Transcript Highlights:

• An account is part of our infrastructure of digital belonging.
• So if the harm is manipulative design, regulate manipulative design.
• Digital access becomes more important, certainly not less.
• And third would fall along the line of digital literacy and safety education.
• We rely on— Digital connection is massive and we rely on it.

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational hearing on the impact of social media on LGBTQ+ youth, focusing on benefits, risks, and possible safeguards. Chair members framed the discussion around the tension between protecting young people from addictive design, harassment, hate speech, exploitation, and mental health harms while preserving access to affirming resources, community, and crisis support that many LGBTQ+ youth rely on online. Members emphasized that the hearing was meant to inform future policy rather than relitigate prior bills, and several members of the LGBTQ+ Caucus attended or participated. The first panel featured lived experience and advocacy testimony from Madi Roby of Alliance for Trans Youth Rights, Shea Gardner of LGBT Tech, and Casey Pick of the Trevor Project. Roby described social media as essential to exploring identity, finding trans language and safety information, and connecting to Trevor Project resources during a family crisis, while also acknowledging online hate and bullying. Gardner argued that lawmakers should regulate harms more precisely rather than impose broad age-based exclusions, warning that account bans and age-gating could cut off access to community, privacy-protective pseudonymity, and crisis resources. Pick testified that LGBTQ+ youth are more likely than peers to attempt suicide, that social media can be both a lifeline and a risk, and that Trevor Space and other moderated online spaces can improve mental health and reduce isolation; she also cautioned against policies that would push youth into less visible, less moderated spaces. Committee members questioned the witnesses about algorithmic feeds, addictive design, age verification, and whether platforms should be required to do more to protect youth. Several lawmakers distinguished between personalized feeds and addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay, and asked for more targeted prescriptions. Witnesses generally supported stronger privacy protections, limits on data collection and use, better reporting and moderation tools, digital literacy, and design changes that reduce harmful engagement patterns without eliminating access to community. The discussion also touched on the loss of LGBTQ-specific 988 services at the national level and the importance of maintaining alternative support pathways. The second panel presented research from Common Sense Media, UC Irvine, Hope Lab, and LGBTQ+ Health Australia. Researchers reported that LGBTQ+ youth often arrive online with higher depressive symptoms and limited in-person support, encounter homophobic and transphobic content at high rates, and may self-censor because of fear of harassment. At the same time, many said social media helps them feel less alone and find affirmation. Dr. Sean Young emphasized a harm-reduction approach, noting that online environments can be designed to support health and that policymakers should measure whether restrictions actually reduce harm or simply displace it. Dr. Amy Green echoed that social media is both harmful and supportive for LGBTQ+ youth, underscoring that the policy goal should be to make youth safer rather than less visible online.

Transcript Highlights:

• occupational therapy and the occupational therapist wants to add in a new skill or add in a new manipulative
• 00:11:48.079> new new um a new skill or add in a new new um a new skill or add in a new manipulative
• they will be impeded from manipulative they will be impeded from doing<00:11:52.600> that<00:
• your kid is Medicaid-insured and the same child with the same challenges will get a different manipulative
• your kid is Medicaid-insured and the same child with the same challenges will get a different manipulative

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• plans, and anyone who relies on digital plans, and anyone who relies on digital format. format.
• those digital titles. those digital titles.
• their own digital collections. their own digital collections.
• > are Digital audiobooks and ebooks are Digital audiobooks and ebooks are essential<00:05:26.280
• <00:41:02.240> digital<00:41:03.240> publications<00:41:03.920> are digital digital

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They also receive additional training in osteopathic manipulative treatment, a practice that uses hands-on
• I'm a practicing osteopathic physician, chief medical officer, and professor of osteopathic manipulative
• Higher-level training in what's called OMM, which is osteopathic manipulative medicine, would include
• of an axis of a joint through a high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation, such as a chiropractic manipulation
• This would include a studio offering three or more premium amenities, including digital platform services

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several health, professional licensing, consumer protection, and animal welfare bills. Early items included AB 1307, which would create a pilot program allowing up to 30 qualified dentists from Mexico to work in underserved California areas; the California Dental Association moved from opposition to neutral after amendments, and members discussed access to care and oversight. AB 1703 would restrict use of osteopathic titles and the practice of osteopathic manipulative treatment to licensed DOs; it drew strong support from the Osteopathic Medical Board and physician groups, but non-physician osteopaths opposed it, arguing they have long provided safe care and that the bill would criminalize their work. AB 2250 made technical cleanup changes to hemp enforcement laws and AB 1758 raised the seller-of-travel assessment for the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund; both had support and no opposition. AB 1794 would allow prescribed enteral formula to be shipped directly to patients’ homes, and AB 1939 would allow licensed professional fiduciaries to form corporations, both with support and no opposition. AB 1775 would expand expedited licensing and other state support for service members discharged under a federal transgender military policy; it received emotional support testimony and some committee concern about expanding priority categories, but no opposition. AB 2477 would create a limited provisional period for new pest control employees to work under supervision while licensing is pending, and members discussed amendments and oversight before moving it forward. AB 1999 would modernize veterinary law by creating shelter-veterinarian and retired-volunteer pathways, changing VCPR rules, and narrowing the owner exemption for surgery; it was strongly supported by veterinary and animal welfare groups, with some discussion of autonomy and implementation. AB 2010 would permit high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinics and mobile sterilization units without a separate surgical suite; the Veterinary Medical Board opposed unless amended, while animal welfare groups supported it, and members emphasized the need for safety and clarity. AB 2311 would let public health care district hospitals directly employ physicians, with amendments intended to protect physician autonomy; CMA remained opposed unless amended, while district hospitals and other supporters said it would improve recruitment and access. The committee also heard AB 2402, which would update the definition and fee structure for multi-service health club studios, but the discussion was cut off in the transcript. After quorum was established, the committee voted to pass several bills out on call, including AB 1307, AB 1598 consent, AB 1703, AB 1758, AB 1775, AB 1794, AB 1939, AB 1999, AB 2010, AB 2250, AB 2311, and AB 2477, sending them to the appropriate fiscal or policy committees, with some recorded no votes on a few measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• the votes from the precincts, early voting sites, and vote-by-mail central count tabulators are digitally
• of elections has a website where at 7:01 they start uploading results, and there's no shortage of digital
• supervisor of election has a website where at 701 they start uploading results, and there's no shortage of digital
• And I do hear the stories of potential manipulation.
• And I do hear the stories of potential manipulation.

Summary: The Government Operations Subcommittee met to hear a lengthy presentation from Secretary of State Cord Byrd on Florida election administration, with a focus on how elections are handled during natural disasters, election security, and preparations for the 2026 cycle. Byrd described Florida’s response to hurricanes in 2022 and 2024, saying the state works directly with county supervisors of elections to tailor executive orders to local conditions, add or relocate polling sites, extend deadlines, and help displaced voters and emergency workers cast ballots. Members from affected areas echoed that local supervisors had managed storm disruptions well and that turnout remained strong despite major damage. A large portion of the meeting covered election integrity and security. Byrd emphasized Florida’s use of paper ballots, pre-election logic and accuracy testing, post-election audits, public canvassing, standardized voter-intent rules, and strict vote-by-mail request and signature-match requirements. He said the Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security investigates complaints and refers matters to law enforcement, and that Florida has expanded access to the federal SAVE database to verify citizenship. Members asked about threats to election workers, staffing vacancies, cybersecurity, ballot design, vote-by-mail address changes, and how the state coordinates with county supervisors, emergency management, and other agencies. Several members raised questions about voter eligibility and returning citizens, and Byrd said the department provides free information to help people determine whether their rights have been restored, while noting that court and clerk reporting practices still create challenges. He also said the department is considering additional legislative proposals, including more safeguards tied to driver’s license and citizenship verification and a possible statewide 100% audit of races before certification. The meeting ended with the chair encouraging members to visit supervisors of elections offices and submit specific ideas for future elections legislation; no votes were taken and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• An account is part of our infrastructure of digital belonging.
• So if the harm is manipulative design, regulate manipulative design.
• And third would fall along the line of digital literacy and safety education.
• In that context, a social media ban does not repair a broken digital environment.
• We rely on... ...digital connection is massive, and we rely on it.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational hearing on the impact of social media on LGBTQ-plus youth, focusing on benefits, risks, and possible safeguards. Chair Bauer-Kahan and Assembly Member Ward opened by noting that social media can be a lifeline for LGBTQ-plus youth seeking identity, community, and support, but also exposes them to cyberbullying, hate speech, exploitation, misinformation, and addictive design. They framed the hearing as a way to inform future policy without relitigating prior bills, and emphasized the need for a balanced approach that reduces harm while preserving access to affirming resources. The first panel featured lived-experience testimony from Madi Roby of the Alliance for Trans Youth Rights, Shea Gardner of LGBT Tech, and Casey Pick of the Trevor Project. Roby described how social media helped her understand her trans identity, find community, learn safety information, and access crisis support through the Trevor Project, while also exposing her to harassment and threats. Gardner argued that lawmakers should regulate harms more precisely rather than impose broad access restrictions, warning that age-gating and account bans could exclude vulnerable youth and adults who rely on pseudonymity, while supporting privacy-preserving protections, targeted platform accountability, and digital literacy. Pick testified that LGBTQ-plus youth are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide as peers, cited Trevor Project research showing social media is both positive and negative for most youth, and said supportive online spaces can lower suicide risk and anxiety; she also described Trevor Space as a moderated, non-addictive platform with forums, direct messaging, and strong community norms. Committee members then questioned the panel about algorithmic feeds, addictive design, age verification, and whether platforms should be required to provide safer defaults and better moderation. Several members distinguished between personalized feeds and addictive or incendiary engagement loops, and discussed the risk that age-verification systems could require sensitive data or restrict access to helpful content. Witnesses repeatedly said the problem is not online community itself but platform design choices and weak enforcement, and they urged more precise regulation of harmful features rather than exclusionary bans. The committee then moved on to panel two, which was introduced as a discussion of LGBTQ-plus-specific online resources and research on LGBTQ-plus youth and social media.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is just an effort to express the state's concern over social media's broad use and manipulation
• of our children, and some moms... ...social media's broad use and manipulation of our children.
• HB 947 establishes a clear owner-protected regime for unclaimed digital assets modeled on legislation
• for the custody of unclaimed digital assets presumed abandoned, to provide for a presumption for digital
• of unclaimed digital assets presumed abandoned, to provide for a presumption for digital assets, to

Bills: HB387, HB673, HB947, HB975, HB1102, HB1228, HB1229, HCR66, SB102, SB165, SB280, SB291, SB326, SB521

Keywords: engineering, land surveying, construction, state fire marshal, plan review, security cameras, abandoned property, blighted structures, property management, digital assets, abandonment, custodian, escheatment, blockchain, cryptocurrency, unclaimed property, state treasurer, Department of Public Service, statutory entities, public administration

Transcript Highlights:

• Caller with the last three digits of 762, you were unmuted. Please continue. Thank you.
• Caller with the last three digits of 211, please press star 6 to unmute yourself.
• If there is a bad-faith actor that is trying to manipulate the system, we will catch them, and there
• If there is a bad faith actor that is trying to manipulate the system, we will catch them and there are
• penalties for that. bad faith actor that is trying to manipulate the system, we will catch them, and

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have single-digit proficiency, and many of our students across this...
• We have single-digit proficiency, and many for many of our students across this. Those math scores.
• We have single-digit proficiency in many of our students across the state in math, and it simply isn't
• had a kindergartner who was not yet able to order one through nine using dots or dominoes as a manipulative
• created about achievement in 2010 when I was the Hispanic Education liaison, and I saw those single-digit

Bills: SB234, SB210, SB243, SB244, SM16, HB8

Keywords: foster children, school transportation, education funding, public education, child welfare, New Mexico Highlands University, soccer field, women's sports, infrastructure improvement, funding allocation, student athletes, appropriation, New Mexico State University, nutrition, travel support, funding, education, university support, financial assistance, parenting students

Transcript Highlights:

• to manipulate news images using<00:15:15.199> AI<00:15:16.000> and<00:15:16.320> then
• <00:15:51.519> humanities<00:15:52.079> collaboration<00:15:52.639> among digital
• humanities collaboration among digital humanities collaboration among many<00:15:53.199> central<
• <00:18:55.760> unique<00:18:56.640> regional<00:18:57.120> maps, digitizing unique
• regional maps, digitizing unique regional maps, including<00:18:58.160> maps<00:18:58.559>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They must read the digital course book their instructor selects and answer its digital prompts and questions
• Their instructor selects and answer its digital prompts and questions, such as these questions that one
• Students and faculty are largely unaware of how their personal information on these digital services
• Today’s youth are navigating a digital landscape that is fundamentally...
• Motion is due pass to the Senate, privacy, digital technologies, and consumer protection.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills, with most of the discussion centered on student privacy, faculty health coverage, Native student data collection, mental health training for coaches, and human trafficking prevention education. AB 1159, the California Learner Personal Information Protection Act, would expand student data privacy protections to higher education, clarify existing ed-tech rules, and add limited enforcement. The author and supporters said current law is outdated and does not adequately protect sensitive student information, while some college-related stakeholders raised definitional concerns about preserving routine student communications and access to course materials. The bill was approved on a due-pass motion to the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies and Consumer Protection Committee and placed on call. AB 1171 would keep unspent funds in the part-time community college faculty health insurance program from being swept for other uses and would require all community college districts to begin negotiating participation by 2030. The author and supporters argued that part-time faculty often lack employer-sponsored coverage despite teaching most community college courses, while opponents said the bill was premature because participation is still growing and the program’s full-year spending data is not yet known. Members debated whether the Legislature should preserve the funding in statute or continue handling it through the budget process. The bill passed on a due-pass motion to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1581 would require collection of tribal affiliation data for Native American and Alaska Native students in CalPADS to address severe undercounting and improve resource allocation. The author and tribal and education supporters said Native students are often misclassified, making it harder to provide culturally responsive programs and measure outcomes; committee members discussed how the reporting would work for multitribal and multiracial students and emphasized the need for tribal consultation and workable data definitions. The bill passed on a due-pass motion to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1665, requiring mental health training for school coaches, was supported as a way to help trusted adults recognize warning signs and connect student athletes to services; it also passed to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. AB 1766, which would expand human trafficking prevention education from kindergarten through 12th grade and address online grooming and exploitation, received strong support from the author, survivors, and advocacy groups, with testimony emphasizing earlier prevention and digital safety; the transcript ended during support testimony and did not include final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, 1434 requires that digital pornography websites use age verification to make sure that kids are protected
• So, all it is doing is taking what happens in the physical world and bringing it into the digital world
• <00:01:08.680> world, and bringing it into the digital world, and bringing it into the digital
• And what that did for her is allowed an open door, a way that somebody was able to manipulate and use
• And what that did for her is allowed an open door, a way that somebody was able to manipulate and use

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I appreciate the opportunity to testify today in support of SB 85, the Virginia Digital Choice Act.
• SB 85, the Virginia Digital Choice Act. I'm Deb Schmell.
• Establishing digital choice and portability now will help ensure future technologies develop in a more
• For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to support SB 85, the Virginia Digital Choice Act
• going to frame the bill as a tool to protect the integrity of elections, ensuring voters aren't manipulated

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, the state does invest in digital asset-related products.
• For example, there is a digital asset or a cryptocurrency called Solana.
• It's a sovereign digital asset stockpile, a store of value that's immune to inflation, currency manipulation
• ... ...a digital currency like Bitcoin or the exchange-traded fund.
• X guy, so I'm way before digital phones, et cetera.

Summary: The Insurance and Banking Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. HB 487 would authorize the CFO and State Board of Administration to invest up to 10% of certain state funds in Bitcoin, require specified custody methods, allow Bitcoin lending under rule, and create a process for accepting taxes and fees in Bitcoin. The sponsor and several proponents argued it would diversify state investments, hedge inflation, and position Florida as a leader in digital assets. Members raised concerns about volatility, security, valuation, and whether Bitcoin was being singled out over other cryptocurrencies, but the bill was reported favorably after debate and a roll call vote. The committee then considered HB 7011, an Open Government Sunset Review measure for records of insolvent insurers. The bill would continue some exemptions but make additional records public, including underwriting files, risk-solvency assessments, corporate governance annual disclosures, and the names, benefits, and compensation of insurance executive officers. There was no public testimony, and members discussed privacy and safety concerns, but the bill passed and was reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HB 1433 on hurricane mitigation grants and insurer regulation. The bill would tighten restrictions on former executives of failed insurers, raise capital requirements for new insurers, and require mitigation credits when homeowners receive Safe Florida Home funds. An amendment was adopted to require a licensed person to make final claim-denial decisions when AI or automation is used and to prioritize filings that lower rates. Consumer advocates supported the transparency and consumer protections, while industry representatives urged caution on the AI provisions. After debate, the amended bill was reported favorably. The meeting ended with closing remarks from the ranking member, vice chair, and chair reflecting on the committee’s work and likely final meeting of the term.

Transcript Highlights:

• consequences for your actions, even if you are fired if you pressure a bank to cut off services to digital
• aids for kids with special needs, the Fed may have no way of knowing that the instructions were manipulated
• Unlike the Treasury payment instructions, you can see if the CFPB's funding requests have been manipulated
• fellow governors have personally misled me on at least two occasions with respect to Wyoming and digital
• Understanding that is deliberate on the part of the Fed with respect to digital asset policy.

Bills: SB257

Keywords: supply chain resilience, critical supply chains, critical goods, manufacturing, domestic manufacturing, reshoring, nearshoring, supply chain security, supply chain shock, supply chain disruption, critical infrastructure, emerging technologies, semiconductors, microelectronics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, advanced manufacturing, blockchain, cybersecurity

Transcript Highlights:

• you damage a motor fuel pump because you're trying to put a scale on it... ...or you're trying to manipulate
• members, I will say that, you know, stalking since social media has taken over the world and just digital
• When we strengthen penalties for those who use violence, manipulation, and intimidation to control. their
• They're able to... believe, and then through manipulation, they're coming back into the prostitution
• The recruitment that goes on, the manipulation that goes. on that might not rise to the level of forced

Bills: SB251, SB608, SB487, SB535, SB761, SB955, SB957, SB958, SB988, SB990, SB1019, SB1021, SB1120

Keywords: criminal law, magistrates, Bell County, judicial authority, legal framework, evidence collection, sexual assault kits, reporting, law enforcement, transparency, confidentiality, victim protection, stalking, indecent assault, invasive visual recording, criminal justice, privacy rights, SB 535, Texas criminal procedure, rape shield

Transcript Highlights:

• Put an end to the tricks, put an end to the manipulation of our maps, and respect the voices of black
• When redistricting is manipulated to favor certain interests or groups, it undermines our democratic
• That digital inequity mirrors what's happening with this map situation.
• Instead of making the catastrophic floods the top priority, our legislature is focusing on digital, an
• District boundary lines are manipulated, stretched, and contorted like a stretcher. ...toy.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The HOA president has openly stated her intention to block any sale through manipulation of the estoppel
• associations can initiate litigation without proper authorization, imposing crushing attorney fees, manipulating
• It gives Florida Digital Service the authority to establish and enforce best practices for procuring
• generation traffic light modernization program, provides important data privacy protections for the digital

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe those are most susceptible to the manipulation in the wage market that's happening with illegal
• I believe it's in the single digits and percentages.
• That's why I filed the PCS that has the trigger repeal if they manipulate E-Verify at all.

Bills: HB3725, HB3260, HB3660, HB3369, HB3370

Keywords: labor, e-verification, immigration, employers, employment eligibility, Department of Labor, penalties, funeral licensing, continuing education, Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association, professional development, licensing requirements, HB3660, natural organic reduction, human composting, soil reduction, green burial, funeral services, cremation, burial permit

Transcript Highlights:

• credentials, employers are finding the students through that mechanism, digital credentials, stackable
• credentials, employers are finding the students through that mechanism, digital credentials, stackable
• And that SIP code is truly six digits long.
• And that SIP code is truly six digits long.
• But you're still keeping the CIP codes, which we've manipulated all over the place.

Keywords: 908, all