Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering or testifying, please contact the committee staff.
• Members, this is a bill we heard previously relating to the requirement for performance and payment bonds
• Texas State Cemetery, pending approval by the State Cemetery Committee as required by Section 2160 of
• in modernizing mental health law and helping change the law. to protect incapacitated Texans by requiring

Bills: HB1397, HB1886, HB3088, HB4187, HB4229, HB4230, HB5032, HCR6, HCR34, HCR50, HCR55, HCR58, HCR70, HCR71, HCR72, HCR74, HCR75, HCR80, HCR86, HCR93, HCR100, HCR107, HCR116, HCR117, HCR6

Keywords: Texas Constitution, Declaration of Independence, victory or death letter, display, historic preservation, lifeguard requirements, public beaches, municipalities, county regulations, exemptions, Parks and Wildlife, procurement, goods and services, revenue generation, Texas legislature, historical preservation, Texas Historical Commission, fees, nonprofit organizations, fundraising

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the president of the Hawaii Lifeguard the president of the Hawaii Lifeguard Association.
• Kalani Vierra, president of the Hawaii Lifeguard Association: I've been serving our community as a lifeguard
• </c> Yes, it's great that we have lifeguards Yes, it's great that we have lifeguards that<01:04:35.960
• </c> But I see you all are junior lifeguards. But I see you all are junior lifeguards.
• </c> that's further required by public law. that's further required by public law.

Bills: HCR13, HCR61, HCR136, HCR185, HCR155, HCR68, HCR174, HCR178, HCR179, HCR91, HCR103, HCR115, HCR199, HR15, HR128, HR175, HR147, HR62, HR164, HR168, HR169, HR83, HR95, HR107, HR189

Keywords: coral reefs, sunscreen, environmental education, student stewardship, marine conservation, reforestation, Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, native forests, climate resilience, sustainable practices, economic opportunity, biodiversity, wildland-urban interface, WUI, wildfire mitigation, wildfire safety, Maui County, County of Maui, Kauai

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land met on March 31, 2026, and heard testimony on several resolutions. HCR 13/HR 50, which asks DLNR to work with DOE and the Public Charter School Commission on a student coral stewardship program, drew comments from DLNR, which said it stood on written testimony and had proposed amendments, and from supporters in the room. HCR 61, urging investment in reforestation policies, workforce, nursery capacity, and related support for public and private lands, received strong support from DLNR and multiple testifiers, including members of a reforestation policy hui, a resident, and others who emphasized watershed protection, flood and fire resilience, and the need to upgrade nursery infrastructure and staffing. Committee members asked questions about nursery modernization, staffing, island-specific needs, and whether reforestation could reduce wildfire impacts; the DLNR witness said all islands need investment, with especially large opportunities on Hawaiʻi Island, and that healthier forests improve resilience though they cannot eliminate climate-related risks. The committee then heard HCR 136/HR 128 on wildland-urban interface safety standards for Maui plantation towns, but no one testified. It also heard HCR 185/HR 175, which urges denial of permits for ICE detention-related warehouses; Chris Coffey of Immua Alliance testified in support, saying migrant survivors of exploitation are harmed when ICE detains people and that Hawaii would not be the first place to take such action, citing examples from other states and cities. In questioning, members explored whether a local facility would keep people closer to families and services or instead increase local detention; Coffey said detention generally cuts off access to services and can intensify fear, and that a local facility could incentivize more detention and make survivors less likely to come forward. Finally, the committee heard HCR 155/HR 147 supporting the Hawaii Water Safety Coalition’s Hawaii Water Safety Act. Testifiers included Allison Shapera, who described the statewide water safety plan, Hawaii’s high drowning rate, the economic and human costs of drownings, and her personal loss of her daughter in a preventable drowning; Kirsten Hermstead and Kalani Vierra of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association said the plan’s recommendations need legislative recognition to help with implementation and grant funding; and Jessamine Town Horner testified by Zoom as a co-founder and bereaved family advocate. The transcript provided does not show any votes or final committee actions on the measures discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• those require medical interventions before a child returns to class.
• So we're not trying to say that a hospital cannot require masks for flus.
• They cannot require a The business's building or premises or to be employed.
• required, and they cannot require a type of vaccination.
• They have to have special job requirements. The... ...to fill.

Bills: HB2086, HB2248, HB2688

Keywords: vaccination mandates, mask requirements, public health, government entities, COVID-19, medical freedom, healthcare mandates, employment requirements, government regulation, vacant positions, state budget, government efficiency, employment, full-time equivalent positions, 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It extends record retention requirements.
• It extends record retention requirements.
• The other homes are required to pay only county taxes.
• The other homes are required to pay only county taxes.
• The other homes are required to pay only county taxes.

Bills: HB344

Keywords: campaign finance, elections, transparency, political committees, reporting requirements, enforcement

Summary: The Senate Elections and Government Affairs Committee heard several election- and campaign-related bills. House Substitute 2 for House Bill 155 would make Public Integrity Commission reports publicly available on the commission’s website, add a specific travel-expense reporting category, and remove the FOIA requirement for accessing reports; Senator Richardson said he supported the transparency measure and asked to be added as a co-sponsor. The committee also took up House Bill 444, the Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would create state protections against voter suppression and vote dilution, expand language access, prohibit intimidation and deception, and allow court remedies for violations. The bill drew strong support from advocacy groups including YWCA Delaware, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and the Legal Defense Fund, and several senators voiced support and interest in moving it quickly. House Bill 430, a constitutional amendment proposal, would make explicit that only natural persons may vote in Delaware elections, including municipal elections, in response to concerns about corporate or other artificial-entity voting in some towns. The discussion focused heavily on Fenwick Island, where the mayor testified that the town’s charter has long allowed certain artificial entities to vote in local elections and said the system is limited and has worked for years; other speakers argued the bill was needed to prevent corporate dilution of residents’ votes. Senator Richardson expressed concern about restricting entities with a local stake, while Senator Hoffner and others emphasized the principle of one person, one vote. Senator Townsend presented House Bill 344, which would tighten campaign finance rules by requiring Delaware bank accounts for candidates and committees, recurring training, better documentation of candidate loans, longer record retention, automatic filing extensions, and inactive status for noncompliant committees; one public commenter opposed the bill on cost grounds. He also presented House Bill 448, which would allow campaign funds to be used for reasonable security expenses for candidates and elected officials, with guardrails, and a commenter suggested allowing electronic security systems without a cap. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 472, a local de-annexation measure for Noble’s Pond in Cheswold to remove scattered residential lots from town boundaries and resolve uneven tax treatment; Senator Hoffner noted local law enforcement supported the change. The committee adjourned after hearing no further public comment on HB 472, and the vote to adjourn was unanimous.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:25.520><c> by</c> uh relocation work required by uh relocation work required by municipalities
• </c> or water utility that was also required or water utility that was also required to<00:10:44.959>
• As you do the work, you find a lot of times more work is required.
• </c><00:29:29.039><c> You</c><00:29:29.200><c> find</c> times more work is required.
• You find times more work is required.

Bills: HF3830, HF3688

Keywords: utilities, rate cases, cost recovery, reporting requirements, gas infrastructure, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• C4 requires private detention facilities to report any offenses that are required to be reported if they
• C4 requires private detention facilities to report any offenses that are required to be reported if they
• to comply with reporting requirements.
• If it's on the Washington State to require these, then it's their requirement to pay for it as well.
• It's on the Washington state to require these, then their requirement to pay for it as well.

Bills: HB2464

Keywords: detention facilities, law enforcement, reporting requirements, incidents, private detention, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering or testifying, please contact Michael, our assistant clerk.
• And, and as a councilor, one of the problems is, uh, when you require or you try to implement safety
• Further, it adds a requirement that an appointed master that hears and takes evidence on the matters
• This is simply updating notice and filing requirements for court proceedings involving persons with mental
• Decades ago, there was a requirement.

Bills: SB 53

Keywords: voter registration, election procedures, provisional ballot, change of address, residence requirements

Bills: HB19

Keywords: real property, theft, fraud, criminal offense, elderly, disabled, restitution, recording requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• on the website on one date and it's in the newspaper on the next date if there's a 30-day notice requirement

Bills: SB2069

Keywords: legal notices, publication requirements, transparency, state agency, public access, 908, all

Summary: The Political Subdivisions Committee met to reconsider Senate Bill 269, which concerns legal notices and newspaper publication requirements. Representative Motschenbacher explained that a prior version had a mistake in Section 2 and that the revised amendment, worked out with the Public Service Commission and the North Dakota Newspaper Association, would limit the change to state agencies rather than all governmental units because the broader version would have required thousands of affidavits and been too burdensome. The committee also discussed the meaning of “immediate publication,” with the newspaper association stating the intent was to post notices on the website as soon as a print notice is received, even before newspaper publication, so notices would still appear online if the print version was missed. Members raised questions about whether posting notices online before print publication could affect statutory notice periods, such as 30-day notice requirements. The response given was that the clock would begin when the notice is published on the agency website. After discussion, the committee adopted the amendment 11-0, with two members absent and not voting. The committee then approved Senate Bill 269 as amended and further amended on a 11-0 vote, again with two absent and not voting. Representative Motschenbacher agreed to carry the bill, though members noted it would likely go to a conference committee because of differences between the House and Senate versions. The chair thanked those who worked on the bill and adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• 30:40.000><c> under</c> sharing requirements whereas under sharing requirements whereas under current
• </c><00:42:21.520><c> by</c> change that was essentially required by change that was essentially required
• </c> implement background study requirements. implement background study requirements.
• </c> components of this lensure um requires components of this lensure um requires or<01:14:05.440><c
• </c> meeting the requirements of the service? meeting the requirements of the service?

Bills: HF3379

Keywords: housing stabilization, disability services, predatory funding, provider requirements, housing accessibility, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• like</c><00:25:58.880><c> the</c> these enforceable requirements like the these enforceable requirements
• </c><00:31:12.360><c> the</c> development, which requires the development, which requires the development
• </c> it would appear that this would require it would appear that this would require um,<00:37:02.880
• are federal requirements, which are federal requirements<00:52:00.920><c> and</c><00:52:01.080><c> do
• /c><01:13:43.240><c> makes</c> removes that requirement and makes removes that requirement and makes

Bills: HB1700

Keywords: housing, expedited permits, disabilities, access, functional needs, local government, affordable housing, reporting requirements, 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees heard several housing, land use, and infrastructure bills. HB 6019 HD2 on electric vehicle infrastructure and HB 1728 HD1 on rainwater catchment systems both drew limited testimony and were advanced. For HB 1728, the chairs said they would designate the Department of Health as the regulator and incorporate suggested technical amendments from plumbing and rainwater industry groups. Both measures were reported out with recommendations to pass, with HB 6019 passed unamended and HB 1728 passed with amendments. HB 1844, which would have required the Land Use Commission to reclassify lands designated for urban growth, drew significant opposition from the Hawaii Farm Bureau and Sierra Club, who argued it would bypass land-use review and threaten agricultural land, water planning, and long-term resilience. Grassroot Institute supported the bill, and the Land Use Commission said the bill raised concerns. After discussion, the chairs deferred the measure in one committee and later the recommendation to pass it with amendments was not adopted in the other committee. HB 1990 on penalties and liens for unresolved residential zoning violations was advanced with amendments. The chairs adopted Grassroot Institute’s suggested changes requiring any county sale of such property to be at no less than fair market value and requiring excess proceeds to be returned to the owner. HB 2424, which would allow county planning agencies to petition for temporary reclassification of certain agricultural lands to rural, also drew mixed testimony; the Land Use Commission raised due process concerns, and agriculture interests opposed it. One committee advanced it with amendments, but in the other committee the recommendation failed after members cited lack of county support. The later portion of the hearing began on HB 1738 and HB 1739. HB 1738 would expand county authority to amend district boundaries for housing on parcels over 15 acres; OHA, Sierra Club, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau opposed it, while Grassroot Institute supported it. HB 1739 would require transit-supportive densities in county TOD areas and limit local restrictions; DPP raised concerns about timing, permitting, and conflicts with existing TOD frameworks, while OPSD and Grassroot supported it. The transcript cuts off before final action on these later bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Second amendment would be to use this as a model and we're establishing reporting requirements during
• during this period to get requirements during this period to get data,<00:03:45.520><c> number,</c><
• Establishes consequences for developers' non-compliance. requires developers developing a housing requires
• HB 1777 HD2 helps address this by requiring basic safeguards like the right of first offer in ensuring
• HB 1777 HD2 helps address this by requiring basic safeguards like the right of first offer in ensuring

Bills: HB1700

Keywords: housing, expedited permits, disabilities, access, functional needs, local government, affordable housing, reporting requirements, 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Housing and Health and Human Services, along with related committees, heard and later took action on three housing bills. HB 1700 HD1, relating to housing and expedited permitting, received support from disability advocates, including the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities and a self-advocate who said faster permitting would help people with disabilities access more independent living options. The chairs said they would add amendments to ensure expedited permitting would not compromise ADA or Fair Housing Act protections and to require reporting on the number, type, and geographic distribution of projects so the program could be evaluated over time. The measure was recommended and adopted with amendments by the participating committees. HB 1777 HD2, which would require tenant protections for residents displaced by HHFDC-supported redevelopment projects, drew support from HHFDC, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Parents and Children Together, and numerous other organizations. Testimony emphasized the need for a right of first offer, replacement housing payments, relocation information, and tracking procedures to reduce displacement harms, especially for Native Hawaiian and public housing residents. In decision-making, the committees amended the bill to incorporate the Senate companion measure, rename the working group as the tenant protection working group, broaden its duties, and include a $75,000 appropriation for working group expenses. The committees also noted concerns about unequal treatment between tenants in publicly supported projects and private redevelopments, and referenced the KPT low-rise redevelopment as an example where required relocation assistance still did not proceed smoothly. The bill was recommended and adopted with amendments. HB 1975 HD1, relating to kupuna housing, would repeal the sunset on the state rent supplement program for kupuna, appropriate funds to HPHA, and add positions to support the program. HPHA, the Executive Office on Aging, OHA, Catholic Charities Hawaii, AARP Hawaii, Aloha Independent Living Hawaii, and others testified in support, with Catholic Charities describing how the subsidy helped a senior remain housed through major medical issues. The committees later recommended passage with amendments, including a technical correction to the number of positions and a date fix, and the recommendation was adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, survivors should have recourse to require companies to remove their CSAM online.
• This bill would require providers to report apparent, planned, and imminent... Violations.
• There is no required information or uniformity.
• Stop CSAM would require the provider to submit limited additional data in its reports.
• And that's what should be required of them. Okay, thank you. Mr. Schiller, the U.S.

Keywords: Stop CSAM Act, child exploitation, online safety, reporting requirements, tech accountability, NCMEC, survivor support, legislative testimony

Summary: The committee meeting centered around the urgent need to address child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, focusing primarily on the testimony and discussions surrounding the Stop CSAM Act. Several witnesses, including representatives from law enforcement and advocacy organizations, highlighted the significant drop in reports of child exploitation cases despite an alarming increase in actual incidents. Concerns were raised about tech companies' reporting practices, with calls for more stringent requirements to ensure timely and accurate reporting of suspected abuse. The legislation aims to fortify protections for child victims by imposing stricter obligations on tech platforms to report incidents and support law enforcement in investigations.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a 49-year-old law that requires reports of induced abortions. ...that requires reports of induced
• is this reporting requirement.
• This specific reporting requirement has become a tool for harassment.
• Requiring the reporting of abortion statistics when there aren't similar requirements for other medical
• This bill deals with the statutory requirements.

Bills: SB30, SB43, SB50, SB136

Keywords: SB30, induced abortion, abortion reporting, vital statistics, public health reporting, medical records, health care providers, repeal, New Mexico, pregnancy termination, abortion data, state reporting requirements, confidentiality, reproductive health, parole, life imprisonment, rehabilitation, criminal justice, victim rights, law enforcement

Transcript Highlights:

• The property owners of these entities will be required to consent to allowing...
• It wouldn't require us much extra expense now.
• We have full internal testing as well as what is required by law.
• Requirements: every single batch we produce has an individual test.
• The retail license does not require any of that.

Bills: HB5

Keywords: hemp, cannabinoids, regulation, occupational licenses, consumable products, marketing, criminal offenses, labeling requirements, health and safety, 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Second, and most importantly, it specifies that if the required written disclosures establishing an agency
• It doesn't create new requirements or increase fees.
• specifies<00:02:15.440><c> that</c><00:02:15.680><c> if</c><00:02:15.920><c> the</c><00:02:16.160><c> required
• </c><00:02:16.640><c> written</c> specifies that if the required written specifies that if the required
• It doesn't create<00:02:34.080><c> new</c><00:02:34.400><c> requirements</c><00:02:35.040><c> or</c><

Bills: HB0002, HB0022

Keywords: building permits, local government, residential construction, permit timelines, code compliance, municipal officers, recall election, petition requirements, local governance, voter participation, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as the committee members know, for a ballot initiative it only requires 15%.
• And as the committee members know, for a ballot initiative it only requires 15%.
• And as the committee members know, for a ballot initiative it only requires 15%.
• Requiring official to need adjustment.
• So what we're proposing requirements.

Bills: HB0002, HB0022

Keywords: building permits, local government, residential construction, permit timelines, code compliance, municipal officers, recall election, petition requirements, local governance, voter participation, 916, all

Bills: HB308, HB308

Keywords: elections, voter registration, publishing requirements, cost-saving, transparency, property tax exemption, senior citizens, Mobile County, tax legislation, constitutional amendment, 923, senate, all

Bills: HB1119

Keywords: child care, childcare, day care, daycare, early childhood education, child care licensing, provider licensing, child care regulations, administrative rules, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, licensing advisory committee, child care providers, group child care, preschool programs, child to provider ratios, square footage requirements, staff training, certification requirements, child care funding

Summary: The Workforce Development Committee reconvened to consider House Bill 1119 with amendment version 02005. Senator Hogan explained that the amendment removed a section requiring the Department of Human Services to respond to legislative management, in order to make the bill feel more like a program evaluation than an audit and to avoid placing an unreasonable burden on the executive branch. The amendment also clarified that the Child Care Advisory Committee would provide an update and that the committee would dissolve after the rewrite of licensing standards, making it a time-limited body. Committee members discussed the bill as a novel approach to forming a group to study an issue and then disbanding after reporting back. Senator Larson noted the concept was similar to broader performance-review ideas, and Senator Hogan said the Legislative Council program evaluation effort was parallel to, but separate from, other performance-review proposals. The committee then voted 4-0-1 to adopt the amendment. Afterward, the committee moved to give House Bill 1119, as amended, a do pass recommendation. That motion also passed on a roll call vote, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering. or testifying, please contact the committee staff.
• To ensure Texas accommodates the continued growth, it's required to support. bills like HB 4810.
• Maintaining these right-of-ways required the use of much larger equipment and machines.
• And that equipment and those machines require a lot of fuel.
• But we are still required to maintain it. So the gentleman before me had photos.

Bills: HB2013, HB4163, HB4810

Keywords: property owners associations, chickens, urban farming, land use, homeowner rights, agriculture, municipal regulation, governmental requirements, farm management, inspections, border control, trade, state funding, 1184, house, all