Transcript Highlights:

• they have to come in for progress reports, they have to have judicial oversight, they have to be checked
• Chair, I apologize there's a little bit of background to it but I'm gonna this is a question that I posed
• critical mandated workloads such as our firearm clearance section which conducts firearm eligibility background
• checks necessary for public safety and preventing prohibited persons from obtaining firearms and our
• We'll check with our colleagues back at the office, and then we'll let you know later this week.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we've put in place mechanisms to check to ensure that our policies and procedures are being complied
• And we've put in place new measures for checking conflicts and places for auditing to make sure that
• know, only lawyers can engage in the practice of law, and we provide guidance as to how people can check
• He seems to be fairly articulate, and, as Senator Grove has shared, a stellar legal background.
• On the non-confirmation side, and then also, I guess one more thing, there's, you know, I double-check

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He has a strong background in science.
• So, at that point, who's checking up on that?
• But you know, you can always check the registration status on the ON website as well All right, thank
• I mean it's just some way there's got to be some better coordination because we've marked and checked
• And if we pass with really no red check marks on the. We should be one of the good guys out there.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:25:11.840> and<00:25:12.080> all closely at a person's background and all closely
• at a person's background and all the<00:25:12.400> factors<00:25:12.720> pertaining<00
• a check, it's a paper that you don't actually have access to that money until it's deposited into your
• was received and when it was the check was received and when it was deposited.<02:09:05.199> So,<
• <02:09:09.040> before penalized for taking the check before penalized for taking the check

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2246, which would expand public financial disclosure requirements. The State Ethics Commission strongly supported the bill, saying broader disclosure could help restore public trust and potentially deter corruption, and it offered a clarifying amendment to make clear the requirement applies to board and commission members rather than all employees of listed agencies. Several organizations and individuals also testified in support. A committee member asked about the amendment, and the commission explained it was intended as a clarification rather than a substantive change. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2250, which would add homeless facilities to the locations covered by the drug-free-zone offense for promoting controlled substances. The Public Defender opposed the measure, arguing that many homeless facilities are unmarked and not easily identifiable, creating notice, fairness, and due process concerns and risking arbitrary enforcement. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office and Honolulu Police Department supported the bill, saying it targets distributors rather than users, that notice can be proven through evidence, and that the law is aimed at protecting vulnerable people in shelters and similar facilities. In questioning, senators asked how homeless facilities would be identified and whether the bill would cover all shelter models; the prosecutor said the definition is cross-referenced in statute and must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and other groups testified in opposition, while several service and advocacy groups testified in support. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2325, which would allow courts to review and potentially reduce sentences for certain juvenile offenders after 15 years if the person is not a danger to the community. Judiciary staff said the court supports the bill’s intent but noted Hawaii’s indeterminate sentencing structure leaves no alternative sentence for a court to reduce to, suggesting the measure may need structural sentencing changes or could instead be directed to the Hawaii Paroling Authority. Public defender representatives and youth-justice advocates supported the bill, emphasizing rehabilitation, adolescent brain development, trauma, and the need for a meaningful opportunity for release. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• also supposed to be, I mean, I guess he's getting appointed maybe because he has some business background
• not really sure. ...this guy who doesn't even think he needs to fill out a... >> doesn't know how to check
• doesn't<00:48:57.280> know<00:48:57.359> how<00:48:57.520> to<00:48:57.680> check
• <00:48:58.480> Thank >> doesn't know how to check the box.
• Thank >> doesn't know how to check the box. Thank you. you. you.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, you know, um, I, I need to check on that because, um, Yeah, I need to check on that because they
• So it's possible that Medicaid would follow them to this facility, but I need to check on that.
• You know, I need to check with HHSC.
• That's not covered by this bill, but I'll check with HHSC because it's a good question.
• I wanted to give you a little background.

Transcript Highlights:

• contact them, that there wouldn't necessarily be a reason that we're presently aware of to double-check
• And you check yes or no.
• And you check yes or no.
• But in terms of the positions that we had prior to the new legislation, I would have to double-check
• But in terms of the positions that we had prior to the new legislation, I would have to double-check

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met for budget day, heard agency follow-up questions, and then presented its recommended budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. Chair Lopez opened with remarks about reducing spending, emphasizing vacancy reductions and recurring savings across agencies. The recommendation eliminated 452.5 vacant positions and produced recurring savings of $57.2 million overall, while still funding selected priorities. Notable funded items included $500,000 for a new DBPR website for condominium complaints and document filing, $481.3 million for the MICEF Florida Home Program in DFS, funding for Florida PALM implementation, $330,000 for a Tampa office in the Office of Insurance Regulation, $835,000 for warehouse space for confiscated gambling machines, $821,000 for the Lottery gaming system contract, and major DMS capital and facilities funding. Lopez also criticized DMS leadership and said the secretary’s salary would be held in reserve pending answers on fleet management, remote workers, SUNCOM billing, and other issues. The committee then questioned DBPR Secretary Griffin about condominium records, structural integrity reserve studies, and milestone-inspection compliance. Members focused on how the division tracks condominiums, whether it can identify buildings with three habitable stories, and whether the current filing system can be improved to better capture building height and story count. Griffin said the division relies heavily on self-reporting and complaint-driven checks, but has updated forms to capture whether a condominium has buildings three stories or higher and has received additional submissions. Members also asked about staffing and the Miami-area office; Griffin said DBPR now has two Fort Lauderdale offices and a Doral office, with about 82% of new positions filled. Secretary Davis of the Florida Lottery also testified, defending travel to Paris and other conferences as part of industry engagement, technology research, and best-practice sharing. He said the travel was reimbursed through lottery-related organizations, described the Lottery as an enterprise fund that receives no general tax revenue, and said the agency has remained a top revenue generator nationally. Members questioned Orlando travel reimbursements and dues to the Multi-State Lottery Association, and asked for more information on how increased revenue translates into more Bright Futures scholarships. Davis said he would provide additional details. The subcommittee then unanimously passed two conforming bills. PCB SAB 25-01 removed statutory references to the legacy FLAIR accounting system in preparation for Florida PALM and was reported favorably. PCB SAB 25-02 addressed Capitol Center space after the planned House lease cancellation, declaring the governor, cabinet, and legislature permanent tenants, protecting existing space and parking allocations, giving the legislature first right of refusal on vacant space, and giving legislative leaders control over utilities in their space; it also passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned after the bills were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• saw that quite a while back and took action where we now have the pharmaceutical companies cross-checking
• So maybe some kind of cross-check that would look for the doctor shopping side of it, where you can't
• These various flags and cross-checks are talking about issues for sanctions on doctors that would engage
• You know his background, but someone missed the ball on this one.
• So I appreciate the state judge's history and background.

Bills: HB136, HB451, SB425, SB466, SB905, SB1986, SB2311, SB2450, SB2805, SB2826, SB2919, SB3001, HB136

Keywords: Medicaid, lactation, healthcare, consultation, reimbursement, maternal health, infant care, commercial sexual exploitation, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, child welfare, foster care, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, juvenile probation, risk assessment, needs assessment, trauma screening, child abuse prevention, exploitation screening

Transcript Highlights:

• I asked her to check<01:47:12.000> with<01:47:12.159> the<01:47:12.320> Department
• c><01:47:12.560> of<01:47:12.639> Education check with the Department of Education check
• I think children of whatever racial background, whatever their ancestry is, should be taught the truth
• I think children of whatever racial background, whatever their ancestry is, should be taught the truth
• And so, when people don't have that background to understand that some of our history has impacted how

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, leader, for the commentary in the background. Much appreciation.
• It also gives some power to the insurance commissioner to determine to do a check to see if the rates

Bills: HB3783, HB2955, HB3802, HB4488, HB2471, HB3781, HB3127

Keywords: captive insurance, protected cell, sponsored captive, captive insurer, insurance commissioner, premium tax, dormant captive, risk retention group, pure captive, association captive, industrial insured captive, series captive, branch captive, special purpose captive, reciprocal insurer, capital and surplus, letter of credit, change in control, merger, conversion

Transcript Highlights:

• With me today, I I know some of you all come from an education background.
• So we're double-checking to make sure that they're not turning in a request or an application to cover

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the original bill was one we put in dealing with background checks on solid waste management facility

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The Committee of Conference opened on Senate Bill 302, originally focused on background checks for solid waste management facility owners. Members discussed House-added amendments, including language from House Bill 616 on animal cruelty and additional solid waste site evaluation committee provisions from House Bill 2. The Senate chair said the Senate would not accept the HB 616 animal cruelty language in SB 302, though he indicated the issue could return next year in a standalone or amended bill. Representative Comtois explained a revised version of the animal-related language, including a provision that an owner’s name and address would not be publicized until a case is adjudicated and that donations raised using the stories or likeness of animals in protective custody would be limited to covering the animals’ care costs. Despite that explanation, the Senate maintained its opposition. House members said their side would not concur unless the language remained in the bill, and the chair responded that the Senate would let the bill go rather than accept the amendment. The hearing was then closed without agreement or final action on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:19:39.120> account will just keep it in a checking account will just keep it in a checking
• But theoretic retical backgrounds are.
• Um, just a little bit of my background.
• Um, I started out in a my background.
• Um, just a little bit of my background.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just a little background: ARM is a trade association of residential service providers.
• First, a background study must be completed for everyone who will be present in the home.
• First, a background study must be completed for everyone who will be present in the home.
• Initial and annual assessments, along with background studies for all individuals age 13 or older, is
• a team of people was it double checked a team of people was it double checked or<01:47:20.360>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This will likely strengthen background checks and investor protection.
• And checking accounts, just like other checking accounts that we have, IOTAs are checking accounts.
• You've got multiple checks writing. You've got multiple wires, incoming wires, outgoing wires.
• They took checking account liquidity. Industry. That's exactly what they did.
• They took checking account liquidity and put it in long-term 30-year mortgage loans.

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy met and considered a wide range of bills, including early learning and special needs funding (SB 1102), Israel bond investment authority (SB 1674), Parkinson’s disease research at USF (SB 1800), mental health and substance use disorder reforms (SB 1620), veterans nursing home beds (SB 788), securities regulation updates (SB 988), labor pool regulation (SB 1672), Alzheimer’s awareness (SB 398), educator preparation (SB 1590), student mental health reporting (SB 1310), specialty license plates (SB 824), financial institutions and IOTA-related issues (SB 1612), transportation facility designations (SB 1408), utility worker protections (SB 1386), DNA testing grants (SB 1072), the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (SB 364), housing support for former foster youth and homeless students (SB 584), sex offender registration changes (SB 1654), migrant vessel disposal (SB 830), commuter rail indemnification (SB 916), juvenile justice revisions (SB 1344), aggravating factors in capital cases (SB 984), and a criminal offender substance abuse pilot program (SB 1140). Most bills were explained by sponsors, often with supportive testimony from affected agencies, advocacy groups, or industry representatives, and several were amended before final action. The committee adopted amendments on many measures, including clarifications and effective-date changes for SB 1102; technical changes to SB 1620 implementing mental health commission recommendations; a delete-all amendment for SB 1620; an amendment to SB 988; a consumer-disclosure amendment on SB 1612; and multiple amendments to SB 1408, SB 364, SB 584, SB 1654, and SB 1344. SB 1672 on the Labor Pool Act drew extensive public testimony in opposition from worker advocates, who argued repeal would weaken protections for temp workers and formerly incarcerated workers, and the bill was temporarily postponed to a later meeting without a vote. Several bills received notable testimony in support, including SB 584, where former foster youth described housing instability and the importance of campus housing and federal voucher coordination; SB 1386, which was backed by utility and industry groups seeking stronger penalties for assaults on utility workers; and SB 984, which drew opposition from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops over expansion of death penalty aggravators. The committee also heard support and opposition on SB 1612 regarding IOTA interest rates and legal aid funding, with bankers and civil legal aid representatives disputing the proper rate structure and whether the bill conflicted with Florida Bar rules. At the end of the meeting, the committee reported all voted-on bills favorably, including SB 1102, SB 1674, SB 1800, SB 1620, SB 788, SB 988, SB 398, SB 1590, SB 1310, SB 824, SB 1612, SB 1408, SB 1386, SB 1072, SB 364, SB 584, SB 1654, SB 830, SB 916, SB 1344, SB 984, and SB 1140. Members also requested to be recorded on various bills, and the committee adjourned after noting one remaining meeting would be lengthy.

Transcript Highlights:

• I will need to even check in to finance myself.
• Some background. Chair calls up as a resource witness for members questions HHSC.
• Could we not check for deaths and things like that in vital statistics?
• There's Social Security Administration to check for death.
• That happens on a monthly basis, so we are currently. checking that through other data sources.

Bills: SB502, SB513, SB622, SB670, SB731, SB732, SB916, SB961, SB1122

Keywords: SB 502, Texas peace officers, Health and Human Services Commission, HHSC Office of Inspector General, OIG investigators, law enforcement classification, Schedule C, state employee benefits, injury benefits, peace officer status, commissioned officers, state auditor classification, Government Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, human services, health and human services, law enforcement compensation, public employee benefits, Texas state law enforcement, child welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• That's my business checking account. But I could just as easily set up two accounts.
• <04:49:44.160> That's<04:49:44.320> my into my checking account.
• That's my into my checking account.
• That's my business<04:49:44.798> checking<04:49:45.120> account.
• But I could business checking account.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• related to the agency's amount of information that is posted on their website and it uh um in the background
• checks for federal law enforcement agents that are transporting incarcerated individuals.
• The licensing and background check requirements for protective agents was updated in 2024, and the legislature
• The licensing and<00:33:59.360> background<00:33:59.840> check<00:34:00.159> requirements
• <00:34:00.640> for and background check requirements for and background check requirements

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• residents of those same impacted communities and speak the same languages and come from the same backgrounds
• Of those same impacted communities and speak the same languages and come from the same backgrounds.
• I was like, how many times am I going to be checked or supported?
• I want you to check on us and see what we need, but allow me to have to help us.
• I want you to check on us and see what we need, but allow me to hire as many people as possible so they

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on the Census held an early planning hearing on how Massachusetts can maximize participation in the 2030 census, with Chair Will Brownsberger and Vice Chair Rebecca Rausch emphasizing the need to start well in advance. The first panel, made up of leaders from the Massachusetts Voter Table, MassVOTE, MIRA, and MESA, stressed that grassroots community organizations are trusted messengers and should be funded early to do multilingual outreach, training, and direct assistance in hard-to-count communities. They described lessons from 2020, including the shift to internet response, reduced federal census infrastructure, the importance of coordinated statewide networks, and the need to begin messaging several years before Census Day because building trust and staffing outreach takes time. Panelists repeatedly warned that immigrant communities are facing heightened fear because of federal immigration enforcement and the possibility of a citizenship question or other federal changes, making census participation more difficult. They said 2020 funding arrived too late to fully staff and train outreach teams before the pandemic, and argued that future resources should be deployed earlier and more flexibly. In response to committee questions, they estimated Massachusetts should invest roughly $8 million to $10 million or more in state census outreach, with one proposed model of about $3 million to $5 million at the start, additional funding in the middle years, and a larger final push closer to 2030. They also suggested that funding should support communications infrastructure, translation, social media and ethnic media outreach, and possibly a permanent complete count structure or trust fund to preserve institutional knowledge. A second panel from Common Cause Massachusetts and the ACLU of Massachusetts echoed the call for stronger, earlier investment and stronger privacy protections. They urged the legislature to expand existing census line items, consider a trust fund or other dedicated funding stream, and coordinate census outreach with other state programs that already work through trusted community messengers. The ACLU testimony focused on racial inequities in census counts and warned that federal efforts to exclude non-citizens or add a citizenship question would deepen distrust and undercount immigrant communities. Committee members asked about the 2020 overcount/undercount results, funding levels, timing of grant distribution, and whether census outreach should be routed through the Secretary of the Commonwealth or other state mechanisms; no votes were taken, and the hearing moved on to a later panel on immigrant-community outreach.

Transcript Highlights:

• I come from an oil and gas background, so I've been in oil and gas for 30 years.
• I just checked online. We have the previous org charts still up.
• I'm not sure what site you're checking, but I'll get you current.
• I just checked online. We have the previous org charts still up.
• I'm not sure what site you're checking, but I'll get you current.

Summary: The committee met on May 26, 2026, and first approved the minutes from the May 22, 2025 meeting. The main topic was the Northwest Louisiana earthquake cluster, with testimony from Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy staff, LSU and Tulane geoscientists, and later LSU law professor Keith Hall. Witnesses said the cause of the swarm has not been definitively identified, but induced seismicity from wastewater injection or hydraulic fracturing remains a concern. They described 50 earthquakes reported by the USGS in Red River, Bienville, DeSoto, and Natchitoches Parishes, including a magnitude 4.9 event on March 5, 2026, and explained that Louisiana’s sparse seismic network limits detection and depth/location estimates. C&E said it inspected Class II injection wells within 12 miles of the events, found no violations, now requires more frequent injection reporting, and is working with researchers and LSU on a possible state monitoring network and future policy changes. Committee members asked about injection depths, fault locations, whether the activity could be natural, and whether Louisiana should adopt stronger monitoring or a traffic-light regulatory system like other states. The witnesses said more data is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn, but that denser monitoring can detect smaller quakes and help identify patterns. Professor Hall summarized responses in other states, including more frequent reporting, increased monitoring, injection reductions, moratoria, and traffic-light systems in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, and Illinois. Members also discussed whether operators should share more seismic and geologic data, and several said the state should avoid jumping to conclusions while still improving oversight. The committee then heard from William Berger, a Texas geoscientist, who described using AI and operator data to model wastewater injection and seismic risk, and said broader data sharing would improve forecasting and siting decisions. He and another witness emphasized that many earthquakes arise from clusters of wells rather than a single well, and that proprietary concerns limit voluntary disclosure. The committee also received a brief update from GOSEP and the Louisiana National Guard on the Barksdale Air Force Base drone incursions. GOSEP said it logged the incident in WebEOC and shared releasable information, while State Police and the FBI said they were limited in what they could disclose. Officers said a task force has been formed, some personnel have received federal drone-mitigation training, and House Bill 940 is intended to mirror the task force MOU. Finally, Major General Thomas Friloux and Brigadier General Jason Maffus updated the committee on the merger of GOSEP into the Louisiana Military Department. They said the merger has reduced GOSEP from seven divisions to three, brought back employees to in-person work, modernized the state’s common operating picture, and produced about $10.5 million in first-year cost avoidance through staffing and contract changes. They also noted the planned transfer of the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, ongoing hurricane preparedness, and continued coordination with parish emergency managers. No votes were taken on the substantive topics, and the meeting ended with the committee moving through its agenda items and receiving informational testimony.