridge. Members discussed accessibility, possible future court configurations, and the site’s prior use as an emergency shelter. The committee then heard testimony on S. 2217/H. 2108 concerning Columbia Point and access around the UMass/Bayside area. Harbor Point residents, including Orlando Perrella, Michael Corcoran, Richard Fulham, and Miles Byrne, described severe traffic congestion, emergency-access concerns, and frustration with the UMass Building Authority’s handling of the site and prior community commitments. Senator Collins said the committee should consider seeking an SJC opinion, and possibly an Attorney General opinion, on Article 97 and public-access rights. After the in-person testimony concluded, the committee attempted to reach remaining virtual witnesses on S. 2217 but did not receive testimony. With no further witnesses, the committee adjourned without taking any votes.
HI
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

PBS Info Briefing - Thu Sept 11, 2025 @ 1:30 PM HST

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • or actions to take to minimize the gridlock, or other actions to take about that people needed to plan
  • or actions to take to the gridlock or actions to take to minimize<00:53:12.960><c> the</c><00:53:13.119
  • the gridlock or other actions minimize the gridlock or other actions to<00:53:14.720><c> take</c><00
  • 00:55:09.440><c> traffic</c><00:55:10.000><c> flow</c><00:55:10.319><c> and</c><00:55:10.480><c> gridlock
  • </c> obviously the traffic flow and gridlock obviously the traffic flow and gridlock uh<00:55:11.440>
Summary: The House Committee on Public Safety held an informational briefing with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management on its hazard mitigation plan and recent emergency events on Oahu. Chair Dela Botti opened the meeting by explaining that the briefing was intended to review the mitigation planning process, the city’s hazard mitigation plan, and lessons learned from recent tsunami and wildfire threats, building on earlier briefings with state emergency management and transportation officials. Director Collins and hazard mitigation staff officer Ian Kio presented the plan, describing it as a five-year FEMA-required document focused on reducing long-term risk to people and property, not an operations plan for active disasters. Kio outlined how the plan was developed over roughly 18 months with a core team, steering committee, consultant support, and public input, and said it was formally adopted by the mayor’s office and approved by FEMA in July 2025. He said the updated plan was aligned more closely with the state hazard mitigation plan, expanded to cover 15 hazards including climate change and sea level rise, and organized around hazard risk rankings and mitigation strategies. He identified the highest-risk hazards as climate change and sea level rise, floods, health risks, hurricanes, tsunamis, and wildfires, and said the plan includes short-, medium-, and long-term actions such as education, Firewise community planning, flood mapping, and major infrastructure projects like tsunami walls and street elevation work. He also emphasized that the plan will be maintained with yearly updates and ongoing public feedback. Collins then discussed after-action findings from the July 6 Meli fire and the recent tsunami response, noting that reviews are still ongoing. He said the fire response showed strong initiative and teamwork, including police officers helping with fire suppression support and door-to-door evacuation efforts before firefighters arrived, and a staff duty officer who initiated a wireless emergency alert without waiting for higher-level direction. He said these actions reflected a culture of rapid decision-making when lives are at stake. Collins also urged residents to prepare by making family plans, gathering supplies, checking flood and tsunami risk maps, retrofitting homes, and obtaining insurance before disasters occur. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the informational briefing.
MN
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House State Government Finance and Policy Committee 2/27/25

State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • states that have actually utilized a similar or the same model, and there is no path beyond the gridlock
  • same and there is no path<00:14:37.800><c> beyond</c><00:14:38.199><c> the</c><00:14:38.360><c> gridlock
  • in the bill as path beyond the gridlock in the bill as I<00:14:40.240><c> currently</c><00:14:40.680
  • He thinks it is likely to lead to gridlock the way it is developed, with four members under this bill
  • The concern about gridlock mentioned, and with eight members on the committee, usually members would
Bills: HF550 , HF412 , HF796 , HF140
Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy
CA
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation May 19th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • Tell me what happens if gridlock continues, though, and the plan and the standards in the plan are not
  • about, what if this fall that they don't come up with the plan, and we stay locked in political gridlock
  • Tell me what happens if gridlock continues, though, and the plan and the standards in the plan are not
  • Assemblymember, and just to note, I think part of the political gridlock is around the level of opposition
  • As the Secretary has pointed out, we've been in gridlock for such a long time.
Summary: The hearing focused on the governor’s May Revision proposals for transportation, natural resources, climate, and related programs, with the Department of Finance and the LAO presenting competing views on the state’s fiscal condition. Finance said the budget remains balanced over two years, with major climate-bond, water, parks, transportation, DMV, and agriculture proposals, while the LAO argued the state still has a structural deficit and should reject or defer many new discretionary spending items, preserve reserves, and be cautious about ongoing commitments. The LAO specifically questioned the timing and scale of new spending for programs such as Clean California, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, and the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, and urged more clarity on future obligations and revenue scenarios, including for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes proposal for Bay-Delta water quality implementation. Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Finance described it as an enforceable, science-based alternative to a more traditional regulatory approach, with the state’s $25 million request intended to support early implementation, monitoring, habitat restoration, and environmental flows. The LAO countered that the Water Board has not yet adopted the updated Bay-Delta plan, that the proposal may be premature, and that the Legislature should wait for more information on the state’s total funding commitment and the program’s long-term costs. Several members expressed support for the program as a way to reduce conflict and protect water reliability, while others echoed concerns about timing and fiscal exposure. The committee also examined the proposed $125 million Proposition 4 contribution toward acquiring the Golden Gate Fields property for a shoreline park and habitat project. State officials said the acquisition is a time-sensitive, once-in-a-generation opportunity, with an appraised value of $175 million and additional philanthropic and local funding expected to close the gap. Members questioned whether the project had gone through the usual competitive process, whether the site is the best use of scarce park bond dollars, and how public access, habitat, and disadvantaged-community priorities would be protected. The discussion ended without a vote, and the committee moved on to transportation items including Clean California litter abatement, the Games Route Network, homeless encampment coordinators, and DMV modernization and field office proposals, with LAO recommending rejection or delay on several of those requests as well.
HI
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session 05-06-2026 09:30am

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • followed a little later by two storms of biblical proportion, without FEMA being funded because of the gridlock
  • Gridlock in Washington, D.C., and no clear direction if FEMA was going to assist us.
MA
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions Mar 31st, 2026

Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions

Transcript Highlights:
  • right now we are a nation in deep need of leadership, a country facing ever-deepening polarization, gridlock
  • , Leadership, a country facing ever-deepening polarization, gridlock, distrust, and vitriol, a country
  • Returning to the national scene, many of us are frustrated by the gridlock and polarization we see in
  • Gridlock and polarization are the fruits of this primary system in D.C. and Boston.
Bills: H5001
Committee: Joint Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions
Keywords: election day registration, voter registration, proof of residency, provisional ballot, party affiliation
Summary: The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on Initiative Petition 25-12, H.503, an act to implement all-party state primaries. Committee leaders explained the Article 48 process and said the hearing was part of the Legislature’s review before any measure could advance toward the 2026 ballot. The hearing format included subject-matter experts, proponents, opponents, and public testimony, though this excerpt mainly covers the expert and proponent panels. The first expert, Northeastern University political scientist Costas Panagopoulos, described top-two primaries used in states such as California, Washington, Alaska, Louisiana, and Nebraska, and said the research shows only modest or mixed effects. He argued that top-two systems do not reliably reduce polarization, can weaken party gatekeeping, may increase campaign spending and incumbent advantages, and can lead to undervoting when voters do not see a preferred candidate on the ballot. In response to questions, he said turnout effects are mixed and not substantially higher overall. Katie King of the National Conference of State Legislatures then outlined different primary systems, including closed, open, top-two/top-four, nonpartisan, all-comers, and blanket primaries, and reviewed Supreme Court cases holding blanket primaries unconstitutional while upholding Washington’s top-two system. She also noted that changing primary systems would require significant voter education and administrative preparation. The proponent panel, led by Danielle Allen of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy, argued that Massachusetts has too many uncontested elections, low primary participation, and too little accountability, and that all-party primaries would give every voter a meaningful choice in a higher-turnout general election. Supporters said the proposal is tailored to Massachusetts, would keep party endorsements visible on the ballot, and could broaden competition, improve representation, and help independent and minor-party candidates. Jim Henderson, coalition counsel, said the bill is narrowly focused on state-level primaries and was drafted to fit Article 48 requirements. Other proponents, including Kevin Johnson, Kate Kavanaugh, and Spencer Reynolds, echoed that the current system overrepresents a small partisan electorate and that the reform would shift power to voters. Committee members pressed the proponents on turnout evidence, party endorsements, ballot access, the role of fusion-style cross-endorsements, the effect on polarization, and whether the change would actually improve representation or simply move party influence to an earlier stage. No votes or final committee action were taken in the excerpt.
MN
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House passes omnibus transportation bill, HF14, during 2025 special session 6/9/25

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Australia, Europe, even China, the rich take public transit because it's convenient and it avoids gridlock
  • c><00:35:31.839><c> and</c><00:35:32.079><c> it</c><00:35:32.240><c> avoids</c><00:35:32.560><c> gridlock
  • </c> it's convenient and it avoids gridlock it's convenient and it avoids gridlock and<00:35:33.280><
MA
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • from the people, cozy relationships with special interests, and careerism, resulting in the policy gridlock
  • public support, many still raise concerns about legal uncertainties, runaway conventions, political gridlock
  • Challenge number three: political polarization and gridlock.
Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs
Summary: The hearing of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs was opened by Chair Joe McGonagle and Vice Chair Senator Mike Rush, who noted that Chair John Velis was deployed with the Massachusetts National Guard. The chairs explained the hybrid format, three-minute testimony limit, live streaming, and filing deadlines, and said the committee would hear 11 House bills and eight Senate bills dealing with federal and overseas issues. Much of the hearing centered on competing resolutions about Article 5 constitutional conventions, along with related resolutions on D.C. statehood, child labor, Citizens United, and Cambodia. Supporters of H. 4692 and S. 284, a joint resolution to rescind all prior Massachusetts Article 5 convention applications, argued that old resolutions from the 1930s and 1970s could be used to count Massachusetts toward the 34-state threshold for calling a federal constitutional convention. Testifiers from Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, Reproductive Equity Now, labor groups, and others warned that a convention would have no clear rules, could not be reliably limited to specific topics, and could put civil rights, reproductive rights, labor protections, and other constitutional protections at risk. Several speakers also cited a recent federal lawsuit and said the safest course was to remove outdated applications from the books. A large opposing panel testified in support of H. 3888, a resolution calling for a Convention of States to propose amendments limiting federal power, imposing fiscal restraints, and establishing term limits. Supporters argued that Article 5 provides a lawful way to address federal overreach, debt, and congressional stagnation, and said the process would be limited by state applications and ratification by 38 states. Some committee members and witnesses raised concerns about a runaway convention, broad language in the resolution, and whether Congress could or should set rules for such a convention. Representative Gentile also testified in support of several related resolutions on overturning Citizens United, D.C. statehood, and the child labor amendment, while Representative Howard and Representative Tongue supported a Cambodia resolution condemning political oppression and urging free and fair elections. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.
WA
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Local Government Feb 24th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • Transit's role in providing additional transportation options is a vital element to addressing our gridlock
  • Transit's role in providing additional transportation options is a vital element to addressing our gridlock
Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills related to transportation, utilities, housing permitting, and port financing. Substitute Senate Bill 6309 would give regional transit authorities, such as Sound Transit, more flexibility to apply for permits before acquiring property, exceed certain local height/setback limits when needed for rail systems, and use development agreements to vary local standards; the sponsor and Sound Transit testified that the bill would speed delivery of light rail and bus rapid transit, and an amendment was described to allow permits on property not yet owned if the transit authority remains responsible for obtaining property rights. Substitute Senate Bill 6076 would streamline procurement rules for public utility districts on clean energy, storage, transmission, and distribution projects by raising self-performance and contract thresholds, allowing limited noncompetitive procurement in certain reliability or specialized-technology situations, and extending some provisions until 2045; supporters from PUDs, labor, and industry said the changes are needed because of rising costs, long lead times, and grid reliability demands, while committee members asked about the size of the threshold increases and the scope of the bidding waivers. Substitute Senate Bill 5729 would prohibit local governments from charging applicants for third-party plan review when a licensed local staff professional of the same discipline has already reviewed the materials, while still allowing third-party review at the applicant’s cost in certain cases; the sponsor said the bill was narrowed from a broader version and was intended to prevent duplicative fees, and builders supported it as a permitting streamlining measure. Senate Bill 6132 would create a narrow debt-limit exception for the Port of Moses Lake to support a rail project and preserve federal funding eligibility; the port and economic development supporters said the project is ready to bid and needs additional borrowing capacity because of inflation, and the sponsor clarified that the bill is intended to apply only to that port. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5374 would require tribal governments to be included in transportation planning coordination under the Growth Management Act and create a tribal traffic safety coordinator grant program; the sponsor emphasized severe pedestrian fatality disparities for Native people and said the bill is about consultation and safety, while county representatives supported the policy goal but asked for clearer cross-references to existing GMA consultation and dispute-resolution processes. The committee also took up Substitute Senate Bill 6070/6076-related testimony and, at the end of the hearing, announced that bills would be executed the next day and amendment requests should be submitted as soon as possible.
WA
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Local Government Feb 24th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Local Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • Transit's role in providing additional transportation options is a vital element to addressing our gridlock
  • Transit's role in providing additional transportation options is a vital element to addressing our gridlock
Bills: SB6132
Committee: House Local Government
Keywords: indebtedness limits, inland port districts, federal funding, infrastructure improvements, economic development
KY
KY

Kentucky 2025 Regular Session

Kentucky Housing Task Force 2025 (9-22-25)

Transcript Highlights:
  • They are already gridlocked with traffic that is unresolvable in the current road plan.
  • We're making it more expensive and more gridlocked in the east, and we're going to end up driving people
  • They are already gridlocked with traffic that is unresolvable in the current road plan.
  • We're making it more expensive and more gridlocked in the east, and we're going to end up driving people
  • in the east and we're going gridlocked in the east and we're going to<01:23:21.600><c> end</c><01:23
Summary: The Housing Task Force heard a presentation from Anita Sanford of the Homebuilders Association of Kentucky and Sheri Cybert of Indiana’s Residential Infrastructure Fund about Indiana’s low-interest loan program for local housing infrastructure. They described the program as a voluntary, locally driven model that helps communities finance roads, sewers, sidewalks, traffic lights, turning lanes, and other infrastructure needed for new housing development. Sanford emphasized that infrastructure and regulation are major drivers of housing costs, citing estimates that infrastructure can account for up to 30% of a home’s cost and regulations another 25%, and said the association is studying Kentucky-specific regulatory costs. She also noted that every $1,000 added to new home construction can price out about 2,000 Kentucky households. Cybert explained that Indiana’s program, administered through the Indiana Finance Authority, began in 2023 with $75 million appropriated over two years and has since closed 17 loans totaling $60.7 million, with more than 2,700 projected housing units. The program reserves 70% of funds for rural communities and 30% for urban communities, requires applications from local governments rather than developers, and asks communities to show need through a market study, describe the infrastructure and housing to be built, and provide preliminary engineering plans and a repayment source. She said the loans currently carry an interest rate around 3.5%, reset quarterly, and that the program has generated about $25 million in savings to communities compared with private borrowing. She also described recent Indiana legislative changes that encourage higher density and other zoning reforms, and said a majority of those local ordinance changes must be adopted for an application to be fundable. Members asked about the ordinance requirements, the funding split between rural and urban areas, repayment mechanisms, and whether there were caps on project size. Cybert said repayment is worked out case by case, often through existing or project-specific TIFs, temporary tax agreements, or letters of credit, and that the program has no cap on request size or income/affordability restrictions. She said the largest request funded was $19 million for a 700-unit project. Co-chair Mills and others discussed whether Kentucky could adopt a similar model and what it would cost, while Sanford and Cybert said they were still refining budget estimates. Later, Scott Welch, president of the Homebuilders Association of Kentucky, testified that upfront infrastructure costs are a major barrier in his projects, citing a $1 million pump station and road-widening and utility relocation costs as examples, and said an infrastructure fund would help get projects off the ground.
CA
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation May 19th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • talking about: what if this fall they don't come up with the plan, and we stay locked in political gridlock
  • Tell me what happens if gridlock continues, though, and the plan and the standards in the plan are not
  • Assemblymember, I just want to note that I think part of the political gridlock is around the level of
  • As the Secretary has pointed out, we've been in gridlock for such a long time.
MN
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House State Government Finance and Policy Committee 3/18/25

State Government Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • Uh, for days and days, they were in gridlock looking for Rolette and they could not end the call of the
  • days,<00:50:49.800><c> they</c><00:50:50.000><c> were</c><00:50:50.200><c> in</c><00:50:50.320><c> gridlock
  • </c><00:50:51.200><c> looking</c><00:50:51.680><c> for</c> days, they were in gridlock looking for days
  • , they were in gridlock looking for Rolette<00:50:52.360><c> and</c><00:50:52.480><c> they</c><00:50:
Bills: HF1458 , HF2063 , HF2164 , HF1377 , HF927 , HF1059 , HF1910 , HF2232
Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy
Keywords: CPA, certified public accountant, public accounting, accountancy, licensure, license mobility, substantial equivalency, interstate practice, out-of-state accountant, NASBA, Uniform CPA Examination, board of accountancy, attest services, audit, tax preparation, financial advisory, consulting, accounting education, master's degree, bachelor's degree
HI
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

HWN Public Hearing 01-28-2025

Hawaiian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • There will be a political gridlock and instability on this issue, not only that, uncertainties and delays
  • ><01:12:11.920><c> be</c><01:12:12.080><c> a</c><01:12:12.320><c> political</c><01:12:13.199><c> gridlock
  • </c> 625 there will be a political gridlock 625 there will be a political gridlock and<01:12:14.320><
Committee: Senate Hawaiian Affairs
Summary: The Committee on Hawaiian Affairs opened its first meeting of the 33rd Legislature with housekeeping announcements, including live streaming, a two-minute testimony limit, and notice that the committee would reconvene later if technical problems forced an early adjournment. Members introduced themselves, and the chair explained that written testimony was already on file and that public testimony would be taken measure by measure. On SB 109, which concerns the relationship between Hawaiian and English versions of state laws, the Department of the Attorney General raised concerns that broadly allowing the Hawaiian text to supersede English could create ambiguity, and recommended narrowing the bill to laws originally drafted in Hawaiian that were never later amended in English. The Judiciary supported the bill, saying it reinforces Hawaiian as an official language, while OHA and several individuals also supported it. Testimony in support emphasized the importance of honoring Hawaiian language and preventing it from being treated as secondary. The committee then heard SB 268 on burial councils and SB 269 on the OHA budget. SB 268 drew strong support from OHA-related witnesses and many members of the public, who said burial council quorum problems and delays have hindered protection of iwi kupuna; one Moka representative opposed the bill, arguing the island had not been adequately consulted and that the real issue was the state process rather than council size. SB 269 received support from OHA and public testifiers who said OHA should be strengthened and better funded to serve Native Hawaiian needs. The committee also heard SB 624 relating to Prince Jonah Kūhiō, with DHHL and OHA supporting the measure to display portraits of Prince Kūhiō in public buildings; testifiers said the bill would promote cultural pride, education, and recognition of his legacy. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.