Transcript Highlights:

• Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 5063, to permit the county commission to appoint a county
• Engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 5063 to permit the county commission to appoint a county
• Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 5515, relating to modernizing and updating workers' compensation
• Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 5515, relating to modernizing and updating workers' compensation
• Engrossed Committee Substitute for House Bill 5515, relating to modernizing and updating workers' compensation

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, they get reinstatement, they get back pay, interest on the back pay, compensation for any special
• <01:10:54.239> for interest on the backay, compensation for interest on the backay, compensation
• And whereas you may have a very strong case against them, if they don't have any money to compensate
• And some financial compensation for their courage. >> Any other questions?
• <01:26:05.679> for and some financial compensation for and some financial compensation for

Bills: SF0087, SF0088, SF0092

Keywords: felony, law enforcement, police officer, criminal penalties, public safety, sex offender, child care facility, residency restrictions, criminal law, sex offenders, child care facilities, legislation, false claims, civil penalties, state accountability, whistleblower protection, fraud prevention, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Council on Workers' Compensation, and the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals.
• between the workers comp compensation between the workers comp compensation benefits<00:15:00.680
• failed to maintain Workers Compensation failed to maintain Workers Compensation Insurance<00:15:
• talk about is the Workers Compensation talk about is the Workers Compensation Division<00:16:09.519
• workers compensation fund for instance workers compensation fund for instance also<00:42:52.680>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met under a new Senate power-sharing arrangement with co-chairs, began with member and staff introductions, and then received a jurisdiction overview from Senate counsel. The overview explained that the Labor Committee’s jurisdiction has not changed from the previous biennium and covers fair labor standards, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, and related agencies and boards such as the Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Mediation Services, PERB, and the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. It also noted that some topics, including paid leave, fall under other committees, while earned sick and safe time remains within Labor and Industry jurisdiction. Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach and Josiah Moore then gave a detailed Department of Labor and Industry presentation. They reviewed the department’s funding sources, emphasizing that workers’ compensation funds and construction codes/licensing revenues make up most of the budget, while the general fund is a small share. They described the department’s major divisions, including workers’ compensation, construction codes and licensing, labor standards, nursing home workforce standards, and OSHA consultation and compliance, and highlighted practical examples of their work. Examples included return-to-work assistance for an injured worker, compliance training that reduced penalties for self-insurers and claim administrators, and use of the Special Compensation Fund when an employer lacked workers’ compensation insurance. The labor standards section highlighted enforcement actions involving unpaid overtime, pregnancy and parental leave retaliation, wage deductions, and child labor violations, along with totals for 2024 collections and inquiries. The presentation also noted the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board’s adopted rules, the expansion of construction licensing exams statewide, and OSHA consultation programs such as Min-SHARP and MINSTAR, including a Minnesota employer that recently achieved MINSTAR status. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also clarifies that Sunset Commission working papers are not public information.
• House Bill 2488 by Representative Keith Bell authorizes the Division of Workers' Compensation to hold
• So, does anyone know why this was done under the GLO versus the Real Estate Commission? No? Mr.
• I can talk to this in some more detail, obviously, from the Banking Commission and other places, but
• David Gordon with the Public Utility Commission here to serve as a resource on the bill.

Bills: HB111

Summary: The committee heard a long series of House bills, with most measures laid out by Senate sponsors and then left pending after brief public testimony. Early bills focused on construction and licensing issues, including HB 305 on prompt payment for public construction audits, HB 5093 on restoring public access to notary contact information, HB 2037 on updating landlord-tenant repair and security deposit rules, HB 4214 on a centralized public information request contact database, and HB 5435 exempting higher education institutions from a 90-day notice requirement for certain public-private partnership projects. Testimony was generally supportive on these bills, and no votes were taken; each was left pending. The committee also considered several transparency and regulatory bills. HB 111 would expand the Public Information Act to certain nonprofit state associations and narrow some attorney-client and working-paper exceptions, with supporters arguing it would improve oversight of public funds and critics questioning the scope and thresholds. HB 5129 would protect occupational license holders’ personal identifying information from disclosure without consent, HB 4350 would allow peace officers to redact personal information from online real property records, HB 4748 would authorize multiple-award state purchasing contracts, and HB 4765 would clean up code enforcement officer licensing rules. HB 4134 would allow motor vehicle creditors to charge limited fees for electronic payment options while requiring a free alternative, and HB 1043 would direct a study of blockchain-based property title records; both drew testimony, with some concern about the practical effects and vendor implications of the blockchain study. Several bills addressed insurance, workforce, and digital-asset regulation. HB 3520 would reduce the insurance coverage required for transportation network companies during the period when a driver is en route to pick up a passenger, drawing support from Texans for Lawsuit Reform and opposition from trial lawyers who argued the higher coverage better protects the public. HB 3320 would create a self-insurance pool for religious institutions, with TDI explaining it would still be regulated but operate under a special statutory framework. HB 4233 would modernize rules for digital asset service providers by removing certain auditor-access requirements and updating reporting and licensing provisions. HB 3923 would reduce bachelor’s-degree requirements for some state jobs, though Every Texan argued low pay, not degree requirements, is the main driver of turnover. HB 4518 would create a legal structure for decentralized unincorporated nonprofit associations tied to blockchain governance; business law experts opposed it as unnecessary and potentially risky, while crypto advocates supported it. Finally, HB 1803 would join an interstate compact for dentists and dental hygienists, with supporters citing workforce shortages and opponents saying Texas already licenses quickly and that the compact could weaken state oversight. Throughout the hearing, the committee repeatedly closed testimony and left bills pending, and a quorum was eventually established before later items were heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• The exclusion applies to the extent that losses, expenses, or damages compensated by the settlement payment
• are not compensated for by insurance or otherwise.
• Pat Joyce on behalf of the National Accountability Commission. accounting firms.
• The first language allows for the carryover of vendor compensation of the funds appropriated for the
• vendor compensation.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The workers' compensation one merely allows on permit totals that if the...
• The workers' compensation one merely allows on permit totals that if the lawyer needs to be relieved,
• that they go in to get the administrator hearing the commission change, the name of the law firm that's

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and first considered a House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1067, which concerns civil actions based on public expression. The substitute was presented as an omnibus measure incorporating several House bills: HB 1711 on the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act, HB 2666 on anti-SLAPP protections, HB 3116 on civil jurisprudence changes including workers’ compensation attorney substitution and domestic LLC deadlock procedures, and HB 3289 on court operations and statewide automation funding. Members briefly explained each component, emphasizing reduced litigation costs, streamlined procedures, and improved court administration. The committee also discussed adding a treatment court administrator position for circuits that lack a commissioner or administrator, intended to support circuits where judges currently handle those duties without staff. After discussion, the committee adopted the House Committee Substitute. The committee then voted on the substitute for Senate Bill 1067 and approved it do pass by a vote of 11 ayes and 0 noes. The hearing then concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• without compensation.
• These investigators are already commissioned officers." "Okay.
• Louis would have commissioned somebody who later on went to the AG's office, they could retain that commission
• So they do a lot of things that commissioned officers would do."
• So these would not be commissioned officers.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Both LFC and the Executive are at 1 for compensation.
• The biggest differences, obviously, are the difference in compensation: 3 versus 1, and that 45 million
• And again, the biggest difference is the compensation recommendation. We're at 3; they're at 1.
• One key difference is on Row 5: this is the Compensation Recommendation.
• The line five, the compensation difference 3 to 1, is pretty clear.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The resolution that we are bringing forth today is one which would provide compensation for legislators
• The resolution that we are bringing forth today is one which would provide compensation for legislators
• The League supports legislative compensation that is fair and reasonable.
• Compensating our legislators strengthens democracy.
• We would still operate in the fashion that we do, but we would be compensated.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's two ways of veterinarians and their teams are compensated.
• The supervising veterinarian will make 2 to 4%, so they will have additional compensation and salary.
• . ...severed entirely with continuation of payment of a commission, but no service is rendered, or, and
• on top of fees and commissions on top of fees and commissions within the structure of this bill, all
• It authorizes the Legislative Budget Commission to reject portions of district budgets funded with state

Bills: S0302, S0394, S0480, S0546, S0636, S0774, S0796, S1028, S1050, S1066, S1120, S1230, S1288, S1682

Keywords: cybersecurity, information technology, data management, local government compliance, cloud services, state agency oversight, integrated governance, conservation lands, land exchange, state-owned land, Acquisition and Restoration Council, Florida water management, environmental protection, beach management, beach erosion, beach nourishment, coastal resilience, shoreline protection, critical erosion, critically eroded beach

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills, beginning with CS/SB 796, which would create Veterinary Professional Associates as a new supervised veterinary role, expand telehealth prescription timeframes, and set training and scope limits. Supporters said it would improve access to care, lower costs, and create a career path, while opponents argued the proposal lacked a clear regulatory framework, could create liability and federal-law conflicts, and would not address the real shortage in rural large-animal practice. After debate, the committee reported the bill favorably. Members also heard and favorably reported SB 1682 on local authority over derelict and abandoned vessels, CS/SB 1028 on a commercial Citizens clearinghouse for property insurance, SB 394 on exempting certain reinsurance underwriting managers from licensing, SB 636 on beach management and erosion designations, CS/SB 546 on public notice for conservation land sales or exchanges, CS/SB 302 on Biscayne Bay nature-based solutions and related coastal resiliency provisions, SB 1050 on pharmacy choice for pet medications, and SB 774 extending workers’ compensation benefits to 911 public safety telecommunicators for mental and nervous injuries. Testimony on these bills generally focused on access, regulatory clarity, environmental protection, or workforce support, with some concerns raised on insurance consumer protections and beach-management language. Senator Harrell’s bills were also taken up and reported favorably: CS/SB 480, a major overhaul of state IT governance creating DIGIT and new procurement, reporting, and workforce structures; CS/SB 1230, restricting PFAS-containing firefighting foam and adding testing, inventory, and disposal requirements; and CS/SB 1288, a naming bill designating the Andrew Red Harris Shoal and requiring markers. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on SB 1066 regarding restoration of the Oklawaha/Rodman system, with supporters emphasizing ecological restoration, flood-risk reduction, and economic benefits, and opponents warning about local impacts, water quality, and the loss of a world-class fishery. The transcript ends during testimony on that bill, before final action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:10.000> may Tax Expenditure Review Commission may Tax Expenditure Review Commission
• And so in that to the commission.
• . commission. commission.
• . commission. commission.
• report presentation, the commission report presentation, the commission commission<01:14:40.400>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The workers' compensation one merely allows on permit totals that if the...
• The workers' compensation one merely allows on permit totals that if the lawyer needs to be relieved,
• that they go in to get the administrator hearing the commission change the name of the law firm that's

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and first considered a House committee substitute for Senate Bill 1067, a jurisprudence omnibus measure. The substitute combined several bills: House Bill 1711 on the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act, which streamlines out-of-state subpoena and deposition procedures; House Bill 2666, an anti-SLAPP bill intended to protect speech by allowing early dismissal of certain lawsuits; House Bill 3116, which included changes related to workers’ compensation attorney substitutions and domestic LLC deadlock procedures to reduce litigation and court costs; and House Bill 3289, which addressed court operations, including a statewide automation fund and a treatment court administrator position for circuits lacking a commissioner or administrator. Members discussed each component briefly, with sponsors or other members explaining that the package was designed to eliminate unnecessary litigation, reduce attorney fees, and improve court administration. The committee adopted the House committee substitute by voice vote. The committee then voted on House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1067 and approved it do pass by a roll call vote of 11 ayes and 0 noes. The hearing then concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next up, we have the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.
• Le Lar, the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.
• I'm Ashley Norman with the Public Utilities Commission.
• It has to do with the workers' compensation statute.
• Okay, moving on to the last item, HB 423 HD1 relating to workers' compensation.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures, beginning with HB 117 on condominiums. Testifiers were split: reserve-study professionals and the Community Associations Institute opposed tying reserve requirements to assessed value, arguing reserve studies should be based on actual components and costs and that the bill could lead to over- or under-collection. Condominium owners and advocates supported the bill, saying some associations are not completing reserve studies or are failing to provide audits and adequate funding, and urging stronger fiduciary accountability. A member later asked about compliance rates, and a witness said he was not aware of any association that had failed to do a reserve study, estimating compliance at well over 95 percent, likely close to 100 percent. The committee then took testimony on HB 544 on pet insurance, which drew support from the Attorney General’s office and the Insurance Division with comments about contract-impairment issues, as well as support from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association and the Hawaiian Humane Society. Testifiers said the bill would help consumers understand and use pet insurance as veterinary costs rise. HB 983 on certified public accountants also drew mostly support, with the Hawaii Society of CPAs and the Hawaii Association of Public Accountants offering conditional support and proposed amendments. Public accountants said the bill could help address a shortage of CPAs and expand pathways into the profession, while some speakers cautioned that the language needed clarification and that public accounting experience should be tied to CPA-firm work. An instructor from UH West Oahu said students cannot afford the extra credits currently required and would benefit from a more accessible pathway. The committee also heard HB 1050 on Title 24, with DCCA supporting the measure and no opposition or questions. The discussion then moved to HB 256 HD1 on environmental protection and incinerator emissions. The Department of Health offered comments, while Energy Justice Network and Climate Protectors Hawaii supported strengthening the bill, warning that it could weaken existing standards at H-Power unless amended to preserve stricter state rules and require modern pollution controls. A member questioned the Department of Health about H-Power’s permits and whether additional controls would be required if federal rules change; the department said permits are reviewed every five years and that the facility currently meets state and federal requirements, while EPA rules remain in a public comment process. Finally, the committee heard HB 1051 HD1 on energy efficiency portfolio standards, with support from the Consumer Advocate, State Energy Office, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Public Utilities Commission, and Hawaii Energy. The committee then heard HB 350 HD1 on energy, where the State Energy Office supported the bill, Solar Ray Corporation offered conditional comments urging any new mandated water-heating technology to meet the same efficiency level as existing solar thermal systems, and the Kauai Climate Action Coalition testified in support. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Credit Unions could through compensation Credit Unions could retain<00:28:50.840> talented<00
• members of the board can be compensated members of the board can be compensated and<00:29:27.320
• Sentencing Commission. Also, I'd like to point out the way I look at it is like a stool.
• also I'd like to point out commission also I'd like to point out the<01:14:19.960> way<01:14:
• <01:57:11.040> to any financial compensation to any financial compensation to participating

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I would scrap the patient compensation fund. I'll show you why.
• The second thing I'd do is scrap your patient compensation fund.
• Well, because the patient compensation fund is slow.
• So if that is the purpose of the compensation...
• There are eight states with patient compensation funds.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 4019 Compensation for Healthcare Services for Inmates in the Lake County by Representative...
• It caps inmate healthcare compensation and emergency medical transportation at 110 percent of the Medicare
• On line 370 it states you may not petition the commission if the game is a subject of an investigation
• I cannot tell you specifically why we think we would not be able to petition the commission.
• Chair Alvarez: Alana Zimmer, Florida Gaming Control Commission waves in support.

Transcript Highlights:

• A person who violates this provision is subject to penalties by the Florida Commission on Ethics.
• This bill is recommended by the Commission on Ethics in consultation with the Attorney General.
• Will these CPIs that are going through this program be funded or compensated in any type of additional
• And, you know, with the commissions, they've done so much work in the Glades to improve that area.
• And, you know, with the commissions, they've done so much work in the Glades to improve that area.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of introductions recognizing FSU Day at the Capitol, Catholic lay leaders, seniors advocates, Broward County school officials, and veterans-related guests. The chamber then moved through its special order calendar, beginning with several Florida Statutes revision bills. SB 36 adopted the 2025 Florida Statutes and prior session law; SB 38 conformed statutory terminology for the Division of Criminal Investigations; SB 40 removed repealed provisions; and SB 42 cleaned up obsolete language, cross-references, and typographical errors. Each passed unanimously or nearly unanimously after brief explanations and no substantive debate. The Senate also passed CS/SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience, as amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub’s role under USF and clarify research and modeling responsibilities; CS/SB 116 on veterans, which expanded veteran awareness and coordination efforts, added mental health training, and authorized adult day health care; SB 118 on presidential libraries, which preempted local regulation to give a future Florida presidential library maximum flexibility; CS/SB 126 on prescription hearing aids, allowing mail distribution for adults after appropriate professional evaluation; SB 150 on abandoning restrained dogs during natural disasters, amended to conform to the House; SB 294 limiting collaborative pharmacy practice from being expanded to certain serious cardiac conditions; and SM 314 urging Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure. Most of these measures passed with strong bipartisan support, though SB 118 drew questions about local zoning, parking, and safety and passed 36-3, with one senator later changing to a no vote over local control concerns. Later, the Senate approved CS/CS/SB 322 creating a nonjudicial process for removing unauthorized persons from commercial property, and CS/SB 348 on ethics, which would penalize false claims of military rank or honors for material gain and require paycheck withholding for delinquent ethics fines owed by public employees. The chamber also passed CS/CS/SB 7012 on child welfare, which included a CPI/case manager recruitment program, a treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits, and improved data collection and capacity analysis for commercially sexually exploited children. CS/SB 108 on administrative procedures was adopted after a detailed explanation of rule review, transparency, and rulemaking deadlines, and CS/SB 160 on public accountancy passed after an amendment clarifying contracted services and discussion of CPA licensure pathways. The longest and most celebratory debate centered on CS/SB 110 for rural communities. The bill created an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program, housing and road funding, school and health care investments, and related rural support measures. Amendments refined transportation priorities in the Everglades agricultural area and clarified the FARM road program. Senators from across the chamber praised the bill as a long-awaited investment in rural Florida, agriculture, broadband, health care, and quality of life. After extensive debate and emotional closing remarks from the sponsor and leadership, the bill passed overwhelmingly.

Transcript Highlights:

• green commission green commission with<03:15:03.360> the<03:15:03.560> green<03:15
• three-year<04:17:18.920> agenda The commission has a three-year agenda The commission has
• Commission in support on Zoom. Commission in support on Zoom.
• Commission in support on Zoom. Commission in support on Zoom.
• Commission in support. Commission in support.

Bills: HB2459, HB1616, HB1799, HB1604, HB1732, HB1736, HB1931, HB772, HB2153, HB2122, HB2009, HB2012, HB1779, HB2296, HB2397, HB2398, HB1596, HB2233, HB1976, HB1563, HB815, HB1655, HB1851, HB1941, HB2037, HB1635, HB2201, HB1943, HB1163, HB2452, HB2429, HB2148, HB2306, HB2007, HB2049, HB2616

Keywords: food innovation, agribusiness, food safety, market access, branding, economic diversification, performance indicators, agriculture, aquaculture, commercial activity, swine production, Korean natural farming, housing development, commercial projects, county authority, public works, construction standards, exemption, zoning, housing

Transcript Highlights:

• From a date perspective, with the amendment, the commission of application shall simply close down the
• Compensation we are paid for that generation is through our rates.
• Compensation for that is collected from our customers through the fuel clause, not through rates.
• where we purchase power, The long-term contract is subjected to review by the Public Utilities Commission
• Once the Commission had determined it was appropriate to start using the value of solar, then they started

Bills: HF2103, HF2793

Keywords: energy, renewable energy, ammonia, hydrogen, certificate tracking, funding, environment, community solar, energy policy, sustainability, solar garden program, regulation sunset

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 237 directs the Governor, in consultation with the Energy Commission and the Air Resources Board,
• This bill also directs the Energy Commission, in coordination with the Air Resources Board, to study
• SB 237 directs the Governor, in consultation with the Energy Commission and the Air Resources Board,
• This bill also directs the Energy Commission, in coordination with the Air Resources Board, to study
• Use of a firearm in the commission of an offense would not be eligible.

Summary: The chamber reconvened after a late-night session and first adopted the consent calendar, including ACR 107 on the Diablo Range, by a 48-0 vote. Members then took up several Senate bills and Assembly measures, with repeated remarks about the long hours and the need to respect staff and keep proceedings moving. A vote change was also announced for Assembly Member Patel on SB 414, changing from aye to not voting. The main policy debate centered on energy, climate, and affordability. SB 237, dealing with oil and gas policy, refinery closures, pipeline safety, Kern County permitting, gasoline blend flexibility, and regional fuel coordination, drew strong support from members who framed it as a managed transition to stabilize fuel supply and protect jobs, and strong opposition from members who called it a giveaway to oil interests and a setback for climate goals. The bill passed 59-0. SB 254, an energy affordability and wildfire package, included wildfire mitigation financing, a successor wildfire fund, transmission cost reductions, clean energy permitting changes, and energization timelines; members raised some concerns about local control, but the bill passed 58-0. SB 840 and AB 1207 advanced the cap-and-invest reauthorization package, with supporters emphasizing emissions reductions, housing, transit, wildfire prevention, and community air programs, while opponents argued it would raise costs and function as a tax-and-spend scheme. SB 840 passed 54-15 and AB 1207 passed 55-10, both with urgency and immediate transmittal. Members also approved SB 352, which makes the Bureau of Environmental Justice permanent and requires air quality monitoring and reporting on AB 617 implementation, by 43-19. AB 825, authorizing California to help establish a Westwide electricity market, was presented as a way to lower bills, improve reliability, and reduce emissions; it passed 67-2 and was sent to the Governor. Additional actions included concurrence in Senate amendments to AB 8 on cannabinoids and AB 383 on firearms cleanup, and the chamber began consideration of AB 764 on wildlife as the transcript ended.