Video & Transcript Research : 'fee structures'
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NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Public Works and Highways (02/03/2026)
Public Works and Highways
Transcript Highlights:
- :46.400>
are <00:21:46.559>these how structurally efficient are these how structurally - So considered structurally deficient.
- <00:23:00.720>
There's structurally deficient list. There's structurally deficient list. - And they're going to look at the fee structure possibly that the towns are charged for the training.
- They are going to look at the fee structure possibly that the towns are charged for the training.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee 3/5/25
Human Services Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- We are working on a shared governance structure so that we can make joint decisions.
- We are working on a shared governance structure so that we can make joint decisions.
- We are working on a shared governance structure so that we can make joint decisions.
- We are working on a shared governance structure so that we can make joint decisions.
- We are working on a shared governance structure so that we can make joint decisions.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- And as you know, the existence of the corporation and that structure, that goes way back centuries.
- 5 organization report with the Railroad Commission, nor are they required to file a drilling permit fee
- Senate Bill 2598 by Middleton, relating to certain structures located near a national wildlife refuge
- Senate Bill 2600 by Middleton, relating to a fee charged by a school district for the transportation
- Senate Bill 2705 by Hagenbuch, relating to fees for the issuance of certain specialty license plates,
Summary:
The Senate convened with a quorum, heard an invocation, and adopted the previous day’s journal. Members then adopted Senate Resolution 358 honoring the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on its 10th anniversary, with remarks highlighting UTRGV’s growth, degree production, research expansion, medical school, and role in serving the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. The chamber also recognized the doctor of the day and adopted additional resolutions, including one for Denton County Days at the Capitol and another recognizing Texas HBCU Day.
The Senate gave extensive recognition to outgoing Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp through Senate Resolution 368. Senators from both parties praised his long public career, leadership of the A&M System, support for regional universities, and bipartisan approach. The resolution was adopted after multiple members added their names. The chamber also heard from advocates with the Texas Streets Coalition, and received gubernatorial nominations for the State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
On legislation, the Senate passed several major bills. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 27, relating to rights and support for public school educators, was debated and amended to address teacher vacancies, bilingual certification testing, paid leave options, classroom removals, and appeal rights, then passed unanimously. Senate Joint Resolution 12, proposing a constitutional amendment on parents’ right to direct a child’s education, advanced on a 22-9 vote. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1741, aimed at preventing foreign influence and intellectual property theft at public institutions of higher education, passed unanimously. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 29, the business entities bill, also passed after debate over corporate governance and shareholder protections. Senate Bill 857, authorizing law enforcement to tow certain vehicles driven by unlicensed or uninsured drivers, passed despite some concern about towing abuses during disasters. The Senate also took up Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1536 on dementia and Alzheimer’s training for certain guardians, but the transcript ends as that bill is being laid out.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Make sure that I understand the structure that you put in place here under this bill: if a magistrate
- Structuring a sentence to hopefully make it a little clearer.
- It strengthens our structural integrity and reliability of our grid. I do have an amendment.
- SB1227 by Flores relating to fees for the issuance of certain military licenses.
- This change eliminates a fee that only applies to a few categories.
Bills:
SB664, SB40, SB9, SJR1, SJR5, SB27, SB207, SB2938, SB1901, SB1227, SB1248, SB912, SB1321, SB2143, SB2145, SB1497, SB1239, SB2180, SB1388, SB1762, SB1662, SB1951, SB1537, SB493, SB378, SB1020, SB1018, SB992, SB958, SB920, SB1350, SCR25, SB687, SB1332, SB2185, SB552, SB664, SB40, SB9, SJR1, SJR5, SB458, SB482, SB927, SB984, SB651, SB1620, SB2124, SB2448, SB841, SB843, SB402, SB2662, SB2053, SB2332, SB2112, SB745, SB1247, SB1789, SB27, SB207, SB2938, SB1901, SB1227, SB1248, SB912, SB1321, SB2143, SB2145, SB1497, SB1239, SB2180, SB1388, SB1762, SB1662, SB1951, SB1537, SB493, SB378, SB1020, SB1018, SB992, SB958, SB920, SB1350, HCR76, HCR127, HCR9, HCR40, HCR118, HR559, HCR59, HCR135, HCR141, HCR46, HCR109, HCR10, SCR25, HB2525, HB142, HB140, HB29, HB451, HB3809, HB3307, HB 1130, HJR1, HB9, SB17, SB260, SB509, SB1506, SB1637, SB2308
Keywords:
Texas courts, judicial officers, associate judge, magistrate, master, referee, hearing officer, court administration, Government Code Chapter 54, Government Code Chapter 54A, bail training, Article 17.024, Article 15.17, local administrative judge, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Office of Court Administration, county courts, criminal justice, criminal jurisprudence, judicial qualifications
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- encourage a few adjustments to make sure farmers are not burdened by necessary. by keeping license fees
- Fees for the research permits cover the costs of the program, um, or before they exceed, or do we not
- Believe the bill requires the fees for the research permit. be the same price equal to the application
- fee, which is designed to. help fund the program.
- As a private business owner, many of us up here on this dais don't want to pay those fees.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Health and Human Services (02/18/2026)
Health and Human Services
Transcript Highlights:
- The private equity firms impose management fees, charging the very institutions they supposedly came
- They extracted hundreds of millions in real estate sales and management fees.
- And then in 2024, management fees.
- structured for to approximately<01:50:55.679>
75th <01:50:56.320>percentile. - , or steering to PBM administrative fees, or steering to PBM ownedies. ownedies. ownedies.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
- House Bill 3314 is a marijuana public safety impact fee.
- That's why we have a structure of government where we do have an independent judiciary that will make
- is entitled to attorney's fees but if somebody files a nuisance claim the city can't come back and get
- any kind of fees from them bear with me one second I'm going to read what you quoted you said line ive
- the the the logic is always in this state that the losing side should be on the hook for attorneys fees
Keywords:
government reporting, information technology, child welfare, environmental policy, state agency compliance, gender transition, minors, health services, punitive damages, parental rights, health care providers, purchasing, compliance, state employees, longevity pay, contract management, marijuana tax, public service impact tax, county funding, voter approval
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
JHA Info Briefing - Tue Sept 16, 2025 @ 2:00 PM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We couldn't put them on them on fee.
- <01:03:26.160>
a Um, we also help with structuring a Um, we also help with structuring a clear - <01:05:34.480>
machine put it into a structured machine put it into a structured machine readable - Theoretically, there's a couple different ways it can be structured.
- different ways it can be structured. different ways it can be structured.
Summary:
The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs held an information briefing on expungement and record clearance, with Chair David Tarnis and Vice Chair Mahina Poo Poy emphasizing second chances and the legislature’s recent work on state-initiated relief. The chair reviewed prior measures, including Act 62 (2024), which created Hawaii’s first state-initiated expungement pilot for certain non-conviction cannabis-related arrests, Act 159 (2023), which required automatic sealing or removal of expunged records from the judiciary’s public database, and Act 241 (2024), which created the Clean Slate Task Force. He said the committee invited the Clean Slate Initiative and Code for America because of their national experience with state-initiated record clearance systems.
Phil Hickden of the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center and Attorney General’s office reported that Act 62 was implemented using existing resources and no new funding, initially covering single-charge, pre-2020 arrests in Hawaii County for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and later expanded by Act 005 (2025) to all arrests under HRS 712-1249 regardless of drug type. He said the project identified 2,268 potentially eligible records, with 1,072 processed so far, 989 granted and 83 denied, and that the work has taken about 872 staff hours and roughly 45 days per expungement. He also said the office has identified about 412,000 people who could potentially qualify for expungement under broader legislation, though that estimate does not include case-by-case research.
Michelle Acasta of the judiciary explained that Act 159 changed the process so HCJDC now digitally transmits expungement certificates to the court, eliminating the applicant’s second step of filing paperwork with the court. She said the courts still manually review eligibility, but the process is easier because certificates now include a case ID and HCJDC provides additional information to help locate records. She reported that since implementation the courts received 125 certificates in July and 87 in August, with 17 court orders filed in July and August, including 81 in the First Circuit, 14 in Maui, 7 in the Third Circuit, and 15 in the Fifth Circuit. She also noted that the Hawaii Supreme Court’s State v. Rogan decision affects procedure by requiring a written request or motion, an opportunity to be heard, and written findings for sealing court records, and that new Supreme Court rules are expected for public comment. Members asked about qualitative outcomes and whether the process could be expanded statewide; staff said they do not track recidivism or personal stories, and the chair encouraged further discussion before the next session to identify barriers and capacity needs.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Judiciary Jan 14th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- the legal fees of an insured if they prevailed in an action against the insurer.
- reasonable indication of the attorneys' fees determined by the court.
- The lodestar fee is determined by multiplying the reasonable number of hours by a reasonable fee.
- This change limits the application of multipliers to an award of attorneys' fees.
- Some of those include county and city government, local trust funds, court fees, and fines.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care (09/29/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:13:29.839>
some <00:13:30.160>of <00:13:30.240>the <00:13:31.279>structure - I also know that some of the structure I also know that some of the structure of<00:13:31.920>
- I think it's clear that counties here in New Hampshire are clearly part of state government structure
- The third option is to adopt the HCBS carveout model, where we're preserving a fee-for-service model
- The third option is to adopt the HCBS carveout model, where we're preserving a fee-for-service model
Summary:
The committee approved the previous meeting minutes and then reviewed a draft preliminary report on long-term managed care. The chair explained the report is intended to frame issues and outline legislative options, not make a final recommendation, especially given unresolved questions about the federal One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3). The report’s key issues included the current financing of county and private nursing homes through Medicaid rates, ProShare, MQUIP, and related funding mechanisms, and the concern that those payments could be affected or eliminated under a managed care model. Members also discussed managed care organizations’ role in Medicaid and cited other states’ experiences, noting examples of savings in Florida and Tennessee but higher costs in California. One member raised Indiana as another important comparison, and the committee agreed to add it to the report’s state examples.
The committee also reviewed sections on dual eligibility, D-SNP, PACE, and CFI waivers. The chair raised concerns about whether OB3 creates incentives for states to move toward D-SNP and whether federal changes could affect provider taxes, state-directed payments, and intergovernmental transfers. Henry Litman, the state Medicaid director, said he would confirm details on D-SNP incentives and explained that ProShare is based on certified public expenditure rather than an IGT, while county cap financing is the relevant intergovernmental transfer issue. He said IGTs are not going away and that the main risk is whether current financing mechanisms could be preserved if the state later changed course. Members discussed the possibility of a waiver not being granted or renewed and the high fiscal impact that could have on counties and property taxes.
The committee then discussed the population that any long-term managed care model should cover. Members agreed that there is no appetite to move developmental disability or acquired brain disorder populations into long-term managed care at this time, and the chair changed the report’s terminology from “elderly” to “aging population.” The chair also noted that the status quo option should reflect the recent shift toward home and community-based services and reduced nursing home utilization since earlier county reports. The report’s four policy options were summarized as: maintain the status quo; pursue D-SNP for dual eligibles, with DHHS potentially submitting an application as early as 2027; adopt an HCBS carveout; or move fully to managed care for the aging population. No final policy recommendation was made, and the committee discussed making edits to the draft before circulation, including adding Indiana, clarifying OB3-related issues, and changing the report title from “final” to “preliminary” or “interim.”
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House DFL Media Availability 5/14/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We were happy to take steps to address property tax increases and to provide the tab fee deal as well
- We were happy to take steps to address property tax increases and to provide the tab fee deal as well
- As I mentioned, we actually decrease the structural deficit by over 10%.
- <00:20:13.680>
We <00:20:13.760>make structural deficit by over 10%. - We make structural deficit by over 10%.
Summary:
House leaders and members discussed a budget agreement centered on preserving Hennepin County Medical Center, with speakers saying the deal provides $705 million total for HCMC and related hospital support. They said $205 million would go directly and exclusively to HCMC, with a $500 million reserve fund available next summer for hospitals meeting narrow eligibility criteria tied to medical assistance and uncompensated care, plus a $30 million uncompensated care fund and increased Medicaid rates for critical access hospitals. They also said the agreement includes a task force to develop a long-term solution for HCMC and new governance provisions, including a professional hospital board, mediation requirements, and continued reporting on public dollars.
The leaders also highlighted other parts of the budget deal, including $1.2 billion in bonding for infrastructure, $125 million for a homestead tax refund that would increase the homestead credit by 12% for qualifying homeowners, and $75 million for county IT modernization with additional ongoing funding and a possible future surplus allocation. They said the agreement preserves three-month Medicaid retroactive coverage for one year despite federal changes, provides $10 million for food banks and food shelves, and includes $12.5 million for school-linked mental health grants, $3.8 million for mobile crisis grants, and $5 million for anonymous threat reporting systems in public and private schools.
Members also said the deal does not change existing law on the ballpark tax, which remains tied to Target Field bonds and other statutory obligations, and that NLX and Blue Line transit funding would only redirect to reserve accounts if those projects do not move forward. They said the agreement also includes memorial provisions for former Speaker Melissa Hortman, including a $200,000 appropriation to Helping Paws, renaming Highway 610 as the Hortman Memorial Highway, a memorial garden, and a work group on a Capitol complex state park proposal. In response to questions, leaders said they were frustrated that comprehensive gun violence prevention and some other issues were not included, and they said the session would end with an orderly finish after several long days of final work.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Finance Division I (02/28/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- Are you raising fees? Witness: Well, there's two parts to that. One, yes, fees were raised.
- fees mostly um maybe other kinds of fees fees mostly um maybe other kinds of fees uh<03:26:22.960
- One, yes, fees were raised.
- Fees have changed through a series of fee package submissions that have occurred.
- old fees.
Summary:
The committee reviewed the Department of Corrections budget, with the chair initially noting that the overall numbers looked close to fiscal year 2024 spending, except for federal funds. Department officials explained that prior ARPA expenditures and delayed revenue recognition had distorted the comparison, and that the corrected general fund spend was about $169.7 million. Members then focused on whether the budget’s staffing assumptions were realistic, especially the shift from overtime to full-time lines and the use of vacant positions to offset overtime costs. The department said it is leaning on vacancy savings, but would return for additional appropriations if unforeseen staffing problems arise.
A major portion of the discussion centered on recruitment, retention, and staffing levels. Officials reported a 42% vacancy rate in enforcement ranks, down from 51% in January 2023, with 28 new officers headed to the next academy and 33 new hires already tracked. They said overtime is more expensive than regular staffing because of benefits and that it takes about 11 months for a new hire to break even. Members also asked about the split between incarcerated and supervised populations; the department said it oversees about 1,970 inmates in facilities and just over 4,000 people in the community, with 77 positions supervising the community population and the inmate population remaining the most expensive area.
The committee also discussed how sentencing and statutory changes affect incarceration levels, including misdemeanor/felony thresholds and theft thresholds, with the department agreeing that such changes can significantly affect prison and jail populations. Members asked about education and recidivism, and the department said base education is the most important foundation, followed by vocational training, while noting that many incarcerated men lack a high school diploma. The department also described a $1.3 million reduction in contracted forensic evaluation services, explaining that these evaluations are court-ordered competency assessments and are not statutorily required to be provided by DOC. Finally, members reviewed victim services funding and staffing, including VOCA-supported positions, and the department explained that a new victim witness specialist would help support survivors at parole hearings and safety planning.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
FL House Floor Session - 2026-02-26 (9:00AM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- The result is that trust assets are unnecessarily consumed by legal and accounting fees.
- The result is that trust assets are unnecessarily consumed by legal and accounting fees.
- bail bond agents by reducing mandatory in-person classroom hours allows for credit card processing fees
- and other policies,' sorry, the commission to develop and enforce rate structures and other policies
- So really, the onus is certainly on the utility to know what that financial structure looks like when
Summary:
The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, several introductions, and an announcement that there would be no conference that weekend. The chamber then took up a long special order calendar and passed a series of bills, often by substituting House companions. Early measures included trust law modernization to create a nonjudicial trustee discharge process, military affairs changes expanding leave and retirement-related provisions, a bill to prepare for the end of penny use by standardizing cash rounding, and a podiatric medicine bill regulating cellular or tissue-based products and informed consent. The Senate also approved veterans court expansion, RV park assessment clarification, alcohol-loss tax deduction authority, bail bond and pretrial release revisions, and a military-installation jurisdiction bill to allow juvenile cases on bases to be handled in state juvenile court under certain conditions. Most bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously, with the bail bond bill passing 36-1 after questions about charitable bail bonds and confirmation that existing law on return of charitable bail funds would remain unchanged.
The chamber then paused for a lengthy farewell presentation honoring Senator Lori Berman, featuring a video, remarks from many senators, and Berman’s own closing speech reflecting on her 16 years of service, her legislative priorities, and her call for civility, bipartisanship, and continued support for issues such as school safety, Israel, anti-Semitism, and affordability. After the tribute, the Senate resumed and passed additional bills, including one expanding insurance coverage definitions for portable electronics and eyewear, a workforce and nursing education funding bill broadening support for health science programs, a recovery residences regulatory streamlining bill, a felony battery enhancement bill adding resisting an officer with violence as a qualifying prior offense, and a child welfare bill extending visitor thresholds in out-of-home placements, making the Step Into Success program permanent, and creating a best-practices program. The chamber also advanced a candidate qualification bill tightening party-affiliation requirements and adding a House provision on recent legal name changes; debate began on that measure as the transcript ended.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection - 03/03/26
Commerce and Consumer Protection
Transcript Highlights:
- ' fees, it again goes well beyond what folks are normally responsible for in a civil action.
- ' fees, it again goes well beyond what folks are normally responsible for in a civil action.
- ' fees, it again goes well beyond what folks are normally responsible for in a civil action.
- ,<00:26:01.919>
and <00:26:02.240>attorneys <00:26:02.799>fees. - So, thank you. talked about attorney fees and I think talked about attorney fees and I think that's<00
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- assess appropriate fees three to provide<00:05:17.039>
sufficient <00:05:17.600>capacity - Just one question: you folks collect admin fees and you collect penalties and fees.
- Do you use some of that for some of the work that you need to have done for fees?
- I think the current structure is working.
- Maybe it's time for us to look at that structure anyway.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- they considered all the structural.
- structural structural but<01:28:47.920>
my <01:28:48.159>understanding <01:28:48.560> bid they considered all the structural. bid they considered all the structural. - because I think you mentioned structure.
- because I think you structurally because I think you mentioned<01:32:08.000>
structure <01:32:
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Government Finance Transportation Study Subcommittee Mar 19th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- about public transportation in our community and to provide an overview of our operations, funding structure
- fees.
- They pay us the regular bus pass fee and purchase them through the school themselves.
- I will provide an overview of Bisman Transit's history, services, fare structure, ridership and route
- Moving on to the actual structure of our fixed-route bus system.
Summary:
The committee met as a study subcommittee on fixed-route public transportation and first approved the December 11 minutes. It then heard detailed presentations from transit leaders in Grand Forks, Bismarck/Mandan, and Fargo about their systems, including route structures, paratransit service, ridership trends, fare changes, funding sources, fleet replacement needs, and operational challenges. Grand Forks described Cities Area Transit’s 17 routes, university shuttle service, expanded paratransit coverage, a 2025 fare increase, and rising costs for labor, fuel, parts, and new buses. Bismarck/Mandan’s Bisman Transit outlined its fixed-route and paratransit operations, recent service expansions approved for April 1, fare structure, ridership recovery since COVID, and major funding streams including mill levies, federal grants, and new local sales tax revenue. Fargo’s MATBUS representative emphasized the importance of continued state support for urban fixed-route transit.
Members asked extensive questions about cost per ride, fare increases, school transportation, veteran service partnerships, app-based ticketing, local funding formulas, and whether ride-share or microtransit could replace fixed routes. Transit officials said fixed-route service remains essential because it provides reliable capacity, supports jobs and access to services, and preserves federal funding tied to public transit operations. They also said paratransit is costly but necessary for riders with disabilities, and that vehicle and maintenance costs have risen sharply. Minot’s transit superintendent added context on the state’s existing transit aid formula, explaining that it is weighted more toward rural and paratransit providers and that urban fixed-route systems are seeking a separate, dedicated funding source rather than changes to the current formula.
The committee also heard public testimony from North Dakota Protection & Advocacy supporting both fixed-route and paratransit service for disabled riders, and from Minot staff on refurbished buses, CDL driver recruitment, and why the agency is not pursuing full electric buses. Near the end, members discussed whether to recommend additional state funding for the four urban fixed-route systems. A motion passed to have Legislative Council prepare a summary of the subcommittee’s activities for inclusion in the Government Finance Committee’s report to Legislative Management. Members then continued discussing possible recommendations, including a separate funding source for urban fixed-route transit and whether the four urban systems should meet to develop a proposed amount.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Appropriations and Finance Jan 15th, 2026 at 01:36 pm
House Appropriations & Finance
Transcript Highlights:
- 99,2000 or 2 above the committee recommendation and personnel costs due to increases of the Fair Share fee
- I would just explain what the Fair Share fee is.
- And so what this means is that because the LLC recommendation did not increase this Fair Share fee from
- The big thrust of the work in our sort of final project, as it were, was to create a new felony structure
- to essentially an eight felony structure, a lettered structure that goes in three-year jumps, and that
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- The lawyer fees we are defending ourselves from the state on so many... send a lawyer back there takes
- PIP's already got a fee schedule about what they're going to pay for certain things.
- So this model of keeping the current structure of the board, I think, makes them happy that...
- consistent thing we heard from folks around the state was that they would like the current board structure
- We have... structure to stay in place. We have honored that.
Bills:
SJR 1, SB 9, SB 40, SJR 36, SJR 1, SJR 5, SB 9, SB 40, SR 61, SR 91, SR 97, SR 103, SR 104, SR 112, SR 115, SR 116, SCR 16, SB 26, SB 26
Keywords:
bail denial, illegal aliens, felony offenses, constitutional amendment, law enforcement, bail reform, defendants, pretrial detention, public safety, criminal justice, charitable bail organizations, bail bonds, public funds, political subdivision, injunctive relief, taxpayer rights, bail, criminal justice reform, Texas Music Advocacy Day, music industry
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- So that is the structure. That is the scheme.
- And it's for Congress only to So that is the structure. That is the scheme.
- The benefits of providing these fee waivers to students who are undocumented, and the qualitative and
- You know, let them finish and then change your structure.
- You can change your structure this year and grandfather them in. I agree with Mrs.
Summary:
The Appropriations Committee took up SB 2B, a major immigration bill by Senator Gruters, described by supporters as a Trump-aligned package to strengthen Florida’s role in immigration enforcement. The bill would create a grant program for local law enforcement, expand jail-ICE agreements beyond sheriff-operated jails, establish a chief immigration officer and a state immigration enforcement council, require more coordination on E-Verify and detention-bed reporting, allow immigration status to be considered in bail decisions, increase penalties for certain offenses tied to illegal reentry and voting, and repeal in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. Much of the sponsor’s presentation and debate emphasized focusing on criminal offenders, improving coordination with federal authorities, and using state resources to support detention and enforcement.
Committee questioning focused heavily on the tuition-waiver repeal, reimbursement for jail costs, E-Verify coverage, and whether the bill could lead to street-level immigration enforcement in schools or churches. Senator Smith, Senator Pizzo, Senator Polsky, Senator Sharief, and others challenged the tuition repeal as unfair to students who were brought to Florida as children and argued for grandfathering current students or studying the fiscal impact first. Senator Fine defended the repeal as ending a state subsidy for people who are not lawfully present and argued the change would save tens of millions of dollars. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri testified that the bill was limited to jail-based enforcement, said there was no current street-level 287(g) program in Florida, and stated he did not believe the bill raised concerns for law enforcement or schools/churches. A representative of the Florida Supervisors of Elections supported the voting-related section, while a Florida Highway Patrol representative said state agencies would need additional funding if they were expected to take on more enforcement duties.
The committee adopted Senator Gruters’ late-filed amendment correcting a drafting error. Senator Smith’s amendment to require an OPAGA study on the tuition-waiver policy was withdrawn after discussion, and his handwritten amendment to delete the repeal of in-state tuition for undocumented students failed on a roll-call vote. The bill then advanced as amended, with several members speaking in debate both for and against it. Supporters framed it as a focused public-safety and enforcement measure; opponents criticized the special-session process, the cost, and the tuition repeal’s impact on students already enrolled.