Transcript Highlights:

• It deals with motor vehicle kill switches, prohibiting using devices that allow someone other than the
• It also amended the motor vehicle kill switch language. That is the amendment. Okay.
• It also amended the motor vehicle kill switch language. That is the amendment. Okay.
• Putting on death row doesn't mean the next day we flip the switch. It goes through a series of...
• Putting on death row doesn't mean the next day we flip the switch.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice considered and advanced a series of criminal justice bills, with most measures reported favorably after brief presentations, amendments, and roll-call votes. Among the bills approved were CS/SB 468 on fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, which increases offense levels and allows impoundment of involved vehicles; CS/SB 1136 on age as an element of a criminal offense, which strengthens protections for minors and was amended to adjust age thresholds and luring/enticement language; CS/SB 144 on criminal justice, which was narrowed by substitute amendment after discussion with law enforcement and includes provisions on kill switches, body cameras/AI, first responder recognition, and other corrections-related items; and CS/SB 1782, which creates penalties for dangerous excessive speeding. The committee also favorably reported CS/SB 964 on objective parole guidelines, CS/SB 1450 on arrest and detention of individuals with significant medical conditions, CS/SB 612 on murder involving unlawful drug distribution by minors, CS/SB 1838 on tampering with or harassing court officials, CS/SB 716 on enhanced penalties for sexual offenses by repeat offenders, CS/SB 1604 on corrections, and CS/SB 1360 on xylazine, which preserves veterinary use while increasing penalties for illicit trafficking and possession for sale. Several bills drew substantive testimony and debate. CS/SB 1838 prompted concerns from the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers that the tampering language could be applied to prosecutors or defense attorneys; the sponsor said he would work to refine the language. CS/SB 964 received support from criminal defense advocates and a witness who argued Florida’s parole system needs revision due to prison overcrowding and staffing issues. CS/SB 1604 generated questions about inmate access to courts, the statute of limitations for confinement claims, and involuntary mental health treatment; the sponsor said the bill aims to balance inmate rights with timely reporting and to address bad actors in corrections. CS/SB 1360 was supported as a response to the spread of xylazine on the street, while noting its legitimate veterinary use. The most contested measure was CS/SB 1804 on capital sex trafficking. The bill would create a capital offense for adult trafficking of a child under 12 or a mentally incapacitated person under specified circumstances, with a life-felony fallback if capital punishment is later found unconstitutional. Supporters argued it targets especially heinous conduct and closes a gap in existing law; opponents, including the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and anti-death-penalty advocates, argued it expands the death penalty beyond homicide, raises constitutional concerns, risks retraumatizing victims, and would be costly to litigate. After extensive debate, the committee adopted an amendment aligning the bill with the House companion and reported the bill favorably. The committee also approved SB 776 adding an aggravating factor for assassination or attempted assassination of a head of state, despite objections from some members who voted no. At the end of the meeting, the chair thanked members for the session, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We, by switching from a fully insured product to a self-insured product, have reserves that you have
• Um we<01:43:55.679><c> by</c><01:43:56.000><c> switching</c><01:43:56.320><c> from</c><01:43:56.480><
• c> a</c><01:43:56.719><c> fully</c><01:43:56.960><c> insured</c> we by switching from a fully insured
• This proposed change supports operational improvements within the international fuel tax agreement and
• impact on the department's budget and will continue to be funded 100% through cost of collections. fuel

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a maximum amount, and that's capped based on the fuel type. begins uh in early January and runs
• capped<00:07:34.320><c> based</c><00:07:34.600><c> on</c><00:07:34.720><c> the</c><00:07:34.800><c> fuel
• summer when it's hot, what are some of the services that we can do, because you can't really go buy fuel
• 30 years that I've been here and we've seen Kentucky's rates go up dramatically mostly because of fuel
• </c><00:25:18.800><c> shifting</c><00:25:19.360><c> and</c> mostly because of fuel shifting and mostly

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:26 Approval of Minutes 00:02:27 LIHEAP Presentation and Public Hearing 00:02:42 Conservation Opportunities in Kentucky 00:29:52, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up a public hearing and presentation on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Shannon Hall of the Department for Community Based Services and Rick Baker of Community Action Kentucky explained that LIHEAP is a 100% federally funded block grant that helps low-income households pay heating and cooling bills, avoid utility disconnects, and support weatherization. They outlined the program’s components, eligibility limits, seasonal application periods, and recent participation figures, including tens of thousands of households served through the summer cooling, fall subsidy, winter crisis, and spring subsidy components. They also described weatherization priorities, the partnership with Kentucky Housing Corporation, and the role of Community Action agencies in administering the program statewide. Members asked about Assurance 16, the balance between need and available funding, summer cooling assistance, weatherization measurement, renter versus homeowner participation, and whether federal changes could affect LIHEAP. Hall and Baker said Assurance 16 supports energy-burden reduction through education, case management, and conservation strategies; that funding has generally been sufficient in recent years but crisis funds have sometimes been exhausted quickly in the past; and that summer assistance is primarily electric utility support. They also said weatherization uses return-on-investment testing and that Kentucky still has a large backlog of homes needing service. On federal funding, they said the recently passed federal bill did not directly cut LIHEAP, but future appropriations could still affect it, and any major reduction could leave a gap the state might need to consider filling. The committee approved the minutes and later approved the LIHEAP finding of fact; no members of the public signed up to testify. After concluding LIHEAP, the committee heard a presentation from Heather Jeff of The Nature Conservancy on conservation opportunities in Kentucky. She described the organization’s voluntary land-protection work and highlighted the Cumberland Forest project, a conservation easement on about 55,000 acres in Bell, Knox, and Leslie counties supported in part by a $3.875 million state appropriation. She also reported on mine-land reforestation, elk habitat work, and the rapid allocation of a $2 million appropriation for the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Jeff emphasized the economic value of conservation for tourism, hunting and fishing, agriculture, forestry, bourbon, and flood protection, and said the group is finalizing a Kentucky conservation needs assessment and related feasibility research.

Transcript Highlights:

• They also switched up slightly the violation fees and classifications and added a few definitions.
• They also switched up slightly the violation I also switched up slightly the violation fees and classifications

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's why I'm saying if we're all trying to save money and you want these switches to biosimilars, which
• We're just doing a level of protection that the patient doesn't pay more in a switch.
• We're just doing a level of protection that the patient doesn't pay more in a switch out.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• but clearly it needs to be in Senate Finance, so I'd ask unanimous consent that the referrals be switched
• So, we're going to switch the order on that and go together.
• So, unanimous consent to make that switch. Senator, there's been a unanimous consent request.

Transcript Highlights:

• And yes, we can all, and probably every member of this body has at some time asked to switch committee
• And yes, we can all, and probably every member of this body has at some time asked to switch committee
• And yes, we can all, and probably every member of this body has at some time asked to switch committee
• And yes, we can all, and probably every member of this body has at some time asked to switch committee
• And yes, we can all, and probably every member of this body has at some time asked to switch committee

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I will say when we have switched to a new With that?
• So I will say when we have switched to a new pharmacy benefit manager, yes, there was an overall formulary
• I don't really think the concerns have bubbled up to there's this huge problem and we've got to switch
• I don't really think the concerns have bubbled up to there's this huge problem and we've got to switch

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee met on June 17 and reviewed a series of Employee Benefits Division and Office of Property Risk items. The committee approved formulary changes for March and April that favored lower-cost generics, removed some new-to-market drugs from coverage pending more evidence, and made maintenance changes to migraine and diabetes medications. Members also approved a cell and gene therapy policy that would route those therapies through prior authorization rather than automatic coverage; officials said the process should not delay urgent cases and that no current members would be affected. The committee then reviewed a UAMS pharmacy benefit consultant contract amendment, but after extended discussion about the written scope and dollar amounts, the motion was approved with the understanding that any use of optional services would return to the committee for further review. The committee also reviewed the U.S. Able Mutual/Blue Advantage third-party administration contract and the CompSack employee assistance program contract, which officials said would reduce per-member costs and add services. The subcommittee approved proposed 2027 rates for state employees and public employees, with a 9.8% increase for state employees and a 4.9% increase for public school employees. Officials also reported that the UnitedHealthcare rebid was in its final negotiation stage and would return in August, with medical and pharmacy coverage split as previously recommended. In response to questions, the director said the division was considering broader preventive-care offerings, including weight-loss drug coverage, but would proceed cautiously and with strong utilization controls and holistic support if such a program were adopted. On the property risk side, the committee reviewed permanent rules making prior temporary rules permanent, a contingency-fee subrogation contract, and renewals for claims management, actuarial services, and investment management. Members raised concerns about Sedgwick’s claim-adjustment timeliness and communication with school districts after severe weather events; officials said performance guarantees and communication expectations had been strengthened, but the renewal was kept at three years for continuity. Finally, the committee approved 2026-27 captive insurance program rates, which included no change to minimum deductibles, a 10% overall rate reduction, and bucketed rate changes by entity type. Officials said the captive program was working as intended, with improved actuarial support and claims experience, and the meeting adjourned after the approvals.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the main things, when Canyon County switched, they changed a whole lot of things that, and we
• dairy show at a fair in the neighboring county to the west of us, and they had They had recently switched
• You hit the $200,000 threshold and all of a sudden you switch over.
• A lot of my job was made very hard because of what happened when they switched the boards.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee heard House Bill 823, which would preserve county fair boards as governing boards in most counties while grandfathering Ada and Canyon counties into their current advisory-board structure once a county reaches 200,000 population. Representative Dygert and several supporters, including fair board members, Farm Bureau, and agricultural advocates, argued that governing fair boards protect agricultural heritage, youth programs, and local expertise, and that the bill would maintain the status quo for counties not already under the advisory model. The Idaho Association of Counties and other opponents said the bill was too rigid, used an arbitrary population threshold, and should preserve county flexibility to choose either model as circumstances change. After debate, the committee first rejected a motion to send the bill to the floor and then voted to hold House Bill 823 in committee. The committee then took up House Bill 843, which would eliminate proration of the homeowners exemption so that a qualifying homeowner receives the exemption for the full year if applied for at any time during the year. Representative Manwearing said the bill was intended to align the statute with prior legislative changes and court rulings that had created confusion over proration. With no opposition raised in the hearing, the committee voted to send House Bill 843 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd been around a little bit that I actually was the baby born on the 19th, that the babies were switched
• baby born on the 19th that the babies baby born on the 19th that the babies were<00:37:20.079><c> switched
• </c><00:37:21.599><c> I</c><00:37:21.839><c> don't</c> were switched in the hospital.
• I don't were switched in the hospital.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Maybe they've switched their academic program. They've added a major. They've added a minor.
• Maybe they've switched their academic program. They've added a major. They've added a minor.
• Maybe they've switched their academic program. They've added a major. They've added a minor.
• Maybe they've switched their academic program. They've added a major. They've added a minor.
• Maybe they've switched their academic program. They've added a major. They've added a minor.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If we want to break cycles of violence, unsolved crime will otherwise fuel harm, retaliation, and trauma
• Uh, we recently switched over our domain as well to upgrade some of our systems.
• Uh, we recently switched over our domain as well to upgrade some of our systems.
• Uh, we recently switched over our domain as well to upgrade some of our systems.
• Uh, we recently switched over our domain as well to upgrade some of our systems.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs held an informational briefing on violent crime clearance rates and what resources law enforcement and prosecutors need to improve them. Chair and members noted there would be no public testimony. The briefing was led by Marshall Clement of the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center, with later participation expected from state and county law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. Clement argued that solving violent crime is a systemwide issue, not just a local police function, and said clearance rates have declined nationally over decades for homicide, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery. He said Hawaii’s reported data, limited to Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, shows overall violent crime rates are lower than the national average and have been relatively flat with a pandemic-era spike followed by declines in 2023 and 2024. He reported that Hawaii’s overall violent crime solve rate fell from about 52% in 2014 to about 40% in 2024, with 2024 rates of 50% for homicides, 48% for aggravated assaults, and 26% each for rapes and robberies. He also estimated unsolved cases over the past three years at about 17 homicides, 3,300 aggravated assaults, 1,200 rapes, and 1,700 robberies. Members asked about victim and witness support, staffing shortages, the Denver example, whether clearance rates include cases not prosecuted, and whether HPD’s size or structure might affect solve rates. Clement said support can include victim-witness programs and coordinators that help maintain cooperation and trust, especially where clearance rates are low. He said resources, training, technology, and detective caseloads matter, citing Boston, Denver, and Omaha as cities that improved solve rates through relatively low-cost operational changes; he highlighted Denver’s increase in non-fatal shooting clearance from 39% to 65% in seven months after dedicating more resources. He said he had no research showing that breaking up a large department would improve solve rates, and noted that clearance data can include exceptional clearances such as victim noncooperation, prosecutorial declination, or a suspect’s death. No votes or formal actions were taken during the informational briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Someone has described it as like flipping a switch, that one out of 20 people for some reason in that
• Once that switch is flipped, even if you get back off the THC, they’re schizophrenic for the rest of
• Would they switch over to producing fiber? Do you think that's something they'd be willing to do?
• safety issue. from a growing industry in our state, and hemp offers the opportunity to diversify and fuel
• As the kids switched from smoking dope to taking gummies, they don't think they're doing marijuana, so

Bills: HB5

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

Transcript Highlights:

• That is a younger plan, and we recently switched partners.
• That is a younger plan, and we recently switched partners.
• That is a younger plan, and we recently switched partners.
• That is a younger plan, and we recently switched partners.
• That is a younger plan, and we recently switched partners.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting featured presentations from the Department of Administrative Services and the Treasury Department on state revenue reporting and unclaimed property. State Comptroller Dana Call explained DAS’s role in compiling statewide revenue reports, including the annual revenue plan set through the budget process and the monthly revenue focus reports that track cash receipts. She noted that unrestricted general fund revenue is about $2 billion annually, while miscellaneous other revenue is a much smaller and less predictable category, averaging roughly $30 million to $32 million a year. She also described two more material internal revenue lines: statewide indirect cost recoveries and post-retirement benefit recoveries, which are billed to agencies and often tied to federal reimbursement rules. Members asked about the interest line in the revenue charts and about how the figures were presented, and Call clarified that the totals were in millions and that the interest item would be explained by the Treasurer. She also explained that the indirect cost and post-retirement recoveries are internal cost allocations that flow back into the unrestricted revenue pool and are reflected in agency budgets as interagency costs. Treasurer Monica Meissner then outlined Treasury Department functions, including bank deposits, statewide disbursements, banking relationships, investments, debt management, compliance, the FONA College Savings Program, the ABLE Plan, scholarship programs, and the abandoned property program. In discussing unclaimed property, she said holders report property after a five-year dormancy period, the state uses automated systems and outreach to locate owners, and claim activity has increased. In fiscal year 2024, the state returned about $12.2 million to citizens through roughly 12,000 claims; over the last 10 years, about $72.6 million has been returned. She also said the state escheated $19.9 million to the general fund and $1.8 million to counties last year, and explained that securities-related proceeds are harder to estimate because they depend on market conditions. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are getting fuel surcharges from our vendor, which is Worldwide Express, which uses UPS.
• We are going to start charging them the price that they would actually cost based on that new fuel surcharge
• On that new fuel surcharge, it's anywhere from $20 to $30 to, I think, $50 in some areas.

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But beyond serving as the alma mater for many exceptional individuals, Cal Poly fuels economic vitality
• Cal Poly fuels economic vitality through partnerships that advance entrepreneurship, agricultural technology
• this chamber and in Washington, D.C., fighting for reforms that would allow us to remove dangerous fuels

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 623 Dixon, fuel reduction...
• AB 623 Dixon fuel reduction. AB 623, Dixon, fuel reduction reports, holding committee.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on January 22, 2026, for its regular order hearing and suspense-file hearing. In regular order, the committee approved consent-calendar bills AB 683, AB 763, AB 1126, and AB 1278 on unanimous due-pass motions, and AB 34 and AB 442 on a second unanimous due-pass motion. The committee then heard and advanced several bills, including AB 35, which would create an APA exemption for Proposition 4-funded programs to speed implementation of water, wildfire, energy-storage, and grid-support projects; AB 748, establishing pre-approved housing programs for local agencies; AB 939, allowing immediate transfer of certain affordable homeownership units to qualified nonprofit housing organizations; AB 643, adding a narrow organic-waste-derived agricultural fertilizer product to SB 1383 procurement options; and AB 96, removing the high school diploma requirement for certified Medi-Cal peer support specialists. Testimony on these bills was largely supportive, with sponsors and coalition representatives emphasizing reduced delays, lower costs, and improved housing, environmental, or behavioral-health outcomes. The Department of Finance offered general budget comments but no bill-specific positions. The committee voted the bills out, with AB 643 and AB 96 receiving no recorded opposition in the transcript and AB 939 passing with some members noting support and interest in coauthoring. The committee also received a presentation-only discussion of AB 1091, a proposal to authorize eight-letter specialty license plates, which the author said could generate revenue for rural programs such as the Williamson Act; the bill was not acted on at that time. After public comment, the committee moved to the suspense-file hearing on 53 bills. Using a substituted motion for due-pass and due-pass-with-amendments items, the committee held some bills and advanced many others, often with amendments that narrowed scope, deleted provisions, or required reports or studies. Bills held in committee included AB 405, AB 298, AB 333, AB 296, AB 1091, AB 1241, and AB 577, among others. The committee reported moving 43 bills to the Assembly floor, with several on A roll calls and others on B roll calls or with amendments, and noted that amendment language would be posted later online.

Transcript Highlights:

• obligations, the state of Chihuahua has converted, uh, continued to divert water from the Rio Conchos to fuel
• The fuel cycle, all of that stuff will need to be rebuilt in this country.
• addition to large scale, is trying to push forward, you can see the manufacturing come here and the fuel

Transcript Highlights:

• The cost of fuel, fencing, fertilizer, and equipment is making it harder and harder for farmers to do
• there, where it says parts to be installed on a tractor before the installation of a diesel exhaust fuel
• system, this diesel exhaust fuel system has been in place for quite a few years.
• I'm going to let Senator McKee take over the chair and I'm going to go to the table. exhaust fuel system

Summary: The committee resumed consideration of several amendments to fiscal bills. It adopted Senator Johnson’s amendment to Senate Bill 15, which shifts responsibility for Keep Arkansas Beautiful-related functions and roadside litter cleanup coordination toward ARDOT, with the current commissioners becoming an advisory council. The committee also adopted Representative Perry’s amendment to Senate Bill 7, lowering from 50 to 25 the employee threshold for employers to request claims data from insurers for group health coverage, aimed at helping smaller businesses and municipalities obtain more competitive insurance quotes. Representative McKinsey’s amendment to Senate Bill 41, which would have blocked a University of Arkansas at Fayetteville athletic funding transfer and imposed a one-year rider, was rejected after questions about the university’s finances and whether such a transfer had ever occurred. Senator Hester’s amendment to House Bill 1051, intended to cap online sports betting free play at 5% of gross receipts, also failed after debate over whether the proposal was properly fiscal language and whether the free-play incentives constituted a subsidy. Representative Walker’s amendment to a Save the Children appropriation, which would have converted the funding into a matching grant to encourage private donations, failed for lack of a motion. Representative Vaught’s amendment related to an agricultural tax exemption for certain tractor parts and diesel exhaust fluid systems likewise failed, with concerns raised about drafting, enforcement, and whether it belonged in revenue tax committees. The committee then added two late items: Representative Johnson’s technical correction to a physician licensure pathway bill, which was adopted to broaden qualifying underserved-area definitions, and Senator Tucker’s amendment to Senate Bill 77, which deleted a fund-transfer section and created a matching appropriation mechanism to help Arkansas TV/PBS retain affiliation and pay dues. Senate Bill 77 passed as amended, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• probably just paying the bill because it's going to be considered a small bill compared to what the fuel
• charge was if they actually did fill up with fuel.
• If they actually did fill up with fuel, so we're trying to keep the pilot safe, keep the ADS-B on, and
• He's going to buy your fuel.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met and first considered SB 86, which would make it unlawful for unauthorized aliens to operate commercial motor vehicles in Florida. The sponsor described the bill as a highway safety measure, requiring lawful presence, a valid CDL, English proficiency, and the ability to communicate with law enforcement. The bill also provides for impoundment, custody transfer to federal authorities, a civil penalty on the motor carrier, and an out-of-service order. An amendment was adopted, public testimony included support from the Florida PBA, and the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee then heard SB 706, which preempts naming of major commercial service airports to the state and would rename Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport. An amendment was adopted to make the change subject to FAA approval, a trademark agreement, and a reasonable implementation period for Palm Beach County. Palm Beach County representatives supported the measure and the amendment, and the committee reported the bill favorably. Next, the committee approved SB 1670, a specialty license plate bill for the “outsider” plate, after adopting an amendment reducing the Huber Brothers Foundation’s share of proceeds from 25% to 10%. The committee also passed SB 1054, which increases penalties for traffic infractions that result in crashes involving red lights or stop signs, including higher fines, license suspensions, and a one-year bodily injury insurance requirement after injury-causing crashes. Testimony from law enforcement and advocacy groups supported the bill, and it was reported favorably. Finally, the committee considered SB 422 on ADS-B aviation surveillance data. The bill would prohibit use of ADS-B data to calculate or collect landing-related fees, and an amendment narrowed the prohibition to fees tied to landings, touch-and-goes, or entering a fee-assessing airspace radius. Aviation groups, pilots, and airport officials offered extensive testimony, with supporters arguing the bill protects safety and prevents inaccurate or surprise billing, while airport representatives said they use the data for fee collection and operational purposes and wanted further changes. Despite those concerns, the committee reported the bill favorably. The meeting then adjourned.