Transcript Highlights:

• to negotiate.
• And then also price is negotiated.
• We certify Florida certified contract managers, negotiators and project management professionals.
• And then it's bender days and the negotiation.
• And then lastly, the negotiations. >> The negotiations can take on.

Transcript Highlights:

• These bills were negotiated in working groups mostly instead of conference committees.
• These bills were negotiated in working groups mostly instead of conference committees.
• These bills were negotiated in working groups mostly instead of conference committees.
• These bills were negotiated in working groups mostly instead of conference committees.
• </c><00:15:46.560><c> mostly</c> negotiated in working groups mostly negotiated in working groups mostly

Transcript Highlights:

• The other thing I would say is that cuts are not easy, and negotiations were not easy.
• Cuts are not easy, and negotiations were not easy.
• </c> this is an agreement and negotiated this is an agreement and negotiated agreement<00:10:28.480><
• So I think that night uh in negotiating.
• </c><00:59:33.040><c> contracts</c> governor's office negotiated contracts governor's office negotiated

Bills: HF2431 , HF2438 , HF2783 , HF1943

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• They figured out how to negotiate in bulk.
• And that's the negotiation.
• Those PSAOs negotiate with pharmacy benefit managers on the price for the reimburs, Those PSAOs negotiate
• We got that negotiated down to a $460 cash price.
• It was a negotiation after the procedure. Right.

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• <c> doors</c><01:29:49.040><c> and</c> negotiated behind closed doors and negotiated behind closed doors
• negotiation negotiation um<01:45:24.080><c> outside</c><01:45:24.480><c> of</c><01:45:24.639><c> the
• <01:52:32.000><c> between</c><01:52:32.400><c> Republican,</c> negotiation between Republican, negotiation
• Any negotiation and bipartisan work.
• </c> my member to allow me to negotiate my member to allow me to negotiate within<02:23:43.760><c> the

Transcript Highlights:

• One thing to add I forgot to add on was one of the priorities as we came out of the negotiations.
• Were the negotiations difficult? Absolutely. Extraordinarily complex.
• We negotiated the agreement.
• I've played a mediator, I've been a lead negotiator, and I've been a facilitator.
• So was this study included as part of the science in negotiating this?

Committee: House Agriculture & Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it was early spring when they started to sit down and negotiate.
• What is negotiated between a union and a school district is different in every school district.
• and unions go to impasse, negotiation takes two parties.
• We need the flexibility to negotiate living wages for all education employees. In my district.
• Of the date for negotiations, it's difficult.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or unions representing teachers negotiating with school districts.
• And when asked, when I was going for a promotion, we do not negotiate. It is what it is.
• When I was going for a promotion, we do not negotiate. It is what it is.
• So not having a union is not going to help you negotiate a salary.
• Could you imagine the school district negotiating with each teacher?

Bills: S0332 , S0464 , S0576 , S0830 , S0964 , S0984 , S1096 , S1296 , S1298 , S1612 , S1656

Committee: Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Summary: The committee first heard a committee substitute for SB 332, which creates a narrow public meetings and public records exemption for certain pre-suit settlement communications in Bert Harris claims involving local governments and private property rights. The sponsor said the change is intended to allow confidential legal strategy and negotiation during the 90-day pre-suit period while keeping settlements and outcomes public. The strike-all amendment was adopted, supportive testimony was waived in, and the bill was reported favorably. Members then approved several other measures, including SB 464 requiring K-12 schools to formally observe Veterans Day as a school holiday; SB 984 on firefighter cancer benefits and prevention, which was amended to add a statement of important state interest and reported favorably after testimony from firefighters both supporting the bill and urging a longer benefit window; SB 576 on local government cybersecurity, which was amended to route the program through the Florida Digital Service and strengthen state-local coordination; SB 964 clarifying how certain gift and honoraria disclosures are filed with the Commission on Ethics; SB 1612 requiring local governments to accept electronic payments with a delayed effective date; SB 830 creating public records exemptions for certain local government administrators and their families; SB 1096 clarifying the filing deadline for employment discrimination complaints; and SB 1656 designating the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship. All were reported favorably. The committee also considered a slate of appointments, including a separate vote on Jeffrey Aaron to the Public Employees Relations Commission, which was recommended favorably after Senator Polsky objected to the appointment and cited concerns about political ties and prior work. The remaining appointees on tabs 12 through 30 were also recommended favorably. After a recess, the committee took up SB 1296 on the Public Employees Relations Commission, as substituted by a committee PCS. The PCS would change union certification and recertification rules, require stronger showing-of-interest and voting thresholds, limit paid union leave in some cases, require equal access to employer communication spaces, and speed up impasse procedures for state-funded salary increases. The bill drew extensive testimony, with supporters arguing it would improve accountability, transparency, and taxpayer fairness, and opponents—many of them teachers, bus drivers, and other public employees—saying it would weaken collective bargaining, burden workers, and function as union busting. Members raised constitutional concerns about the single-subject rule and collective bargaining protections, and debate was ongoing at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, they're being floated as negotiations pieces.
• I mean, they're being floated as negotiations pieces.
• And table when it comes to negotiations.
• So as we're non-negotiable for us.
• We did a lot of really non-negotiable.

Summary: Lawmakers and advocates from the POCI Caucus held a news conference focused on protecting recent DFL-enacted policies in a newly divided Legislature. They highlighted accomplishments from the last biennium, including earned sick and safe time, ethnic studies, unemployment insurance changes, environmental protections, and MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented immigrants, and argued these measures should not be rolled back in budget negotiations. Speakers said Republicans were pushing cuts or carveouts that would disproportionately harm Black, brown, immigrant, women, and low-income communities, and they urged the House and Governor Walz to reject those changes. A major theme was opposition to proposed carveouts to earned sick and safe time. Amanda Otero of TakeAction Minnesota said the proposed changes would remove benefits from more than 100,000 workers based on employer size, and lawmakers said sick leave should be universal. Another major topic was MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants. Representative María Isa Pérez Vega, Council Member Jason Chavez, and others argued the program is affordable, reduces uncompensated emergency care, and improves public health by expanding preventive care. Chavez and Emilia Gonzalez Avalos shared personal stories about family members who benefited from health coverage and said cutting access would worsen disparities and hurt families and communities. The event also included remarks on ethnic studies and historical memory. Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura connected the Ethnic Studies for All Act to her family’s experience with Japanese American incarceration during World War II, and Sally Sudo described her family’s removal and imprisonment under Executive Order 9066. Speakers framed these stories as warnings against scapegoating and exclusion. In the question-and-answer portion, lawmakers said they were still in negotiations but emphasized that certain protections were non-negotiable and that any compromises should be distributed equitably rather than targeting specific groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 4414 aims to address the theft of negotiable instruments and arrow keys, which are the master
• Checks or negotiable instruments are stolen in a variety of ways.
• As an act that is law, this bill would treat the theft as a negotiable instrument, as the theft of personal
• This will charge based on the number of negotiable instruments stolen.
• a penalty structure better suited to this type of crime by tying the penalties to the amount of negotiable

Transcript Highlights:

• You each have to negotiate. It's just not fair, right?
• You each have to negotiate, or there is no negotiation with the credit card companies.
• Yes, you can negotiate a little bit.
• At the same time, we have no negotiating power.
• These are costs that are non-negotiable costs.

Summary: The commission met for its second hearing to study the future of credit card payments and sales transactions and their impacts on small businesses. Members heard extensive testimony from credit unions, retailers, restaurants, and payment-industry representatives on interchange fees, processing fees, fraud, chargebacks, rewards programs, and the ability of businesses to pass fees on to customers. Several witnesses argued that swipe fees have risen sharply, are especially burdensome for restaurants and other small businesses, and are charged on taxes and tips that are merely pass-through amounts. They urged state action to prohibit fees on tax and tip portions, improve transparency, and allow surcharging or convenience fees, while opponents warned that state regulation could reduce fraud protections, increase compliance costs, and threaten consumer rewards programs. Business owners and trade groups described thin margins, rising costs, and the difficulty of understanding merchant statements or negotiating with processors. Restaurant witnesses said card-not-present and online transactions create the greatest fraud and chargeback risk, with money often removed immediately from merchants’ accounts and disputes rarely resolved in their favor. Retail witnesses gave examples of rising effective rates, higher fees on rewards cards, and the burden of processing fees on low-value transactions. A representative from the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and others said restaurants are effectively paying fees on meals tax and gratuities, which they argued should not be subject to interchange charges. On the other side, the Cooperative Credit Union Association said interchange revenue helps credit unions fund fraud prevention, rapid card replacement, and member protections, and warned that state limits on interchange could weaken those safeguards and lead to higher consumer costs or reduced services. Airlines for America testified that airline credit card rewards are popular, support travel and jobs in Massachusetts, and could be harmed by interchange reform. The National Restaurant Association and a payments-policy attorney countered that interchange fees are set by card networks rather than competitive markets, that banks remain highly profitable even with rewards, and that states can act after recent court decisions. No votes were taken; the hearing consisted of testimony and questions from commissioners.

Transcript Highlights:

• That gives us the leverage to negotiate and help us manage our health care costs.
• I appreciate all of those points of leverage for negotiating purposes, but as I had picked up on the
• Those might be negotiated. That’s correct. Thank you. Representative Castile.
• the fair market value or cost of, I know it’s negotiated down, but who is insurance negotiating with
• you’re negotiating with?

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• It was rigorously negotiated by a Republican Senate and a DFL House. It was a bipartisan bill.
• As legislators negotiated a response in 2020 consistent with our state constitution, we knew a vital
• It was rigorously negotiated by a Republican Senate and a DFL House. It was a bipartisan bill.
• </c><00:07:44.560><c> a</c> enforcement as legislators negotiated a enforcement as legislators negotiated
• </c><00:09:51.680><c> set</c> constitution W with a non-negotiable set constitution W with a non-negotiable

Summary: House File 1257, which would eliminate the Public Safety Advisory Committee to the POST Board, was the final bill heard. The bill’s sponsor argued the committee was created in 2020 in response to post-Floyd criminal justice reforms but had since become obsolete because local agencies and communities had created their own oversight bodies and the main POST Board still includes citizen members and public participation. The sponsor said the advisory committee had run out of issues to address and was effectively meeting just to justify its existence. Former Representative Carlos Mariani testified in opposition, saying the committee was a bipartisan part of the 2020 Minnesota Police Accountability Act and was intended to preserve citizen involvement in policing policy and protect civil and human rights after George Floyd’s murder. He argued that eliminating it would weaken a state-level structure created to rebuild public trust and ensure consistent oversight, while still allowing local efforts to continue. Another member asked about compensation and noted the committee has a $20,000 ongoing appropriation through the POST Board; the sponsor clarified members are not individually compensated beyond per diem and travel. After discussion, the sponsor renewed the motion to recommend re-referral to the General Register. The committee voted, and the motion carried, sending House File 1257 to the General Register.

Transcript Highlights:

• During negotiated rulemaking, we received 66 comments and made further changes to the rules based on
• The Land Board approved entry into negotiated rulemaking in February of 2024.
• To engage the public in the negotiated rulemaking process, the department did the following: published
• Negotiated rulemaking meetings were held in 2024 and 2025.
• The department concluded the negotiated rulemaking process and submitted rule changes for publication

Committee: House Resources and Conservation

Transcript Highlights:

• A local government must negotiate a mitigation plan with a public hospital district, fire protection
• This has been a very, very carefully negotiated bill over the interim.
• And so I would say it's very, very carefully negotiated. I think we took two changes in the House.
• So this has been negotiated so that they feel like there's a dispute resolution process.
• It is indeed a delicately negotiated compromise.

Committee: Senate Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• What it does allow is for Idahoans to negotiate a lower rate for their cash price.
• What it does allow is for Idahoans to negotiate a lower rate for their cash price.
• Can you describe how that interacts with the cash negotiation? Representative Bingham.
• So right now, anybody can negotiate for a better price.
• Did I make sure I heard on the record that I can negotiate payments with him for a lower rate?

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• We're about to enter negotiations.
• We're about to enter negotiations. negotiations. negotiations.
• </c> negotiate a contract, like say negotiate negotiate a contract, like say negotiate that<00:08:53.240
• Okay, any other chief negotiator?
• negotiated? negotiated? &gt;&gt; It<00:12:01.720><c> is</c><00:12:01.880><c> needed.

Bills: HB1890 , HB1888 , HB1676

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committees heard three measures, beginning with HB 1890 HD3, which would provide automatic step increases and a COVID-era retention bonus for teachers. Supporters included HSTA, the Democratic Party’s Education Caucus, and a student who said higher pay and predictable salary growth would help retain teachers in Hawaii. The Department of Education supported the intent but asked that the bill be expanded to cover all department employees. The Attorney General’s office said the draft needed clarification to avoid conflict with Chapter 89 and to make clear any funding was subject to legislative appropriation. The Office of the Public Defender and B&F testified in opposition, and committee members questioned whether the step increases were already in the current contract and whether the bill was needed. HSTA said the current contract includes automatic step increases subject to funding, but argued the bill was still needed because funding is not guaranteed and the measure would codify the policy. HSTA also said the COVID bonus would apply only to active teachers who worked during the pandemic and estimated the total cost at roughly $150 million to $200 million over four years. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee then took up HB 1888 HD3, which would require DOE and charter schools to report harassment incidents and strengthen penalties for harassment of educational workers from a petty misdemeanor to a misdemeanor. DOE supported the bill and suggested narrowing language about assisting workers with temporary restraining orders, saying that function would be better handled through the Attorney General’s pilot program. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing the harassment language was overly broad, vague, and potentially unconstitutional, and that existing assault and terroristic threatening statutes already protect educational workers. HSTA, the State Commission on the Status of Women, and several individual testifiers supported the measure, describing increased intimidation and harassment of teachers and other school staff, especially since COVID. The Special Education Advisory Council opposed the bill’s language on “disrupting and interfering” with school functions, saying it could chill parents of students with IEPs from advocating for their children. Testimony was split, with the chair noting 20 in support and 16 in opposition in the portion shown. A final witness, Michelle Pestana, testified in opposition based on her family’s experience with special education services, describing alleged seclusion and restraint of her daughter and expressing concern that DOE testimony in prior hearings had targeted special education parents. Her remarks were cut off as time expired. The transcript ends before any committee action or vote on HB 1888 was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is with the negotiations.
• So, it This is with the negotiations.
• [snorts] within a negotiation for wage [snorts] within a negotiation for wage and<00:20:00.240><c> hours
• </c><01:05:11.160><c> this</c> units can and should be negotiating this units can and should be negotiating
• So I think that this of negotiation.

Bills: SB2567 , SB2448 , SB3046 , SB2231 , SB2526

Committee: House Labor

Keywords: harassment, restraining order, temporary restraining order, injunction, protective order, public employer, public servant, public employee, government employee, state employee, legislator, judge, judicial branch, executive branch, local government, political subdivision, workplace violence, threats, stalking, employee safety

Transcript Highlights:

• And I want to welcome Matthew Lee, senior advisor for tribal negotiations for Governor Newsom. Mr.
• And I want to welcome Matthew Lee, senior advisor for tribal negotiations for Governor Newsom. Mr.
• Negotiations are underway for a new tribal-state gaming compact that will come before this body.
• It simply gives us time to negotiate a new compact with the Governor's office.
• It simply gives us time to negotiate a new compact with the Governor's office.

Summary: The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee held an informational hearing on the Tribal-State Gaming Compact extension between the State of California and the Yurok Tribe. Chair Blanca Rubio explained that the hearing was for briefing only, with no formal vote, and that the Legislature cannot amend the compact; AB 1389 is the ratification bill that will later come before the Assembly floor. The extension preserves the existing compact’s terms and extends it through December 31, 2026, to maintain the tribe’s economic stability while a new compact is negotiated. Governor Newsom’s senior advisor for tribal negotiations, Matthew Lee, said the extension simply preserves the status quo while negotiations continue on a new compact expected to come before the Legislature later this year. Yurok Tribe Chairman Joseph James testified that the amendment does not change any substantive terms, but gives the tribe time to negotiate a new agreement and continue operating its existing gaming and hospitality operations under the current framework. Chris Lundstrom of the California Tribal Business Alliance spoke in support. There was no opposition, no member questions, and no vote taken. The chair then adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• This budget was not negotiated, and it shows.
• As it stands now, this is not a negotiated plan.
• That means negotiation.
• She walked away from the negotiation table weeks ago.
• One is when the governor negotiates with the legislature, One is when the governor negotiates with the

Bills: HB4138 , HB4139 , HB4140 , HB4141 , HB4142 , HB4143 , HB4144 , HB4145 , HB4146 , HB4147 , HB4148 , HB4149 , HB4150 , HB4151 , HB4152 , HB4153 , SB1831 , SB1832 , SB1833 , SB1834 , SB1835 , SB1836 , SB1837 , SB1838 , SB1839 , SB1840 , SB1841 , SB1842 , SB1843 , SB1844 , SB1845 , SB1846

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: appropriations, education funding, health care, general fund, state budget, local funding, gaming, pari-mutuel, horse racing, regulatory assessment, first-time starters, budget implementation, federal funds, government services, budget stabilization, financial reporting, capital outlay, infrastructure, veterans services, highway construction