Transcript Highlights:

• We will now go to Tab 1, CS for SB 32 on injunctions for protection by Senator Sharif.
• This bill creates an injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person and allows
• It establishes that the petition process is the same as the process for existing injunctions.
• Additionally, injunctions for protection against serious violence by a known person prevent a person
• And so this is the petition for injunction protection public records section. And that's the bill.

Bills: S0032 , S0068 , S0210 , S0246 , S0340 , S0418 , S0428 , S0606 , S0628 , S1028 , S1734

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Keywords: injunctions, protection orders, domestic violence, serious violence, court procedures, enforcement, risk protection, statewide communication system, pediatric care, emergency departments, hospital regulations, patient safety, health care standards, public records, violence protection, confidentiality, defamation, specialty license plate, specialty plates, motor vehicle registration

Transcript Highlights:

• So if we need to, if we have an egregious example where we need to get an injunction from that being
• I've watched this state evolve over my lifetime and watched farms change to show facilities and residential

Summary: The subcommittee first heard presentations on protecting minors from age-restricted products from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Attorney General’s office. DBPR described its Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco division’s licensing and enforcement work on alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, and hemp sales, including inspections, undercover underage-purchase operations, arrests, and coordination with the Attorney General on hemp and nicotine enforcement. Members asked about trends in youth use, retailer training, use of underage decoys in investigations, and whether additional education or penalties could help reduce sales to minors. The Attorney General’s office then outlined the new nicotine dispensing device directory created under last year’s law, explaining the criteria for listing devices attractive to minors, the notice process for manufacturers and retailers, and enforcement consequences once listed devices become contraband. Members discussed online sales, product descriptions, notice to industry, and whether more outreach to parents, schools, and local partners could help. The committee then took up House Bill 105, which would decouple thoroughbred pari-mutuel permit holders from the requirement to conduct live racing in order to operate card rooms/slot gaming. The bill sponsor said the measure would align thoroughbred permits with other live-event permits and argued the industry is already declining and heavily subsidized, so the Legislature should not force a private business to keep an unprofitable line of business. An amendment by Rep. Yeager was adopted to remove live-racing requirements for thoroughbred permit holders who are card room licensees, broadening the bill’s effect to include Tampa Bay Downs as well as Gulfstream Park. Public testimony was sharply divided: supporters said decoupling would give tracks flexibility and not end racing, while opponents from the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry warned it would undermine live racing, breeding, jobs, farmland, and the broader equine economy. After debate, several members spoke in favor of the bill, emphasizing business flexibility, declining foal counts, and the view that the state should not require a private industry to maintain racing to keep gaming rights. Opponents argued the bill could damage a signature Florida industry and its economic impact. The committee then voted 10-6 to report HB 105 favorably, with several members voting no and some excused. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• In our modern history, within the lifetime of many of us, the NAACP and the Black civil rights activists
• In our modern history, within the lifetime of many of us, the NAACP and the black civil rights activists
• And I would note that there has been an injunction that's in place for one of the organizations, but
• denying in part defendant's motion to dismiss plaintiff's first amended complaint for declaratory and injunctive
• Of SB 256, and the sentence right above that, as the court already determined at the temporary injunction

Transcript Highlights:

• the insurance code have existed for a number of years and give the AG authority for enforcement, injunctive
• In October 2024, a Travis County District Judge issued a temporary injunction halting the implementation
• unlawful on 13 different counts. pause for a second to talk about the importance of that particular injunction
• year supporting those providers down in South Texas, and the state has estimated it's saved over a lifetime
• release her final decision on the second level protest before it went through the court and the injunction

Bills: HB149 , HB252 , HB643 , HB1442 , HB1500 , HB1672 , HB1851 , HB1893 , HB2028 , HB2768 , HB2818 , HB149 , HB252

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Keywords: artificial intelligence, regulation, biometric data, ethical AI, consumer protection, AI governance, employment compensation, state agencies, salary payments, general appropriations, government efficiency, public works, contractors, payment bonds, government contracts, construction law, transparency, open meetings, government accountability, public access

Transcript Highlights:

• WE HAVE INJUNCTIONS FOR PROTECTION WITH A 3.3 MILLION DOLLAR ASK.
• THE FIRST ISSUE IS INJUNCTION FOR PROTECTION.
• OF THE INJUNCTIONS ARE PROVIDED AT NO COST TO THE CITIZENS OF FLORIDA.
• THE REIMBURSEMENTS ARE ASKING FOR $3.3 MILLION FOR INJUNCTION PROTECTIONS.
• WE DON'T HAVE A FILING FEE LIKE THE BAKER MARCHMAN INJUNCTIONS.

Transcript Highlights:

• by the Ways and Means Committee, an act relating to fish and game, to revise provisions regarding lifetime
• by the Ways and Means Committee, an act relating to fish and game, to revise provisions regarding lifetime
• by the Ways and Means Committee, an act relating to fish and game, to revise provisions regarding lifetime
• And she's just very highly qualified, with a lifetime of experience.
• Enforcement is through civil penalties and injunctions, without creating a private right of action.

Transcript Highlights:

• department to compile specified statistics on hunting license and establishes the commemorative lifetime
• license and establishes<00:36:58.680><c> the</c><00:36:58.760><c> commemorative</c><00:36:59.359><c> lifetime
• </c> establishes the commemorative lifetime establishes the commemorative lifetime hunting<00:37:00.160
• says an aggrieved party or the officer of the attorney general may seek damages and declaratory or injunctive
• Damages I assumed is injunctive relief.

Summary: The Senate reconvened with a quorum present and then proceeded through committee reports, largely adopting favorable reports and amendments without objection. Early measures included SB 530, which funds grants for multigenerational social connection programs for older adults; SB 731, clarifying the legal status of the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council; SB 809, directing a feasibility study on a caregiver infrastructure program; SB 860, creating an Aging Resilience Fund with reporting and budget protections; SB 910, requiring insurance reimbursement for services provided by graduate-level clinical interns under supervision; and SB 972, making several Baltimore City alcoholic beverages licensing changes. Each of these bills was advanced to third reading after committee amendments were adopted. The Finance Committee also advanced SB 555, establishing a Dementia Services and Brain Health Program and a provider resource toolkit for dementia care; SB 757, creating a Maryland Local Sourcing Portal to connect businesses with local sources for tariff-impacted goods; SB 772, creating an employment training and opportunity database to help people qualify for or maintain Medicaid and SNAP; SB 792, requiring hospitals to adopt and train staff on immigration-enforcement policies consistent with Attorney General guidance; SB 869, establishing a workforce training pilot program through Commerce and community colleges; SB 905, creating an advanced manufacturing grant program through TEDCO; and SB 974, changing who may serve as inspector for the Caroline County Board of License Commissioners. Most of these bills were reported favorably with technical or narrowing amendments and then ordered printed for third reading. Budget and Taxation advanced SB 28, which would create binding arbitration for state employee collective bargaining impasses and include a proposed constitutional amendment requiring funding in the Governor’s budget; SB 466, expanding a physician preceptor tax credit and adjusting training-hour requirements; and later SB 704, concerning estate tax treatment for qualified agricultural property transferred to an LLC. SB 557, a gaming-related bill, was laid over until the end of the evening at the majority leader’s request. In the Education, Energy, and the Environment report, the committee advanced SB 35 on a state natural science museum designation, SB 166 on shellfish aquaculture permit sanctions, SB 189 on municipal drainage inlet safety requirements prompted by a child’s death, SB 242 on civil relief for service members and spouses, SB 266 on local regulation of invasive trees and tree-of-heaven, and SB 267 on a corporate rental-property registry and local housing application review process. SB 267 drew a brief question from the minority leader, who asked whether prior opposition remained and how the amended bill differed; the sponsor said the opposition had gone away and described the bill as now focused on a responsible-owner registry and an administrative review process.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have injunctions for protection. That is a $3.3 million ask.
• So the first issue is injunction protection.
• The injunctions are provided at no cost to the citizen of Florida.
• The injunctions are provided at no cost to the citizen of Florida.
• We don't have a filing fee like the Baker-Marchman, the injunctions.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice heard an update from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon on staffing, overtime, capital needs, and inmate population growth. Dixon said the prison population has risen by about 8,000 since January 2021 while staffing has not kept pace, forcing the agency to open 53 housing units without funded positions and rely heavily on overtime and National Guard support. He cited a $189 million deficit tied to salaries and overtime, noted that most staff have less than three years of experience, and argued the solution is to fully fund posts for operational housing units. He also reviewed the department’s fixed capital outlay projects, including repairs, new housing construction, and medical modular units intended to reduce outside hospital transports, and gave an update on the VINE victim notification system and its expansion. The committee then heard from Florida clerks of court representatives Jason Welty and Miami-Dade Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin, who described clerks’ court-related and county duties and said clerk budgets have not kept pace with the broader justice system. They requested reimbursements for injunctions for protection ($3.3 million), Baker Act/Marchman Act/sexually violent predator cases ($2.5 million), and juror management ($4.8 million), and said future funding for new judges should include the full courtroom system, not judges alone. Fernandez-Barquin also raised concerns about unfunded mandates, rising retirement and health costs, low court-side pay, and the need to revisit filing fees and trust fund allocations. Members asked about collections, payment plans, license suspensions, and whether some fees or trust fund distributions could be redirected; the governor’s budget had already picked up the $2.5 million request for Baker/Marchman/SVP cases. During public testimony, speakers urged broader criminal justice reforms and additional funding priorities. A prosecutor emphasized that adding judges requires funding for prosecutors, public defenders, and clerks as well. Other speakers called for parole or long-term sentencing reform to reduce prison populations and costs, criticized staffing and conditions in prisons, and raised concerns about inexperienced correctional officers, visitation delays, and lack of air conditioning in some facilities. The committee took no substantive votes on the items discussed and adjourned after hearing the presentations and public comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 97 enables an injunction against unknown scammers by allowing service through the same method that
• We do the temporary injunction first, so we get a 10-day hold.
• Then we have that permanent injunction possibly. We hold the funds an additional 30 days.
• We do the temporary injunction first, so we get a 10-day hold.
• Then we have that permanent injunction possibly. We hold the funds an additional 30 days.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard five bills. HB 1097 would rename the Florida Catastrophic Storm Center at FSU as the Florida Center for Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management, transfer the public hurricane loss projection model from FIU to FSU, and provide recurring and nonrecurring appropriations to support independent insurance research and collaboration with OIR and other universities. Members discussed university roles, model oversight, independence from industry funding, and student/workforce benefits. The bill passed favorably on a roll call vote. HB 319 would create a regulatory framework for virtual currency kiosk businesses, requiring registration with the Office of Financial Regulation, consumer disclosures, and penalties for violations. Much of the discussion focused on fraud prevention, especially for seniors, and whether the bill should include transaction caps or stronger recovery tools; AARP supported the bill but urged additional protections. The bill passed favorably. CS/HB 385 made technical changes to the Florida Trust Code and Community Property Trust Act, including decanting, trustee claims, redemption by satisfaction, and homestead transfer treatment; an amendment conforming to the Senate version was adopted, and the bill passed favorably. CS/HB 97 would allow service of process for exploitation injunctions against unascertainable scammers through the same communication method used to contact the victim, such as text or social media, and would let courts freeze funds temporarily while the matter is heard. Testimony from elder law practitioners and AARP supported the bill as a tool against scams, while some members raised due process and overreach concerns; the bill passed favorably. HB 839 would shorten the overpayment recovery window for claims submitted to psychologists and HMOs to match other health providers, with the goal of improving parity and access to mental health care; an amendment was adopted, and the bill passed favorably. The meeting concluded with adjournment after the final roll call votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Booth is recognized to present House Bill 1105, Interpersonal Violence Injunctions.
• HB 1105 updates and modernizes statutes governing interpersonal Violence injunctions, which includes
• Relating to interpersonal violence injunctions, HB 1105 strengthens Florida's interpersonal violence
• law enforcement has timely access to injunction orders.
• These changes do not weaken Due process or expand the scope of injunctions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:28.880><c> the</c><00:08:28.960><c> state</c> injunction against the state injunction against
• If they lift the injunction and the federal courts lift the injunction and allow us to go back to the
• </c> the duration of an injunction the duration of an injunction that<00:48:08.720><c> requires</c><00
• this injunction and allows allows allows &gt;&gt; Right.
• not lift the injunction and change its<01:04:43.360><c> ruling.

Bills: HB1

Committee: House Ways and Means General Fund

Transcript Highlights:

• But we averted such a catastrophic event because we wanted to save money. won an injunction in federal
• Shortly after filing the lawsuit and submitting our briefs, requesting a preliminary An injunction that
• We won a preliminary injunction that remains in effect today.
• The majority held that courts only need to issue injunctions that will make the plaintiffs whole, and
• We would like you to issue an order to enforce the injunction and kind of repeat it."

Committee: House Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Koster: Next we have HB 1105, Interpersonal Violence Injunctions by Representative Booth.
• Booth: This bill allows for a more fair review as fast as possible for interpersonal injunctions.
• Specifically, the bill clarifies the filing of an interpersonal violence injunction does not by Rep.
• Booth: whether to issue a domestic violence injunction.
• interpersonal injunctions, or to eliminate the requirement that respondents be personally served.

Transcript Highlights:

• If an injunction is issued requiring a covered provider to provide this data, failure to comply could
• The proposed substitute increases the anticipated lifetime used for calculating bus depreciation payments
• It changes the expected lifetime for bus depreciation calculations from 15 years to 10 years for Class
• The proposed substitute increases the anticipated lifetime used for calculating bus depreciation payments
• proposed substitute that is being offered by Senator Wellman it's number 70 it changes the expected lifetime

Bills: HB2675 , HB2249 , HB2120 , HB1069 , HB1983 , HB2431 , SB6006 , SB6297 , SB6351 , SB6353 , HB2521 , HB2091 , HB2104 , SB6355 , HB2254 , HB2385 , SB5808 , HB1796 , HB1376 , SB6260 , HB2353

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: accounts, finance, business regulation, transparency, audits, HB 2249, Washington Technology Solutions, WaTech, civil service, classified service, exempt employees, state employment, state personnel, network security, cybersecurity, information technology, IT contracting, data center, systems integration, network engineering

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of the social progress I see happening in my lifetime, you know, since the 1960s, I think has been
• um you know happening in my lifetime um you know since<03:45:40.319><c> since</c><03:45:40.640><c> the
• </c> requirement will overcome the injunction requirement will overcome the injunction and<03:55:34.080
• </c> district court injunction. district court injunction.
• because that was an court injunction because that was an alleged<04:02:33.880><c> ambiguity</c><04:02

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 69, including a germane amendment about local school boards’ acceptance or rejection of gifts and donations and a non-germane amendment creating a virtual early childhood readiness family engagement program for preschool children not yet in kindergarten. Rep. Cordelli said the early literacy proposal was a modified version of an earlier kindergarten readiness bill, would rely on gifts and donations rather than state appropriations, and would include reporting requirements. Members questioned the shift from a broader technology program to an online-only model, the lack of detailed evaluation metrics, how long children would use the program, and whether it was appropriate for very young children. Cordelli said the change was intended to avoid government dependence and still allow the program to be offered next school year. Several members raised concerns about the gift-acceptance language on the underlying bill, including whether school boards would need to vote on small donations, whether gifts could be handled in blocks or at regular meetings, and how anonymous donations would work under right-to-know laws. Rep. Han noted that some gift discussions might belong in non-public session under RSA 91-A, while Rep. Cornell said acceptance or rejection of gifts could be handled at regular meetings and suggested a dollar threshold could be added later. The New Hampshire School Boards Association said it was not taking a position but wanted clearer guardrails, policy guidance, and clarification on timing, anonymity, and public-meeting requirements. Supporters of the early childhood program, including Waterford.org, said the proposal would provide an evidence-based, adaptive online literacy program with family engagement for four- and five-year-olds, and that it could help close early learning gaps. Waterford said it could work collaboratively with school districts and IEP teams, and that it would provide devices and internet access for families who need them. Committee members pressed on how the program would interact with existing special education services and whether districts could use it as part of an IEP; the response was that it would be supplementary and not an approved special education service. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair indicated the committee would later executive the bills and try to get reports filed promptly.

Transcript Highlights:

• But you had the ability to go injunction.
• “In answer to Representative Pettigrew’s point about the injunctions: injunctions are not what we can
• — we can get injunctions in those instances.
• An injunction basically is a ‘don’t do this anymore.’
• There’s no payment of anything when you get an injunction on you.

Committee: House House Agriculture, Acequias And Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Let us pray that we will experience such a peace in our lifetime. May God bless us all.
• I never thought in my lifetime that I would be in a place and be in a place. Big deal.
• I never thought in my lifetime that I would be in a place and be a part of such a move like this to reach
• It provides for a mechanism to quickly enforce covered agreements with a preliminary injunction, and
• the court may modify or dissolve that injunction based on the motion of the employee or the new employer

Summary: The Senate convened with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions and introductions, including guests from Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Clay County, and a moment of silence for Pope Francis. The chamber then took up a motion to reconsider the prior day’s failed vote on CS for SB 1080 (local government land regulation), which was adopted without objection, and moved into the special order calendar. A series of bills were debated and mostly passed, often after substituting House companions. Measures approved included funding for expedited DNA testing grants, additional aggravating factors in capital cases, fertility preservation coverage for cancer patients, commuter rail indemnification, migrant vessel disposition, specialty license plates, an Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness campaign, relocation of the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to Florida Memorial University, charter school changes, sexual offender registration updates, utility worker assault/battery penalties, juvenile justice revisions, student mental health outcome reporting, foster home licensure transfers, water access facilities, Florida Virtual School changes, school readiness resources for children with disabilities, sexual images/child exploitation penalties, tampering with electronic monitoring devices, certified recovery residences, the FSU Election Law Center, the Office of Faith and Community, and bonuses for county tax collector/property appraiser employees. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on social media use by minors, veterans’ nursing homes, Parkinson’s disease, mental health and substance use disorders, education, educator preparation, benefits for certain officers injured in the line of duty, school social workers, and brownfields. Debate centered on public safety, health care access, education, recovery housing, and government administration. Some of the most substantive discussion came on the Office of Faith and Community bill, where an amendment to bar political activity by office staff was offered and defeated after extended debate over election-related communications and the proper scope of existing ethics laws. The certified recovery residences bill also drew extensive support and testimony about addiction recovery and housing stability. Most bills passed on strong bipartisan votes, with a few receiving notable opposition, including the charter schools bill, the aggravating factors bill, and the Office of Faith and Community bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let us pray that we will experience such a peace in our lifetime. May God bless us all.
• I never thought in my lifetime that I would be in a place, and be in a place... ...big deal.
• I never thought in my lifetime that I would be in a place and be a part of such a move like this to reach
• It provides for a mechanism to quickly enforce covered agreements with a preliminary injunction, and
• the court may modify or dissolve that injunction based on the motion of the employee or the new employer

Summary: The Senate convened with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including guests from Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Clay County, and others. Senators also observed a moment of silence for Pope Francis. After routine announcements, the chamber moved to the special order calendar and took up a long series of bills, often substituting House companions for Senate bills before final passage. Among the measures approved were bills creating an expedited DNA testing grant program for local law enforcement, adding aggravating factors in capital cases involving gatherings for religious, school, or government activities, requiring state health coverage for fertility preservation services for cancer patients, authorizing indemnification for commuter rail providers, prohibiting abandonment of migrant vessels in Florida waters, and creating new specialty license plates. The Senate also passed bills on Alzheimer’s awareness, relocating the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to Florida Memorial University, charter schools, sex offender registration, utility worker protections, juvenile justice, student mental health reporting, foster home licensure transfers, water access facilities, Florida Virtual School, school readiness, sexual images involving children, tampering with electronic monitoring devices, certified recovery residences, the FSU Election Law Center, the Office of Faith and Community, and bonuses for county property appraiser employees. Several other bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on social media use by minors, veterans’ nursing homes, Parkinson’s disease, mental health and substance use disorders, education, educator preparation, officers injured in the line of duty, school social workers, and Brownfields. Debate was especially extensive on the Office of Faith and Community bill, where an amendment to bar political activity by office staff was offered but failed 13-23 after arguments over election-related communications and the scope of existing law. The certified recovery residences bill also drew notable debate, with supporters emphasizing housing as essential to recovery and opponents raising concerns about implementation and local control. Most other bills passed with little or no opposition, though a few drew dissenting votes, including the capital aggravating factors bill, charter schools, and the Office of Faith and Community measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• An injunction, Senator. An injunction.
• An injunction can be brought to prevent a violation of the law.
• An injunction against future action. That's what an injunction is.
• As you know, an injunction is about acts often illegal. ...acts, and that's what the injunction here
• There are no money damages, but there is an injunction for future compliance.

Bills: SB 2 , SB 5 , SB 10 , SB 9 , SB 7 , SB 17 , SB 4 , HB17 , HB7 , HB7 , HB15 , HB15 , HB27 , HB1 , HB7 , HB15 , HB18 , SB9 , SB7 , SB17 , SB4 , HB17 , HB27 , HB1 , SB8 , HCR13 , SB2 , SB5 , SB10

Transcript Highlights:

• you know, against the third, but I'm not okay with banning the terms, the number of terms across a lifetime
• We are not—it is not a full injunction where there's a preliminary and then a full; it's a summary proceeding
• You go to that hearing, and if the TRO is sustained, is converted into a preliminary injunction, which

Committee: House Civil Law and Procedure

Summary: The committee first considered HB 446 by Rep. Boyer, a constitutional amendment to set eligible dates for local bond and tax elections. Staff said it would amend Article 6, Section 22, could not be done statutorily, and was scheduled for November 3, 2026 to maximize turnout. The committee adopted the 6.8A report and reported the bill without amendments. Members then took up several constitutional amendments and civil law measures, including HB 244 on constitutional conventions, HB 214 on a property tax exemption for rehabilitated blighted or derelict property, HB 514 on an additional senior homestead-style ad valorem exemption, HB 27 on how non-recurring state monies may be applied to retirement system unfunded liabilities, and HB 225 on gubernatorial term limits. HB 244 and HB 225 were amended before being reported, while HB 214, HB 514, and HB 27 were reported favorably without amendments. The committee also adopted SB 127, which allows limited curator donations on behalf of interdicted persons and narrows forced heirship in certain disability-related estate planning situations. The committee approved HB 1043, as amended, to raise the civil jurisdictional amount for the First and Second Parish Courts of Jefferson Parish from $20,000 to $35,000. It also approved HB 473 by substitute on custody and child support, with the substitute preserving language that physical custody should be shared equally unless the court finds that infeasible or not in the child’s best interest. HB 71, which extends certain self-defense liability protections to registered armed private security officers, drew opposition over training and public safety concerns but was reported favorably after a roll call vote of 8 yeas and 1 nay. The committee also advanced HB 1082, which would require the Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System to sue municipalities in the local parish rather than East Baton Rouge when it is the plaintiff. Supporters said the current venue rule burdens small towns with travel and litigation costs; opponents argued Article 84 provides a consistent statewide venue and that the litigation is largely about municipalities failing to enroll officers properly. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on HB 306, which concerns court costs and fees in domestic abuse cases; members worked through a concept amendment to restore “reasonable” attorney’s fees and add court-approved evaluation and expert witness fees, and the discussion continued with testimony about federal grant compliance and victim protections.