Transcript Highlights:

• It overrides counties, it weakens zoning authority, and it removes critical environmental review protections

Keywords: 1182, all

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• hill, in creating Firewise communities, and cities are taking proactive steps to implement their own zone

Keywords: 987, senate, all

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• House Bill 2979 enables the Department of Transportation to establish school zones on portions of state

Bills: HB3327, HB3711, HB4104, HJR1077, HB3329, HB4322, HB4202, HB4203, HB4457, HB3983, HB3660, HB3802, HB2933, HB2955, HB2956, HB3781, HB3521, HB3794, HB3796, HB3800, HB3183, HB4316, HB4484, HB3469, HB3464, HB3173, HB3989, HB3016, HB2979, HB2988, HB2288, HB3062, HB3315, HB3372, HB3530, HB3622, HB3755, HB4266

Keywords: State Board of Education, Oklahoma education board, board appointments, school governance, education reform, governor appointments, legislative appointments, speaker of the house, president pro tempore, senate confirmation, board vacancies, removal for cause, public education, state superintendent, school board training, board member qualifications, emergency clause, Oklahoma statutes 70 O.S. 3-101, school funding, transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• continue to learn from the nonviolent actions of our predecessors who stretched beyond their comfort zones

Summary: The Senate met with a quorum present and began with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several routine announcements. Senator Weber Pierson removed SB 977 from the consent calendar. The chamber then took up a series of gubernatorial appointments, including Irena Ortega to the Public Employment Relations Board, Monica Erickson as director of the Department of Human Services, Armin Mayor as senior deputy commissioner at the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, and Uca Dunkay to the California State Lottery Commission; all were confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous roll calls after brief presentations by Senator Grove. The Senate also considered several commemorative resolutions. SCR 152, by Senator Reyes, designated April 10, 2026 as Dolores Huerta Day. Senators from both parties spoke in support, praising Huerta’s lifelong labor, civil rights, and nonviolent organizing work, and noting her role in the farmworker movement and the contributions of Filipino farmworkers. The resolution passed unanimously. SR 91, by Senator González, recognized Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week; SCR 149, by Senator Valadares, marked World Autism Awareness Day and emphasized early intervention and adult services; and SCR 150, by Senator Choi, recognized National Librarian Day and the public value of librarians. Each of these resolutions was adopted with broad support. The Senate also passed SB 1078 by Senator Laird, an urgency measure giving Santa Cruz County voters the opportunity to consider a local tax increase above the combined local tax rate cap to help fund services, including medical services; the bill passed 29-9 on both urgency and final passage. SR 98 by Senator Wiener, designating Heat Pump Week in California, also passed with strong support, highlighting energy savings, emissions reductions, and the state’s electrification goals. After lifting the call, the chamber confirmed the earlier appointments and adopted the remaining consent calendar items without objection. The session ended with committee announcements and an adjournment in memory of Deanna Mooney, a nurse and community leader, with the Senate scheduled to reconvene on April 20, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• wastewater infrastructure along State Route 260, an area that is also a federally designated opportunity zone

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee began with a series of presentations highlighting tribal communities as part of rural economic development. Representative Mae Peshlakai described Legislative District 6, emphasizing its large geographic size, the eight tribal nations within it, and the cultural and scenic importance of the Navajo Nation and other tribes. Governor Stephen Roe Lewis then presented on the Gila River Indian Community, focusing on its history, Hohokam heritage, water rights, the MAR-5 aquifer recharge project, cultural traditions, and the importance of collaboration with state lawmakers. Members praised the presentations and noted the need for greater attention to tribal issues in the legislature. The committee then took up SB 1016, with a strike-everything amendment that moved the property-owner petition requirement earlier in the process for municipal improvement districts and allowed certain notice and protest requirements to be waived. Supporters, including the mayors of Camp Verde and Clarkdale, said the change would improve transparency, reduce financial risk for small towns, and help rural communities build needed infrastructure such as wastewater systems, water lines, and housing-related improvements. The committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and passed SB 1016 on a 5-0 vote, with one member present and one absent. Next, the committee considered SB 1401, the Workforce Housing Accelerator Act, using a strike-everything amendment that would allow municipalities to create expedited plan review and permitting for qualified workforce housing projects and exempt project proceeds from the state portion of the prime contracting sales tax. Habitat for Humanity representatives said the measure would lower carrying costs and help build more affordable homes, while one member noted the tax exemption would reduce general fund revenue but supported the bill as a targeted tradeoff to address housing shortages. The committee adopted the amendment and passed SB 1401 by a 5-1 vote. The meeting concluded with Representative Myron Sosec’s presentation on barriers to economic development on the Navajo Nation and other tribal lands. He discussed lower workforce participation, higher unemployment and poverty, limited access to capital, trust-land financing barriers, dual taxation, infrastructure deficits, and delays caused by federal and tribal review processes. He also highlighted Navajo economic strategies such as loan guarantees, renewable energy development, and tourism investments, and urged state action on tax reform, matching funds, and annual tribal field hearings. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Xcel Energy on a joint master plan for their property, and undertaking a multi-year overhaul of our zoning

Keywords: 1183, house

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• ><00:15:03.880> the<00:15:04.000> industrial >> This bill is creating the industrial zone

Keywords: MS House Floor - 23 March, 2026; 4:00 PM, 925, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, confirmed a quorum, dispensed with reading of the journal, and received no reports from select committees or resolutions. Members then recognized several guests, including the JPS Tougaloo Early College High School Mock Trial Team, which was congratulated for its performance in the Magnolia Bar Association Mock Trial competition, along with Gayla Carver Sanders and Judge Crystal Wise Martin. The chamber then took up a series of local and county bills on the calendar, all of which were advanced by the usual motions and passed overwhelmingly or unanimously. House Bill 4080 authorized Jackson County to contribute $5,000 to the Junior Auxiliary program; HB 4110 created a trust fund for Oktibbeha County related to the sale of medical property; HB 4111 and HB 4135 authorized conviction assessments in Perry County and Waynesboro, respectively, for justice court building maintenance; HB 4115 extended a Hattiesburg lease to 30 years; HB 4130 created the Yazoo County Economic and Industrial Development Authority, with an amendment changing “partnership” to “alliance”; and HB 4134 created an industrial zone emergency response district for Lowndes County. Each bill passed with little or no debate, with vote totals ranging from 115 to 119 yeas and zero nays. After the bills, the Clerk reported no announcements, and members made several notices, including a Capitol Prayer Group meeting, BEAM office hours for broadband grant information, and a joint Public Utilities/Senate Energy hearing on the MSWiNS system. The House then adopted a motion to adjourn until 10:00 a.m. the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are responsible for zoning and land use decisions, but we don't have access to federal intelligence

Bills: SB1198, SB1199, SB1286, SB1683, SB1761

Keywords: Arizona beef council, beef promotion, agricultural marketing, commodity council, livestock, cattle industry, ranching, rural affairs, self-financed program, sunset extension, continuation bill, market development, beef products, Arizona agriculture, Title 41, Title 3, sunset review, marketing order, producer assessment, Salt River horse herd

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• I'd also like to ask that we start to think about how we consider inner zone transfers or transfers between

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• them that not only they, but these workers are in danger when they're speeding in the construction zones

Summary: The committee first heard from Arkansas State Police leadership about efforts to reduce vehicle pursuits and fleeing from law enforcement. Members discussed prior legislation that made fleeing a felony and enhanced penalties when suspects exit moving vehicles, and the State Police reported those changes, along with a social media/public service campaign and work with prosecutors, were associated with a 29% decline in pursuits from 2023 to 2025, or 180 fewer pursuits last year than in 2023. Members also asked about a recent mistaken PIT/TVI incident involving the wrong vehicle; the agency said the family was not injured, had requested privacy, and the trooper involved was terminated. The committee also received an overview of the Arkansas State Police Foundation, which funds scholarships, emergency assistance for troopers’ families, and facilities and training support, with no lobbying role reported. The committee then heard from the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training on officer decertification and hiring accountability. Director Chris Chapman explained that every officer separation must be reported, that files are flagged when conduct may warrant decertification even if it does not meet that threshold, and that hiring agencies must be told about prior misconduct before they can add an officer to their roster. He said the commission now receives more decertification requests than before, with requests rising from 158 in the prior three-year period to 256 in the last three years, and that 147 officers were pending hearings, down from a prior backlog that had stretched to about four and a half years. He also said the commission meets every other month for two-day hearings, and that most decertifications involve integrity or honesty issues. Members asked about open investigations, citizen complaints, appeals, and public access to decertification records. Chapman said resignations during internal affairs or criminal investigations are flagged, citizen complaints are usually handled through supervisors, chiefs, sheriffs, or prosecutors and may lead to decertification review if warranted, and decertified officers can appeal to circuit court. He added that decertification records are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and may be used in civil claims. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after discussion of a possible future committee meeting at the fish hatchery in Lonoke.

Transcript Highlights:

• that not only they... ...but these workers are in danger when they're speeding in the construction zones

Summary: The committee first heard from Arkansas State Police Director Mike Hager and other agency leaders about vehicle pursuits and tactical vehicle interventions (TVIs, formerly PIT maneuvers). Hager said Acts 734 of 2020 and 82 of 2022, which increased penalties for fleeing in a vehicle, along with a public campaign and work with prosecutors, helped reduce pursuits by 29% from 2023 to 2025, or 180 fewer pursuits last year than in 2023. He said the agency also added 120 troopers during that period and that the goal is to protect innocent civilians, officers, and suspects. Members asked about where pursuits occur most often, prosecution practices, the possibility of making fleeing charges non-pleadable like DWI, and a recent mistaken TVI incident involving the wrong vehicle; Hager said no one was injured in that incident and called it inexcusable. The committee also discussed the Arkansas State Police Foundation. Hager explained that the foundation is a private support group made up largely of businesses and citizens that raises money for trooper-family scholarships, emergency relief for troopers affected by disasters or family hospitalizations, and facilities and training support, including the driving track. He said he was not aware of any lobbying activity by the foundation and praised its staff and leadership for supporting the agency beyond what the state budget can provide. Next, Director Chris Chapman of the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training described the state’s decertification and officer accountability process. He said every separation from an agency must be reported, and if an officer leaves under circumstances that may warrant decertification, the file is flagged so any future hiring agency must be told the full history before the officer can be added to a roster. Chapman said the commission has increased decertification requests from 158 in the prior three years to 256 in the last three years, with 147 officers currently pending hearings, and that the backlog has been reduced from about four and a half years to about a year and a half. Members asked about resignations during investigations, appeal rights, citizen complaints, and FOIA access to decertification records; Chapman said those matters can trigger review, appeals go to circuit court, and the records are generally public. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after discussion of a possible future committee visit to a fish hatchery in Lonoke County.

Transcript Highlights:

• Children's Initiatives is a statewide initiative modeled after the nationally recognized Harlem Children's Zone

Bills: S0006, S0036, S0560, S0778, S0844, S0864, S1002, S1016, S1022, S1030, S1630

Keywords: child welfare, negligence, settlement, injury compensation, Department of Children and Families, nursing title, advanced practice registered nurse, advertising, professional standards, disciplinary action, psychotropic medication, community-based care, liability insurance, forensic services, defendants, mental health, judicial system, defense, legal definitions, sickle cell disease

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services heard and advanced a series of health, child welfare, aging, disability, and public records bills. CS/SB 1002, on child welfare and parental substance abuse, was described as clarifying that acute or chronic parental drug abuse can constitute harm or neglect when it creates an ongoing risk to a child; it passed after limited questions and supportive testimony from Florida Smart Justice Alliance. CS/SB 1630, a broad aging and long-term care modernization bill, would streamline eligibility screenings, allow temporary DOEA services during emergencies or lead agency failures, tighten oversight of area agencies on aging, permanently establish the Florida Alzheimer’s Care Center of Excellence, and expand guardianship training and enforcement tools; it drew support from AARP, area agencies, and the Alzheimer’s Association and was reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1022 to add Bay County and Pompano to the Florida Children’s Initiatives, and CS/SB 1030, via strike-all amendment, to streamline regulation of substance abuse and behavioral health providers and clarify background screening and privacy rules. Several bills focused on health care practice and patient access. CS/SB 36, with an amendment, allows nurses with doctoral degrees to use appropriate titles while requiring clear identification as nurses and making misuse grounds for discipline; nursing organizations supported it and it passed. CS/SB 844 requires physicians and nurses to complete a one-time, board-approved continuing education course on sickle cell disease care management, with multiple patients and advocates testifying about delayed care, bias, and the need for better provider education; the bill was reported favorably after an amendment aligning it with the House version. CS/SB 560 streamlines procedures for psychotropic medication for children in DCF custody by reducing duplicative reports, clarifying evaluator qualifications, limiting repeated background checks, and simplifying consent documentation; an amendment removed postsecondary education language, and the bill passed. The committee also approved a public records exemption bill for a uterine fibroids research database (CS/SB 864). The committee also advanced measures affecting disability services and forensic care. SB 6, a claims bill, would pay $3.8 million to a trust for a child who suffered severe abuse-related injuries after DCF involvement; it passed without opposition. SB 778 updates the definition of forensic clients so certain individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism found incompetent to proceed can be housed in the same secure forensic setting, reducing duplicative staffing and space needs; it was reported favorably. CS/SB 1016 codifies the Working People with Disabilities Program, allowing eligible developmentally disabled adults to work while retaining Medicaid waiver benefits and requiring notice to enrollees; advocates described the bill as essential to employment and independence, and it passed. Throughout the meeting, most bills received supportive public testimony, few questions, and unanimous or near-unanimous favorable votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• housing bond, implemented a successful community homebuyer assistance program, and worked to streamline zoning

Bills: HB2388, HB2804, HB2926

Keywords: HB2388, Arizona Commerce Authority, ACA, small modular reactor, SMR, nuclear energy, advanced nuclear, data center, data centers, economic development, study, appropriation, general fund, jobs, wages, tax revenue, broadband, infrastructure, secondary businesses, tertiary businesses

Transcript Highlights:

• Port port is very close, close resemblance to lead, but we need to account for so we look at land zoning

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• THIS REQUIRES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO ALLOW A DUS OR ACCESS ALERT DWELLING UNITS IN AREAS ZONED FOR SINGLE-FAMILY

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• like e-bikes or scooters, squatted trucks, you know, we continue to support the enforcement of speed zones

Summary: The committee heard presentations on domestic security and public safety priorities from Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison and Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Rebel. Sheriff Harrison outlined Florida Sheriffs Association priorities, including reclassifying xylazine as a Schedule I controlled substance with a veterinary-use exemption, expanding enforcement of pretrial release violations beyond domestic violence cases, providing tuition-waiver benefits for sheriff’s office personnel, advancing the Jason Rainer Act to increase penalties for violent offenses against law enforcement, extending sex-offender residency restrictions, improving access to mental-health-related databases, and continuing support for fusion centers and Florida model jail standards. Members asked questions about xylazine’s veterinary use, canine detection, and public records burdens on small agencies; no votes were taken on these items. Chief Rebel focused on the Florida Police Chiefs Association’s role in disaster response, officer training, and wellness. He described the association’s coordination through the state EOC and regional deployments during hurricanes, then emphasized officer suicide and the need for statewide wellness resources, peer support, and accessible behavioral health care for first responders. He also referenced prior PTSD benefits legislation and urged continued support for the PCIS program and other wellness initiatives. Committee members discussed related resources such as dispatcher support, the Restore program at UCF, hyperbaric chamber treatment for PTSD, and canine support organizations. On domestic security funding, Rebel said FPCA does not have a specific bill package but wants to preserve the Domestic Security Oversight Council and regional task forces, protect limited SHISGAP funding for new projects, and shift ongoing successful programs to state funding. He also supported fixing the long-gun carry loophole, continuing the Jason Rainer Act effort, allowing ethical law-enforcement use of AI with human review, addressing monetization of public records and body-camera footage, and maintaining the ability to investigate anonymous complaints. The committee adjourned after discussion; no formal action or votes were recorded.

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• domestic requirements and support our citizens here at home and then America's needs on the battlefield zone

Summary: The Senate Committee on Military, Veterans Affairs, and Domestic Security met for its first meeting of the 2025-26 session and heard presentations from Major General John Haas, Adjutant General of Florida, and Tim McGregor, executive director of the Florida Defense Support Commission. General Haas reviewed the Florida National Guard’s missions, statewide footprint, domestic disaster response, and federal deployments, emphasizing the Guard’s role in hurricanes, border-related support, and other state operations. He also discussed recruiting and retention, noting that recruiting remains strong but retention is challenged by the Guard’s high operational tempo, and he outlined efforts to expand force structure, improve facilities, and modernize units, including Camp Blanding upgrades, new armories, additional infantry, engineer, military police, and aviation assets, and the Air National Guard’s F-35 conversion. Members asked questions about recruiting methods, typical brigade size, and how many personnel would be needed to reduce the average duty burden back toward the statutory 39 days. Haas explained that Florida’s large population helps recruiting, especially through community and school outreach, but that the state’s frequent domestic missions make the current 12,000-member force too small for its workload. He said the Guard’s high tempo is the main reason members leave for the reserves and argued that more force structure is needed to reduce strain. Committee members also discussed prior efforts to influence National Guard stationing decisions based on population shifts and domestic mission demands. McGregor then described the Florida Defense Support Commission’s work to protect military installations, prevent encroachment, support workforce and economic development, and improve the military-friendly environment for service members and families. He highlighted the commission’s grant programs, the military benefits guide, and a spouse license reciprocity matrix, as well as site visits to installations and defense-related facilities across the state. Members asked about Lockheed Martin’s innovation and simulation work in Orlando and discussed the value of military spouse reciprocity compacts. No bills were heard, and the committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.

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• not particularly on the wrong side for the state, but it's because of our local governments and the zoning

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• models predict the future losses of natural disasters and are often used as benchmarks to establish zones

Summary: The Assembly Insurance Committee met to hear several bills related to insurance coverage, wildfire risk, workers’ compensation, and paid family leave. SB 8 by Senator Ashby would extend workers’ compensation and disability protections to Sacramento County park rangers, with testimony emphasizing that they perform law-enforcement-like duties and should receive the same protections as comparable officers. SB 429 by Senator Cortese would create a public wildfire catastrophe model and related wildfire safety program, with support from the Department of Insurance and consumer advocates who said public access to modeling data would improve transparency and help evaluate private insurance risk models. The committee also heard SB 525 by Senator Jones, which would require the FAIR Plan to offer coverage options for manufactured and mobile home owners, including replacement cost coverage. Supporters said the bill would help lower-income residents obtain meaningful insurance protection, while no opposition testified. SB 495 by Senator Allen, as amended, would require insurers to provide a larger contents-coverage advance after a total loss during a declared emergency without requiring an immediate itemized inventory, extend proof-of-loss deadlines, and require insurers to provide catastrophe modeling and reinsurance data to the Department of Insurance. Several insurers withdrew opposition after amendments, and the Department of Insurance and United Policyholders supported the measure. SB 590 by Senator Durazo would expand paid family leave to cover care for designated persons or chosen family members, with strong support from AARP, labor, civil rights, caregiving, and health organizations, and testimony from a parent describing the need to care for a non-legal family member during surgery recovery. The committee also took up consent items SB 230 and SB 854. After roll calls, SB 8, SB 429, SB 495, SB 525, and SB 590 all received do-pass votes, with SB 429 sent to the Committee on Emergency Management, SB 495 to Judiciary, and SB 525 and SB 590 to Appropriations. The consent calendar bills were also approved, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• homeowners reinforce their roofs, clear the first five feet around their homes to create a non-combustible zone

Summary: The Assembly Insurance Committee met to consider several bills focused on California’s insurance market, wildfire resilience, and consumer protections. AB 888, the California Safe Homes Act, was heard first. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Alabama Insurance Commissioner Mark Fowler testified in support, describing state grant programs that help homeowners harden roofs and create defensible space, with the goal of reducing losses and improving insurance affordability and availability. Supporters from the insurance industry, local government, and the Rebuild Paradise Foundation also backed the bill, and committee members emphasized the need for more incentives for mitigation. The bill passed the committee on a do pass motion and was sent to Appropriations. AB 290, by Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, would require the FAIR Plan to offer automatic payments and address non-renewal grace-period issues. The author described her own experience being forced onto the FAIR Plan and facing a large premium increase, while Consumer Federation of California called the bill common-sense consumer protection. The FAIR Plan opposed unless amended, saying it was already handling major wildfire claims and other operational demands and requested more time and changes to the non-renewal grace-period language. Members across the committee supported the bill as a needed modernization measure, and it passed as amended to Appropriations. AB 1339, by Assemblymember Gonzalez, would direct the Department of Insurance to study insurance availability and pricing for affordable housing providers and report policy recommendations. Supporters from affordable housing organizations said rising premiums were forcing providers to cut services, defer maintenance, and use reserves, threatening housing stability for low-income residents. The bill passed as amended to Appropriations. AB 646, by Assemblymember Wallace, also passed to Appropriations; it concerns disclosure related to motor vehicle protection products and catalytic converter theft deterrence, with support from auto dealers and industry groups. The committee also approved AB 1531 on consent. Members later added on to the record in support of the bills, and the hearing concluded without recorded opposition votes on the measures that advanced.