Transcript Highlights:

• So we've included that in our budget request.
• And they have a two-year budget cycle, right?
• They operate on a shoestring budget.
• But we try to, when possible, do that within our existing budget.
• We Currently, we have 28 budgeted FTEs.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's not just this budget area, it's every budget area.
• And it's not just this budget area, it's every budget area.
• c><01:31:52.800> every<01:31:53.120> budget this budget area, it's every budget this budget
• How much of our budget that we passed last year, this current budget, as the budget projections came
• budget, passed last year, this current budget, as<01:37:30.639> the<01:37:30.880> budget

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• time but typically um the the process time but typically um the the process would<00:59:17.520><
• That was included in the budget approved in June of 2023.
• Thank you. our state budget to invest in Hampton our state budget to invest in Hampton then<01:07:52.559
• We're going to see the budget, and I absolutely guarantee there's going to be something in the budget
• We're going to see the budget, and I absolutely guarantee there's going to be something in the budget

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Below this summary is a chart that will break down the agency's budget by budget entity and fund type
• budget entity and a further funding breakdown.
• Before, that was a manual process.
• So it's, you know, a very smooth, efficient process.
• Last year canceled 9,700 licenses through that process.

Summary: The committee met to receive a base budget overview for agencies under its jurisdiction, which include the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Military Affairs, and Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Staff explained the budget format and noted that the Legislature appropriated more than $20.2 billion to these agencies in the current fiscal year, a 66.7% increase over 10 years. The Department of Transportation then presented on the Moving Florida Forward initiative, describing it as a $7 billion effort to advance 20 major congestion-relief projects statewide. Secretary Jared Perdue said the department is ahead of schedule, with 14 of 20 projects expected to be underway by the end of the calendar year. He highlighted major projects including I-4 in Polk and Osceola counties, I-75 improvements, Southwest 10th Street in Broward County, Fruitville Road, Capital Circle in Tallahassee, and I-275, and discussed innovations such as aggregate supply grants, modified phase design-build, workforce hiring events, and voluntary acceleration. Senators asked about business impacts from construction, tourism-related transit funding, aggregate sourcing, and labor shortages; the secretary said FDOT works with local businesses and that additional revenue sources for transit would require legislative action. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reviewed motorist services, revenue collection, licensing, vehicle titling, specialty plates, insurance compliance, driver safety, and commercial driver licensing. Officials said the department collected about $2.9 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023-24 and described modernization efforts, including electronic verification systems, Real ID compliance, mobile licensing units, and a planned digital driver license. Members asked about the driver license backlog in Miami-Dade and Broward, and the department said service delays were driven by growth and staffing constraints but should improve with $7.5 million in recent funding and the eventual transition of services to county tax collectors. Questions also addressed temporary paper licenses and birth certificate fraud prevention. The Department of Commerce presented on the Job Growth Grant Fund and Visit Florida. Commerce said the grant fund, created in 2017, has awarded $257 million to 70 projects in 37 counties since 2019, with demand exceeding supply about four to one. Officials emphasized that the program supports targeted industries and workforce and infrastructure projects, and they highlighted examples in CDL training, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and health care. Senators raised concerns about small businesses affected by transportation construction, and Commerce said it has an Office of Small Business Innovation and other tools, though the grant fund is limited by statute to targeted industries. Visit Florida then described its public-private tourism marketing role, saying the state’s $80 million appropriation is matched by private investment and that the latest EDR review found a $3.30 return in tax revenue for every state dollar spent. Visit Florida reported record visitation and tourism spending, along with hurricane recovery marketing and rural promotion efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• all the budget requests we just heard. all the budget requests we just heard.
• This is our current base budgets.
• <00:31:50.799> for budget for budget for 2627<00:31:52.960> was<00:31:53.360> reduced
• <00:32:52.080> for 20.7% increase to the base budget for 20.7% increase to the base budget
• Uh are there any veterans budget.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> legislative budget. >> legislative budget.
• Next process here is unless chief clerk. Next process here is unless chief clerk.
• So, we've got to finish that process. So, we've got to finish that process.
• <01:51:44.719> So, current budget. So, current budget.
• percent of our budget. percent of our budget.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Plus, that's not even ECECD's budget or the pre-K budget.
• It's a thought process.
• What's the senior budget for our, you know?
• Based process.
• And then consistency between the project application budget and the cost estimates and the ICIP budget

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So when the November budget forecast was released, special education was kind of targeted as being one
• of the big spenders that's bringing us closer to a budget deficit.
• What does that mean, and does that make the process more susceptible to fraud?
• I do trust... could impact the budget in a positive could impact the budget in a positive way<00:09:13.320
• What does that mean, and does that make the process more susceptible to fraud?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, the Legislative Budget Office did not give us what we requested in the legislative budget recommendation
• >> So your your budget request is 1.46. >> So your your budget request is 1.46.
• >> What we had asked for in the budget >> What we had asked for in the budget request
• um in the in the legislative budget um in the in the legislative budget recommendation.<00:04:41.280
• us<00:05:03.759> back<00:05:04.000> to budget recommendation took us back to budget

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 14 January, 2026; 1:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The committee first heard a budget presentation from a charter-school authorizer agency. Witnesses explained that the agency no longer receives the federal CSP grant, that a one-time $499,000 equipment grant was not recurring, and that in FY25 they also had no general fund appropriation. They said their special-fund revenue has grown but is not enough to sustain operations alone, especially because the money arrives once a year and the agency needs a cash balance in advance. Their budget request sought a mix of general and special funds, but the legislative budget recommendation stayed near the FY26 appropriation level. Members asked about salary growth and contractual spending; the agency said higher salaries reflected doctorate-level staff and a planned sixth position, while contractual costs covered technical assistance, consultants, CPA reviews, and outside legal support. The agency also said a pending bill, identified as House Bill 2, could significantly affect its operations and revenue. Members asked about Republic, and the agency said a peer report had just been released, the school had made operational changes, and progress was being made though questions remained. The Library Commission then presented its budget request. The outgoing director announced retirement and introduced the incoming director, and praised the agency’s recent federal and state audits with no findings. The commission asked to restore two headcount reductions in the budget recommendation, saying the positions were hard to fill because they require specialized librarianship credentials and that losing them would cost about $130,000. It also asked to restore federal spending authority in case IMLS funding became uncertain, and requested about $173,000 for a 5% salary progression pool because turnover had reached 35% and many employees were near the start step. Senators asked about the open positions and turnover; the commission said one position had been open 10 months, another about eight months, and some turnover was due to retirements. Mississippi Public Broadcasting then presented its request for an $18.153 million appropriation. The agency said it wanted salary progressions to retain staff, four new vehicles for engineering and transmitter work, and $522,000 in reappropriated digitization funds to continue a project that has digitized more than half its library holdings for online access. The director also highlighted programming and outreach, including a new food-focused show, a music program, live coverage of the National Folk Festival, a Medgar Evers documentary now in national distribution, and expanded radio programming. He said MPB reaches nearly 1 million TV viewers annually, has strong radio and app usage, and continues to provide required weather, Silver Alert, and Amber Alert notifications. He also described a partnership with the Department of Education using e-glass technology to connect teachers to classrooms lacking instructors, saying the program is already serving multiple districts and drawing national interest.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair: The Pre-K-12 Budget Subcommittee will come to order. Siena, please call the roll.
• I hope that you will be able to work on this process as we move the bill forward.
• I hope in the future we can actually make it a part of our budget.
• I hope in the future we can actually make it a part of our budget.
• I hope in the future we can actually make it a part of our budget.

Summary: The Pre-K-12 Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and considered three bills. HB 157, School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program, would create a Department of Education program allowing school districts and charter schools to place current or retired high-performing teachers in D- or F-rated schools as mentors, with a proposed $3,000 stipend per mentor per mentee. Members questioned the funding source and contract-time implications; the sponsor said the program would use previously decategorized education funds and that mentoring could be done within existing planning, before-school, after-school, or weekend time. An amendment clarifying that the bill would use a contract template rather than a DOE contract was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then heard CS/HB 859, Exceptional Students and Video Cameras in Public Schools, which would require school boards to adopt policies for video cameras in self-contained ESE classrooms upon a parent request, with redaction of other students from footage. Public testimony strongly supported the bill, including emotional accounts from a parent of a nonverbal adult with autism who described past abuse in a classroom and from the Autism Society of Florida, which argued cameras are a necessary safety measure for vulnerable students and noted other states already allow or require them. Members emphasized student safety and the need to fund the policy, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee considered HB 561, Educator Certification, which aims to reduce barriers for experienced educators returning to the classroom by expanding temporary certificate eligibility to those with expired Florida certificates, allowing prior subject-area exam results to count for reinstatement, and updating references related to educator professional learning support. The sponsor said the bill preserves standards while making reinstatement more efficient and less costly. There was broad support from members, who noted the value of retaining experienced teachers, and HB 561 was also reported favorably. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• >> The Pre K through 12 Budget Subcommittee will come to order.
• So it process fiscal years. And that's important to note as well and talking about the budget.
• And this was done again through that request for application process.
• So it's a seamless process and regard.
• So the same question and as we look towards building the 26 27 budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, my book budget is budgets.
• . budget. budget.
• be a committee process actually be a committee<01:18:46.560> process.
• committee process. And so it's relevant. committee process. And so it's relevant.
• We have to have a process. So, we do have a process.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• elected officials and the budget. Yeah. elected officials and the budget. Yeah.
• <01:32:17.920> So budget and then an operating budget.
• So budget and then an operating budget.
• So, um, I think the logic is to be able to adopt that new budgeting process for the entire municipality
• to be able to adopt that new budgeting to be able to adopt that new budgeting process<01:38:07.600

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, I see that the budget request is a significant increase in that area.
• That over a period of time we are committed to making that process.
• Six new programs I do want to mention that our budget is kind of unique.
• The thing to consider too is that in funding, our budget is small.
• Here is the budget for the institutions. I do want to highlight...

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Or are those part of a maintenance of effort process?
• While I understand that the internal UC processes While I understand that the internal UC processes are
• process we avoid things like actually Mr.
• The process, each year, sometimes each month for debt service and so on, takes processing.
• We're talking about budget dust. I looked in the budget to see whether this was even in the budget.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard AB 84, a charter school accountability measure focused on non-classroom-based charter schools and fraud prevention. The author and supporters said the bill was intended to respond to the A3 charter fraud case and related scandals by strengthening audits, transparency, authorizer oversight, and funding determination rules, while ensuring public education dollars are used for public education. Supporters included FCMAT, CSEA, CTA, and CSBA, who argued the bill would improve oversight and protect taxpayers. Opponents, including the California Charter Schools Association, Green Dot, many charter parents, educators, and charter operators, said the bill was too broad, would impose major new costs and bureaucracy on all charter schools, and could reduce options for families, especially those using flexible, homeschool, or special-needs charter programs. After extensive testimony and committee discussion, the bill passed on a 5-1 vote and was sent to Appropriations, with the item left open for additional votes. The committee then approved a consent calendar of 11 education bills, including AB 542, AB 563, AB 731, AB 753, AB 784, AB 964, AB 988, AB 1034, AB 1233, AB 1255, and AB 1381, all moving to Appropriations. The consent calendar passed unanimously. Later, the committee heard AB 1454, a literacy and reading instruction bill authored by Assembly Members Rubio and Revis. The bill would require the state to create professional development resources for evidence-based literacy instruction, update English language arts and English language development instructional materials, and revise administrator preparation standards to include literacy training. The authors and a broad coalition of supporters, including CTA, EdVoice, Families in Schools, Decoding Dyslexia, school administrators, and parent advocates, described the measure as a compromise aimed at improving reading outcomes and addressing California’s literacy crisis. There was no opposition testimony at the hearing, and members voiced strong support for the bill and its collaborative approach.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so they're currently still in that process.
• How is the budget has increased uh decreased greatly, or is the budget. Spoon feeding.
• So how have we changed that if the budget has changed so drastically? Thank you.
• I will just say that that is something since the requested budget, especially because the requested budget
• We're just so early in the process. And Madam Chair, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• That has happened with the Legislative Budget Office.
• with the um uh legislative budget with the um uh legislative budget office.<00:13:53.120> There's
• ordinary process ordinary process um<00:23:37.600> uh<00:23:38.000> and<00:23:38.559
• making sure that we're passing budgets making sure that we're passing budgets to<00:30:24.799>
• We saw that that being pardon process.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For man-made or technological emergencies, use of the fund is subject to the budget consultation process
• For man-made or technological emergencies, use of the fund is subject to the budget consultation process
• consultation process, including the requirement that a Legislative Budget Commission approve certain
• Upon renewal of the state of emergency, the funds are subject to the budget consultation process, including
• Senator Hooper: If approved through the budget consultation process. Peter Berman: Thank you, Mr.

Summary: The Senate convened with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several member introductions of guests and staff. The chamber then took up returning messages from the House and acted on several bills, including transportation facility designations (SB 628), affordable housing/Live Local Act changes (HB 1389), utility services (HB 1451), education (HB 1279 substituted for SB 7038), data centers (SB 484), and land use/development regulations (SB 208/HB 399). Several other measures were temporarily postponed, including education, emergency services, and environmental rule ratification bills. On SB 628, the Senate concurred in the House amendment and passed the bill 31-4. On the affordable housing bill, senators discussed the fourth iteration of the Live Local Act, including a new provision allowing certain affordable housing on religious institution property, removal of accessory dwelling unit language, and changes to tax exemption and expiration provisions; the Senate concurred in the House amendment and passed the bill 35-0. On the utility services bill, the House amendment shortened the surcharge phase-out timeline and advanced reporting dates; the Senate concurred and passed the bill 30-6. The education package was substituted with the House companion, amended to include agreed-upon provisions on student health and safety, early learning, math, virtual instruction, career and technical education, school choice, accountability, tuition protections, and financial aid, and passed 36-1. The data centers bill drew extensive debate over transparency and ratepayer protections. Senators questioned the removal of the Senate’s nondisclosure agreement prohibition, the 12-month confidentiality period, and whether costs could be shifted to residential and commercial customers. Supporters said the amendment strengthened ratepayer protections and maintained local land-use authority, while critics objected to the loss of transparency and the possibility of local NDAs. After debate, the Senate concurred in the House amendment and passed the bill 31-6. The land use and development bill generated the most contentious discussion. Amendments addressed a Fontainebleau/Miami Beach resort water park issue, a sunset provision, and a major rural boundary/property rights proposal affecting counties such as Orange and Seminole. Senators debated whether the rural boundary language protected property rights or undermined local planning and environmental safeguards, with concerns raised about takings, county liability, and the use of an Attorney General opinion. The transcript cuts off during extended debate on that amendment, so no final vote on the land use bill is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:43:12.800> administered and complex refund process administered and complex refund process
• It’s like it’s part of the process.
• It’s like it’s part of the process.
• It’s like it’s part of the process.
• As our state faces a structural budget deficit, these handouts are fiscally reckless. chapter budgets

Bills: HF1277, HF1006

Keywords: data centers, tax exemption, Minnesota statutes, economic development, employment growth, property tax, abatement, land bank, redevelopment, political subdivision, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So let's begin at the start of this process.
• They identify that they've established that process.
• Who has an established process?
• And so I know pretty well the 520 certification process.
• The final stages, again, are to monitor the process.

Summary: The committee began with a presentation on the 520 Native American Language and Culture certificate, created to let proficient tribal language and culture speakers teach in K-12 schools without a bachelor’s degree. LESC staff, PED, and HED described the certificate’s statutory basis, the role of tribes and pueblos in setting proficiency standards, and ongoing challenges such as uneven MOAs, limited professional development, rural access barriers, data gaps, and retention concerns. PED said oversight of 520 is moving from the licensure bureau to the Indian Education Division, and HED reported that the tribal education technical assistance centers authorized in 2023 are still in procurement but are expected to be awarded in early 2026. A student, Alonzo Hughes, testified about how learning Tewa from 520-certified teachers helped him understand his culture and speak with elders, and members praised the program’s role in language revitalization and asked about funding, teacher pathways, and whether similar models exist in other states. Committee members then discussed several PED rule updates. Staff reviewed an adopted rule implementing HB 54 on AEDs and cardiac emergency response plans, including staff training requirements and staggered compliance dates, and a proposed rule for school nurse licensure under HB 195 that would create a three-tier system and align nurse pay with teacher pay. They also reviewed proposed changes to the Community Schools Act rule, including a full-time community school coordinator requirement, updated grant language, and broader coalition membership criteria; PED said the broader language would not conflict with the Martinez-Yazzie work. A proposed bilingual teacher rule would standardize coursework requirements, add trans-languaging and culturally relevant curriculum competencies, and allow Native American language certification applicants to demonstrate proficiency using tribal standards. In questions, members raised concerns about AEDs being present at athletic events, the need for the amended school nurse bill to move experienced nurses directly into higher levels, and whether the community schools rule’s broader coalition language could affect current education litigation. Members also asked about funding for 520 programs, teacher residency or cohort models, and how to support advanced language instruction and sustainability. PED said the Indian Education Fund and school budgets can support some of the work, but additional strategic funding and cross-training are needed. The committee also heard that New Mexico’s 520 system is unusually robust compared with other states, and members encouraged staff to present the model at national conferences. The meeting ended with the director’s report, which noted a flat budget request of $2,024,300, staff turnover including Natasha Davalos’s departure, and appreciation for the committee’s work before adjournment for the holidays.