Transcript Highlights:

• The term manslaughter, however, does convey accidental to even a lay person: culpable but accidental.
• The term manslaughter, however, does convey accidental to even a lay person, culpable but accidental.

Summary: The Senate convened with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including guests from Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Clay County, and others. Senators also observed a moment of silence for Pope Francis. After routine announcements, the chamber moved to the special order calendar and took up a long series of bills, often substituting House companions for Senate bills before final passage. Among the measures approved were bills creating an expedited DNA testing grant program for local law enforcement, adding aggravating factors in capital cases involving gatherings for religious, school, or government activities, requiring state health coverage for fertility preservation services for cancer patients, authorizing indemnification for commuter rail providers, prohibiting abandonment of migrant vessels in Florida waters, and creating new specialty license plates. The Senate also passed bills on Alzheimer’s awareness, relocating the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to Florida Memorial University, charter schools, sex offender registration, utility worker protections, juvenile justice, student mental health reporting, foster home licensure transfers, water access facilities, Florida Virtual School, school readiness, sexual images involving children, tampering with electronic monitoring devices, certified recovery residences, the FSU Election Law Center, the Office of Faith and Community, and bonuses for county property appraiser employees. Several other bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on social media use by minors, veterans’ nursing homes, Parkinson’s disease, mental health and substance use disorders, education, educator preparation, officers injured in the line of duty, school social workers, and Brownfields. Debate was especially extensive on the Office of Faith and Community bill, where an amendment to bar political activity by office staff was offered but failed 13-23 after arguments over election-related communications and the scope of existing law. The certified recovery residences bill also drew notable debate, with supporters emphasizing housing as essential to recovery and opponents raising concerns about implementation and local control. Most other bills passed with little or no opposition, though a few drew dissenting votes, including the capital aggravating factors bill, charter schools, and the Office of Faith and Community measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• The term manslaughter, however, does convey accidental to even a layperson, culpable but accidental.
• The term manslaughter, however, does convey accidental to even a lay person, culpable but accidental.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including guests from Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Clay County, and a moment of silence for Pope Francis. Members then moved to the special order calendar after adopting a motion to reconsider the earlier failed vote on CS/SB 1080, which was temporarily postponed. The chamber also temporarily postponed several bills during the day, including measures on social media use by minors, veterans’ nursing homes, Parkinson’s disease, mental health and substance use disorders, education, educator preparation, benefits for certain officers injured in the line of duty, Brownfields, and school social workers. The Senate passed a series of bills with little or no opposition, often substituting House companions for Senate bills. These included expedited DNA testing grants for law enforcement; additional aggravating factors in capital felony sentencing; fertility preservation coverage for cancer patients; commuter rail indemnification; disposition of migrant vessels; specialty license plates; an Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness campaign; relocation of the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to Florida Memorial University; charter school changes; registration rules for sexual predators and offenders; assault and battery penalties for utility workers; juvenile justice revisions; reporting of student mental health outcomes; foster home licensure transfers; water access facilities and boating-related funding; Florida Virtual School changes; school readiness program improvements; protections against lewd sexual images of children; age-related criminal offense provisions; tampering with electronic monitoring devices; certified recovery residences; and codification of the FSU Election Law Center. Most of these bills passed overwhelmingly, though the charter school bill and the aggravating factors bill drew more divided votes. One of the most debated measures was SB 820, codifying the Office of Faith and Community. Senator Polsky offered an amendment to bar political activity by office employees while on duty and using government resources, citing alleged election-related emails and concerns about mixing government and religious influence. Supporters argued the amendment was needed as a guardrail; opponents said existing law already covered the conduct and that the amendment could be confusing or overly broad. The amendment failed 13-23, and the underlying bill passed 27-9 after extended debate about faith, politics, and the office’s role. Another notable debate involved SB 954 on certified recovery residences, where senators emphasized the need for stable housing in addiction recovery and the bill passed unanimously after supportive remarks from members who had personal experience with recovery. The Senate also passed SB 674 on bonuses for county tax collector and property appraiser employees after questions about safeguards and the purpose of the bonuses.

Transcript Highlights:

• impairments in reality perception, thinking, reasoning, and judgment affects their behavior and culpability
• It is not fair to sentence or to put a person to death when they're... are not culpable with their situation

Bills: HB 1194, HB 1221, HB1738, HB1913, HB2177, HB2178, HB2180, HB2229, HB2282, HB2448, HB2492, HB2777, HB2984, HB3357, HB3553, HB3602

Keywords: emergency protection order, protective order, magistrate, criminal procedure, victim safety, family violence, domestic violence, stalking, assault, magistrate's order, temporary protection, court order duration, defendant restrictions, Article 17.292, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, emergency restraining order, victim protection, firearm restriction, pretrial intervention, reimbursement fee

Transcript Highlights:

• It creates a rebuttable presumption of negligence against drivers who operate a vehicle in a manner that
• With regard to the presumption of negligence provisions, the term defendant is replaced with the term
• The list of expressly protected areas where the presumption of negligence applies is expanded to include
• In cases that involve both driver and non-driver defendants, the presumption of negligence applies only
• Under these provisions, the plaintiff would be required to prove that the driver was negligent, and the

Bills: HB2548, HB2453, HB2640, HB2095, HB2386, HB2239

Keywords: health care market standards, hospital consolidation, merger review, health care transaction notice, attorney general review, antitrust, provider organizations, hospital systems, contracting affiliation, material change, nonprofit conversion, for-profit conversion, health care acquisition, asset sale, Washington RCW, health care competition, price transparency, market oversight, premerger notification, antitrust revolving fund

Summary: The Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee heard staff briefings on several bills, including House Bill 2548 on hospital and provider material change transactions, House Bill 2453 on psychiatric pharmacists’ role in certain involuntary treatment petitions, House Bill 2640 on unauthorized UCC filings, House Bill 2095 on vulnerable users of public ways, House Bill 2386 on garnishment forms, and House Bill 2239 on family burial grounds on private land. The committee also discussed proposed substitutes and amendments, especially on HB 2095, where members debated liability standards, attorney fees, emergency vehicle exemptions, and reporting requirements. For HB 2548, members discussed transparency and disclosure in health care transactions, including notice requirements, filing fees, and Attorney General publication of pending and completed transactions. The committee adopted some amendments and rejected others. On HB 2095, it adopted amendments exempting emergency vehicles and clarifying collision report data, but rejected amendments that would have removed attorney fees, restricted liability further, or replaced the rebuttable presumption with a different civil cause of action. On HB 2239, the proposed substitute added setbacks from wells and springs, local remediation procedures, burial reporting to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, relocation procedures for remains, and disclosure requirements when property is sold. Members also noted that HB 2640 would give the Department of Licensing a process to refuse or terminate unauthorized filings submitted to harass or defraud debtors. At executive session, the committee voted all five bills out with due pass recommendations: Substitute House Bill 2548 passed 7-6, House Bill 2453 passed 8-5, House Bill 2640 passed 8-5, Substitute House Bill 2095 passed 8-5, House Bill 2386 passed 12-1, and Substitute House Bill 2239 passed unanimously 13-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• But just to answer your question, it would depend on whether it was negligently left open, deliberately
• If it were a negligent act, maybe there would be civil liability for it.
• If it were an inadvertent act that there was no culpability for, just pure accident, not that no one's

Bills: HF3423, HF2354, HF3634

Keywords: healthcare, provider enrollment, medical assistance, legislation, state funds, fraud prevention, subpoena authority, criminal penalties, consumer protection, service verification, Medicaid, human services, electronic documentation, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Recovery of damages from medical negligence resulting in death by Representative Trabulsy.
• Instead, it protected insurers from indefensible acts of medical negligence.
• We found that about 25 percent involve some degree of negligence.
• I devoted most of my career to defending doctors and hospitals for medical negligence.
• Every family deserves the ability to seek justice when negligence takes someone too soon.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the burden rests with the plaintiff in any negligence tort action, wrongful death action.
• Now, if a health care provider was negligent in some way and that negligence caused the loss of the unborn
• But no, for non-negligent care to your question, no. For non-negligent care to your question?
• But that's how it's done in every wrongful death action or other negligence action.
• But that's how it's done in every wrongful death action or other negligence action.

Summary: The committee first heard HB 133, which would lower the minimum age to purchase a long gun from 21 to 18. The sponsor said the bill restores the rights of law-abiding 18-year-olds. Public testimony was sharply divided, with supporters from Gun Owners of America and Florida Carry arguing that adults 18 and older should have equal Second Amendment rights and that current law is inconsistent with other adult responsibilities, while opponents, including gun violence prevention advocates, students, parents, and Parkland-related speakers, said the bill would reverse a post-Parkland safety measure and increase risks of suicide, accidental shootings, and school violence. Several members debated the bill, with opponents emphasizing Parkland, the Florida State shooting, and public polling showing broad opposition; supporters stressed parental responsibility, mental health, and constitutional rights. HB 133 was then reported favorably on a roll call vote of 13 yeas, with several members voting no. The committee then took up CS/HB 289, which would revise Florida’s wrongful death law to allow parents to recover damages for the death of an unborn child. The sponsor said the bill is intended to let grieving parents seek civil remedies, and members questioned how it would apply in situations involving surrogacy, rape, ectopic pregnancy, medical care, and damages calculations. The sponsor said the bill would not allow suits against the mother, would not apply to lawful non-negligent medical care, and would be handled through ordinary wrongful death damage proof before a jury. Public testimony was again split: supporters from pro-life and faith groups said the bill recognizes unborn children and aligns Florida with many other states, while opponents from civil liberties, reproductive rights, and advocacy groups warned it could be used to target abortion providers, helpers, and even families or businesses in miscarriage-related cases, and could be weaponized by abusive partners. The transcript ends during testimony on HB 289, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they can still be sued, as you can see here, for any negligent or reckless acts from the company,
• Any negligent or reckless acts from the company even after the fact.
• all of the people involved in that project, then the judge would determine the negligence.
• And then it's the responsibility to go to court and have the attorneys argue about contributory negligence
• That's the negligence factor.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It does not excuse negligent contractors. And it does not extend statutory caps to contractors.
• It does not excuse negligent contractors. And it does not extend statutory caps to contractors.
• At that point, they will be negligent if they act as negligent contractors.
• At that point, they will be negligent if they act negligent contractors.
• That seems like that... oh, you said negligence, not incompetence.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It changed Florida's comparative negligence system from pure comparative negligence, where the plaintiff
• The greatest impact observed was in auto negligence and premises liability.
• In March of 2021 and 2022, there were a little over 3,000 negligent actions filed.
• You see on this chart that negligence cases dropped to 5%.
• After taking care of the clog in auto negligence, it is still running about 50% higher.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So they can still be sued, as you can see here, for any negligent or reckless acts from the company,
• Any negligent or reckless acts from the company even after the fact.
• all of the people involved in that project, then the judge would determine the negligence.
• And then it's the responsibility to go to court and have the attorneys argue about contributory negligence
• That's the negligence factor.

Summary: The Committee on Transportation met with a quorum and took up House Bill 2926 in executive session. Members discussed an amendment clarifying the bill’s intent regarding tort and sovereign immunity for private contractors and subcontractors working on MoDOT projects, particularly to limit liability when they are not yet on site or have finished work, while still allowing claims for negligent or reckless acts. Several members raised concerns about how the language would apply in practice, including to design flaws, on-site work, and the scope of immunity, and others noted it mirrors federal contractor protections and would still leave disputes to the courts. The committee adopted amendment 0.02H, then rolled it into a new substitute and adopted the substitute. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2926 was then moved do pass and approved by a roll call vote of 8 ayes, 1 no, and 3 present. Representative Woods voted no, while several members voted aye and others were recorded present or absent. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is basically the standard by which negligence is determined.
• To claim lawyer negligence, you usually have to have an expert witness.
• Of doing it as a basic negligence standard was more appropriate.
• Of doing it as a basic negligence standard was more appropriate.
• the traditional negligence know-or-should-have-known of the risk.

Bills: HB78, HB112, HB190, HB292, HB410, HB427, HB437

Keywords: jurisdiction, city court, Bogalusa, civil law, court limit, Louisiana, child relocation, custody, mileage measurement, co-parenting, Louisiana law, software, computer programs, standard of care, liability, design, development, manufacture, sale, security deposit

Transcript Highlights:

• That's in common law, that there is a common law negligence, stillbirth.
• Florida statutes—well, that's in common law—that there is a common-law negligence stillbirth cause of
• There is, of course, however, hurdles with negligent stillbirth, as I heard as well earlier today.
• Florida already allows parents to recover damages for the negligent loss of a pregnancy.
• This bill is about another way to sue someone, a negligent person, a doctor, for someone, a negligent

Bills: S0164, S0656, S0892

Keywords: wrongful death, unborn child, civil liability, medical provider, parental rights, habitual felony offenders, violent crimes, enhanced penalties, criminal justice, recidivism

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy presentation from Miami-Dade State Attorney Catherine Fernandez-Rundle on human trafficking, describing Florida’s high victim counts, the role of online recruitment, common victim and trafficker profiles, and several case examples involving sexual exploitation, labor trafficking, and interstate trafficking. She highlighted Miami-Dade’s task force model, partnerships with law enforcement, schools, businesses, and shelters such as Camillus House’s Project Phoenix and the Thrive Clinic, and said the office relies heavily on technology, training, and victim-centered prosecution. Members asked about school-based trafficking, warning signs, social media platforms, and information-sharing about offenders across states; Fernandez-Rundle said more training and better interstate communication are still needed. The committee then took up CS for SB 656, which would codify FDLE’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Funding Program and rename/expand the online sting operations grant program to better support investigations, training, technology, and personnel. The bill was supported as a timely tool to combat online child exploitation and was reported favorably on a unanimous roll call. The committee also passed SB 892, which streamlines sentencing procedures for habitual felony offenders and related violent offender designations by clarifying notice and clemency-related paperwork requirements; it too was reported favorably unanimously. The remainder of the meeting focused on SB 164, which expands Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow parents to recover civil damages for the death of an unborn child. The sponsor said the bill is intended to recognize unborn children in civil law and allow recovery when a pregnancy is lost due to another’s negligence. Opponents from the ACLU, reproductive rights groups, medical insurers, and domestic violence advocates argued the bill is overly broad, could function as fetal personhood legislation, and could expose doctors, friends, family members, businesses, and abusive partners to lawsuits while chilling medical care, IVF, and pregnancy-related treatment. Supporters from pro-life organizations urged broader language and stronger protections for unborn children. No vote on SB 164 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> it's attributable to their negligence, it's attributable to their negligence, um um um I<00:35:
• </c> their negligent conduct. Thank you, Mr. their negligent conduct. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Chair.
• ,</c> If it's not immunity from negligence, If it's not immunity from negligence, what<00:43:26.000><
• There would not be, if the participant themselves was negligent and that negligence led to their injury
• <c> led</c><00:48:01.840><c> to</c> was negligent and that negligence led to was negligent and that negligence

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida statutes, that's in common law, that there is a common law, negligence, stillbirth, cause of
• It's more viewed under negligence stillbirth as an injury to the mother, as opposed to the loss of a
• There is, of course, however, hurdles with negligent stillbirth, as I heard as well earlier today.
• Florida already allows parents to recover damages for the negligent loss of a pregnancy.
• This bill is about another way to sue someone, a negligent person, a doctor, for..."

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy presentation from Miami-Dade State Attorney Catherine Fernandez-Rundle on human trafficking, describing it as a major criminal enterprise in Florida driven by online recruitment, local victims, and organized traffickers. She outlined Miami-Dade’s task force, victim-centered prosecution practices, training efforts for schools, hotels, transit workers, and other partners, and community-supported services such as the Project Phoenix shelter and Thrive Clinic. She also urged better interstate communication about known traffickers and noted that prior legislative changes, including restrictions on tattooing minors, came from trafficking cases. Senators asked about school-based exploitation, technology and social media recruitment, and information-sharing with other states; Fernandez-Rundle said training and technology remain essential and offered to share materials and tour the facility. The committee then considered CS for SB 656, which Senator Bradley said would codify FDLE’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force funding program and rename/expand the online sting operations grant program to better support investigations, training, technology, and personnel. The bill was supported as a needed response to online child exploitation and was reported favorably by unanimous roll call. The committee also passed SB 892 by Senator Martin, which streamlines sentencing procedures for habitual felony offenders and related designations by reducing paperwork delays tied to clemency and requiring clearer notice before pleas; it too was reported favorably unanimously. The most extensive debate centered on SB 164, which would expand Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow civil damages for the death of an unborn child. Senator Graal said the bill uses existing statutory language defining an unborn child and is intended to let parents recover damages when negligence causes a pregnancy loss. Supporters argued it recognizes unborn life and should be strengthened; opponents warned it would function as a personhood measure, create liability risks for doctors, businesses, friends, and family members, chill miscarriage and abortion-related care, and worsen Florida’s OB-GYN shortage. Several speakers raised concerns about abuse by rapists or abusive partners and about impacts on IVF and emergency care. The committee heard extensive questioning about the bill’s scope and its relationship to existing criminal statutes, but no vote on SB 164 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They made bad bets on corporations that cause fires due to their negligence and a string of violations
• How do things work in a situation where a utility has been negligent on the one hand?
• Whether or not a wildfire is a covered wildfire is not a determination that's based on negligence; it's
• Investor-owned, for-profit utility negligence and mismanagement.
• conduct. ...when it was already called out and ignored, is beyond negligent conduct.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a hearing on the California Earthquake Authority’s SB 254 report and broader options for reforming California’s utility wildfire recovery system. The chair framed the discussion around the Palisades and Eaton fires, the scale of wildfire-related costs on utility bills, and the need to weigh trade-offs among survivors, ratepayers, utilities, insurers, and taxpayers. The first panel featured wildfire survivors William Abrams and Joy Chen, who described long delays in compensation, housing insecurity, and what they viewed as a system that protects utility shareholders more than victims. They urged greater transparency, clearer accountability for utility spending and safety performance, faster and fuller compensation for survivors, and reforms such as independent audits and better alignment of utility incentives with wildfire prevention and restitution. The second panel began with Tom Welsh of the California Earthquake Authority, who explained that the SB 254 report was intended as a broad inventory of policy pathways rather than recommendations. He described the report’s process, including stakeholder submissions, workstreams, and a convergence process, and outlined the current wildfire fund structure: utilities remain liable, the fund reimburses eligible claims after a covered wildfire, and the CPUC later determines prudency and possible reimbursement back to the fund. RAND’s Lloyd Dixon summarized compensation data, saying utilities paid about $38 billion between 2017 and 2024, with major shares going to injured parties, insurers, and public entities, while litigation costs and survivors’ own losses remain substantial. He noted that legal fees and delays reduce the amount survivors ultimately receive. Utility and public-interest witnesses offered differing views on the report’s pathways. PG&E’s Tyson Smith said the report shows inaction is the worst outcome and argued for community wildfire risk reduction, equitable allocation of catastrophe costs, and state-led resilience tools. LADWP’s Fernando Valero emphasized the vulnerability of municipal utilities and cities, and supported inverse condemnation reform, a state-sponsored liability insurance framework, damages and subrogation limits, and stronger insurance access. Consumer Attorneys of California’s John Fisk argued that IOU-caused fires are not natural disasters but the result of negligence and sometimes criminal conduct, and opposed reducing utility liability while supporting stronger oversight and audits. The Public Advocates Office’s Nathaniel Skinner focused on affordability, saying ratepayers already bear large and growing wildfire costs and warning against shifting more costs onto bills without measurable risk reduction and tighter accountability. Committee members then began questioning witnesses about what counts as measurable mitigation, how to define full and fair compensation, and how any fast-pay process should work.

Transcript Highlights:

• They made bad bets on corporations that cause fires due to their negligence and a string of violations
• How do things work in a situation where a utility has been negligent on the one hand?
• Whether or not a wildfire is a covered wildfire is not a determination that's based on negligence; it's
• When it was already called out and ignored, is beyond negligent conduct.
• And to be clear, right, in this world, we're really kind of looking for when utility is non-negligent

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And finally, lowers the liability standard from gross negligence to simple negligence.
• standard and not negligence.
• standard and not negligence."
• standard and not negligence.
• </c> have to meet gross negligence. have to meet gross negligence.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• against the defendant to add negligent repair, negligent loading, or another similar claim.
• defendant's independent act of negligence that does not require a finding of negligence by the employee
• So if the employer acts negligently. In regards to the employee, employee.
• Then the evidence would come in under your bill in the first place of negligence.
• I mean, that's the negligent entrustment piece that we don't want to let.

Transcript Highlights:

• they stated in open court that each of these two individuals who were convicted had admitted their culpability
• they stated in open court that each of these two individuals who were convicted had admitted their culpability
• they stated in open court that each of these two individuals who were convicted had admitted their culpability

Keywords: 1183, house