Transcript Highlights:

• We interviewed State and national stakeholders, such as the Florida Department of Health, the National
• OPPAGA interviewed state and national stakeholders about advantages and disadvantages of interstate compacts

Summary: The committee heard and approved several health care bills. Senate Bill 68, by Senator Harrell, would require all hospital emergency departments to be prepared to treat children by maintaining pediatric equipment, staff training, written policies, a pediatric care coordinator, and completion/public posting of the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment. Senator Harrell said the bill is intended to improve pediatric emergency care in general hospitals, and the bill was supported by the Florida College of Emergency Physicians and the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It passed favorably. The committee also approved Senate Bill 154, which corrects the Mobile Act for dentists and dental hygienists by requiring graduates of out-of-state dental schools seeking licensure by endorsement to have attended a CODA-accredited school. The bill drew support from dental and dental hygienist groups and passed favorably. Senate Bill 40, by Senator Sharif, would require Medicaid managed care networks to ensure at least half of primary care providers offer appointments outside regular business hours, including evenings and weekends, to improve access and reduce emergency room use; it also passed favorably. A lengthy discussion centered on Senate Bill 254, also by Senator Harrell, which would tighten oversight of nursing education programs, create a temporary provisional license and preceptorship for new graduates awaiting NCLEX results, require remediation for low-performing programs, add standardized admission and exit-exam requirements, and allow the Department of Health to inspect programs unannounced. Supporters said the bill would improve quality and help students gain experience, while opponents warned it could reduce the number of nursing programs and worsen shortages, especially among private schools. After debate and testimony from nursing and school representatives, the bill passed favorably, with Senator Davis voting no. The committee then received an OPPAGA presentation on interstate health care licensure compacts. OPPAGA reviewed how Florida uses licensure by endorsement, telehealth registration, and compacts for nurses, psychologists, and physicians, and explained the potential benefits and drawbacks of joining additional compacts, including portability, data sharing, and emergency staffing versus costs, administrative burdens, and possible conflicts with Florida scope-of-practice laws. No action was taken on the presentation, and the meeting adjourned after Senator Davis requested to be recorded in support of SB 68 and SB 154.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're interviewing for that attorney position now.
• They go make the interviews, they make the prosecutor's prosecutorial discretion decisions.

Summary: The Government Operations Subcommittee met to hear a lengthy presentation from Secretary of State Cord Byrd on Florida election administration, with a focus on how elections are handled during natural disasters, election security, and preparations for the 2026 cycle. Byrd described Florida’s response to hurricanes in 2022 and 2024, saying the state works directly with county supervisors of elections to tailor executive orders to local conditions, add or relocate polling sites, extend deadlines, and help displaced voters and emergency workers cast ballots. Members from affected areas echoed that local supervisors had managed storm disruptions well and that turnout remained strong despite major damage. A large portion of the meeting covered election integrity and security. Byrd emphasized Florida’s use of paper ballots, pre-election logic and accuracy testing, post-election audits, public canvassing, standardized voter-intent rules, and strict vote-by-mail request and signature-match requirements. He said the Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security investigates complaints and refers matters to law enforcement, and that Florida has expanded access to the federal SAVE database to verify citizenship. Members asked about threats to election workers, staffing vacancies, cybersecurity, ballot design, vote-by-mail address changes, and how the state coordinates with county supervisors, emergency management, and other agencies. Several members raised questions about voter eligibility and returning citizens, and Byrd said the department provides free information to help people determine whether their rights have been restored, while noting that court and clerk reporting practices still create challenges. He also said the department is considering additional legislative proposals, including more safeguards tied to driver’s license and citizenship verification and a possible statewide 100% audit of races before certification. The meeting ended with the chair encouraging members to visit supervisors of elections offices and submit specific ideas for future elections legislation; no votes were taken and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• looking at billing data line by line, examining provider records, going on-site, and conducting interviews
• In fact, according to Joe Thompson, at a KARE 11 interview, the vast majority of this spending, of that

Transcript Highlights:

• with required statutes and rules that often involve site visits to providers, reviewing records, interviewing
• Our investigations involve reviewing documents, conducting on-site visits, and doing interviews.

Transcript Highlights:

• In fact, in an April 2025 media interview, Joe Thompson, the federal prosecutor who handled Feeding Our
• And by the way, if you believe the quote that Joe Thompson shared in his recent interview, maybe even

Transcript Highlights:

• learned in my several of a few months already that it's very time-consuming, spent several nights interview
• And I've spent several nights already over in Pensacola helping interview the mayor list of candidates

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are at least six others that I've been interviewing.
• And just to finalize, as I mentioned, having interviewed multiple institutions around the country during

Bills: SB5, SJR3, SB 5, SJR 3

Keywords: dementia, research institute, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, funding, grants, state health initiatives, research funding, state budget, prevention, healthcare, medical research, Dementia Prevention and Research Institute, disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, district apportionment, legislative rules

Transcript Highlights:

• So the toxicology results will run a panel across for illegal substances.
• The panels would show that. >> In your experience, has there ever been separate from DUIs?
• It's a it's a much more medical panel similar does if you want a hospital.
• comes down to it depends on the situation that if I may offer an example on DNA evidence and for the panel

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Foster, after this panel.
• So let's proceed with the remaining two witnesses for this panel.
• Hold off questions until the end of the panel.
• We'll proceed to our next panel, and that's on hydrogeology.
• Okay, we're going to call up our next panel of stakeholders.

Summary: The committee held a hearing on high-capacity groundwater wells proposed in Anderson, Henderson, and Houston counties, with members framing the issue as one of local water supply, fairness, and the need to modernize groundwater law while protecting private property rights. Opening remarks focused on the scale of the proposed Redtown Ranch and Pine Bliss projects, the potential export of tens of thousands of acre-feet of groundwater annually, and concerns that the applications lacked sufficient technical detail and could harm nearby landowners, cities, agriculture, and manufacturing. Members also noted the broader context of the recent flooding tragedy in central Texas and the Legislature’s intent to address water-related loss of life in the upcoming special session. Witnesses from the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts and the Texas Water Development Board explained the current groundwater management framework. They described groundwater conservation districts as the state’s preferred management method, the role of groundwater management areas and desired future conditions, and how the Water Development Board uses those conditions to calculate modeled available groundwater. They emphasized that districts rely on local data, monitoring wells, and planning processes, but that information is often more limited in areas without a district, where the rule of capture applies. Members pressed witnesses on recharge rates, export permits, subsidence, the effect of pumping on nearby wells, the age and real-time availability of model data, and whether the proposed project would exceed modeled available groundwater in some counties. TCEQ explained its limited oversight role over groundwater conservation districts, including inquiries, compliance actions, and, in extreme cases, dissolution authority. Water Development Board staff also outlined funding programs, saying the New Water Supply for Texas Fund is limited to projects such as brackish desalination, reuse, ASR, and other new-supply projects, and does not fund fresh groundwater exports alone. They said the project at issue had not applied for board funding. A water lawyer then testified on the rule of capture, ownership in place, and district regulation, arguing that districts must use permitting and other tools to manage production within modeled available groundwater and that the Legislature could consider additional authority over groundwater exports under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last session, I interviewed a Republican intern, a DFL intern, and a nonpartisan intern, all at different

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now the panel was declared only about two weeks ago.
• They thought of setting this panel up.
• <00:24:39.279> They this panel up about six months ago.
• They this panel up about six months ago.
• Now the panel<00:24:41.919> was<00:24:42.159> declared<00:24:42.559> only<00:24:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Panel members, questions for this panel? Panel Member: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• I'm asking every single panel who has your position the same question.
• Chairman: Do we have any more questions for this panel? Okay. Hold up just one second.
• Representative Schoolcraft, members, any more questions for this panel? All right.
• We'll go on and get started with the next panel.

Bills: HB 3

Keywords: emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, 911, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management, public safety infrastructure, Project 25, P25, broadband emergency alerting, outdoor warning sirens, homeland security, disaster response

Transcript Highlights:

• And I’ll have more questions probably after the— Yeah, we’ll have time to ask the whole panel.
• But my question to you as a panel would be one of accountability for ODOT.
• If you all remember, in February, we invited him to come as part of a panel to talk about some of the
• In February, we invited him to come as part of a panel to talk about some of the main cost drivers to
• So thank you so much for for In February, we invited him to come as part of a panel to talk about some

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The committee first received an informational update on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project from Carly Francis and Travis Brower. They described the project’s purpose as improving seismic resilience, safety, freight movement, transit, and bicycle/pedestrian access across the Columbia River, and said the updated cost estimate is $13.2 billion to $14.4 billion for the full corridor. They explained the increase from the 2022 estimate as driven by construction inflation, a more conservative inflation curve, schedule delays, more detailed engineering, and risk modeling. They also outlined the funding plan, including $2.1 billion in federal funds, $1 billion each from Oregon and Washington, and $1.5 billion in projected toll revenue, and said they are working to obligate federal funds by the end of September. The panel described a first funded phase that would include the bridge, highway connections, tolling infrastructure, bridge removal, and transit design, with light rail to Vancouver still intended but dependent on additional funding. Members questioned the risk of losing federal transit funds, whether bridge design decisions were being made with legislative input, and whether the space reserved for light rail could be used for buses if transit funding does not materialize. The committee then heard testimony on maintaining Oregon’s existing roads and bridges from representatives of Knife River, the Asphalt Pavement Association of Oregon, and CRH. Witnesses said pavement and bridge preservation is severely underfunded, with ODOT needing about $400 million per year for pavement preservation but receiving roughly $100 million annually. They showed examples of deteriorating highways such as U.S. 97 and I-84 and argued that delaying maintenance leads to much higher reconstruction costs, more safety risks, and higher user costs. Knife River described layoffs and reduced work in Oregon because of limited preservation funding, while witnesses also said rising wages, equipment costs, fuel, and permitting delays are increasing project costs. Committee members asked about the role of prevailing wage, diesel equipment, hauling distances, and whether preservation work could be prioritized more effectively. Finally, economist Joe Cortright presented on recent ODOT megaproject cost overruns. He said Oregon has experienced persistent overruns driven by overly optimistic revenue forecasts, heavy reliance on debt, consultant costs, inflation above forecast, and projects that have become much larger in scope than originally presented. He cited major increases in the Interstate Bridge, Rose Quarter, and Abernathy Bridge projects and argued that some designs are far wider and more expensive than necessary. Cortright said better accountability, clearer priorities, and more disciplined project sizing are needed, and committee members pressed him on why agencies proceed with larger designs even when consultants recommend narrower, less expensive alternatives.

Transcript Highlights:

• Would you like me to take that now or wait until the end of the panel?
• Let's wait until the end of the panel, please. Okay, thanks. Great.
• Well, thank you, panel, for your input and kind of explaining what the challenges are.
• Well, thank you, panel, for your input and kind of explaining what the challenges are.
• that, I'm done and would be pleased to answer any questions, or if you want to wait till the entire panel

Summary: The committee held a work session on local government issues, beginning with an update from the State Building Code Council on four legislatively mandated code amendments now in CR-102 rulemaking: temporary emergency shelters, reduced minimum dwelling unit size, multiplex housing up to three stories and six units, and single-exit apartment buildings up to six stories. Council staff also described a separate embodied-carbon appendix proposal that remains under public review, with testimony both supporting and opposing it. Members asked about the rationale for some of the code limits, including the restriction on connecting multiplex buildings. The committee then heard a panel on annexations from MRSC, Pierce County, and the Association of Washington Cities. Witnesses reviewed annexation methods, including petition, election, and interlocal agreement approaches, and said larger annexations are increasingly using interlocal agreements because they can address infrastructure, revenue sharing, and public process concerns. They described barriers such as inconsistent local standards, the cost of infrastructure, referendum risk, census requirements, and the difficulty of persuading residents and local officials to support annexation. Members asked about the five-year restriction on residential zoning changes in one annexation method and whether a hearing examiner could reduce political pressure on local decision-makers. A second panel discussed subdivision reform. The Master Builders Association urged raising the short-plat threshold within urban growth areas to 30 lots as a simpler first step, citing permitting delays and added housing costs. The City of Spokane described implementation problems with recent housing laws, including uncertainty about how to review plats under HB 1110, lot-splitting administration, and added notice requirements for unit lot subdivisions. AWC said there was broad agreement that subdivision decisions should be more administrative, but public hearings remained a point of disagreement. The committee also heard from FutureWise, the Washington State Association of Counties, and Lewis County on county development regulation and enforcement, with witnesses emphasizing underfunded code enforcement, inconsistent standards between counties and cities, and the need for better coordination, incentives, and possibly stronger enforcement tools. No votes were taken; the chair said the committee would continue working on possible solutions in future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am here because SB 37. and a member of the New Mexico Biliteracy Panel.
• I'm a scholar of biliteracy and bilingual education and a member of the New Mexico Biliteracy Panel.
• I'm a scholar of biliteracy and bilingual education and a member of the New Mexico Biliteracy Panel.
• I'm part of the New Mexico Biliteracy Panel, and I'm here to share just two specific areas.
• I'm part of the New Mexico Bialiteracy panel, and I'm here to share just two specific areas.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• time to introduce ourselves, however, since our time is limited, I'd like to get straight into the panel
• Members, please hold your questions until the panels have finished their opening remarks and we will
• have discussion with the panels regarding the impacts and what we can do better as a state to assist
• And I mean, some of the other folks here on the panel and in other counties could benefit from some of
• I would like to thank the Chair: Panel for making the trip up here on short notice. Appreciate it.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the things it does is there's a panel for Missouri military family relief.
• It changes the name of the individual panel from the sergeant major of the National Guard to senior enlisted
• But I think we could clear this up by saying the panel instead of must can include the senior enlisted
• And to your point about modifying that language for the panel, you were the state sergeant major.
• The cleanup language about the intergovernmental panel and council, that's new.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This panel has finished their testimony to make sure we're not redundant and overlapping.
• Explain for the panel and the audience, I think a lot of the panel understands this, the difference between
• Thank you, Senator King, and I appreciate this panel, all of your testimony and your time today.
• Very good, members, we'll go through this panel, and then we'll open up for questions.

Bills: SB8, SB 8

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I remember someone on one of the panels bringing up this problem.
• Chair, I remember someone on one of the panels bringing up this problem.
• I was here back in February for a panel on the three-tier system. Thank you for having me again.
• I was here back in February for a panel on the three-tier system. Thank you for having me again.
• Just to panel on the three-tier system. Thank you for having me again.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard seven measures, including four bills and three proposed committee substitutes. HB 6033, repealing the Labor Pool Act, was presented as a cleanup measure to remove duplicative regulation; supporters argued workers would still be covered by OSHA, wage laws, workers’ compensation, and liability insurance, while opponents raised concerns about losing specific protections for day laborers. The bill was reported favorably on a 4-? vote, with several members voting no over concerns about worker protections. HB 453, dealing with pool and spa contractors, was described as a technical update to Chapter 489 that would better align licensing scopes with current industry practice and allow contractors to perform related work without stopping for additional licensed trades. An amendment making only drafting changes was adopted, and the bill passed unanimously. CS/HB 277 on veteran benefits assistance was also reported favorably unanimously after testimony focused on protecting veterans from predatory claims-assistance practices while preserving choice and requiring disclosures, fee limits, and data-security safeguards. The committee then approved PCS for HB 291, which would require personal mobility device batteries sold in Florida to meet an IPX-7 certification standard, after the sponsor cited fire risks from lithium-ion batteries; the measure passed unanimously. PCS for HB 709, allowing valid pari-mutuel permit holders to lease facilities to nearby high-li permit holders, was amended to require a minimum of 59 live performances and then passed unanimously. CS/HB 4011, expanding who may serve as a building official on Palm Beach County’s Building Code Advisory Board, passed unanimously as a good-government fix to fill vacancies. Finally, PCS for HB 499, allowing small craft breweries under 31,000 gallons to self-distribute, drew extensive testimony from brewers and distributors about small-business growth versus the three-tier alcohol system; despite concerns about weakening distribution safeguards, the bill was reported favorably by a 13-2 vote. The meeting then adjourned with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this bill simply adds to the newborn screening panel that is done routinely to Shane's Muscular Dystrophy
• So I there's no additional major problem with adding this to the newborn screening panel.
• And I'm not sure why anybody would oppose adding this to the newborn screening panel.
• So then the the panel, the period panel would make recommendations to the collaborative.

Keywords: 999, senate, all