Transcript Highlights:

• As you can gather, it only makes sense that if WIFA can issue loans to counties, counties be allowed
• Gila County alone, they're estimated to be around 5,000 cesspools still in use in the county.
• I’m the Gila County deputy county manager.
• County.
• County.

Committee: Senate Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference

Summary: The Natural Resources Committee heard three bills related to water policy and all were given do pass recommendations. HB 2029 would require disclosure information for applicants to the Water Conservation Grant Fund, and an amendment broadened the disclosure requirements from only certain water users to all eligible entities. WIFA testified neutral on both the bill and amendment, noting it already collects much of the information; the committee adopted the amendment and then passed the bill 8-0. HB 2096 would allow counties to receive WIFA financial assistance, including forgivable principal, for cesspool remediation, closure, or replacement when there is a risk to water or public health. WIFA and county representatives from the County Supervisors Association and Gila County supported the bill, explaining that counties need clearer authority to accept loans and grants for cesspool cleanup, especially in rural areas with thousands of aging cesspools and flood-related contamination. Members discussed impacts in Gila County and other areas, and the bill passed 8-0. HB 2116 would appropriate $1 million from the State General Fund in FY 2027 to the Colorado River Litigation Fund. The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association supported the measure as preparation for possible Colorado River litigation, while members emphasized that the funding is a placeholder and that they hope litigation will not be necessary. The committee passed the bill 8-0 and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let that county EM share it with the other counties in that region.
• But it tells us the risk associated with a certain county or a certain process within that county.
• It tells us the risk associated with a certain county or a certain process within that county and lets
• , having the county...
• You know, 67 counties varying degrees of experience specifically, and I'll say with our county EMs.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Summary: The committee received a program review from the Florida Division of Emergency Management on the 2024 hurricane season and FEMA reimbursement process. Deputy Director Keith Pruitt described the impacts of Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, including major storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, debris removal, power restoration, flood-control deployments, sheltering, and logistics missions. He emphasized that Florida’s approach is “federally funded, state managed, locally executed,” and said the division has already obligated large amounts of public assistance funding and mitigation dollars while continuing to work on remaining missions and reimbursements. A major focus of the discussion was how local governments can better document and vet debris-removal and other disaster costs so they are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Chair DiCeglie and other senators raised concerns about local planning, commercial debris collection, and whether counties and municipalities that spend money up front will be reimbursed. Pruitt explained that eligibility depends on documentation, scope of work, insurance, and FEMA rules, and that the state’s FROC process is intended to help counties identify eligible work before costs are incurred. He also said commercial debris may be eligible in some cases but is not guaranteed, and that counties should coordinate early with FDEM and FEMA. Senators also asked about possible FEMA reforms, the age of outstanding reimbursement claims, and a proposed state fund to advance money to fiscally constrained counties while they wait for FEMA payments. Pruitt said Florida’s system is a national best practice, but that more county-level training and clearer coordination would help reduce de-obligations and audit problems. He said the reimbursement-advance idea is still being developed, and that the state continues to look at ways to streamline mitigation through programs like Elevate Florida. The committee took no formal action beyond hearing the presentation, and the meeting adjourned after closing comments from senators praising FDEM’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• Existing law already very clearly permits counties to pursue multiple models of county office consolidation
• rather than targeting one specific county.
• And all of us here are aware of the influence that county sheriffs can have on county politics.
• And I think it's fair to characterize what happened in Riverside County as a county sheriff using every
• County.

Committee: Senate Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• , Tuolumne County, and Stanislaus County.
• , Tuolumne County, and Stanislaus County.
• Kelly Brooks, on behalf of Riverside County, Ventura County, the urban counties of California, and the
• First, Sacramento County is an Article 13 County.
• And what counties do, you know, I was in a rural county at that time, Plumas County.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Boone County Assessor.
• And every county in the state, and there are some counties that have done this, they have passed county
• county?
• But Audrain County is a property rights county.
• county zoning.

Committee: House Utilities

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2383, Representative Simmons’s bill addressing theft of copper and other infrastructure-related property. After a brief executive session and no further discussion, the committee voted the bill do pass by a roll call of 17 ayes, 1 no, and 1 present. The committee then heard House Bill 2711, sponsored by Representative Deal, which would lower the assessed valuation of broadband communications equipment from 33.5% to 12% for new broadband equipment placed in service after August 28, 2026, with a proposed sunset period discussed as part of a substitute. Representative Deal and several industry witnesses, including AT&T, Verizon, Missouri Cable Association, Missouri Broadband Providers Association, Missouri Chamber, and electric co-ops, argued the measure would improve Missouri’s competitiveness, encourage private investment, and help expand broadband in rural and underserved areas. Opponents, including county assessors, argued the bill would reduce local tax revenue, create unequal treatment, and could become a precedent for other industries. Committee members questioned whether the bill would apply only to new builds or also to upgrades and existing infrastructure, and whether the tax relief would actually drive expansion into rural areas. The committee then began hearing House Bills 2402 and 2816, which deal with solar energy siting and taxation. The sponsors described the bills as setting local assessment rules for solar projects, establishing a per-megawatt valuation, requiring larger setbacks from homes, schools, and churches, and limiting the amount of tillable land that can be used for solar in a county, while also addressing Chapter 100 agreements and decommissioning concerns. Supporters, including Missouri Farm Bureau and county officials, said the bills would provide needed guardrails, local control, and more consistent taxation. Opponents and affected landowners said existing solar projects have caused glare, dust, noise, and property value concerns, while some developers said they wanted clearer statewide rules and consistency for future projects. The committee did not take final action on the solar bills before going into recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• In some of the counties, there's about 20-some counties that do mosquito abatement already, and they're
• In Gem County, the complex... County residents who think they've opted out.
• Lauren Hughes, Gem County. Lauren Hughes, Gem County, at 1035 Crescent Moon Lane in Emmett.
• County as the development continues all over these counties.
• And the only county we've heard complaints from is Gem County.

Committee: House Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• or sub-county special taxing district decide 15% of the electors in the county or sub-county special
• Putnam County is a small rural county with 77,000 people.
• Our small counties are authorized to levy a small county surtax.
• And Miami-Dade County, there's one that only impacts Miami-Dade County.
• We just re-up our EDC in my county. We just re-upped our TDC in my county.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on March 20, 2025, and first approved HB 4025, creating the Duke Farm Stewardship District in Lee County, on a 17-0 vote. The committee then advanced HJR 1215, which proposes a constitutional amendment to exempt agricultural tangible personal property from property tax, after extended debate about the fiscal impact on counties, especially rural and fiscally constrained ones; it passed 16-1. HB 411 also passed unanimously after an amendment, extending affordable housing tax exemption treatment to certain nonprofit projects on leased land, including Habitat for Humanity projects. The committee likewise approved CS/HB 669, allowing local governments to purchase certain unrated bonds, and CS/HB 4017, codifying the Vermont Drainage District charter in Charlotte County, both without opposition. The committee also approved HJR 1039, which would let the Legislature prevent assessed-value increases for homestead properties that are improved to mitigate flood damage, and the related implementing bill HB 1041; both passed 17-0. Public testimony on these items included some opposition to the flood-related amendment, but no floor debate changed the outcome. The final major item was CS/HB 1221 by Rep. Miller, which would require local option taxes to be renewed by voter referendum every eight years, with longer terms allowed for bonded projects. That bill drew the most extensive testimony and debate, with counties, tourism groups, and local officials warning about impacts on tourism funding, infrastructure, schools, and public safety, while supporters argued for taxpayer accountability and periodic review. After debate, the committee reported the bill favorably on a 13-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• This will bring Palm Beach Representative Casello: County into alignment with 63 other counties.
• Don Donaldson, Martin County Board of County Commissioners, waives in support.
• This is a local bill on behalf of Nassau County and the County Board of Commissioners.
• As a former county commissioner with six-plus years as a county commissioner, I was chairman of my County
• counties have held it, but probably everyone, every person in those counties and it's 53 counties probably

Transcript Highlights:

• So County A in red is a metro county, and the red box is the contributor located in that county.
• so County A in red is is a counties so County A in red is is a Metro<00:50:54.920><c> County</c><00:
• in County B.
• in County B.
• </c> Beyond County borders in Sterns County Beyond County borders in Sterns County for<01:10:09.640><

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• This map shows those counties.
• Pierce County best represents a county that comes closest to operating within the center of the Venn
• So I have more numbers for Snohomish County, and I'm glad they're at least... Snohomish County.
• King County; Region 4, the north three counties plus Island County; Region 5, the center of the state
• and Kitsap County or so.

Committee: Senate Law & Justice

Summary: The committee heard a series of updates on behavioral health, criminal justice, and public defense issues. Tisha Kirshbaum of the Health Care Authority reported that assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) has expanded from two counties to eight, with a ninth coming soon, and described AOT as a court-ordered, least-restrictive outpatient treatment model that depends on coordination among courts, counties, and treatment providers. She also reviewed Joel’s Law, which allows family members, guardians, conservators, or tribes to petition for involuntary detention when they disagree with a crisis responder’s decision, and judges from Snohomish and Chelan counties said petitions have increased significantly, though follow-through beyond initial detention is limited and the process remains fragmented. Committee members raised concerns about inconsistent standards, bed shortages, and the difficulty of aligning courts, law enforcement, and treatment systems. The Attorney General’s office then updated the committee on the hate crimes and bias incidents hotline created by SB 5427. Minna El-Gamel said the hotline began a pilot in King, Clark, and Spokane counties in July 2025, with a statewide launch planned for 2027, and that an advisory committee helped design referral processes, intake questions, outreach materials, and the hotline’s branding. In the first five months, the hotline received 301 reports, with about 42% requesting follow-up and only about a quarter of those seeking law enforcement referral; most callers instead wanted services such as counseling, housing, or other support. She said common challenges include public confusion about hate crimes versus bias incidents, limited law enforcement bias-response capacity, and gaps in pro bono legal services. Roger Rogoff of the Office of Independent Investigations reported that the agency has grown to 66 employees, including 31 investigators, and has completed six fatal police use-of-force investigations while maintaining family, community, and tribal liaisons. He said the office is now handling only fatality cases, has opened one region of the state, and plans to announce another regional opening and a statewide roadmap, but will need additional investigators to expand further, especially east of the Cascades. He also said the office has reviewed 29 requests to reinvestigate prior cases, but those reviews are time-intensive and require new evidence. The final major topic was public defense caseload standards and the related Blake resentencing work. OPD’s Grace O’Connor said resentencings under State v. Blake are nearly complete, but thousands of vacates remain, and funding reductions in the next biennium would force OPD to scale back direct representation. Tara Nevitt of the Washington State Bar Association and Jason Schwartz of the Snohomish County Office of Public Defense said the new caseload standards reflect modern practice but will require more attorneys, support staff, and technology, while Cindy Aaron Zelsbury of the Washington Defender Association reported that most counties cite lack of funding as the main barrier and that attorney attrition remains high. County and city representatives argued the standards amount to an unfunded mandate that could force dismissals or releases when counsel is unavailable, and they urged substantial state funding to avoid what they described as a public safety crisis.

Transcript Highlights:

• ... ...Cula County, Navajo County, parts of Pinell, and parts of Coconino County.
• We've got a sliver of Maricopa County and a bigger sliver of Pima County.
• They left out La Paz County.
• Goldwater Institute then sued the county after the county started to collect the taxes.
• Goldwater Institute then sued the county after the county started to collect the taxes.

Committee: House House Rural Economic Development Committee of Reference

Summary: The Committee on Rural Economic Development convened, adopted its committee rules, and briefly introduced members and staff. The chair noted a hard stop time and moved quickly through the agenda. The committee also heard a general discussion that future meetings would likely include a mix of rural housing, broadband, transportation, and economic development measures. The committee passed HB 2258, which adds La Paz County to Area 4 for representation on the Tourism Advisory Council, on a 7-0 vote. It then considered several Apache Junction and Pinal County-related appropriation bills. HB 2065 would appropriate $9.5 million for housing infrastructure, rehabilitation, and blight abatement in Apache Junction; HB 2066 would appropriate $8 million for broadband and fiber expansion there; and HB 2071 would appropriate $15.5 million for a rural business and workforce hub, infrastructure revitalization, and a rural health/community services facility. Members and the sponsor emphasized rural housing shortages, broadband gaps, and the need to bring Apache Junction and other rural areas up to parity with larger cities. The committee also passed HB 2106 on a 7-0 vote. That bill would direct undistributed or non-refunded revenues from a county transportation excise tax, collected before April 10, 2026, to ADOT for county transportation projects, with the sponsor explaining it as a way to use remaining Pinal County tax proceeds for roads after litigation and refunds. Several members discussed the need for broader rural investment, including possible amendments to include the Navajo Nation and other rural communities, and one bill was held over for the next agenda due to time.

Transcript Highlights:

• Stan Karwaski, Washington County Commissioner, representing Washington County.
• that county.
• So from what I can tell, at County Road 5 or Kasson 5, there's a signal at County Road 3.
• into Eureka and runs a mile up to County Road 32 of Washington County.
• the county.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Gentleman from Green County. Thank you, Mr.
• Louis County. Gentleman from St. Louis County. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• You had a multiple tactical operation between Christian County, Stone County, Webster County.
• The gentleman from Greene County is recognized to recognize the gentleman from Taney County.
• I ask that you recognize the gentleman from Christian County. Gentleman from Taney County.

Summary: The House met for prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the House Journal, which passed 121-2 for February 26 and by voice vote for February 27. Members then offered several points of personal privilege, including tributes to law enforcement officers killed and wounded in Christian County, expressions of support for the affected families and departments, and recognition of a local racquetball championship and visiting guests, including U.S. Representatives Mark Alford and Eric Burlison and a child’s birthday. The chamber then took up numerous bills on third reading. HB 2097/1905, an elementary agriculture education pilot program, passed 148-0. HB 2167, authorizing the Attorney General’s Office to employ post-certified investigators in-house, passed 97-50, but its emergency clause failed 88-58 after debate over whether a unique emergency existed. HB 2747/2047, the Clean Slate expungement bill, passed 140-7 despite concerns about a fiscal note and implementation costs. HB 2587, addressing unmanned aircraft threats around large public gatherings and critical infrastructure, passed 140-2 and its emergency clause was adopted 133-11 ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Kansas City. Other bills passed included HB 1977 on civil detention for mental health evaluation (137-9), HB 2593 on National Guard and veterans-related matters including cybersecurity and tuition assistance (144-2), HB 1948, a fatherhood bill aimed at helping fathers overcome barriers to involvement with their children (141-4), and HB 2473, which clarifies handling of interest in real estate broker escrow accounts (149-0). The House also moved several bills to perfection, including HB 1786 on Highway Patrol purchase authority, HB 2105 on landlord water and sewer billing transparency, HB 2397 on water district dissolution thresholds, HB 2108 on Jefferson City viaduct and land conveyance issues, HB 2818 to annex St. Joseph Memorial Airport into city limits, and HB 1980 expanding peer review protections to EMTs and paramedics. The day ended with announcements, including an elections committee meeting and a rescheduled freshman meet-and-greet with the Attorney General.

Transcript Highlights:

• county cost.
• counties to cut services and ultimately... ...Medi-Cal program onto counties, incentivizing counties
• counties.
• We do see, we have noted across counties, there are lots of counties lower and lots of counties higher
• in Sonoma County.

Transcript Highlights:

• Baldwin County has a county-wide school system until fairly recently, and then the county school districts
• I am the senator from Baldwin County, the only senator that represents Baldwin County and the only one
• ...better off the County School System would be, and yet that is contested by the County System.
• You've been to Baldwin County; it's a large county. They're traveling 40... a large county.
• ... ...standpoint for my county, not all counties have the authority to do that.

Bills: SB270 , SB275 , HB264 , HB281 , SB236 , SB247 , SB249 , SB253 , SB259

Committee: Senate County and Municipal Government

Keywords: county tax, education funding, capital projects, local government, sales tax, food trucks, mobile vendors, business license, health inspection, statewide regulation, zoning ordinances, vessel registration, boating fees, state funds, regulatory changes, water safety, municipal zoning, zoning board, appeals process, circuit court

Transcript Highlights:

• Quorum Court, the Perry County judge, myself, or Senator Rice, that covers Perry County?
• County clean water.
• more water structure into Perry County or benefits my county whatsoever, so I will do it with that.
• Pulaski County doesn't seem to matter here. These rural counties.
• Before redistricting, I had 98% of Perry County in my Senate district. I love the county.

Committee: All ALC-PEER

Summary: The committee met to consider a series of appropriation, reserve transfer, and grant requests. Early items included temporary appropriations for the Department of Education’s Educational Freedom Account program ($32 million), the State Crime Lab ($476,000), and DFA Assessment Coordination ($90,000), along with a $1 ARPA return from the Department of Health. The committee approved these items after brief questions, including a discussion about contract cost increases at Assessment Coordination and a clarification that the $1 ARPA item was simply an unused-funds return. The most extensive discussion centered on the Department of Education’s EFA funding. Members questioned the growth in participation, the use of one-time funds and restricted reserves, and safeguards against fraud or improper purchases. Agency officials said about 44,000 students were being funded, that purchases are reviewed and flagged for unusual activity, and that homeschool students are not required to buy a curriculum so long as purchases are eligible and approved. The committee approved the EFA appropriation and related reserve transfer, and officials said the governor’s proposed budget would include the program in the RSA going forward. The committee also approved a DHS reallocation request and reviewed a building authority loan for a data center power supply replacement. In the federal grant section, members discussed a Department of Agriculture request for Central Arkansas Water to acquire land in the Maumelle watershed. Debate focused on the environmental benefits versus local property-tax and development concerns in Perry County, with testimony from the agency, Central Arkansas Water, and Potlatch about watershed protection, public access, and potential development impacts. After extended discussion, the committee adopted a motion to defer the item to the full Legislative Council and asked the department to remove the Perry County portion from the request, limiting the grant-funded purchase to Pulaski County property. The committee then reviewed remaining items, including a Veterans Affairs pay-plan appropriation, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• THAT NUMBER OF 84 TO 100 DAYS SPECIFIC EXAMPLE FROM BROWARD COUNTY. >> Chair McClain: ANY OTHER COUNTIES
• AS A COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND MAYOR OF THAT COUNTY WE IMPLEMENTED PROGRAMS.
• I CHIP INTO YOUR COUNTIES.
• I AM THE ORANGE COUNTY SOIL AND WATER SUPERVISOR FOR DISTRICT 5 SO EASTERN ORANGE COUNTY.
• I WAS ON THE COUNTY COMMISSION.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the county attorney in Washington County.
• I'm the county attorney in Washington County.
• :12:45.679><c> county-to-county</c><01:12:46.000><c> capacity</c> be for county-to-county capacity be
• we</c><01:15:46.159><c> are</c> counties as counties because we are counties as counties because we are
• County Commissioner counties are former County Commissioner counties are in<01:24:49.280><c> the</c><

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Any surplus revenue is transferred to the county and the county, Harris County is the greater organization
• county.
• County.
• or a unit system for public works and so as a county administrator for Cameron County, I hire a county
• In Cameron County. county administrator and the county engineer and the county road administrator make

Committee: House S/C on Transportation Funding

Transcript Highlights:

• That's Orange County.
• That response clarifies that the county attorney in Orange County is wrong.
• The county attorney in Orange County believes that the county can come in and take property rights from
• The county attorney in Orange County believes that the county can come in and take property rights from
• We talked about Orange County and Seminole County.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several guest and staff introductions. The chamber then took up returning messages from the House and acted on multiple bills, with votes recorded on each. Senate Bill 628 on transportation facility designations was concurred in as amended and passed 31-4 after discussion about naming roads for deceased individuals and an exception for President Trump. The House amendment to the Live Local affordable housing package, CS/CS/HB 1389, was also concurred in and passed 35-0; Senator Claudio explained it as the fourth iteration of the Live Local Act, including new provisions allowing certain affordable housing on qualifying religious property, extending some timelines, and removing accessory dwelling unit language. CS/CS/HB 1451 on utility services was concurred in and passed 30-6 after questions about phasing out surcharges and reporting requirements. The chamber also substituted CS/CS/HB 1279 for SB 7038 and adopted an education amendment package before passing the bill 36-1, while several other measures were temporarily postponed. The Senate then considered CS/CS/SB 484 on data centers and concurred in the House amendment 383-957, passing the bill 31-6. Senator Avila said the amendment strengthened ratepayer protections, required a PSC tariff filing, and directed an OPAGA study on large-scale data centers. Several senators pressed concerns about the removal of the Senate’s nondisclosure agreement prohibition, the possibility of delayed public awareness of data center projects, and whether costs could be shifted to other ratepayers; Avila responded that the amendment preserved local land-use authority and that ratepayer costs could not be borne by the general body of ratepayers. Debate reflected a split between senators who supported the bill as a needed regulatory framework and those who objected to the transparency changes and the loss of the Senate’s original NDA language. Later, the Senate took up land use and development regulations, substituting CS/CS/CS/HB 399 for SB 208. An amendment by Senator Jones to remove language affecting a Fontainebleau Hotel water park project in Miami Beach failed 17-20 after debate over local control and preemption. Senator McLean’s amendments then added a sunset date and other changes, and Senator Claudio’s amendment preserved Miami-Dade’s urban development boundary supermajority protections and related planning provisions. The chamber then began extended debate on Senator Martin’s amendment creating a process for property owners to challenge rural boundary designations and seek compensation or removal from the designation without going to court; supporters framed it as a property-rights and due-process measure, while opponents argued it would undermine local planning, impose costs on taxpayers, and weaken voter-approved rural boundaries in Orange and Seminole counties. The transcript ends amid that debate, with no final vote shown on the rural boundary amendment in the excerpt provided.