Transcript Highlights:

• I, in my former role as Assistant District Attorney for the Cape and Islands, recognized the importance
• One of these 10 hand-picked members has assisted us in navigating the nuances of the open meeting law
• ... ...possesses substantial authority, there has been a sense of a significant loss of constructive
• I'm the only mom of elementary school-age kids in the entirety of the state Senate.
• The pantry is financially sound and will cover all costs of construction, operation, and maintenance

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held its first hearing of the year and took testimony on a large slate of home rule petitions and related local bills. Early testimony focused on H. 2314 for the Dukes County Regional Lockup Fund, with supporters from Martha’s Vineyard saying the island’s lockup is essential to local policing and that the fund would be supported by town assessments rather than state money. The committee also heard support for S. 21, a Nantucket bill to amend the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission, and for several local governance measures including Akushnet’s charter change to remove a two-year waiting period for former officials taking appointed paid positions, Rochester’s governance reform bill defining the town administrator’s role, Berkeley’s proposal to convert the treasurer-collector position to an appointed office, Hanson’s permitting enforcement bill, and a Wellfleet bill authorizing a lease for the food pantry. A major portion of the hearing centered on S. 21 for Nantucket, with witnesses sharply divided. Supporters argued the commission needs broader representation, more transparency, and a structure that better reflects town meeting votes, citing repeated town meeting approvals and frustration with delays in bringing reforms forward. Opponents, including current commission members and staff, said the existing commission is already working on its own reform proposal, that the bill was advanced without sufficient collaboration, and that elected seats and term limits would narrow participation and complicate the commission’s advisory role. Committee members questioned both sides about the town meeting process, the commission’s responsibilities, and the timing of competing proposals. The committee also heard testimony in favor of a bill allowing the Cotuit Fire District to pursue source-water protection projects on private property with owner consent, citing concerns about aquifer contamination and rising treatment needs, and in support of legislation requiring AEDs, with a Norfolk County register of deeds describing the low cost and life-saving value of the devices. Another witness spoke in favor of a regional commission proposal for Middlesex County, arguing that local communities need stronger regional planning tools to address development and environmental pressures. No votes were taken on the bills during the hearing; the chair later read many additional bills into the record and then adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• construction account.
• Since you all left town, the dollars going into that common school construction account proposed to increase
• It also eliminates local effort assistance increases scheduled for 2027, denying school districts $25
• Plan platform, School Links.
• high school.

Summary: The Senate Ways and Means Committee heard an overview from OFM Director Katie Chapman See on Governor Ferguson’s 2026 supplemental budget proposal. She said the budget was built in response to higher caseloads and inflation, a roughly $390 million revenue forecast drop, new federal costs tied to H.R. 1, and a relatively small ending fund balance. The proposal would increase near general fund spending by about $1.1 billion and solve an estimated $2.3 billion two-year gap through about $800 million in reductions, revenue shifts and tax preference changes, use of other funds, and about $1 billion from the budget stabilization account. She also noted the budget is balanced over two years but not fully over four years under the state’s outlook rules. Chapman See highlighted reductions in Working Connections Child Care, including a soft cap on enrollment and holding subsidy rates at the 75th percentile, delays to long-term care and developmental disability-related changes, and across-the-board reductions to higher education and administrative spending. She also described investments in wildfire suppression and preparedness, affordability programs like utility rebates and home energy assistance, housing-related planning and permitting support, One Washington IT replacement, behavioral health workforce programs, and continued support for some K-12 initiatives such as ninth grade success and homeless student stability. In response to questions, she said some proposed cuts were based on the governor’s subjective judgment about what was critically necessary, that current child care enrollees would not be cut off immediately, and that the budget would maintain services for about 500 highest-acuity Medicaid clients who lost eligibility under federal changes. Public testimony was largely critical of the proposed cuts in K-12, early learning, and higher education. School officials, educators, nurses, and advocacy groups opposed reductions to Transition to Kindergarten, Local Effort Assistance, Running Start, MSOC, school leadership and support grants, and higher education funding, arguing the cuts would worsen existing funding gaps and harm student outcomes. Several witnesses supported restoring or maintaining funding for ninth grade success, Treehouse’s foster youth graduation program, homeless student stability, and Science on Wheels. In early learning, child care providers and advocates opposed the Working Connections cap and subsidy-rate reduction, warning it would reduce access and destabilize providers. In higher education, campus leaders and labor representatives opposed across-the-board cuts and fund shifts, while some institutions and advocates supported targeted investments such as behavioral health workforce programs and DigiPen aid restoration. In human services, Planned Parenthood advocates praised restored abortion access funding and Medicaid reimbursements. The committee took no votes or final action in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm 16 and going to high school in San Diego, with San Diego 350. Ms.
• My name is Azulbe, and I am a senior at Sweetwater High School down in San Diego.
• My name is Azulbe, and I am a senior at Sweetwater High School down in San Diego.
• I'm a junior in high school from San Diego, and I support this bill. Good morning.
• diligence and entitlements to remediation, construction, and post-construction maintenance.

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Transcript Highlights:

• Over half of your remote assistants are located overseas.
• Remote assistants are required to have a license.
• For all of our remote assistance, yes. for both.
• For all of our remote assistance, yes. Okay.
• We represent bus operators and school bus operators.

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard an informational hearing on California’s newly finalized autonomous vehicle regulations, with DMV and CHP officials describing the updated framework and committee members pressing them on safety, enforcement, and first-responder impacts. DMV said the rules, effective April 28, 2026, expand reporting, create a phased permitting system from testing to deployment, add requirements for safety cases, remote operations, and first-responder coordination, and open a path for heavy-duty AV testing and deployment while still prohibiting oversized loads and hazardous materials. CHP said it worked with DMV on enforcement tools, first-responder interaction plans, and training local agencies on the new notice of noncompliance process. Members asked about crash data, immobilizations, freeway and construction-zone safety, weigh-station enforcement, and whether foreign licenses can qualify for remote assistants or drivers; DMV and CHP said the rules are intended to keep AVs accountable and that heavy-duty AVs will be held to the same roadway standards as human-driven commercial vehicles. A second panel focused on data collection and enforcement. Consumer attorneys argued the prior rules were too limited because DMV stopped collecting meaningful data once AVs moved from testing to deployment, making it difficult for the public and litigants to understand incidents; they supported the new regulations but urged that the collected information be made public. The industry association said California now has the nation’s most robust AV oversight, with monthly or quarterly reporting of collisions, system failures, immobilizations, harsh braking, vehicle miles traveled, and notices of noncompliance, plus broad DMV authority to restrict or suspend operations. In response to questions, the industry said it generally supports the new framework, believes the regulations are clear, and does not favor full federal preemption of state AV rules, though it wants federal standards for design, construction, and performance. A third panel addressed first-responder interaction and remote operations. The San Francisco Fire Department described repeated AV interference with emergency scenes and said AVs have generated hundreds of “sleeper calls,” where passengers fall asleep and trigger 911 responses; the department said these incidents consume significant staff time and it wants better protocols to reduce unnecessary dispatches. Waymo said it has trained thousands of public-safety personnel, maintains a 24/7 emergency line, uses geofencing/avoid-the-area messages, and can allow first responders to manually override or move vehicles when needed. Committee members asked about sleeper-call prevention, remote assistant licensing and drug testing, communication redundancies during outages, and how manual overrides work for vehicles without traditional controls; Waymo said it is collaborating with responders and that its vehicles are designed to reach a safe stop if connectivity is lost. The final panel began with testimony on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. A transportation researcher said freight is essential to California’s economy and that heavy-duty AVs pose distinct safety risks because of their weight, stopping distance, and the potentially severe consequences of crashes or immobilizations on highways. He said the new regulations are important because they create a regulated pathway for heavy-duty AV deployment, require a safety case, set mileage thresholds, and add reporting categories that can serve as leading safety indicators. The hearing was still in progress when the transcript ended, with additional testimony expected from labor and industry witnesses on heavy-duty AV deployment.

Transcript Highlights:

• On my way here with my fellow colleagues, we were driving through the construction that's taken place
• I'm the assistant manager in the engineering program. Thank you.
• And the other focus on kids was with the Puyallup Tribe to enhance their school zone.
• We're assisting indigent funds. interlocked device.
• We're not going to penalize them if at every avenue possible to assist these folks.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met in Yakima to focus on tribal traffic safety, with members and Yakima Nation leaders emphasizing the importance of safety, the right to travel, and continued partnership on U.S. 97 corridor improvements. Yakima Nation Vice Chair Christopher Wallachie and engineering staff described the Tribal Traffic Safety Committee, the U.S. 97 safety project, heritage connectivity trails, roundabout construction, and the use of federal grants and advanced sensing technology to identify hazards before crashes occur. They highlighted collaboration with WSDOT, the Traffic Safety Commission, the University of Washington, and other regional partners, and explained that the goal is to move from reactive crash response to proactive risk reduction. The Yakima Nation engineering team and AI Vision presented the MUST sensor project, which uses compact AI-enabled devices to collect traffic counts, speeds, near-miss events, roadway conditions, and pedestrian activity, with data transmitted to a dashboard and used for real-time warnings and longer-term planning. Committee members asked about speed tracking, driver behavior, enforcement, and partnerships with WSDOT and counties. Yakima Nation staff said the relationship with WSDOT has improved over time, especially after community outreach on proposed roundabouts, and that the tribe now supports several roundabout projects and broader safety coordination. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission then presented statewide fatality trends and tribal traffic safety data. Mark McKekney said 2024 showed a roughly 10% decrease in fatalities statewide, though recent years remain among the highest in decades. He noted that race and ethnicity data are only available for people who die in crashes, and that many American Indian and Alaska Native fatalities involve passengers, pedestrians, or bicyclists rather than drivers. Penny Rerick outlined tribal traffic safety coordinator grants and other state-funded tribal projects, including work with Yakama Nation, Colville, Kalispel, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Lower Elwha, and Puyallup, stressing that flexible state funding helps fill gaps left by federal programs and supports community-led solutions. The final presentation covered impaired driving enforcement and ignition interlock compliance in Yakima County. Yakima Police Chief Sean Boyle said the city created a DUI enforcement and education officer program that helped reduce serious injury and fatal impaired-driving crashes, supported by state funding and social media outreach. Yakima County District Court’s Nick Bazan described a supervision program for DUI offenders and interlock compliance, reporting more than 1,000 DUI convictions in 2024-25 and about 3,800 noncompliant interlock users countywide. He said the court is using a two-pronged approach—pretrial assistance for indigent clients and post-conviction accountability and case planning—to improve compliance and reduce impaired driving. The committee expressed support for the work, noted the progress made, and adjourned the work session after thanking presenters for their updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Serrano, you mentioned our school districts.
• >> SENATOR SERRANO, YOU MENTIONED OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
• And today I'm proud to welcome the Tappan Zee High School girls basketball team.
• A, THE TAPPAN ZEE SCHOOL, INDEED YOU HAVE CROSSED THE BRIDGE TO YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN.
• She became a resident assistant while successfully, Mr.

Summary: The Senate met on May 6, 2026, approved the prior journal, and accepted a Rules Committee report advancing the government appropriations bill to third reading. The chamber then took up the tenth budget extender, which sponsor Senator Serrano said would keep state government operating through Monday, May 11 and contained $482 million in new spending, bringing the total across extenders to $20.3 billion. In questioning, Senator O’Mara and Senator Helming pressed Serrano for details on the reported $268 billion budget deal, policy outcomes, revenue raisers, and whether local governments, schools, and rural health programs would receive certainty; Serrano said final budget bills were not yet in print and declined to speculate on unresolved issues. The extender passed 60-1, with Senator Weik voting no. The Senate also adopted several previously adopted resolutions honoring the North Tonawanda High School girls varsity basketball team, the Tappan Zee High School girls basketball team, and SUNY student Chriss-Ann Pryce. Members praised the teams’ state championships and Pryce’s academic and leadership achievements through the Educational Opportunity Program. The chamber then returned to legislation and passed a bill designating May 9 as Overdose Awareness Day in New York; Senator Fernandez said it recognized the harm of overdose and the need to continue funding harm reduction and recovery services. Additional bills passed included a statewide domestic violence lethality assessment measure, with Senators Murray, Rolison, Webb, and Ramos describing it as a tool to identify dangerous situations and prevent fatalities; a mental health insurance bill limiting step therapy/prior authorization for serious mental health medications, supported by Senator Fahy; and measures on education, real property tax, election law, general business law, kitchen incubator economic impacts, public buildings, state finance, and mental hygiene. Several bills drew recorded opposition, including the real property tax bill and the election law and general business law measures. The Senate concluded by adjourning until Monday, May 11 at 3:00 p.m., with intervening days designated legislative.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we added a physician's assistant to this.
• Department of Education that recognizes LSU Medical School is the same U.S.
• So there are traditional naturopathic schools, herbal schools, you know, around the same philosophy,
• medical school.
• Or maybe there's federal assistance on it.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Summary: The committee first heard and favorably reported SB 255, which expands eligibility for psychosocial rehabilitation services by adding health sciences and therapeutic recreation degrees to the list of acceptable educational backgrounds. Supporters said the change would help address workforce shortages and improve access in rural areas. SB 314 was then reported favorably; it cleans up prior law so a limited scope certified social worker license can still be used for community psychiatric support and treatment services even if the application is filed after the CSW license has expired, rather than being barred by a timing restriction. The committee next took up several bills by Chairman McMath. SB 26, which repeals facility need review requirements for opioid treatment programs, was reported favorably after members and witnesses said Louisiana has too few OTPs and that removing the review would improve access, especially in rural areas. SB 29, requiring review and reporting of a child’s immunization records in certain unexpected death autopsies, was reported favorably despite questions about whether the bill should refer more broadly to medical records; supporters said the data could help evaluate vaccine-related concerns, while opponents raised concerns about singling out immunizations. SB 30, dealing with telehealth for obesity/weight management, was amended and reported favorably; the committee adopted technical amendments and a conceptual amendment replacing “metabolic condition” with “weight management services,” while witnesses debated patient safety, board authority, and whether the bill should limit agencies’ ability to restrict telehealth in the future. The committee also reported favorably SB 219, which creates an Office of Health and Nutrition within LDH. Supporters from the department, the Alzheimer’s Association, and Pennington Biomedical said the office would strengthen coordination on nutrition, physical activity, and brain health, and cited high Alzheimer’s costs and prevalence in Louisiana. SB 222, which streamlines Medicaid behavioral health administrative requirements and expands telehealth for psychosocial rehabilitation, was reported favorably with amendments after supporters described workforce and rural access barriers. SB 195, the “Danny’s Dose EMS Treatment Act,” was reported favorably; it would allow EMS personnel to administer a patient’s own prescribed time-critical medication in emergencies, and testimony from a parent and physician described life-threatening delays under current practice. The committee also adopted SCR 2, updating hospital architectural standards to the most recent Facility Guidelines Institute edition, and SCR 22, requesting a more detailed legislative auditor report on opioid settlement expenditures; members said they wanted clearer outcome data and planned to refine the language before floor debate. Finally, HB 1093 on naturopathic medicine was introduced and heavily amended, with the bill shifted under LSBME oversight and a large set of changes discussed, but no final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• schools at least one time just during high school.
• It does say charter schools, so are we segregating charter schools from publicly chartered charter schools
• Page seven in the bill, line seven: school district includes charter schools.
• Yes, Madam Chair, all of our charter schools are public schools.
• The definition of a student assistant team means a school-based group whose purpose is to provide additional

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes significant investments in our colleges, universities, and public school construction projects
• of connecting multiple first responder agencies. $3.3 million to provide assistance to schools to participate
• in the Florida Safe Schools K-9 Program. $20 million for public school hardening, $20 million for security
• school system.
• It's a small school.

Summary: The Senate took up the 2026-2027 budget package, beginning with an overview of the $115 billion General Appropriations Bill (SB 2500). Appropriations Chair Hooper said the budget reduces overall spending from the prior year, preserves reserves, and includes a 3% pay raise for state employees and 5% raises for law enforcement, firefighters, correctional officers, and park rangers. Committee chairs then highlighted major spending in their areas, including K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/economic development, and environmental/agricultural programs. Major items discussed included school funding increases, workforce and university investments, Medicaid and child welfare funding, corrections operating deficits, housing and hurricane recovery, Everglades and water quality projects, and state employee compensation. Members asked detailed questions about several budget items. In education, senators discussed teacher salaries, declining enrollment supplements, scholarship funding growth, and charter school capital outlay. In higher education, they asked about Bright Futures, New College funding, and the EASE grant program. In health and human services, senators focused on the iBudget waiver, Medicaid hospital rate reductions, the ADAP HIV drug program, and the use of opioid settlement funds. In criminal justice, questions centered on DOC deficits, inmate health care and food service costs, public defender and state attorney funding, and whether the budget would prevent the need for National Guard support. In environmental and state agency budgets, senators discussed Florida Forever land acquisition, conservation easements, cultural grants, the Emergency Management Trust Fund, and election security funding. After the budget presentations and questions, the Senate substituted House bills for the Senate budget bills and adopted amendments to place Senate language onto the House vehicles for conference. The chamber passed HB 5001, the appropriations bill, by a 36-0 vote and agreed to conference. It also passed the implementing bill, collective bargaining and state employee bills, retirement legislation, fuel tax and SLERS bills, the court trust fund bill, judicial certification bill, K-12 and higher education conforming bills, and other related measures, generally by unanimous votes. Several motions were adopted to request the House to pass the Senate versions or include them in budget conference.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also actively support local schools, ...million in annual payroll.
• They travel long distances for groceries, medical care, school, and work.
• I currently serve as the interim superintendent for the Mora Independent School District.
• I am the president of the Rural Communities Assistance Partnership.
• Okay, so for construction, what was the amount? And I'm sorry?

Bills: SB22 , SB310

Committee: Senate Senate Conservation

Keywords: motor vehicle manufacturers, licensing, dealers, franchise agreements, consumer protection, water supply, sewage improvements, environment, funding, Mora County

Transcript Highlights:

• We need the new school. We need whatever.
• So the school districts pay dues to TASA, the school districts pay dues to TASB.
• So your website says, endorsed by Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of School
• Yeah, there are school districts that... buy a fleet of school buses, and it's just one fee per purchase
• We represent more than 10,000 members across the state. construction the residential construction economic

Bills: HB10 , HB 12 , HB675 , HB10 , HB12

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Keywords: regulatory reform, government efficiency, administrative law, rulemaking, agency deference, judicial review, de novo review, Texas Government Code, Administrative Procedure Act, state agencies, plain language, regulatory burden, regulatory reduction, cost-benefit analysis, fiscal note, public benefits and costs, contested case, rule challenge, Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, advisory panel

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, HB 2239 establishes the child care grant program to assist families in the state
• or a As a definition of resident to include a person who resides in a nursing care institution or assisted
• It also establishes a procedure for a non-compliant school district to increase its direct instructional
• And maybe if you have one note, just refresh because your assistant may have refreshed you, because we
• love our assistants and they make our days so much better, and we could not do this job without them

Summary: The meeting was a caucus review of a large slate of House and Senate bills, with staff giving short descriptions and members flagging a few concerns. Topics included veterans’ services and courts, child care grants, midwife medication authority, home- and community-based services funding, EMS reciprocity, prescription monitoring, electronic monitoring in care facilities, pregnancy resource center funding, mental health transportation, Access coverage for mild obstructive sleep apnea, school spending requirements, mobile home park training, local government investment pools, task order contract posting, tourism improvement areas, child welfare and kinship placement, neglect standards, family court evidence, prostate cancer cost sharing, assisted living hearings, manufactured home installer licensing, supervised parenting time, vulnerable adult trespass penalties, uranium contamination monitoring, a gas and petroleum refinery study committee, and state park fee exemptions for veterans. Several bills were described as unanimous or on consent, while others drew objections or were noted as controversial. Members raised privacy concerns about electronic monitoring in nursing homes, due process and rural capacity concerns about restricting police transport for mental health patients, opposition to pregnancy resource center appropriations, concerns about environmental review for power plant replacement, and questions about the Access sleep apnea mandate as potentially favoring vendors. Some bills were noted as having committee amendments, including changes to appropriations, eligibility criteria, reporting requirements, and definitions. No floor votes were taken in the transcript itself; instead, the chair repeatedly noted whether bills were unanimous, on consent, or had split votes in committee. The caucus also heard brief announcements about an upcoming breakfast with the CAP director, a Latino Caucus meeting, and an Affordability Award presented to Representative Volk, after which the caucus adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> proficiencies, how are our schools proficiencies, how are our schools doing,<00:29:03.279><c> doing
• </c> great help from our committee assistant great help from our committee assistant Megan.<00:44:47.680
• </c><01:36:32.560><c> programs</c><01:36:33.360><c> in</c> speed assistant programs in speed assistant
• </c> what the national highway construction what the national highway construction cost<01:40:51.199>
• </c> with paving companies and construction with paving companies and construction companies.<01:41:37.280

Transcript Highlights:

• In short, H. 372 is about keeping students safe, getting them to school efficiently, and helping school
• the superintendent or school officials to be flown over a school building.
• Framingham School District.
• At the end of the school year in June, school bus drivers file for unemployment, but no, they are headed
• back to work for the school district when school picks up again in August.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Transportation

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held a hybrid hearing on 36 bills covering aviation, commercial vehicles, school buses, veterans license plates, and related transportation issues. Chair Jim Arciero and Senate Chair Brendan Crighton outlined the hearing procedures, then the committee heard testimony on a range of measures, including a bill to modernize alternative student transportation for vulnerable students such as those covered by McKinney-Vento, foster children, and students with disabilities; a bill on unmanned aerial systems that would define drones and restrict weaponization, interference with aircraft, and certain surveillance; and a bill addressing airplane noise and reporting at Beverly Regional Airport. Supporters of the student transportation bill argued it would update outdated school bus requirements while preserving safety standards, while drone-related testimony was split between sponsors and public safety advocates who supported stronger restrictions and industry representatives who warned the bills could conflict with federal law and harm legitimate commercial uses. The committee also heard testimony on workforce and school transportation bills. Representatives and industry witnesses supported a proposal to create a grant program and career outreach for the trucking industry, citing a persistent driver shortage and the importance of trucking to the state’s economy. Teamsters Local 170 supported a bill to ease unemployment job-search requirements for school bus drivers and monitors who are expected to return to work within a short period, saying the current rules create unnecessary burdens during summer layoffs. Another school transportation bill would create an under-the-hood exception for CDL licensing of school bus drivers; several chiropractors testified in support, saying they already perform DOT-style exams and should be explicitly authorized to do school bus driver medical certifications. Veterans-related testimony focused on license plate and disability-definition bills. Advocates supported a Medal of Fidelity license plate for Gold Star families and a separate bill to create an air medal plate. The Office of the Veteran Advocate testified in favor of revising the state’s definition of disabled veteran for RMV purposes, arguing the current language is tied to special monthly compensation categories and does not adequately reflect modern service-connected disabilities, including invisible wounds. The American Legion also urged clarification of the definition, while opposing a separate women veterans plate on the grounds that it could divide veterans unnecessarily. The committee took no votes during the hearing and ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• My children's school also burned down. My children's school also burned down. Excuse me.
• And by the time we moved back, she'll be in elementary school.
• are in need of rebuilding assistance.
• I have a child in med school that I'm supporting. I don't have a job. My ALE is running out.
• On my way to take my kids to school, I have two drop-offs in the morning.

Summary: The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee held an outcomes review of AB 238, the wildfire mortgage forbearance law, focused on how the law has worked for survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Chair Valencia and Assemblymember Harabedian said the hearing was intended to hear directly from survivors, assess whether the law is being implemented as intended, and identify fixes. Several survivors described losing homes, facing long rebuild timelines, and struggling with insurers, housing costs, and mortgage servicers. Many said they encountered confusion, inconsistent information, requests for financial documentation, lump-sum repayment demands, credit reporting problems, or loan modifications that they viewed as undermining the law’s purpose. Some urged clearer consumer education, a consumer bill of rights, and an extension of forbearance relief; one witness specifically advocated for AB 1847 to extend forbearance to 36 months. DFPI Chief Deputy Commissioner Suzanne Martindale said the department had received about 300 wildfire-related consumer complaints, mostly about mortgage forbearance, and that more than 91% had been resolved in the consumer’s favor. She said the department works with both state-licensed and federally regulated institutions, but its authority is limited when national banks are involved, so it often uses outreach and direct contact with lenders and federal partners to resolve complaints. She also described recurring complaint themes such as difficulty obtaining forbearance, customer-service breakdowns, withholding of insurance funds, and non-interest-bearing impound accounts. Committee members pressed DFPI on which institutions were noncompliant, what enforcement tools were available, and how much data the state could collect and make public. Representatives of the California Bankers Association and California Mortgage Bankers Association said lenders had provided early disaster relief and were working to comply with AB 238, but emphasized that mortgage servicing is constrained by federal law, investor requirements, and secondary-market guidelines. They argued that forbearance is temporary relief, not forgiveness, and warned that extending it without a clear repayment path can create future payment shock or larger debt burdens. They also said many servicers use disaster protocols tied to federal declarations and that clearer communication is needed. In response to committee concerns, the mortgage bankers said they would continue working with the Legislature and federal agencies, but could not promise changes beyond investor and agency rules. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since inception of the program in 2015, FDOT has completed 42 construction projects, couples.
• The Small County Road Assistance Program, or SCRAP, assists small county governments with resurfacing
• So I'm Kim Holland, and I serve as the Assistant Secretary at FDOT, and I'm really excited to be here
• I think Assistant Secretary Holland undersold how much Florida is doing.
• I think Assistant Secretary Holland undersold how much Florida is doing.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met and first received an update from FDOT on the Sun Trail shared-use nonmotorized trail program. FDOT said the program, created in 2015 and expanded by 2023 legislation, now includes connections to the Florida Wildlife Corridor and received a one-time $200 million appropriation plus increased annual funding. The department reported programming about $180 million of that funding, completing 42 construction projects totaling nearly 95 miles in 21 counties, and installing trail counters and QR-code surveys to measure usage and economic impact. Members expressed support for the program and asked no substantive questions. The committee then heard a presentation on FDOT’s locally administered state transportation funding programs, including SCOP, SCOPM, SCRAP, SIGP, and TRIP. FDOT explained these programs support local roadway resurfacing, bridge repair, drainage, paving unpaved roads, and safety or capacity improvements, with varying state match levels depending on the program and eligibility. FDOT said its adopted five-year work program includes more than $1.4 billion for local transportation improvement projects. A member asked whether toll revenues from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties fund these programs; FDOT said it would research the funding source and follow up. The committee’s main discussion was a panel on advanced air mobility (AAM), including FDOT and industry representatives from Supernal, Joby, Atlantic Aviation, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, and Eve Air Mobility. FDOT described its AAM planning work, advisory committee, local government guidebook, and upcoming training, while panelists emphasized Florida’s leadership, the likely use of existing airport and heliport infrastructure first, and the expectation that private investment will fund much of the early vertiport buildout. Members raised concerns about community acceptance, privacy, zoning, airspace congestion, security, and lessons from scooters and drones. Panelists repeatedly stressed a “crawl, walk, run” rollout, local government coordination, multimodal connectivity, and public outreach. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after the panel.

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistant, please call the absent members. Assistant, please call the absent members.
• Assistant, please call the absent members. Senators Grove, Padilla, Rubio.
• Assistant, please call the absent members. Senators Grove, Rubio.
• Assistant, please call the roll. Senators Grove, aye. Padilla, Rubio, aye.
• Assistant, please call the absent members. 10-0. Assistant, please call the absent members.

Committee: Senate Health

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we also looked at known construction workforces for CCGTs.
• He was a high school senior.
• At the time of construction, the AP 1000 design was not complete.
• EDF is well equipped to finance the construction of reactors with complete and constructed designs because
• And then we provide technical assistance to communities as well.

Committee: Joint Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Summary: The committee met to hear a series of presentations on advanced nuclear economics, workforce, community impacts, and financing. Nucleon Energy’s William Bridge presented a report estimating the economic impacts of hypothetical 200-megawatt and 600-megawatt SMRs, including construction and operating jobs, local spending, tax revenue, and the private-sector conditions needed to attract investment. He said the report used nth-of-a-kind cost assumptions, discussed security and water siting considerations, and argued that early community engagement and permitting work should be timed to when projects are closer to being economic. Committee members questioned cost assumptions, security staffing, transmission and water siting, and whether large reactors or SMRs are more likely to be financed in the near term. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning. She described declining labor-force demographics, the need for hundreds of thousands of new energy workers by 2050, and six workforce priorities: career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and non-traditional pipelines. She highlighted the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, robotics, and when training should begin relative to future plant construction; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers broadly and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. Red Wing, Minnesota Mayor Gary Yako described hosting the Prairie Island nuclear generating facility. He said the plant provides a large share of the city’s property tax base, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to local emergency preparedness, and is a strong community partner through donations and employee involvement. He said the city supports relicensing, has regular emergency drills, and has had no issues with dry cask storage. The committee also heard from NEI’s Benton Arnett, who reviewed the current financing landscape, including federal tax credits, DOE loan authority, offtake agreements, and the shift toward project developers and special-purpose vehicles. He said early projects face high first-of-a-kind costs, but federal support and long-term power purchase agreements are helping make projects financeable. Finally, DOE’s Julie Kazeraki described the Office of Energy Dominance Financing and its role in supporting new nuclear, restarts, uprates, and supply chain investments, emphasizing that federal loan and tax-credit tools are intended to reduce upfront risk and improve project affordability.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator, to construct it. Okay, that's fine.
• So if this project had been constructed without the RETA arrangement in place, that 1 billion of construction
• President, Senator, yes, but the project might not have been constructed or would not have been constructed
• expelled or suspended from school. Senator López, Mr.
• Just got to show up at school and you get fed.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have at the table first assistant secretary of state, Catherine Newsom.
• First Assistant Newsom. Good morning, my name is Catherine Newsom.
• I'm the first assistant secretary of state. Secretary Landry, thank you for recognizing me.
• So some of this has to do with assistance.
• Item 21, this streamlines the technical check-in process for voters needing assistance.

Summary: The State Board of Election Supervisors met on February 5, 2026, with a quorum present and approved the minutes from the March 11, 2025 meeting. Chair Nancy Landry explained that the board was reviewing proposed technical and administrative changes for the Department of State’s 2026 elections omnibus bill, which would later go to the House and Senate Governmental Affairs Committees for public hearing. No public comment cards were submitted, and the board reiterated that comments could also be emailed to the acting secretary. First Assistant Secretary of State Catherine Newsom and Deputy Commissioner Lainey Boyd presented items 1 through 39, with item 7 removed before consideration and item 37 later removed after board discussion. The proposals covered a wide range of election-administration topics, including registrar salary payment timing, restrictions on ROV employees running for office, clarifying party affiliation for voters who select “unaffiliated,” technical updates for voter registration transfers and precinct changes, protections for pre-registrants’ personal information, removal from protected voter lists, absentee ballot procedures, nomination petition certification, notice requirements when a candidate dies, watcher deadlines, over-voting, ballot curing, nursing home voting timing, procurement authority for voting equipment, and deadlines for contesting constitutional amendments and election irregularities. Several items were explained as cleanup or consistency changes to align the election code with current practice and prior omnibus revisions. Board members asked multiple clarifying questions, especially about the meaning of “unaffiliated,” the timing language for pre-registrants, what counts as actual notice of a candidate’s death, and whether proposed rules would follow the APA. The most substantive disagreement involved item 37, which would have allowed the Secretary of State to bring an election contest based on irregularities reported by an election official; after discussion, the board agreed to remove that item from the omnibus recommendations. Members also discussed item 38, which would create a cause of action and deadline for contesting the calling of a constitutional amendment, and item 39, which clarifies that election contests cannot be filed before election day. The board then approved the remaining provisions—items 1 through 6, 8 through 36, and 38 and 39—and adjourned.