Transcript Highlights:

• As of July 25, DOCR facilities will be at 1,464 and in the main facility, 1,753 overall, which is exceeding
• They know they need to build a new facility.
• so they had to purchase the 72-bed facility.
• There's more facilities that will accept males than females.
• There's more facilities that will accept males than females.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee reconvened in the afternoon and took up only Senate Bill 2015, the Department of Corrections budget. Representative Steeman explained that the budget reflected major changes from the Senate version because bed contracts with Grand Forks and Burleigh-Morton were still unresolved when the Senate acted. He described rising inmate populations, added county/regional jail payments, deferred maintenance and repair funding, planning money for a new Missouri River Correctional Center, software and equipment upgrades, victims of crime grants, and a one-time diversion/deflection center grant for Fargo funded through the Community Health Trust Fund. He also outlined funding for body cameras, tasers, and protective vests, and a Native American reentry program/report provision, along with a legislative management study on sentencing, corrections, and parole oversight. Members asked about the possibility of private or design-build alternatives for the new Missouri River Correctional Center. After discussion, the committee adopted language directing the steering committee to oversee design and construction and to explore other options. There was also discussion of the importance of maintaining North Dakota’s correctional rehabilitation culture, the cost and availability of out-of-state placements, and the current number of inmates housed in regional, county, and interstate facilities. The committee adopted the amendment to engrossed Senate Bill 2015 and then approved the bill as amended on a 21-0 vote, with two members absent and not voting. Representative Steeman was designated as the carrier. The chair then thanked members for their work and announced the committee would reconvene the next morning to continue with remaining bills and budget work before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Warren facility. That's right. I'm sorry. The Warren facility.
• We have to report across all of the facilities.
• The consultants, and part of their job, is that to do an assessment of just that facility or all facilities
• about the Warren facility prior to this event happening?
• We are privy to every on-site survey that they do at all facilities.

Summary: The Joint State Agencies committee met to approve prior minutes and then focused on the death of Zachary Moore at the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center, later clarified in discussion as the Warren facility. DHS officials described Moore’s background, said he died after a prolonged prone restraint followed by a delayed chemical restraint, and reported that 13 staff were terminated, the superintendent was replaced, a consultant was brought in, and the agency entered a settlement with the family for $725,000. Members pressed DHS on the cause of death, restraint policies, staff training, supervision, family notification, and why the family had not been kept informed; DHS said a family-notification procedure exists but that communications during litigation had been handled through counsel. The committee also heard that six staff had been criminally charged with manslaughter and neglect of a vulnerable person, and that the death certificate listed the manner of death as homicide with cause of death tied to physiologic stress associated with struggle and prone restraint. DHS officials gave broader context on the five human development centers, their licensing and accreditation, resident population, mortality review process, and training programs. They said the centers serve highly medically and behaviorally complex residents, that annual restraint training and CPI-based instruction are required, and that the mortality review committee and Office of Long-Term Care review deaths and make recommendations. Members repeatedly criticized the agency for not having complete information at the meeting and for what they saw as gaps in oversight, staffing, and chain-of-command clarity during emergencies. DHS responded that the Warren facility had not been meeting the same standards as the others, that the consultant’s root-cause analysis identified multiple failures, and that new crisis-team and chain-of-command procedures were being drafted. A second major topic was staffing and recruitment. Members discussed low pay, turnover, use of float and on-call staff, rural staffing shortages, and a waiting list of about 2,000 people for home- and community-based services. DHS said CNAs at the centers start at about $39,000 a year, that a broader retention and recruitment plan is being drafted for all five centers, and that a separate rate study for PASS services will be implemented in January 2027 but does not cover CNA pay. The meeting ended with testimony from Moore’s mother, Angela Stevens, who said money could not replace her son and urged stronger training, background checks, and supervision so other residents would be protected. The committee asked DHS to keep members and Stevens updated on consultant reports, recruitment efforts, and follow-up on the family communication issue, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• swine, sheep, and goats at facilities swine, sheep, and goats at facilities not<00:04:22.320>
• word about is USDA facilities word about is USDA facilities are<00:13:27.680> certified<00
• So we do not inspect the facilities. The only entity that is inspecting those facilities is USDA.
• Uh, so at a custom facility.
• facility and then they can cut it up. facility and then they can cut it up.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Environment and Agriculture Committee held a work session and then executive session on HB 396, which would allow processing of beef cows, swine, sheep, and goats at facilities not certified by USDA. Representative Comtois presented a revised amendment after prior drafting issues were corrected. The changes narrowed the bill to cuts of meat rather than meat food products, clarified labeling for amenable and non-amenable species, removed an exemption from federal law, struck a seasonal date range at Representative Bixby’s request, and reinstated a previously removed section. Supporters said the amendment now had clearer language and better safeguards, while some members still expressed reservations about the underlying policy. Testimony from DHHS food safety officials emphasized that the department does not inspect custom-exempt facilities and would have little oversight unless there were a complaint or foodborne outbreak. They noted concerns about removing the September 1 to April 30 date range, explaining it had been included in the original bill because of temperature and storage concerns for large animals, and they also said the amendment appeared to focus documentation requirements on bison, elk, and red deer. Committee members and witnesses debated whether the proposal would create food safety risks, whether farmers should instead be educated and helped to aggregate processing capacity, and whether the bill would expose farmers, retailers, and restaurants to federal enforcement risk. Rob Johnson of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau said the organization had recently voted down a policy opposing state regulations that would allow uninspected meat sales at retail, and he said he needed to consult further with Farm Bureau leadership before taking a position on HB 396. He suggested the bill should use the broader term “dairy and beef cattle” rather than “beef cows” for consistency. Supporters argued the bill would help small farmers, expand local food access, and reflect an intrastate policy choice despite conflict with federal law. The committee then moved into executive session and voted to approve amendment 2025-3090H, with members stating they would likely have different views on the bill itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• Corrections and public facility Corrections and public facility Authority<00:01:03.600> we'll
• Safety and Security of the facilities Safety and Security of the facilities themselves<00:05:06.400
• other than the oldest facilities.
• live within our Correctional Facilities live within our Correctional Facilities today<00:07:35.879
• It is the DOC's newest facility.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• facility or recycling facility.
• facility or recycling facility.
• Eight counties have more than one facility, and a ninth county is just about to open a second facility
• on the MRW facility map.
• This does not include the cost of new facilities like the collection facility co-located with King County's

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The committee’s interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), with presenters from industry, nonprofits, and state agencies describing Washington’s geologic potential, the role of basalt formations, and the difference between point-source capture, direct air capture, utilization, and permanent storage. Industry and project developers emphasized that Washington has major opportunities to reduce industrial emissions, create jobs, and support hard-to-electrify sectors, while state agencies explained current policy touchpoints in the Cap and Invest Program, emissions exemptions for permanently stored CO2, and the Clean Energy Transformation Act. Several presenters urged clearer statutory and regulatory pathways, including rules for pore space, subsurface rights, pipeline siting, and long-term liability; others cautioned that CCUS should be limited to real emissions reductions and not treated as a substitute for broader clean energy measures. Committee members asked about public comment opportunities, whether mineralized carbon would qualify for exemption under the Climate Commitment Act, the energy intensity of capture systems, aquifer protection, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Ecology said it is developing guidance through a public engagement process running through late June and that mineralized or otherwise permanently stored CO2 would likely qualify if it meets the 1,000-year permanence standard. DNR and outside experts also discussed trust lands, water rights, and the need for additional geophysical surveys and test wells. The panel did not take any votes or formal actions. The second half of the meeting turned to hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility. Ecology reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described how moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste are currently collected through county facilities and events. Ecology said the electronics program is its best model, while the mercury lamp program is currently in transition after the prior stewardship organization exited and a new organization is seeking approval. Ecology recommended that future EPR programs have clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong enforcement authority. Local government witnesses from King County and Douglas County described rising costs, access barriers in rural areas, and the need for stable funding and flexible local delivery models. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and argued that EPR could reduce costs for ratepayers and improve equity. Douglas County stressed that rural residents are willing to participate when services are available, but travel distance and operating costs make access difficult. An industry representative supported narrowly scoped stewardship programs like PaintCare but warned that broad household hazardous waste EPR systems can become difficult to administer and may require legislative revisions if responsibilities are not clearly defined. No votes were taken on the hazardous waste topic either.

Transcript Highlights:

• uh in our regional current facilities uh in our regional facility<00:37:19.359> model<00:37:20.160
• If they do go AWOL from one of our facilities or they escape from one of our facilities, safety and apprehension
• We have already directed DJJ to renovate the existing facilities.
• We have already directed DJJ to renovate the existing facilities.
• We have already directed DJJ to renovate the existing facilities.

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:00 Roll Call: 00:00:04 SB 02: 00:01:37 Discussion in Opposition to SB 02: 00:09:49 SB 84: 00:22:19 SB 111: 00:30:35, 958, all

Summary: The committee first considered Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Senator Mike Wilson, which would prohibit incarcerated people from receiving cross-sex hormones or gender-affirming surgeries, while allowing a tapering period if stopping an existing treatment would cause physical harm. Wilson said the bill was needed to prevent the Department of Corrections from providing such care by memo or policy rather than statute, and he argued the care was elective and not medically necessary. Senators Thomas, Neal, Nemes, Styers, and others questioned whether any gender-affirming surgeries had actually occurred in Kentucky, whether the hormone treatments were physician-prescribed, and whether the bill would override medical judgment; Wilson said the department reported no surgeries, that 67 incarcerated people were receiving cross-sex hormone therapy, and that he would only support treatment if it fit the bill’s narrow medical-harm exception. Public testimony on SB 2 was strongly opposed. Chris Hartman of the Fairness Campaign said the bill would deny medically necessary care, violate the Eighth Amendment, and target a very small and vulnerable incarcerated population. Dr. Jack Skilles testified that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and supported by major medical organizations, warning that denying it could worsen mental health and lead to suicidality. Hannah Callahan, a transgender woman, described being denied hormone therapy while incarcerated and said the interruption caused severe physical and mental harm, including suicidal thoughts. Emma Curtis, Lexington’s Fourth District councilwoman, also urged a no vote, framing the issue as a matter of compassion and religious duty. The committee then voted on SB 2. Senator Neal explained his no vote by saying he was not medically trained and deferred to doctors; Senator Nemes said he wanted clarification that the bill would not stop ongoing treatment; and Senator Styers argued the bill was a poor priority and noted there was no fiscal note and that only 67 people were affected. Senator Wheeler moved the bill, Senator Reed seconded, and the committee reported Senate Bill 2 favorably. Afterward, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 84, sponsored by Senator Steve Rawlings, which would limit judicial deference to state agency interpretations and require courts, not agencies, to interpret ambiguous laws, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Loper Bright decision overturning Chevron deference.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, we rent one of the Western facilities.
• And, um, our, our closest, municipal facility would be 240. our closest facility would be $240 a night
• So February 17th in Sunland Park for the Otero facility, February 18th in Grants for the Cibola facility
• I'm not talking about facilities to incarcerate.
• Who owns the facility?

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to a mid-level psychiatric facility.
• The facility today is at 89.2% capacity.
• state facility or a facility to be built, you're going to be adding to your per diem rate the cost of
• We began with one facility and in 1997, began to add additional facilities to the portfolio, where today
• It's a treatment facility MTC built and owns. It's a 200 or 2,236 bed treatment facility.

Transcript Highlights:

• Barrel impacted 104 nursing facilities and 232 assisted living facilities.
• residents to another facility. facility.
• on those facilities. the allowable type of fuel for backup generation so that facilities can tailor
• the square footage requirements for all facilities at one centralized facility.
• , Intermediate Care Facilities.

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Seven of those are Texas facilities. facilities, we own it. Excuse me.
• And when we say they would pay for those, generally when you're paying for a state facility or a facility
• We began with one facility.
• It's a treatment facility, MTC built and owns. It's a 200, or a 2,200. 236 bed treatment facility.
• They're state-owned facilities.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Joint Resolution 32 deals with school facilities.
• House Joint Resolution 32 deals with school facilities.
• intend as you know the school facility intend as you know the school facility assistance<00:15:39.560
• supporting you know athletic facilities supporting you know athletic facilities and<00:20:00.880
• It kind of lists it roughly, but yeah, I know we've got a multi-purpose facility.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:05 HB 537 Discussion 00:00:40 HB 537 Vote 00:02:45 HJR 34 Discussion 00:03:30 HJR 34 Vote 00:07:45 HJR 30 Discussion 00:08:30 HJR 30 Vote 00:10:25 HJR 32 Discussion 00:11:00 HJR 32 Vote 00:41:00, 958, all

Summary: The committee took up several measures related to appropriations and school facilities. House Bill 537 was explained as a technical fix to Kentucky’s opioid abatement settlement framework so the state can accept funds from national bankruptcy settlements under the allocation structure now used by the courts; the bill was supported by the Attorney General’s office and local government groups and received a favorable recommendation. House Joint Resolution 34 authorized release of previously appropriated KCTCS funds for three projects, and members discussed whether KCTCS facilities could be used more broadly for community needs such as public health, workforce, and other services. KCTCS officials said they were open to that idea, and the resolution also received a favorable recommendation. House Joint Resolution 30, concerning the Waters program and release of funds for projects that had remained in design, was adopted by committee substitute and passed favorably. The committee then heard extensive testimony on House Joint Resolution 32, which concerns school facility gap funding for districts with low bonding capacity. The chair and sponsor explained that the General Assembly had previously asked the auditor and Blue & Co. to analyze district data because of disputes over project costs and bonding capacity. Superintendents from Marion County, Augusta Independent, Williamstown, and Walton Verona described their projects and financial constraints. Marion County and Augusta argued that full gap funding is necessary for new school or multipurpose facility projects that cannot be phased in; Augusta emphasized its old building stock, high poverty rate, and the need for a gymnasium/multipurpose space used for school and community functions. Williamstown described a STEM center and field expansion, saying the project would be delayed for years without full funding. Walton Verona described rapid growth, overcrowding, and an intermediate school project that had risen sharply in cost from the original estimate. Members asked questions about the accuracy of cost estimates and the scope of the projects, including why some estimates differed from the auditor’s figures and whether the funding requests covered only parts of larger phased plans. The testimony generally supported full funding for the listed districts, with the districts arguing that the projects are necessary for safe, modern learning environments and that local tax effort has already been substantial. Each of the measures considered during the meeting was reported out favorably, with the chair voting no on the resolutions and bills before the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill requires facility operators to grant The bill requires facility operators to grant reasonable
• . safety for all of our detention facilities.
• of detention facility, particularly, I think, the youth facilities are important and are vital.
• didn't apply to secure youth treatment facilities?
• Detention facilities didn't apply to secure youth treatment facilities?

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on mental health access, preventive care, health care costs, detention oversight, and daylight saving time. SB 989 would streamline Care Court referrals by allowing first responders to ask county behavioral health agencies to review and file petitions; supporters, especially firefighters and families, said the current process is too burdensome, while Disability Rights California and other opponents argued Care Court is coercive and unproven. SB 1089, as amended, would direct CalRx/HHS to help distribute GLP-1 medications more broadly and more affordably; the author described her own experience with the drugs, and the bill drew support from medical and life sciences groups with no opposition. SB 1309 would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for medically appropriate lung cancer screening follow-up care; cancer advocates and survivors strongly supported it, while health plans and insurers opposed it as costly and said the bigger problem is low initial screening rates. The committee also heard SB 1284, which would require DHCS to report large employers whose workers are enrolled in Medi-Cal and estimate taxpayer costs, framed by supporters as a transparency measure about corporate reliance on public coverage. SCR 7, urging permanent standard time for health reasons, passed with support from medical groups and no opposition. SB 995, the Masuma Khan Justice Act, would create statewide inspection and enforcement standards for large involuntary residential facilities, including private immigration detention centers and certain youth facilities; supporters cited unsafe and inhumane conditions, while county probation officials objected to duplicative oversight for secure youth treatment facilities. The committee took votes on each measure, and the bills and resolution advanced, with SB 1309 and SB 1284 moving on amended and the others also reported out; the consent calendar was approved as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• facility or recycling facility.
• Eight counties have more than one facility, and a ninth county is just about to open a second facility
• events, as shown on the MRW facility map.
• This does not include the cost of new facilities, like the collection facility co-located with King County's
• Building a facility was one challenge.

Summary: The committee held an interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), then on hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility (EPR). On the CCUS topic, industry and nonprofit presenters described point-source capture, direct air capture, mineralization, and geologic sequestration, emphasizing Washington’s basalt formations and state trust lands as strong candidates for storage. They argued that CCUS can help hard-to-abate industrial sectors, support jobs and investment, and provide a pathway for compliance, while also noting the need for clearer permitting, subsurface rights, pipeline authority, and storage infrastructure. Ecology and Commerce staff explained current state policy touchpoints, including Cap-and-Invest offsets and exemptions for permanently stored CO2, the public comment process underway to define “thousand-year” permanence, and how CCUS might fit within the Clean Energy Transformation Act without counting emitting generation as non-emitting. Some presenters supported more state action and primacy over federal permitting, while others warned about costs, energy use, uncertain capture performance, and the need to ensure real net greenhouse gas reductions and long-term liability protections. Members asked about public meetings, whether mineralized carbon would qualify as exempt under the Climate Commitment Act, the timeline for Ecology guidance, aquifer and water-quality concerns, energy intensity of capture systems, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Responses said Ecology’s guidance process is already underway, public meetings will be virtual, mineralized carbon would likely qualify if it meets the permanence standard, and EPA rules require storage in deep saline formations below drinking water aquifers. Industry speakers said capture energy use varies by source and concentration, and one presenter noted that some states use trust funds funded by injectors to address long-term liability. The second half of the session shifted to hazardous waste and EPR. Ecology staff reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste management in Washington. They highlighted that E-Cycle and PaintCare are producer-funded, that the battery stewardship program will begin in 2027, and that the mercury lamp program is in transition after its prior stewardship organization exited, prompting enforcement notices and a pending replacement plan. Ecology recommended best practices for future EPR programs, including clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong agency enforcement and plan approval authority. Local government speakers from King County and Douglas County described rising collection costs, equity and access barriers, rural travel distances, and the need for stable funding and flexible local implementation. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and supports EPR as a way to shift costs from ratepayers to producers, while Douglas County emphasized that rural residents will participate when services are accessible and that future systems should account for geography and local infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sometimes it's the nature of the facility itself.
• Sometimes it's the nature of the facility itself.
• As it relates to facilities, I would agree with you.
• or State Department of Corrections facilities.
• around, we're very understaffed at these facilities.

Summary: The Justice Budget Committee heard detailed presentations from the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Corrections on staffing, services, and budget needs. DJJ Secretary Hall emphasized that the agency’s main public safety strategy is education, along with prevention and recidivism reduction. He described major staffing improvements after pay increases for probation, detention, residential care, and prevention workers, and outlined DJJ’s mental health, aftercare, and education continuum, including the Florida Scholars Academy and Florida Youth College. He said the new statewide education model is showing early gains in progress monitoring, high school graduation, and postsecondary enrollment, while also noting ongoing operational issues such as IT connectivity, rural staffing gaps, and the need for geographic pay adjustments for teachers. He also discussed detention center replacement plans in Hillsborough, Broward, and Palm Beach, and said DJJ would transition the Broward JAC to a security contractor after the sheriff’s office pulls sworn officers from the site. Members asked about campus performance differences, teacher pay, detention education quality, and concerns about the rollout and leadership of the Scholars Academy. Hall said some campuses face rural access and infrastructure problems, but the blended learning model provides continuity when internet or staffing issues arise. He defended the superintendent’s qualifications and said early problems with inappropriate online content were addressed. Representative Porras raised concerns about educational quality and the superintendent’s past disciplinary history, while Representative Barrera urged more mentorship and fatherhood-focused programming in juvenile facilities. DOC Secretary Dixon said the prison system is under pressure from rising inmate populations, staffing shortages, and overtime costs. He argued that the system needs funded posts for every functioning housing unit, noting that the department has added housing units without enough staff and now relies heavily on overtime, mobile officer deployments, and shift conversions to keep facilities operating safely. He highlighted that many officers are new, that outside-hospital transports have risen sharply, and that mental health units require additional staffing. DOC’s mental health chief described a large and growing treatment system with outpatient, inpatient, intensive outpatient, and court-ordered services, saying about a quarter of the prison population has a diagnosed mental illness. Community corrections staff described treatment programs, employment specialists, mobile probation and reentry units, and a new mental health first aid training initiative. Reentry staff reported expanded substance abuse, education, CTE, chaplaincy, and digital learning programs, including Edovo and a forthcoming Work Bay platform. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, Senate File 1503 would eliminate facility fees and facility fees allow systems to add on
• has banned facility fees for preventative care, Ohio has banned facility fees for telehealth services
• fees Colorado has banned all facility fees Colorado has banned facility<00:07:10.000> fees<00
• range of fees and then the facility range of fees and then the facility contact<00:07:40.039>
• <00:08:15.159> the and never even enter a facility the and never even enter a facility the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our Woodburry water treatment facility our Woodburry water treatment facility Water<00:01:59.520
• <00:20:28.679> in multi-purpose athletic facilities in multi-purpose athletic facilities in
• so we think that's what this facility so we think that's what this facility could<00:35:00.560><
• terms of uh putting this facility terms of uh putting this facility together together together uh
• designed as a five 110,000 foot facility designed as a five 110,000 foot facility uh<01:04:15.160

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just by having rules of the facility?
• just by having rules of in the facility just by having rules of the<00:10:26.720> facility<00
• <01:09:46.679> to return shakb Correctional Facility to return shakb Correctional Facility
• transgender women and men's facilities transgender women and men's facilities over<01:19:16.320>
• c><01:42:08.520> agency both either the facility or the agency both either the facility or the

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• facility.
• facility in New Hampshire?
• c><02:15:06.239> that<02:15:06.480> in facility of a facility with that in facility of
• In cooperation with an eligible facility, the health care provider at an eligible facility.
• facility remains in non-compliance. facility remains in non-compliance.

Keywords: 12:30pm HB 421 2:00pm HB 701 3:00pm HB 377 4:00pm HB 712, 928, house, all

Summary: The committee of conference first took up House Bill 421FN, concerning notice of tax-exempt status filing procedures by town officials. Members reviewed the Senate changes and focused on whether the amended language would require multiple mailings to charitable organizations. House conferees said the Senate wording appeared to create more than one mailing and asked for clarification; Senate members explained the intent was to reduce clerk workload by posting forms and sending a follow-up notice only to organizations that failed to file after the deadline. After a brief caucus, the House concluded there were too many unresolved changes to work out in conference and moved to non-concur with the Senate amendment. The House motion to non-concur passed unanimously, 4-0, and the committee agreed to place the conference report on the House consent calendar. The chair then closed the committee of conference on House Bill 421FN. The transcript then shifted to a separate committee of conference on another bill, where members discussed revisions involving direct supervision at an eligible facility, federalwide assurance requirements, and immunity language. Testimony focused on whether the bill should require supervision at a specific facility or allow broader supervision arrangements, whether rulemaking should define direct supervision, and whether the immunity provision should cover reckless as well as willful misconduct. No final vote or action on that second bill was reached in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• than domiciliary facilities.
• than domiciliary facilities.
• than domiciliary facilities.
• and domiciliary facilities.
• and domiciliary facilities.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1196 on waste facilities by Senator Sherri. SB 1196 on waste facilities by Senator Sharif.
• It applies only to new facilities.
• out of a waste-to-energy facility.
• of a waste energy facility.
• They don't have the facility to recycle.

Bills: S0912, S1196, S1422, S1510, S7034

Keywords: battery collection, battery stewardship, environment, recycling, hazardous waste, waste management, regulation, environmental protection, facilities, hazardous materials, coral reefs, natural resource, climate change, coastal flooding, solar facilities, wastewater treatment, nutrient reduction, land conservation, water conservation, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Summary: The Environment and Natural Resources Committee met with a quorum and took up several environmental bills and one appointment. SB 1422, as amended by a strike-all focused on coral reef protection and designating coral reefs as critical natural infrastructure, was reported favorably after support from Audubon Florida was noted. The committee then considered SPB 7034, a DEP rule ratification related to minimum flows and levels for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers and associated recovery strategy; witnesses from the Florida Springs Council and local river advocates criticized the plan as too delayed and too dependent on a single future water project, while committee members raised questions about funding and utility responsibility. Despite concerns, the committee approved the bill as a committee bill, with Senator Smith voting no. The committee next heard SB 1510, as amended, which made technical changes to DEP-related provisions including B-MAP notice and timing, septic system requirements in Florida Springs areas, biosolids, fees, land acquisition, and rulemaking procedures. The main public testimony came from the Florida Springs Council, which opposed the 60-day delay for B-MAP effectiveness as harmful to spring restoration, while DEP and others supported the measure. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also considered SB 1196, a targeted siting bill restricting new ash-producing incinerators or waste-to-energy facilities within two miles of large federally authorized water impoundment areas, with an amendment narrowing the practical effect to Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Supporters, including the City of Miramar, argued it would protect water resources and communities; opponents from the Florida Waste-to-Energy Coalition argued it would limit local waste-disposal options and could force more landfilling. The bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 912, the Safe Battery Collection and Recovery Act, which would require battery stewardship organizations and related recycling plans to keep batteries out of the waste stream. Industry and recycling representatives supported the bill, citing growing battery volumes and fire risks at recycling facilities. The committee also recommended confirmation of Gary Jennings to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. All measures were approved favorably except that Senator Smith voted against SPB 7034; the meeting then adjourned.