Conference Committee

Welcome to the conference committee hearing today. Our conference committee meeting, it's, Wednesday, April 22. It's 2PM here in Conference Room 325. Welcome to our senators. Thank you for being here.

We're here for the purpose of discussing numerous measures. So we can just go ahead and and start with the first one.

Yep. Sounds good.

House Bill 2050, House Draft 1, Senate Draft 1, related to partial public financing of elections. On behalf of the House, we have myself and representative Perruso as co chairs and representative Belatti, Poepoe, and Garcia as managers.

I've assessed myself as Chair, Senator Kim co Chair, and Senator Awa manager.

Thank you. On this measure, I request that you consider going with a house strap one. It's less expensive and I know we're tight on money this year and put in a clean date on it. I did have one other suggestion that I wanted to run by you.

I know we discussed it with your staff but in the, when we consider the Senate bill, we put in a House Draft that would an amendment which would allow candidates participating in the partial public financing program to allocate up to 75% of their authorized aggregate expenditure limits and available public funds

to either primary or general because sometimes they don't have a contest in one or the other While preserving the combined limits applicable to both elections. So it wouldn't change the total limits. It would just allow them to spend

That's right.

75%.

Yes. Okay. But it doesn't change the actual amount.

That's right.

So that's what I would propose including in a conference draft. I just wanted to float that idea over to you to see if you had any initial reactions or we can discuss it another time.

No. I think that makes sense. I think it well, one question was your version was was that the campaign spending commissions on the on the money side of it or did you make some changes?

So my suggestion is we go with the HD 1, which is the campaign spending commission amounts. But we would just add that additional provision that I actually added to your Senate Bill that I didn't have in the House Bill.

Okay. So the.

Doesn't change the total amount of money that would be required.

But you you didn't you didn't change the matches or the you just left the CSC one attack. Okay. They put that in difference. Yeah. I think that's fine. I think, I mean, it's all gonna come down to money, so.

It will. So it's okay with you. I I'll prepare a proposed CD one with that and a clean date and then go ahead and request release from finance committee.

Perfect. Yep.

For the public's purpose

Yes.

Can you state as to what are the what are the the dollar notes you're talking about?

What are the dollar amounts we're talking about? So there is a.

Oh, for the the total appropriations?

The total appropriations that we're talking about?

Talking about what the candidates would would would be just to say.

Oh, so it's different for each race. Right, so.

Just a ballpark so that the public knows what are you usually talking about.

Sure. Yeah. So it's a it's so I think what my memory is that the what the campaign spending commission does is they will, look at how much was there's a certain multiplier. Multiplied by the number of voters in the last proceeding general election register to vote in each respective voting district.

So it's different for each one. I could do the calculation.

Hopefully, before we get to the next step after this, if we could have an idea so the public knows because you'd say it's a percentage of a formula that they have no idea.

And then how do we compare it to what is there now? So

Right.

Got it. Okay. So for if what this proposed to do is to so I will I will make sure that we have that information and explain it and when we meet again at this point.

But it will probably be a, like, a chart that has each race differently. Correct?

Yeah. So I in in general, we are proposing to increase the expenditure limits for elected offices by 20%. So that's that's the the general but each different office would be different. So I'll ask the campaign spending commission to put together a table for us.

They can raise up to a certain amount in different cases. Let's take for example

Yes.

I mean, house price is $20,000, and then you get x amount of that money.

Yes.

Right, by matching.

Yes. All of them.

So the increase of that would be by 20% overall?

So I rather than me just started guessing off top, I'll prepare a table.

Okay.

I'll ask the campaign spending commission to prepare a table so that we can have a better explanation so that we can all understand it and the public can understand it better.

Let's talk to you. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Senator. Okay. With so we'll work to prepare a proposed CD one as we've discussed, and I'll and if we could roll this over to tomorrow at 2PM here in Conference Room 325, that would be tomorrow, Thursday, April 23 at 2PM here in Conference Room 325.

And I'll have a table which we can just wanna listen. Be able to explain the numbers better.

Thank you, Senator Kim. Chair. Okay?

Yes.

Okay. Let's move on to the next one. House Bill 2095, House Draft 2, Senate Draft 2, relating to the judiciary. This is the judiciary budget, for this year. On behalf of the House, we have myself, Representative Tarnas, and Representative Kusch as co Chairs, and then Representative Poepoe and Shimizu as managers.

I'll assist myself as Chair, Senator Moriwaki co Chair, and Senator Awaas a manager.

Thank you. On this, I'm encouraging our finance committee to go with the House Draft 2 language. Obviously, this is a discussion that they're have between they're having between Finance Committee and Ways and Means Committee.

I'm doing an analysis of the impact of the Senate Draft 2 changes, and I'm providing that information to house finance. My recommendation is to go with the House Draft 2 language. I understand this is a negotiation, and so that's where we are.

K. So roll it.

So let's roll this over to tomorrow, the same agenda, 2PM, Thursday, April 23 at, here in Conference Room 325. Okay.

The next bill is the Senate Bill SB 2152, proposing amendments Article six, section three of the Hawaii State Constitution, please manage your retirement age for state justices and the judges for the Senate, myself as Chair, Senator Kim is co Chair and Senator Awa as a manager.

Thank you. On behalf of the House, it's myself, Representative Tarnas, and Represent Hartsfield as co Chairs and then Representative Belatti, Poepoe, and Shimizu as managers.

So I think where we're at on this one is the only difference was the the date. We will just do approval is the right process of any kind of which is on compliance. What what do you guys see?

Request if you have to see.

Call it. Okay. So it's just a date. So we we we're preparing a proposed city one that would just say upon compliance with articles six to 17 section three of the constitution. Yes.

And we'll get you that as soon as we have it.

I agree with that approach. And so we will use that, and I will request for these from Finance Committee.

Okay. And we do have to have the final language of the question, I guess it is.

That's the tip by far.

The substitute is the the question itself. By Friday.

By the Friday. Yeah. So that so we have to approve it by then. We just can't change the

Yeah. So questionnaire. So we modify the question slightly in the HD 1. Hopefully, that's acceptable to you.

That's that's what we're planning to put in the that's what we had in the year. Okay. Alright. Why don't we roll this one till tomorrow too? Is that okay?

2:00 in this room 325. That'd be April 26. Yes. K. Thank you.

Next up is another set up for bills relating to, I'm sorry, SB 2247 relating to political fundraising by executive branch employees. Please send us myself as Chair, co Chairs Lee, and Senator Awa, manager.

Thank you. On behalf of the house, we have myself, Representative Tarnas, and Representative Keohokapu-Lee Loy as co Chairs, and Presentative Poepoe and Garcia as managers.

Okay. So our suggestion would be to post CD1. I think we just got it. So let me Yes. We skipped at the already Yes.

Okay. Uses the the SD 1 version of the bill, but striking references to procurement authority from the law. Yes. That's fine. I agree.

Alright. So we do need finding some WAM approvals. So why don't we roll till tomorrow and we'll make our request? Okay. Okay.

I agree. So that's 22 that's the 2247 roll till 2PM tomorrow. I'm listening to 03/25 and that would be April 23. Yes. Perfect.

Thank you. The next bill is also a Senate bill that is SB 2494 in auction, concrete, statutory limitations. I put the sentence myself as Chair, Senator Gabbard, and I basically agree with Gabbard and Awa as managers.

On behalf of the House is myself as Chair and Represent Poepoe and Shimizu as managers.

So our suggestion would be to just to accept the House amendments, but we need a clean date and so House HD 1 plus a follow-up.

Yes. I agree.

Okay. Do you vote?

Let's do a vote.

Okay. Okay. We'll pass over to CD1 for the House. I'm sorry. [Roll Call] May I take the vote.

Yes, please.

For the House. [Roll Call] So we got a bill. Yay.

Start start the ball rolling here.

So I'm looking for the camera because last year Yeah. I had a bad idea. Yeah. He wrote the time down. Yes, Jesse. He wrote the time down. Okay. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Alright.

That brings us to another s another Senate Bill, SB 2532, related to campaign spending commission electronic filing system for the Senate as myself as Chair, co Chair Lee, and, the manager Awa.

Thank you. On behalf of the house, we have myself, Representative Tarnas as co Chair with Representative Hartsfield, also co Chair, and managers Poepoe and Garcia.

So this is the one on the the electronic against various sections of Hawaii's campaign spending laws are requiring designated campaign finance forms to be submitted electronically to the campaign spending Commission's upgraded electronic system.

The only difference was a bad day if I That's correct. Correctly. So, recommendation was to well, the suggestion sorry. Suggestion was just to make the bill effective the day after this coming election so that it will apply to future elections but not try to apply it to 2026.

Yes.

Okay.

I would agree. And we could then use that agreement and request FIN release and WAM release. Yes.

We did request a CD1 from SMA today. And so since we have that, we can.

Great.

Do you want to just roll this till tomorrow?

Yes, please.

Okay. So, SB 25321. Pick it up tomorrow at 3:15pm in this room 3/25, which is April

At at 2PM.

At 2PM. 2PM. What did I say?

2PM.

2PM. And and before we go on, Chair, if I can close, I forgot to mention the house is really wanting us to briefly describe the bill that we passed when we vote on it. So SB 2494, it basically just establishes the statute of limitations of nine years for a bribery offense. That's basically what it does.

Yes. Okay. So that's what we are doing. That's all the business we have before this committee today. We are adjourned.

That's what it does?

Thank you.

Hello, everyone. We are convening this conference committee. It is Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1PM, Conference Room 309. Good afternoon, everyone. And, I think we'll start off by just welcoming you all, and I'll introduce the House Members.

And then, house members, if you guys have anything to add, feel free, and then we'll pass over to Sam. First off, we have myself. I'm Chair Todd.

Oh, Jenna Takenouchi, House District 27.

I'm Lisa Kitagawa. I'm out from Kaneohe, Takaba.

Dee Morikawa, Southwest Kauai and Nihao.

Amy Perruso, Wipio Acres out to Ka'ena Point.

Tyson Miyake, District 10, Wailuku Maui.

Matthias Kusch, Hilo, Hamakua.

Aloha, Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee Loy District 2, Hilo.

Aloha, everyone. Shirley Templo District 30, Kalighi.

Hello, everybody. Daisy Hartsfield, House District 36, Waipahu.

Hi, everyone. Cov Ratcliffe, House District 28, Sand Island, Chinatown, Hubelet.

Hello, everyone. District 41, Eva Beach.

Julie Reyes Oda, District 40, Eva Beach.

Representative Joe Gedeon, Hawaii Kai, Klamath Valley, Fort Law. District 18.

Thank you. For the House, De la Cruz Chair, conference appointees are DeCorte, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, Moriwaki, Richards, Wakai amd Fevella.

Okay. So some housekeeping stuff. We have agree workshops, agree worksheets that have been posted to the capital website reflecting where the items the House and the Senate have already agreed upon.

Disagree workshop worksheets have also been posted to the capital website and show where we are currently in disagreement. And we'll be negotiating on all disagrees and announce that we've come to agree with it, or not.

In addition, upon completion of negotiations, we'll be posting the marked up worksheet indicating whether we have gone with either the house position, the Senate position, or some form of house Senate adjustment. Just leave it all. No. Okay.

Okay. So, at this time, we'll just ask, Members if they have opening remarks, and I'd just like to begin by saying that the state is in a difficult financial position due to federal funding cuts and policies and due to the recent Kona no storms.

It is difficult to know how much the state can continue to afford in new spending without know knowing how we will continue to provide meaningful tax relief for our working families and middle class income families.

Fiscal responsibility does not mean sacrificing critical services. We can maintain safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid, rural health care, and more if we do the hard work in tightening the state's health.

Before we consider raising taxes on residents, we must share responsibility and take common sense actions like eliminating vacant positions, moving state corporations and authorities that can raise their own revenues off the general fund, and sweeping

excess cash from non general fund accounts. Any members?

I'd like to just support what what the Chair said. I think we must fund critical services of health and safety and also the kinds of, funds that we need for disaster relief, like the Kona loans that came unexpectedly.

So I think we have to make reasonable cuts. And for example, long term vacancies. We have 233 positions that have been vacant five more years, and that would raise $9,700,000.

We have other cuts that we need to make, but we must must make the hard decisions. Thank you.

And for myself, I really believe that facts we need for all Alice families should go straight into their pockets and not force them to wait for a year to get.

I just wanna say a huge to the chair, vice chair, and the staff who's a steadfast leadership that is responsible for review of the budget.

And if we want to provide relief now when it is really needed, the tax credit isn't the way to go. Increasing the standard deduction and adjusting the brackets provides money back to the taxpayers' pocket day to day, and they never have to wait or apply for help.

First of all, I'm concerned about the differences that we have on both sides in both the Senate. And I must call on record to say that I cannot agree to raise taxes until agencies and departments operate efficiently.

And if we hold our government and we hold ourselves accountable and exercise the prudent spending, we'll have enough money. We do have enough money. Okay.

But poor decisions are being made. And that's a result in loss of millions of dollars, failed programs that have cost millions of dollars. A good example is a Medicaid reimbursement that that's on the table. Millions and millions of dollars are there. Our citizens need relief.

They need to know that when we say we're going to promise them tax relief, we're going to keep them. So not only are we not gonna give them their tax relief, but we wanna raise taxes on top of that. I cannot say that.

I totally concur. I mean, none of us in this room and outside the room wanna pay more in taxes. And what the public despises even more is a broken promise. We assured them a historic tax cut two years ago.

And what we're contemplating now is a historic bait and switch that is not acceptable.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you for your leadership. You know, over the next eight years, the average household of three to four in Hawaii would be saving around 19 to $20,000.

That is $20,000 that these families could put towards a down payment of a new home or towards a new car. This relief that we promised to the people of Hawaii will help them now. Promise me, promise kept. Thank you.

I'll say especially the federal uncertainty in budgeting and support for programs for families. Making support for families has to be the top priority.

Keeping the tax cuts would allow families to save an exponential amount of money that could impact their lives. A family of four living in Kahului could save $4,118 and that amount is equivalent to one's typical rent payment per month.

Gas or transportation services are simple necessities such as food and feeding one's family.

Thank you, Chairs. I'd just like to also add that making reason reasonable reductions in the state budget ensures that we have enough money to pay for critical services and urgent needs like disaster responses to our criminal law stores.

I'd also like to thank the chairs and thank the house for getting together. One of the initiatives that I'm very supportive of is making sure we maintain our safety nets, the SNAP benefits, Medicaid.

We're gonna have hungry kids coming up, and that's a big thing for me. I'm looking forward to being able to support that.

Thank you. Thank you, guys. Mahal said it on working on this. But for me, working class families don't call many of them don't qualify for many of these tax credits. Only benefits is the child dependents credit, credit that they already have expenses.

Our taxpayers need relief. What's happening right now, if we're talking about when we're talking about working class families, we're talking about the middle class.

We're always keeping about how we're gonna keep our people here on the islands where we can't even make a decision and keep it our, you know, our promise that we can't.

And that's something that right now in my community keeps saying that. You know, we're going back on our promise that we made.

And we and we told them they was gonna do the best we can and have a lot of strides in what we're doing. But, again, thank you guys all for what you guys do too. Not taking away AD from anybody. Thank you.

Thank you. You guys good?

Okay. We'll start getting into so just to kinda set the table, we have the agrees, we have the disagrees. These are technical disagreements that are very easily resolved by creating new sequence numbers that are starting with 3,000.

So with your indulgence, I'm not gonna read out every single new sequence number because that would be kinda irritating for everyone. Okay.

We're gonna open up with EGR 192. We have sequence 1070 OO1 and 2070 001. There will be a new sequence. This is changing the means of financing for one permanent FTE. Program specialist five, to a, and reducing fringe benefits, 64,450 in B funds.

Next, we have AGS 820. Sequence 1040001 and 2040001 with a new sequence number transferring in three temp FTEs and 360,000 e-funds from ED142.

Next, the ED120 sequence 1100, 001 2100, 001, new sequence number adding 6,000,000 in special funds for geothermal carbon sequestration and underground water resource characterization program.

Next, VED 142, we have sequence 1040, 2040001, new sequence, transferring out three temp FTEs and 360,000 in a funds to Hawaii Broadband and Digi Digital Equity Office, AGSA twenty.

Next, sequence 1,100001 and 2100001, new sequence adding one permanent FTE and 116,265 in a funds for taxation compliance coordinator.

Moving on to health 24, sequence 1030 and 2030, new sequence transferring out five permanent FTE and 511,252 in A funds to behavioral health administration.

Next, sequence 1031001 ,2030001, new sequence trading off seven temp FTEs at 300,112 in A funds to Alcohol, Drug Abuse Administration and Behavioral Health Administration. Next, sequence 1032001 and 2032001.

We have a new sequence trading off one permanent FTE and 65,298 a to behavioral health administration. Next, sequence 1032002 and 2032002, new sequence trading off one permanent FTE and $71,016 in a funds to behavioral health administration.

Next, sequence 1033001 and 2033001, new sequence transferring out one permanent FTE and 97,200 12 in A funds to behavioral health administration.

Next for health 440, we have sequence 1030001 and 2030001, new sequence trading off two temp FTEs and 78,000 in A funds to behavioral health administration.

Continuing on to health 495, we have sequence 1030 and 203001, new sequence transferring in five permanent FTE and 511,252 a from adult mental health, to outpatient HTH 420.

Next sequence 103001 and 2031001, new sequence transferring in those positions, last transferring in five temporary FTE and 222,112 A from adult mental health patient HTH 420. Next sequence, 1032001 and 2032001.

New sequence transferring in two permanent FTE, 136,944 any funds from adult mental health outpatient, HTH 420. Next sequence, 1033001 and 2033001.

New sequence transferring in one permanent FTE and 97,212 A funds of adult mental health outpatient of HTH 420. Moving on to HTH 560, we have sequence 101001 and 101002, as well as 201001 and 201002.

New sequences trading off one permanent FTE and 84,828 dollars in refunds from other current expenses to redescribe, one permanent human services professional six.

Sequence 1011001, 1011002, and 2011001, and 2011002. New sequences trading off one permanent FTE and 109,248 end funds from personal services to redescribe, one permanent administrative officer of five. Almost there. Almost there. I promise.

Okay. Next, we got sequence 1012001 and 1012002, as well as 2012001 and 2012002 new sequences, trade off one permanent FTE and $84,828 in a funds from OCE to redescribe, one permanent count at five.

Sequence 1013001, 1013002, and 2013001, 2015002 sequence.

New sequences trading off half permanent FTE and a 182,246 in end funds and add half FTE to redescribe to one permanent program specialist five and add, other current expenses. We have a bunch of sequence numbers here.

1014001, 002, 003, 004, as well as the corresponding, set of sequence numbers in the 2000. New sequence numbers for those to trade off a 116,026 and n from other current expenses to redescribe to one permanent epidemiologist, one.

Last few, we have help with 590, sequence 1010001, and 002, as well as twenty ten, o one, and o two, new sequences trading off 19,682 in new funds from other current expenses to personal services for primary prevention.

Law 822, we have sequence 1040 at 001 and 2040001. New sequence transferring in a 118,000 in a funds and 200,000 in b funds for State Fire Council from LBR 902.

Gonna cover those. And last item, we had LBR 902, sequence 1040001 and 2040001, new sequence transfer out a 118,000 in a funds and 200,000 b funds for State Fire Council to Office of State Fire Marshall Law 822. That that okay? Yeah. Okay?

Senator, are you there? No. No.

We're probably not gonna be able to read any more agrees adding to the budget until we can figure out the tax revenues. And so if we if hope the sooner we can get some agreement, then we know how much more we can add to the budget.

If we don't get to an agreement, then the current law is as is, and we would have to go back into the budget and maybe find some cuts. Okay.

Last thing is we'll be reconvening Friday, April 24. 2026 at 1PM in this same conference room.

Thank you.

We're adjourned.