Transcript Highlights:

• We protected the violence prevention grants and the funding for that. Funding for child care.
• So that we can protect our seniors.
• protections, noise limits, and... ...setbacks, enforceable health protections, water protections, noise
• Those protections have existed since SB 779 does not create new consumer protections.
• That's why these protections matter.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, communications, committee reports, and leaves of absence. The journal was approved 50-0. The chamber then took up House Bill 1505, which drew extended debate over school funding and adequacy/tax equity. Senators Coleman and Keefer argued the bill continued to pour money into districts like Allentown without accountability or improved results, while Senators Costa, Miller, Haywood, and Anthony Williams defended the funding as a response to historic underfunding and the Commonwealth Court decision. A motion allowing Senator Coleman a third speaking turn was adopted 27-23, and the bill ultimately passed 45-5. The Senate then considered House Bill 2400, the General Appropriation Act. Supporters, including Senators Martin, Dush, Phillips-Hill, Costa, Ward, Street, Hughes, and Pittman, emphasized that the budget was balanced without using the rainy day fund or raising taxes, reduced the governor’s proposal, increased education and child care funding, supported nursing homes, rape crisis centers, infrastructure, and workforce programs, and shifted money from lapsed or unused accounts to current priorities. Opponents, including Senators Saval and Muth, said the budget failed to address structural deficits and omitted new revenue options, emergency services funding, and other major issues. The bill passed 44-6 with amendments and was returned to the House for concurrence. The Senate also passed a series of other bills, including House Bills 2412, 2413, 96, 858, 1042, 1286, 1646, 1851, 1862, 2017, 2024, 2401, and 2559, with varying margins, and sent them to the House, some with amendments. House Bill 1042 drew a negative recommendation from Senator Costa over a late amendment involving second-degree murder/felony language, but after reconsideration and vote changes it passed 30-20 with amendments. House Bill 1862, creating an Ignition Interlock Driver’s License, passed 45-5 after support from Senator Judy Ward. House Bill 1248 passed 43-7 and designates Pennsylvania rye whiskey as the official state spirit, with Senators Bartolotta and Robinson speaking in support. The chamber also adopted Senate Resolution 216, after defeating Senator Haywood’s amendment to narrow the scope of a proposed Legislative Budget and Finance Committee study of managed care organizations; the resolution passed 31-19. Several other bills were held over in their order, and the Senate later moved toward a condolence resolution.

Transcript Highlights:

• in for business while still protecting the people who are working.
• So while this also protects workers, it does protect honest business work of people who are.
• These professionals have those benefits, those same protections.
• And all of the protections that that affords.
• child and didn't make her pay anything.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:09:01.279> who's parent of that 2-year-old child who's parent of that 2-year-old child
• And what we often find is we have teams.
• It is not that the child will die. It is any harm to the body.
• <00:21:01.679> or especially if they're a young child or especially if they're a young child
• <00:34:09.599> We protections that that we do have. We protections that that we do have.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• protect working landscapes, supporting ecosystem benefits, and protecting our food security.
• What if your child is raped?
• This gets to the very essence of what you're trying to do while protecting the mother, protecting her
• This amendment gives you what you want and protects the woman who lost the child, whether or not... .
• ..the woman who lost the child.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the pledge, quorum call, and several recognitions, including guests for Education and Sharing Day, law enforcement officer of the day Detective Miata Anderson, and later FAMU Day at the Capitol and other visiting groups. The chamber adopted the special order report and then moved through a series of budget-related bills and conforming measures, with debate focused largely on recurring funding, environmental programs, housing, insurance reserves, and tax policy. Members approved HB 5011/SB 2506, which conform environmental resource funding to the proposed budget by shifting Seminole Gaming Compact-related dollars from recurring to nonrecurring funding; supporters said this preserves annual legislative review, while opponents warned it would reduce funding for the Resilient Florida program, wildlife corridor protection, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. The House then passed HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves by lowering the RAP program and repealing FORA funding, and HB 5501, which redirects documentary stamp tax revenues from housing and transportation trust funds to general revenue; Democrats argued the housing changes would reduce affordable housing support, while Republicans said the move was needed to control recurring spending. The chamber also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, HB 5201 on Florida PALM accounting conforming changes, HB 5203 on Capitol Center tenancy and utilities control, and HB 5009 creating a Florida Accountability Office and revising audit and budgeting functions. The most extended debate came on HB 7031, which permanently reduces the state sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25% and also lowers several related tax rates. Supporters described it as broad-based, immediate tax relief for Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more targeted and that sales tax cuts also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. The bill passed 112-0. The House then took up the main budget bill, HB 501, and subcommittee chairs outlined the proposed $112.9 billion budget, including education, health care, transportation, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and IT spending. Members began questioning the pre-K-12 budget on school funding, vouchers, proration, mental health and safety allocations, and inflation, with the discussion continuing beyond the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• They may not be a guardian if they are a respondent to an injunction for protection for which the protected
• It doesn't weaken any consumer or patient protections.
• This is a measured correction, protecting recovery, protecting infrastructure, and restoring balance.
• Please, let's put this language in and protect it.
• Again, the trademark was done to protect people from using his... ...trademark was done to protect people

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and several introductions recognizing visitors, students, local officials, and professional groups in the gallery. The chamber then took up a report from the Ethics and Elections Committee confirming 42 executive appointments; the report was adopted by a vote of 36-0. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the Ripple Project for childhood cancer awareness and funding. The bulk of the meeting was spent on special-order bills, many of them open-government sunset review measures and policy bills. The Senate passed bills preserving or updating public records exemptions for aquaculture records, trade secrets, and cybersecurity information; a child-abuse reporting statute of limitations bill; a commercial driving schools bill; a human trafficking training requirement for nursing graduates; a new injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person and its companion public-records bill; a nature-based coastal resiliency bill with an amendment restricting dredge-and-fill in Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve; a chiropractic patient-funds bill; specialty license plate legislation; a one-time waiver for late financial disclosure fines; public school personnel compensation changes; the Florida Farm Bill with amendments protecting Everglades lands and technical corrections; homestead exemption clarification for long-term leaseholders; disability presumption clarifications for firefighters and law enforcement; reinsurance intermediary manager conformity changes; patriotic displays in public schools; ADS-B aviation fee restrictions; autism-related law enforcement training and a blue envelope program; public post-secondary safety policy requirements; and a bill allowing licensed agents to market health care sharing ministries. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including local vessel restrictions, temporary certificates for practice, and domestic animals. Members debated a number of measures, especially the health care sharing ministries bill, where opponents raised consumer-protection and commission concerns and supporters argued for free speech, religious liberty, and expanded consumer choice; it passed 32-5. Other debated bills included the autism law enforcement bill, the school athletics bill addressing coach support for student-athletes, and the Farm Bill, where senators discussed surplus land safeguards and biosolids timing. Most bills passed overwhelmingly, often 37-0 or 38-0, with a few closer votes such as the patriotic displays bill (36-2) and the health care sharing ministries bill (32-5).

Transcript Highlights:

• To me, you will always be a member of Team Geis.
• of child care organizations.
• and regulation of child care organizations.
• and regulation of child care organizations.
• A bill to create a parent and child legal representation commission in an office of parent and child

Keywords: 983, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For universal child care.
• I will introduce our team.
• As a result of universal child care, child care capacity is growing.
• One third of families who applied for child care after the announcement of universal child care were
• Child care is the place that they often find out or learn that their child may have a delay.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To protect and protect. Lawyers too. Yes. I mean we have to protect employees obviously.
• So child care, we requested an exception item last session to fully match our child care. program that
• All the child care we received from. roughly $5.9 billion in child care, COVID funding, all of that was
• We desire to help these families. but we can't do it for free. $1,000 per child per week for every child
• We have 365 child care deserts across the state. overall which means there's a lack of child care in

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And every child in that classroom and school will be impacted if a child is removed.
• Their children play on the same sports team.
• That child. That child could be your son, your daughter, your grandson, or my granddaughter.
• When you have a parent who calls you and says they could not take their child to the doctor, a child
• Let's all get on this team and let's make this great.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, pledge, quorum call, approval of the journal, and adoption of the Rules and Ethics Committee’s special order report for the day. The chamber then took up House Bill 1B, the immigration bill, and members were told they would have one opportunity to question the sponsor on both the House version and the anticipated Senate changes. Representative McClure described the bill as a major immigration-enforcement package creating a chief immigration officer housed in the Department of Agriculture, an Office of State Immigration Enforcement, a local law enforcement grant program, a state immigration council, and new penalties and enforcement tools. He also outlined anticipated Senate language, including stronger 287(g) participation requirements, enhanced penalties for unauthorized aliens, a mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses, and additional coordination with federal agencies. The bill drew extensive questioning from Democrats about due process, constitutional issues, school and workplace impacts, and the treatment of people whose immigration status changes over time. Members asked about birthright citizenship, TPS, asylum seekers, pretrial detention standards, the lawful basis for detaining someone based on suspected status, and whether teachers, social workers, school resource officers, and even children could be required to cooperate with immigration enforcement. McClure and Representative Garrison repeatedly said the bill would require cooperation with federal authorities, that status determinations would be handled under existing court procedures, and that the Senate death-penalty language was intended to fit within Hurst by requiring a jury finding beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was an unauthorized alien. They also said the bill did not provide DMV funding, did not address teacher shortages, and included appropriations such as $25 million for the local law enforcement participation incentive program and broader funding for enforcement and training. Several amendments were considered. Representative Chambliss offered an amendment to protect schools, churches, and places of worship from enforcement activity; supporters argued it would preserve trust in sacred and educational spaces, but the amendment failed. Representative Escamani offered an amendment to preserve in-state tuition for Dreamers; supporters emphasized the educational and economic contributions of Dreamers and the hardship of higher tuition, but that amendment also failed. The debate ended with no bill vote in the excerpt, but the House completed the amendment votes and continued consideration of the immigration measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• teams to deliver care and address the needs of Alzheimer's patients and their family members.
• Not passing a law to protect maternal health.
• Not passing a law to protect maternal health. You're stepping aside from the actual...
• My concern with this bill... ...protecting the life of the pre-born baby.
• This bill says nothing about making a child who is 12 years old, who... ...about making a child who is

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Resolution 321, commending the Sandusky Middle School Girls Basketball Team.
• What makes this team so special is simple: they worked hard.
• What makes this team so special is simple: they worked hard.
• Nutrition Services and members of the school nutrition team from schools across the district, and I
• No, to protect our prerogatives as a body. Shall the Senate substitute be adopted?

Keywords: March 12, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Please surround them with people who will cherish and protect them.
• May every child know they are valued and loved just as they are.
• Please surround them with people who will cherish and protect them.
• May every child know they are valued and loved just as they are.
• Claire is a member of the Clovis High School swim team, where she serves as team captain.

Bills: HM19

Keywords: New Mexico Aviation and Aerospace Day, aviation, aerospace, space industry, missile programs, Spaceport America, White Sands Missile Range, White Sands Test Facility, Kirtland Air Force Base, drone, unmanned aircraft systems, commercial space transportation, NASA, aircraft, STEM education, research laboratories, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, flight testing, medical evacuation

Transcript Highlights:

• And we see Carl and team. Oh yes. Please. And Mr. Chief, great to see you.
• One of the barriers to legal employment is their back child support.
• And so our job, we feel, is to try and protect that.
• So we are really trying to protect that.
• We provide resources for the burial service teams, the honor guard teams that go out there that are in

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lord, as the great shepherd, continue to protect and guide this legislative body.
• The team will begin its first season this year in August.
• To be members of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection: James P.
• and protecting our intellectual property.
• provide child care services, to Health and Human Services.

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.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Resolution 374, commending the Bruton High School Girls Swim and Dive Team.
• Once again, I would like to commend the Bruton High Panthers girls swim team.
• The substitute adds additional protections for employers.
• House Bill 650 provides immigration-related due process protections in protected and sensitive spaces
• The Senate substitute reduces those place-based protections to just courthouses.

Keywords: March 11, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:03:30.800> those to bet going forward uh to protect those to bet going forward uh to protect
• Attorney's office onto that child Attorney's office onto that child support<01:12:26.480> arrearage
• teams and emergency operations centers. teams and emergency operations centers.
• Instead, House Bill 601 is focused only on protecting...
• preparedness and helps protect preparedness and helps protect Kentuckians<01:43:15.600> when<

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:03:30.159> but<00:03:30.400> I'm to protect patient privacy, but I'm to protect
• So, um, we do need to protect the individual families' information, but you know, we need to protect
• It's a multidisciplinary team.
• It's a multidisciplinary team.
• It's a multidisciplinary team.

Keywords: Public Health and Welfare - Room 216, 17 February, 2026; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and considered three House bills. House Bill 515, described as a measure allowing radiologist assistants to discuss preliminary findings with physicians after a test, was presented as identical to an earlier bill and passed on a title sufficient, do pass motion without debate. House Bill 1637 would create a fetal and infant mortality review panel under the Department of Health to align state law with federal requirements and mirror existing maternal mortality review work. The bill prompted extended questioning about broad exemptions from the Open Meetings and Public Records Acts, with Senator Blunt and others expressing concern that the language was too broad and could shield records beyond individual patient privacy. Dr. Edney of the Department of Health testified that the protections were needed so hospitals and providers would share sensitive information for performance improvement and mortality review work, and that final reports would still be issued. After the debate, Senator Blunt moved to lay House Bill 1637 on the table subject to call, and the motion passed. The committee then took up House Bill 814, which would raise fees for inspections and investigations of food establishments and wastewater systems; it was described as a Department of Health measure supported by the regulated entities because they want inspections. The bill was characterized as maintaining an arm’s-length relationship between regulators and regulated parties, and it passed on a title sufficient, do pass motion. The chair closed by noting the committee had completed its agenda and would not meet the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the benchmark for that child? How well have they mastered it?
• is doing well, this child is having difficulty with this, etc."
• You want to protect human life. You want to protect these children. Is that correct?
• I'm neither a child nor a runaway slave. I don't need to be punished.
• It is not about protecting this institution. It's about protecting one party's grip on power.

Bills: SB 1, HCR 20, HR 131, HR 133, HR 135, HR 136, HR 137, HR 144, HR 145, HR 146, HR 149, HR 150, HR 151, HR 152, HR 158, HR 161, HR 162, HR 163, HR 165, HR 166, HR 168, HR 169, HR 170, HR 175, HR 178, HR 127, HR 129, HR 130, HR 132, HR 134, HR 138, HR 139, HR 140, HR 141, HR 142, HR 143, HR 153, HR 154, HR 155, HR 156, HR 159, HR 160, HR 164, HR 167, HR 172, HR 173, HR 176, SB 1, HB 8, HB 15, HB 27, SB 5

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, memorial, remembrance, legacy, condolences, community, higher education, university merger, research, public health, economic impact, healthcare, insurance, affordability, medical coverage, state regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill creates new consumer protections regarding companion chatbots that protect minors who use the
• We focus on the child, and that’s why we…” “We focus on the child, and that’s why we are very engaged
• But to protect the world of work and protect workers and protect people... ...the world of work and protect
• I also want to protect children.
• our privacy, protect our dignity, and to protect basic fairness for Floridians.

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism considered a series of bills affecting tax policy, workforce development, business regulation, consumer protection, rural development, and artificial intelligence. SB 1076 would raise Florida’s research and development tax credit cap from $9 million to $50 million beginning with the 2027 allocation, and it was reported favorably. CS/SB 1266 would create a cybersecurity experiential internship and clearance-readiness program with the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida; an amendment removed an appropriation from the bill, and the committee reported it favorably. SB 554, a broad update to Florida’s not-for-profit corporation law, was also reported favorably after supportive testimony from Florida Bar representatives. SB 1004, aimed at protecting buyers of dogs and cats from deceptive sales and predatory financing practices, received strong support from animal welfare advocates and was reported favorably. SB 1074, which provides rounding rules for cash transactions if pennies are unavailable, was likewise reported favorably. SB 214, expanding the rural community definition to include special districts in rural counties for economic development purposes, was reported favorably. SPB 7030, a public records exemption tied to Department of Legal Affairs investigations, was adopted as a committee bill and favorably reported. The committee also heard extensive discussion on SB 998, the Department of Commerce package. The bill would modernize the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program, clarify rural community eligibility for certain unincorporated areas, exempt military entities from a reverter clause on land conveyances, and revise E-Verify enforcement procedures. Members questioned the E-Verify provisions, including penalties, protections for workers incorrectly flagged, and the treatment of gig workers. Senator Smith opposed the bill, arguing it creates unequal treatment between employers and immigrant workers, while Senator Wright supported the military-related provisions. Despite the debate, SB 998 was reported favorably, with Senators Bracy Davis, Smith, and Errington voting no. The committee also took up SB 482, an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights” that would create consumer protections for companion chatbots, require parental consent and access for minors, mandate periodic disclosures that users are interacting with AI, restrict certain uses of personal data and likenesses, and give the Attorney General enforcement authority. The bill drew both support and criticism: supporters emphasized child safety, transparency, and consumer protection, while opponents raised concerns about privacy, broad definitions, lack of audit mechanisms, and the absence of a private right of action for adults. Senators Smith and Davis urged clearer definitions and stronger accountability, but both said the bill was a starting point. The committee reported SB 482 favorably. The meeting ended with recorded affirmative votes requested by Senators Yarbrough, Wright, and Davis on selected tabs, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's imperative that we do everything we can to make sure that these students are protected.
• Elle Grant on behalf of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services.
• team.
• Have where we protect every dollar, because I sympathize so much with you on the headlines.
• For far too long where a child lives has determined how much funding their school receives.

Keywords: 988, house, all