Transcript Highlights:

• Section 1A notes that voters shall be treated as verified if they show the clerk photo ID that meets
• the requirements of RSA 659:13, section 2A, prior to election day.
• the requirements of RSA 659:13, section 2A, prior to election day.
• That also requires transportation because a notary public does not come to your home.
• </c><00:28:53.679><c> because</c> also requires Transportation because also requires Transportation because

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are the ones that we have in front of us, Section 11 and Section 57.
• I give you kind of a general overview in this section. The next section relates to committee...
• You kind of a general overview in this section. The next section relates to committee oversight.
• That's in this next section.
• And I feel like if you’ve got things for this committee, this should probably be in your section of code

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a section that deals with definitions under 120.
• What about if there's a sort of a transportation impact?
• This bill has two sections.
• The first section makes it a violation of Section 112, the Florida Code of Ethics, for anyone who is
• Code of Ethics, fines that remain unpaid and delinquent after 90 days.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules met with a quorum present and took up a series of bills, beginning with SB 108 on administrative procedures. That bill, as amended, would require agencies to review all rules on a five-year cycle, submit regulatory plans and annual reports, publish intended agency action within 90 days of new rulemaking authority, improve public access to incorporated materials, and streamline rule publication and correction procedures. After brief testimony from the Florida Bar’s Administrative Law Section and support from Americans for Prosperity and the James Madison Institute, the committee adopted two amendments and reported CS for SB 108 favorably. The committee then approved several other measures, including the Senate veterans package (CS for CS for SB 116), which made technical changes and was supported by veterans and advocacy groups; SB 118 on presidential libraries, which preempts local barriers while preserving state and federal law and building codes; CS for SB 126 allowing mail distribution of prescription hearing aids after a Florida-licensed professional examination; CS for SB 150, “Trooper’s Law,” making it a third-degree felony to abandon restrained animals during declared disasters; SB 294 limiting collaborative pharmacy practice expansion for complex cardiac conditions; SM 314 urging Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure; CS for SB 322 creating a nonjudicial process to remove unauthorized persons from commercial property; CS for SB 348 on ethics, addressing false military rank claims and delinquent ethics fines; SB 356 designating January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day; CS for SB 160 expanding CPA licensure pathways and clarifying administrative outsourcing; and CS for SB 50 promoting nature-based coastal resilience measures. Most of these bills received supportive testimony and were reported favorably. The committee also considered and reported favorably the annual reviser bills SB 36, SB 38, SB 40, and SB 42, which adopt the 2025 Florida Statutes, conform statutory names, remove expired provisions, and clean up obsolete language and cross-references. Throughout the meeting, members asked questions on a few bills, but no roll-call votes were recorded as opposed; each measure was approved and reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, senators requested that a few missed affirmative votes be recorded, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> elderly</c> and we provide transportation to elderly and we provide transportation to elderly and
• </c> found the tax code found the tax code complicated<03:22:02.840><c> uh</c><03:22:03.040><c> having
• </c> it goes to bonus depreciation or Section it goes to bonus depreciation or Section 179<03:31:50.399
• </c> if we were to simplify that tax code if we were to simplify that tax code and<03:38:47.080><c> the
• </c><03:43:42.800><c> is</c> to make sure that the uh code is to make sure that the uh code is Equitable

Summary: The meeting was an introductory Ways and Means Committee orientation led by Chair John Janigian. Members went around the room introducing themselves, with several returning legislators and several freshmen describing their backgrounds in business, education, public service, finance, transportation, journalism, military service, and nonprofit work. Janigian explained his own legislative history and professional background, and other members, including Bill Bolton, Fred Doucette, Mary Ford, Jim Tierney, Scott Brier, Thomas Oppel, Mary Murphy, Representative Spar, Susan Elberger, Dennis Malloy, Jordan Ulery, and Julius Soti, briefly described their prior experience and reasons for serving on the committee. The chair then outlined the committee’s role. He said Ways and Means is responsible for revenue estimates that Finance will use to determine how much the state can spend over the next biennium, and that the committee would spend the next five to six weeks developing its best revenue estimate, due around February 15. He also explained that the committee hears from state agencies and departments about how taxes are created, collected, and performing against expectations, and that it reviews bills affecting state revenue, including tax increases, tax decreases, tax removals, and fee-related measures. Janigian noted that the committee had five bills at the time of the meeting and expected more to be referred. He explained that most would be first-committee bills, though some second-committee bills could come over if they involved taxes or fees after passing policy committees. He used marijuana-related legislation as an example of a bill that might first go to another committee and later reach Ways and Means if it had fiscal implications. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, and members were told how to participate in hearings and follow-up questions during regular committee work.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you go to Section 4 under Section 41.001 in the definitions, ...mental and emotional pain and anguish
• In the section starting at line 3, this is in the section in 41... 104 that is designed to operate as
• You go down to section B.
• The first is the Open Courts Provision, Article 1, Section 13. The other is Article 3, Section 66.
• So, Article 3, Section 66.

Bills: HB4806

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: civil action, damages, health care services, noneconomic damages, negligence, legal standards

Transcript Highlights:

• We helped support the next section of distribution.
• When I try to draw analogies into things like air quality, like CARB, like transportation, regional transportation
• Just look at EV policy in this state right now on transportation: this is where we're trying to go.
• The task force has also recommended some changes to Fish and Game Code sections that are outdated, given
• The task force has also recommended some changes to Fish and Game Code sections that are outdated, given

Committee: House Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture

Summary: The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture held its annual State of the Fishery forum, focusing on salmon, Dungeness crab, kelp, ocean conditions, and related aquaculture and committee reports. Opening remarks from committee leadership emphasized climate impacts, reduced federal NOAA support, state investments through Proposition 4, coastal resilience funding, and the importance of fisheries to rural economies and tribal communities. Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot described a decade of drought and climate stress, highlighted progress such as Klamath River dam removal, wetland restoration, and the state’s salmon strategy, and warned that federal funding uncertainty and staffing cuts could undermine restoration and fishery recovery efforts. Senator Cortese raised concerns about illegal cannabis cultivation damaging riparian habitat and water flows, and both Crowfoot and Fish and Wildlife Director Bonham said enforcement against illicit grows remains a major environmental priority but is constrained by resources. Director Bonham provided a broad update on California fisheries, reporting encouraging signs for salmon after several difficult years, including improved ocean conditions, stronger returns in some runs, and successful short recreational openings in 2025. He also noted major challenges, including reduced federal hatchery production at Nimbus, ongoing uncertainty around winter-run and spring-run recovery, and the need for continued habitat restoration, monitoring, and hatchery investment. On Dungeness crab, Bonham said the fishery remained valuable but constrained by whale entanglement risk, warming ocean conditions, and domoic acid concerns; he described new marked-line distribution, ropeless and alternative gear trials, and ongoing aerial and vessel monitoring. He also said the department’s unified cannabis enforcement task force had served numerous warrants and seized large amounts of illegal cannabis, but more funding is needed for sustained operations. In the salmon panel, Yurok Tribe fisheries director McCovey said the Klamath still faces low run sizes, climate-driven warming, wildfire impacts, and federal uncertainty, but he pointed to dam removal, restoration work, and AB 263’s river-flow protections as major advances. PCFFA president Bradshaw stressed that the three consecutive salmon closures have devastated coastal communities and argued for major reinvestment in aging Central Valley hatchery infrastructure and better broodstock management at Fall Creek. CalTrout’s Schneider said salmon remain at risk statewide, but cited Prop 4, habitat reconnection, floodplain restoration, improved water management, and monitoring as the main tools for recovery. In the crab panel, CDFW’s Schumann reported that the 2024–25 season produced record prices per pound and about $55 million in value despite delays and trap reductions, but he warned that three confirmed whale entanglements and elevated whale presence could force a conservative opener for 2025–26. PCFFA’s Domrash supported marked line, alternative gear, and a new gear-recovery network, while also criticizing the current ramp system as a response to a problem not fully grounded in science.

Transcript Highlights:

• You will all recall that in the 2025 legislative session and the budget section for the Office of Lieutenant
• The 2025 legislative session and the budget section for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor directed
• Section 1, subsection 4, and the original intent of this language was to ensure that schools receiving
• This emerging commercial core utilizes form-based code to achieve a mix of uses, including residential
• These are important code details that need to be worked out at our local levels.

Bills: HB2459 , HB2480 , HB2530 , HB2129 , HB2223

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: school siting, urban growth, education policy, zoning regulations, community planning, residential development, commercial zones, mixed-use zoning, urban planning, state regulations, public facilities district, regional aquatics, sports facilities, local government, infrastructure, agritourism, agriculture, tourism, economic development, local businesses

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'll even use the transportation example: I have students whose transportation bill alone is $50,000
• I'll even use the transportation example: I have students whose transportation bill alone is $50,000
• I believe you said that the reporting section is new.
• Now we’d still need to code them in some way.
• Now we’d still need to code them in some way.

Summary: The committee held a hearing on HB 366, which would increase school building aid for eligible projects. Representative Cahill, the prime sponsor, said the bill would raise the annual minimum from $50 million to $60 million and help address a long backlog of school construction and renovation needs after years of a moratorium on applications. He argued that districts forced to build during the moratorium were left to shoulder costs through local property taxes, and he cited examples such as Londonderry, Claremont, and other communities with aging or inadequate facilities. He also said the current aid structure, including paying 80% upfront and 20% at completion, concentrates too much spending at once and limits how many projects can be funded. Several committee members asked about the fairness and structure of the program. Representative Maguire questioned whether aid should be distributed more broadly to all districts rather than only a few selected projects, and Representative Luneau noted that the committee would also be considering related bills on catastrophic aid, special education aid, and the school foundation formula. Cahill responded that building aid has historically been targeted to property-poor communities and that the state should be a reliable partner in school construction. He also said the bill includes a small retroactive component for communities that built during the moratorium, which he described as a compromise. Testimony in support came from Representative Cluder, who described Claremont’s Stevens High School project as a case where a bond issue narrowly failed and the city later had to fund renovations without state aid, contributing to high property taxes. He said the bill would help property-poor communities and urged passage. Tony Weinstein of New Market also supported the bill, saying his community had serious facility and safety needs, had moved forward with scaled-back renovations during the moratorium, and still faced debt-service burdens without state participation. Robert Thompson, superintendent in Hampstead, testified that his district needs an addition for overcrowding, safety, and special education space, and said building aid would help reduce out-of-district placements and transportation costs. No vote was taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• of Transportation are transported on privately owned commercial vessels of the United States and for
• will be transported on U.S.
• GENERATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL BE TRANSPORTED ON U.S. FLAGGED SHIPS.
• the Secretary of Transportation that all cargoes furnished or financed by the Department of Transportation
• that all cargoes furnished or financed by the Department of Transportation are transported on commercially

Transcript Highlights:

• Part of that relates to building codes. It has to be built to the specific local code.
• I think when we look at things like the NEC, the electrical code, that's pretty simple because code is
• So building code can be very complicated.
• So those two things, price affordability and codes...
• It is the outdated building codes.

Summary: The Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation met to examine how industrialized construction, including modular, panelized, manufactured, and 3D-printed building methods, could help lower California’s housing costs and speed delivery. Chair Buffy Wicks opened by describing the committee’s purpose as a cross-cutting effort to address construction costs, drawing on visits to factories in Sweden, Idaho, and Indiana. Members from both the committee and invited participants broadly agreed that California’s housing crisis is driven not only by land use and permitting, but also by high construction costs, labor shortages, and a lack of scalable innovation. Ben Metcalf of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center provided the main policy overview, saying California needs roughly 2.5 million additional homes by 2030 and that multifamily construction costs in the state can be far higher than in Texas or Colorado. He said factory-built housing can reduce hard costs and timelines under the right conditions, but barriers remain in financing, local code and design review, uncertain demand pipelines, and fragmented research and data. In response to committee questions, he discussed possible state actions such as pro-housing incentives, state-backed purchasing or subsidies, more standardized approvals, and better research infrastructure. Members also raised the need to involve labor and building trades in the process. A panel of developers and builders then described projects and cost savings from factory-built and related methods. Caleb Rupp of Pacific Companies said modular construction can save about 20% on average and cited a project where modular delivery reduced the need for public subsidy by $18 million; he suggested incentives such as tax exemptions, state-owned sites, third-party inspections, and limits on local code variation. Lois Kim of Mutual Housing California described a pipeline of more than 660 units across six jurisdictions, saying a predictable factory pipeline can reduce construction time by about 40% and total development costs by at least 10%. Danny Haber of O’WOW said standardized design, componentized construction, and mass timber can cut costs substantially, while also criticizing outdated codes, utility hookup fees, and financing costs. Donna Jamian of Emergent Construction described California’s first code-approved 3D concrete printing projects, including homes in Redding and work on a commercial building and fire-recovery projects in Altadena. She said current codes have not caught up to the technology and asked for participation in local self-certification programs. Committee members asked about the role of state incentives, code alignment, financing support, and how to build developer confidence after failures like Katerra. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with plans for further hearings and a forthcoming white paper with policy recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're transported by well-known and reputable transportation companies like FedEx and DHL.
• Yeah, the change in Section 1 under Section 115 of the Penal Code, subsection E(1)(A), is changed in
• Section 311.3, the child sexual exploitation statute.
• Section 311.3.
• Also important is that it harmonizes the Penal Code Section 311.3 with CANRA so that the definition of

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the ability to perform emergency and regular C-sections 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• It could be transportation, child care, limited work history, or gaps in education.
• </c><00:26:50.880><c> limited</c> transportation, child care, um limited transportation, child care,
• </c><00:35:34.400><c> support,</c> child care and transportation support, child care and transportation
• </c><00:53:08.160><c> and</c> barriers by providing transportation and barriers by providing transportation

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• With sections 5 and 6.
• Section 7, sorry. Section 7 is the Education and Outreach on Behavioral Health Services, I believe.
• So you said section five and six were kind of a guess, but section five is a guess.
• Section six you have some historical data, yes? Okay, and okay, section seven, that's for vehicles.
• code.

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• And, Madam Chair and members, Section 2, which relates to nitrous oxide, will be named for Meg Caldwell
• , And, members, Section 2, which relates to nitrous oxide, will be named for Meg Caldwell, one of our
• Senator Gates, I see you have a delete-all amendment by code 961-542.
• The bill also increases the severity ranking under the Florida Criminal Punishment Code, making animal
• We have Alex Anderson from the Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar waiving in support.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy considered a long agenda of bills covering education, health, criminal justice, aging services, labor, and commemorative measures. Among the measures reported favorably were CS/SB 1062 creating Florida Speech and Debate Week and the Florida Debate Initiative; CS/SB 196 and CS/SB 864 establishing and protecting a Uterine Fibroid Research Database; CS/SB 432, as amended, adding restrictions on xylazine and nitrous oxide sales; CS/SB 1630 modernizing aging and disability services and guardianship oversight; SB 1112 on labor pool placement fees and registration; CS/SB 524 revising FDLE and medical examiner provisions; CS/SB 530 updating lottery operations; CS/SB 646 narrowing drug paraphernalia testing equipment exemptions to fentanyl, analogs, and xylazine; SB 676 strengthening animal cruelty penalties and the animal abuser database; CS/SB 1180 creating a recall process for community development district board members; CS/SB 800 increasing penalties for unlicensed engineering practice; CS/SB 1404 creating a memory care specialty license for assisted living facilities; SB 1072 creating an anti-Semitism task force; and CS/SB 1684 and CS/SB 1686 establishing and exempting records for a Parkinson’s Disease Registry. The committee also took up several high-profile commemorative bills. CS/SB 194, designating October 14 as Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance, drew extensive public testimony both for and against, with supporters emphasizing civic engagement and free speech and opponents criticizing Kirk’s rhetoric and the appropriateness of a state honor. The bill was reported favorably after a recorded vote. SB 174, designating Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue in Miami-Dade County, also drew significant opposition testimony on similar grounds and was reported favorably. A late-file amendment to a related remembrance measure was withdrawn after discussion. Other bills, including the speech and debate, fibroid research, aging services, labor pool, animal cruelty, engineering, memory care, anti-Semitism, and Parkinson’s registry measures, were generally supported by agency, advocacy, or stakeholder testimony and advanced without major opposition. Several bills were amended before passage, including substitute or delete-all amendments on SB 432, SB 524, SB 646, SB 676, SB 1180, SB 800, and SB 1404. The committee repeatedly adopted amendments by voice vote and then reported the bills favorably by recorded roll call. The meeting ended with members requesting to be recorded on specific bills, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today is Tuesday, May 26th, and this is a hearing of the House Transportation Committee.
• I am a transportation policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
• That's the section on page one.
• It is good to be back here with members of Transportation, House Transportation.
• House Transportation.

Summary: The House Transportation Committee met on May 26 and considered several resolutions and one Senate bill dealing with transportation project delivery, vehicle safety, school-zone safety, flooding, and highway signage. The committee first took up SCR 64, which creates a task force to study construction management at risk (CMAR) for public works. An amendment added representatives from Louisiana Associated General Contractors and Associated Builders and Contractors to the task force, and the resolution was reported with amendments. The committee also heard HR 282, which creates a task force to study utility terrain vehicles with Louisiana State Police and other stakeholders; an amendment added the State Fire Marshal, and the resolution was reported with amendments. The most extensive discussion centered on SB 513, which addressed public works project delivery methods and included a proposal for an average-bid award method as well as design-build authority for airports and vertiports. Testimony from a Reason Foundation policy analyst and a Louisiana Associated General Contractors representative opposed the average-bid concept, arguing it lacked U.S. precedent, could encourage collusion, and could raise costs, while airport-related design-build provisions were supported. The committee adopted an amendment in concept to remove the average-bid language, then reported SB 513 with amendments by a vote of 11 yeas and 4 nays. The committee also reported SCR 62 favorably, which urges DOTD to evaluate all school zones on state highways in response to safety concerns and near misses involving crossing guards and distracted driving. In addition, HCR 112 was reported favorably to study flooding on Louisiana Highway 1 in Shreveport, and HR 275 was reported favorably to study an interstate highway signage maintenance and reporting program. The meeting concluded after all items were acted on and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Agencies reviewed their relevant sections of code over the summer.
• Section seven just strikes out mention of STORE in current code, and that's on page four, lines 10 through
• This bill repeals 30 sections of Idaho Code in Title 38 and Title 58 pertaining to the Idaho Department
• This bill repeals sections 36 through 1,120 of Idaho Code that provide minimum fines for illegal hunting
• Fines for hunting violations are established in other sections of Idaho Code.

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, Louis Costa with the Safety and the Legislative Board of Smart Transportation Division,
• We don't get to jump on public transportation. We have tools. We have to usually drive.
• Madam Chair and members, Louis Costa, a Smart Transportation Division, in support.
• Madam Chair and members, Louis Costa, a Smart Transportation Division, in support.
• Labor Code Section 2802 very clearly says that an employer must reimburse employees for all reasonable

Committee: House Labor and Employment

Summary: The committee heard several labor-related bills, with testimony largely focused on workforce development, worker privacy, wage theft, and workplace safety. AB 296 would require schools and districts to host apprenticeship fairs at least once per year; supporters said it would expose students to skilled-trades careers, while school administrators opposed the mandate as too broad, especially for elementary schools and districts without local apprenticeship programs. AB 1221 and AB 1331 both sought to curb invasive workplace surveillance, with labor groups arguing that AI, biometric, and algorithmic monitoring can be discriminatory and chill worker rights, while business and industry groups warned the bills were too broad and could interfere with security, cybersecurity, and ordinary workplace operations. AB 1181 would require firefighter turnout gear to be free of cancer-causing chemicals, and AB 1198 would require prevailing wage rates on public works to reflect the wage in effect when work is performed; both drew support from labor and construction witnesses, while local governments and other stakeholders raised cost and implementation concerns. AB 1251 would require private employers to disclose whether a job posting is for an actual vacancy, and AB 692 would prohibit employer debt agreements that require workers to repay training or other costs if they leave employment; both bills were supported by worker advocates and opposed by employer groups who said the measures were overly broad or unnecessary under existing law. The committee also heard AB 552, AB 1110, AB 1136, and AB 1234, which respectively would allow the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to locate its main office outside Sacramento, update Cal/OSHA poster information, expand high road training partnership eligibility, and strengthen the wage claim process by encouraging employer participation and allowing judgments when employers fail to respond. Several bills were voted out on due-pass motions, including AB 1198, AB 1251, AB 1221, AB 1331, AB 552, AB 1110, AB 1136, and AB 692; AB 1181 was approved by the committee but remained on call, and AB 296 was heard in subcommittee without a vote. AB 963 was pulled by the author.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> knowing how much time it takes to code knowing how much time it takes to code to<01:03:18.400><c
• The transportation is taken out.
• /c><01:37:09.440><c> for</c> we're talking about transportation for we're talking about transportation
• </c><01:37:18.239><c> by</c> So, it looks at the transportation by So, it looks at the transportation
• ><c> as</c><02:54:32.640><c> well</c> And then um transportation as well And then um transportation as

Committee: House Education Funding

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 1. Are there any amendments? There are none. Section 9. End of section 9. End of bill.
• Section 1. Are there any amendments? There are none. Section 9. End of section 9. End of bill.
• Section 1.
• Section 1.
• Section 1.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pursuant to Article 2, Section 1. Message received.
• One of the biggest ways we could impact affordability is ensuring our tax code works better and is more
• But if we disrupt our state's economy by upending our tax code, it won't just impact those big businesses
• The clerk will read: Representative Engel is appointed to the Transportation Committee.
• Representative Hall is appointed to the following committees: Local Government, Transportation, and as

Summary: The House convened for the opening day of the 2026 regular session of the 69th Legislature with roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, a prayer, and a tribal welcome from Squaxin Island Tribe member Chris Peters and other tribal leaders. Justice Mary Yu administered the oath of office to Representatives Hall, Obras, Thomas, Salahuddin, and Zahn. The Speaker also recognized the service of Justice Yu, the late Senator Bill Ramos, the late Speaker Emeritus Frank Chopp, and Trooper Tara Marissa Gooding. The Speaker and Republican leader Stokesbary delivered opening remarks focused on the session’s priorities and challenges, including affordability, taxes, housing, public safety, and the impact of federal policy on Washington. The House adopted several organizational resolutions and motions. House Resolution 4665, notifying the Governor that the House was organized and ready to do business, passed. House Concurrent Resolution 4406, setting the Governor’s address to the Legislature, and House Concurrent Resolution 4407, returning bills and resolutions to the normal process for consideration, both passed. Senate Concurrent Resolution 8407, establishing cutoff dates for the 2026 session, also passed. The House suspended rules to move various measures, referred introduced bills to committees, and approved House Resolution 4667 adopting the permanent House rules. The Speaker announced committee assignment changes, including new appointments for Representatives Engel, Hall, Parshley, and Zahn, and reminded members of pink slip deadlines. A House delegation then reported back from the Governor’s office, saying he welcomed the Legislature and was ready for the session. The House adjourned until the next day, with a pro forma session and the Governor’s State of the State address scheduled for the following morning.