Transcript Highlights:

• And consequently, Leader, ...the construction of that district.
• I believe that that's a topic for later construction by this legislature.
• It was a color-coded red-and-blue map to detail how red-performing this map is.
• the map color-coded that you received?
• There were no other codes or colors other than the map.

Summary: The Senate convened in special session and took up Senate Bill 8D, later substituted with House Bill 1D, both establishing Florida’s congressional districts. The sponsor, Senator Gates, explained that the Governor had transmitted a proposed redistricting plan on short notice and argued that mid-decade congressional redistricting is legally permissible, citing population growth and the Governor’s view that race-based provisions in the Fair Districts Amendment are unconstitutional. He repeatedly said the Legislature was not being asked to prove the Governor’s legal theory, only to consider the proposal, and noted that no amendments were offered. A lengthy question-and-answer period followed, with senators raising concerns about the rushed process, lack of statewide public hearings, and the map’s effects on minority communities, compactness, communities of interest, and partisan fairness. Senators questioned whether the map cracked Latino and Black communities, whether partisan data was used, whether the Governor’s office had outside consultants, and whether the plan complied with the Florida Constitution, the Fair Districts Amendment, and the Voting Rights Act. Gates generally deferred on legal conclusions, said the Governor’s representatives had testified the map was race-neutral and used political data only as one factor, and emphasized that any constitutional challenge would be for the courts. After a motion to temporarily postpone failed by a recorded vote of 12 yeas to 23 nays, the Senate continued debate. Senators Rouson, Bernard, and others spoke in opposition, arguing the proposal was rushed, partisan, and harmful to communities of interest and minority voting power. Gates maintained that the Governor had a constitutional prerogative to propose the map and that the Legislature could accept, reject, or amend it. The House companion bill was then substituted for the Senate bill, read a third time, and the chamber moved into final debate on the congressional redistricting plan.

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe that that's a topic for later construction by this legislature.
• It was a color-coded red-and-blue map to detail how red-performing this map is.
• the map color-coded that you received?
• There were no other codes or colors other than the map.
• There were no other codes or colors other than the map.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• people who haven't been tracking this very much, I think as much as 83% of all new housing being constructed
• codes and standards involved, but, you know, to me there, you know, especially in that case where you
• codes and standards involved, but, you know, to me there, you know, especially in that case where you
• codes and standards involved, but, you know, to me there, you know, especially in that case where you
• codes and standards involved, but, you know, to me there, you know, especially in that case where you

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's still a pretty significant construction project.
• So they are starting to receive the construction permit.
• And So they are starting to build, receive the construction permit.
• They are qualified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as ASME code.
• You bring it back to the construction or to the factory where it was built, and, to John's point, think

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Residential construction, as I said on this floor time and time again, in Housing Committee meetings
• RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION AS I SAID ON THIS FLOOR TIME AND TIME AGAIN, IN HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND
• Would that — any permit at all that's pulled from the codes department or however they do their work
• You could reduce costs of construction materials Here in the State of New York.
• There is new construction going on. They are aware of it.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation by Major Brittany Wooten, then took up Senate Resolution No. 1749 designating March 19, 2026, as West Point Day in New York State. Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Senator Skoufis, Minority Leader Ortt, and several other senators spoke in support of West Point, its cadets, and the academy’s history and role in national service. Colonel Daniel R. Stuewe, commander of U.S. Army Garrison West Point, also addressed the chamber, emphasizing the long-standing partnership between West Point and New York and the academy’s mission to develop leaders of character. The resolution was adopted, and the West Point Day observance included recognition of cadets and academy staff. The Senate then moved through a calendar of bills, passing measures including amendments to the Public Health Law, Election Law, Executive Law, Penal Law, Elder Law, Real Property Tax Law, General Municipal Law, and Public Authorities Law. Several bills drew brief explanations of vote or debate. Senator Mayer spoke in support of a bill establishing Fred Korematsu Day, framing it as a reminder of the injustice of Japanese American internment and the need to defend civil rights. Senator Ryan supported a bill streamlining the senior citizen property tax exemption process, calling it a way to reduce burdens on older residents. Senator Helming opposed a local government planning mandate as an unfunded mandate, while Senators Walczyk and Martins criticized a housing-related reporting bill as burdensome and ineffective. The most debated item was Calendar 457, a housing-data and reporting bill sponsored by Senator May. Supporters argued it would improve transparency and help the state understand zoning and housing capacity, while opponents said it imposed new reporting burdens on municipalities and could penalize poorer communities by threatening CDBG funding. After debate, the bill was restored to the non-controversial calendar and ultimately passed by a vote of 37-23. The Senate then adjourned until the next legislative day.

Transcript Highlights:

• code and licensing work they do.
• code and licensing work they do. would otherwise allow them to be seated. would otherwise allow them
• code and licensing work they do.
• Specifically, I would like to highlight DLI's support for the construction codes and licensing provisions
• Specifically, I would like to highlight DLI's support for the construction codes and licensing provisions

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded as A.
• The amendment is coded A24. I recognize Representative Myers who will explain the amendment.
• The amendment is coded A22.
• The amendment is coded A38.
• The amendment is coded A.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then secondly, it includes telecommunicators, as defined in our occupations code, to the list of
• The alignment with existing law updates the Health and Safety Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure
• The bill breakdown states that the Health and Safety Code amendment adds Harris County Hospital District
• This bill amends the Health and Safety Code to raise the threshold for the approval of funds expended
• As you guys know, ESDs are governed by local government code 775.

Bills: HB334, HB583, HB605, HB1327, HB1646, HB2115, HB2379

Keywords: family leave, leave pool, county employee, sick leave, vacation leave, family care, pandemic, guardianship, fencing, reservoirs, local government, regulation, land use, conservation capacity, property regulation, fence regulation, reservoir safety, county authority, fencing regulations, counties

Transcript Highlights:

• and the construction uh new construction and the construction uh new construction and preservation
• <01:08:37.520> and inspections on uh construction and inspections on uh construction and things
• <01:08:54.920> financing construction financing construction financing that<01:08:56.199> is
• c> construction<01:31:43.440> then simply private Market construction then simply private
• the ground for the for the construction the ground for the for the construction piece<01:35:05.840

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That is answer. construction training organization construction training organization and<00:24:55.520
• <00:26:40.320> book<00:26:40.520> allows<00:26:40.880> for Society code book
• allows for Society code book allows for qualification<00:26:41.720> programs<00:26:42.400>
• Basically, when you see most I-beam<00:28:08.840> construction, I-beam construction, I-beam construction
• State of Ohio has passed a similar standard and is applicable through their code process.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This program provides incentives for the construction of clean distributed energy resources and for power
• These are resources constructed by DWR.
• It doesn't mention that it probably should be constructed and owned by DWR.
• Then we would have to find a new place to recommission them and spend more construction money to connect
• of the four exemptions that you're looking for, the state contracting manual, the public contract code

Summary: The hearing was an informational budget session on energy agency proposals, with no votes taken. Early discussion focused on Proposition 4 climate bond implementation, including funding for demand-side grid support, offshore wind development, and transmission financing. The Department of Finance said the budget includes allocations for demand-side grid support and offshore wind, but not yet for the $325 million transmission financing piece pending a required study. The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged the Legislature to consider whether to wait on offshore wind funding, whether to keep shifting funds into demand-side grid support, and how to direct future transmission financing. Members also raised concerns about local technical assistance for offshore wind, Salton Sea priorities, and the need for more information before final decisions. The California Energy Commission and CPUC then reviewed the broader energy package. The CEC highlighted the demand-side grid support program’s growth, distributed energy backup assets, long-duration storage, hydrogen grants, and the SIRP clean energy reliability program. CPUC testimony emphasized affordability, wildfire mitigation costs, rooftop solar cost shifts, and efforts to reduce rates while maintaining reliability and clean energy goals. Members questioned CPUC staffing, delays in proceedings, coordination with the CEC and CAISO, and the impact of rate increases on customers. The agencies also discussed the AB 3264 transmission financing study, with CPUC saying work on the study had already begun and was on track for the July 1 deadline. Several trailer bill and implementation items were also discussed. The committee reviewed a proposal to extend the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program surcharge, with members split over whether it should be handled in budget trailer bill language or policy legislation; the administration said the surcharge supports a critical program serving about three-quarters of a million Californians. The committee also heard a CPUC data-sharing proposal to allow nondisclosure agreements for transmission and reliability data, which members generally supported as a technical fix. DWR explained a proposal to clarify language for the Electricity Supply Strategic Reliability Reserve so it can potentially sell three gas-fired units it owns, and the CEC presented a federal transmission grant proposal tied to grid-enhancing technologies and ratepayer cost recovery. Finally, the committee discussed California Lifeline and possible broadband pilot reforms in light of uncertainty around federal Universal Service Fund support, with CPUC saying it is exploring a statewide standalone broadband option for eligible customers.

Transcript Highlights:

• , right, that you cannot have a problem with this definition in the criminal code, yet all of a sudden
• , right, that you cannot have a problem with this definition in the criminal code, yet all of a sudden
• And again, they stem from a 1962 criminal code from the obscenity chapter.
• And that code hasn't been amended since 2001.
• Well, according to the criminal chapter, to the criminal code, it probably is.

Bills: SB1433, SB1434, SB1435, SB1567, SB1571, SB1686, SB1745, SCR1024, SCR1025, HB2671, HB2676, HCR2044

Keywords: county boundaries, Maricopa, Gila, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma, La Paz, local governance, Arizona Revised Statutes, Maricopa county, county division, new counties, intergovernmental agreements, special election, shared use agreements, education, explicit material, parental consent, student protection, library access

Summary: The committee approved the February 4, 2026 minutes and held SB 1571 until the following week. It then heard and advanced several measures, beginning with SB 1745, which would cap transaction privilege/excise tax rates in the state’s largest cities at 2.5% per classification unless approved by voters, and would allow enforcement through the attorney general and state-shared revenue withholding. Supporters argued it would protect taxpayers and restrain municipal tax increases; the bill received a technical amendment and a due pass recommendation. The committee also advanced SB 1686, renaming Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza as the Wesley Bolin and Charlie Kirk Freedom Plaza and authorizing memorial placements for Don Bowles and Charlie Kirk, after brief supportive discussion and no substantive opposition testimony. The committee spent substantial time on SB 1567 and SB 1435, both aimed at restricting public entities, schools, and libraries from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials and from using public facilities for sexually explicit filming or access. Supporters framed the bills as child-protection measures and cited examples of explicit books and materials in libraries and schools; opponents, including the ACLU, warned the definitions were broad, could chill speech, and could criminalize librarians and educators for handling constitutionally protected literature or sex-education materials. Both bills were amended and passed on 4-3 votes, with supporters emphasizing existing obscenity standards and opponents stressing First Amendment concerns and implementation problems. The committee also advanced SB 1433 and SB 1434, which would redraw Maricopa County boundaries and, in the latter bill, create three new counties with a transition board and staggered elections. The sponsor argued Maricopa County had become too large and politically dominant, making government less representative and less responsive; opponents called the proposals expensive, disruptive, and politically motivated, citing concerns about debt division, duplicated county systems, and fiscal impacts. Both bills received due pass recommendations on 4-3 votes. Finally, the committee approved SCR 1024, requiring legislators to live in their district for one year before election, and SCR 1025, moving the legislative session start date from the second Monday to the fourth Monday in January; both resolutions passed unanimously or near-unanimously after sponsor testimony that they would modernize outdated rules and improve use of time.

Transcript Highlights:

• Code Red Defense. Thank you, NDI, thank you, dancers, thank you.
• And whereas $600 million went to higher education, and whereas $279 million went to the construction
• Martinez (member_14249) and Dow (member_14063), an act relating to construction costs, requiring the
• Construction Industries Commission and the Construction Industries Division of the Regulation and Licensing
• , requiring the Construction Industries Commission and the trade bureaus to produce cost studies for

Bills: HR58, HR59, HR60, HR61, HR62, HR63, HR64, HCR32, HB43, HB447, HB573, HB1000, HB1001, HB1002, HB1003, HB1004, HB1005, HR46, HR48, HR50, HR51, HR52, HR53, HR54, HR55, HR56, HR57, HCR31, HB20, HB21, HB166, HB494, HB710, HB795, HB985, HB986, HB987, HB988, HB989, HB990, HB991, HB992, HB993, HB994, HB995, HB996, HB997, HB998, SB128, SB149, SB174, SB191, SB205, SB213, SB218, SB220, SB229, SB238, SB243, SB375, SB379, HB8, HB9, HB10, HB15, HB16, HB17, HB18, HB19, HB22, HB33, HB34, HB35, HB44, HB46, HB47, HB48, HB61, HB101, HB126, HB135, HB142, HB164, HB185, HB215, HB226, HB232, HB233, HB242, HB284, HB292, HB297, HB301, HB334, HB436, HB468, HB548, HB571, HB582, HB593, HB594, HB609, HB613, HB712, HB722, HB732, HB746, HB781, HB827, HB845, HB848, HB921, HB923, HB951, HB953, HB999, HB129, HB130, HB287, HB489, HB545, HB553, HB555, HB570, HB854, HB952, HB28, HB36, HB50, HB52, HB56, HB62, HB68, HB92, HB110, HB117, HB119, HB124, HB140, HB147, HB171, HB182, HB193, HB196, HB203, HB228, HB234, HB260, HB268, HB271, HB285, HB289, HB351, HB400, HB413, HB469, HB534, HB551, HB552, HB574, HB576, HB634, HB649, HB677, HB735, HB739, HB779, HB784, HB796, HB842, HB850, HB919, HB149, HB733, HB875, HB868, HB901

Keywords: waterfowl conservation, wetlands preservation, Ducks Unlimited, environmental stewardship, Louisiana, tennis, athlete recognition, family legacy, sports achievements, coaching, student parents, higher education, academic support, family stability, workforce equity, Homeland Security, federal funding, public safety, emergency services, TSA

Transcript Highlights:

• And then they received 98 million that they have in hand for the construction of that.
• guidance in their 2024 International Wildland Urban Interface Code that only applies to new construction
• and Just substantially rebuilt construction after an event.
• Unfortunately, new construction comprises only about 2% of the built environment.
• Building codes don't touch fencing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded A2.
• The amendment is coded A2.
• The amendment is coded A25 008.
• coded coded a25 a25 a25 008<00:19:55.240> I<00:19:55.400> recognize<00:19:56.000> the
• The amendment is coded DE1.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment<00:07:26.639> is<00:07:26.800> coded<00:07:27.360> A6.
• The amendment is coded A6.
• The amendment is coded A3. I recognize a member from St. Louis, Representative Zeleznikar.
• The amendment is coded A5. I amended. The amendment is coded A5.
• <00:29:40.720> and program to support construction and program to support construction and

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, through construction, we do construction management.
• construction.
• We had, uh, oversight on their construction management to, uh, try to assure that their construction
• now I see okay um through construction now I see okay um through construction we<01:26:07.760>
• > then construction uh after construction then construction uh after construction then we<01:26:39.360

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Busada, you're recognized to explain Amendment Bar Code 560863. Thank you, Chair.
• It does not weaken the Florida Building Code. It does not eliminate local oversight.
• Representative Balsi is recognized to explain the strike-all amendment, Bar Code 044805.
• It does nothing to ensure that the work was done in a safe manner to abide by our building codes.
• Electrical changes, code changes—there's a lot to this. We ask you to vote no.

Transcript Highlights:

• But this is a job that's going to put hundreds, if not thousands, of construction workers, union construction
• Construction season starts... We're here early April. Construction season starts in April.
• Plus, you've got to design before you can construct.
• It helps local economies by creating good-paying construction and engineering jobs.
• Thank you. ...to fully take advantage of the construction season coming up.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held its first hearing of the session on H. 53, Governor Healey’s Chapter 90 proposal to increase state funding for municipal roads, bridges, sidewalks, and culverts. Committee chairs outlined the hybrid hearing process and invited testimony from municipal officials, labor groups, regional planning organizations, contractors, and administration officials. Across the hearing, speakers consistently supported the bill, emphasizing long-deferred maintenance, inflation in construction costs, climate-related flooding, and the need for more predictable, multi-year funding so cities and towns can plan projects and take advantage of the construction season. The administration described H. 53 as part of a broader $8 billion transportation package, proposing to raise annual Chapter 90 funding from $200 million to $300 million for five years, with the additional $100 million distributed by road mileage to better support rural and small communities. They also highlighted $200 million for culverts and small bridges, plus other transportation investments, and said the five-year authorization would provide certainty for municipal capital planning. Municipal witnesses from places including Carlisle, Beverly, Granby, Hatfield, Newton, Nahant, Gardner, Beckett, and Yarmouth described local road and culvert backlogs, rising asphalt costs, and the difficulty of maintaining infrastructure on limited local budgets. Labor and industry witnesses from the AFL-CIO and MAPA said the bill would support good-paying jobs and provide stability for contractors and producers. The MBTA Advisory Board and regional planning representatives also backed the proposal, noting the connection between local roads and the broader transportation system. Committee members asked questions about the road-mile formula, culvert needs, asphalt costs, and the rationale for a five-year authorization. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee adjourned after testimony concluded.