Transcript Highlights:

• health insurance, and retirement benefits for employees, and significant increases in the cost of building
• hold that this is the governor's plan to provide significant property tax relief for real property owners
• The governor's plan to provide significant property tax relief for real property owners in the great
• How does the proposal that's before us this morning affect homestead property owners who refinance their
• Could you say something about property owners who refinance?

Transcript Highlights:

• health insurance, and retirement benefits for employees, and significant increases in the cost of building
• hold that this is the governor's plan to provide significant property tax relief for real property owners
• The governor's plan to provide significant property tax relief for real property owners in the great
• How does the proposal that's before us this morning affect homestead property owners who refinance their
• Could you say something about property owners who refinance?

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> larger Farm might have several owners larger Farm might have several owners that<00:58:21.960><c
• It started as the tiniest building on our fairgrounds and is now the biggest building on our fairgrounds
• It started as the tiniest building on our fairgrounds and is now the biggest building on our fairgrounds
• It started as the tiniest building on our fairgrounds and is now the biggest building on our fairgrounds
• </c> rfir is one of the busiest buildings rfir is one of the busiest buildings around<01:30:21.880><c

Bills: HF711 , HF653

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• State Farm agents are small business owners who are pillars of their communities and committed to making
• Chevron is a third-generation Arizona contractor and is the owner of Chevron Construction and Chevron
• Chevron is a third-generation Arizona contractor and is the owner of Chevron Construction and Chevron
• Corporations profit from environmental decisions to pollute the air or environmental decisions to build
• HB 2324, fire, municipalities, county buildings. Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then spent much of the opening portion recognizing guests and advocacy groups, including State Farm agents, justice court judges, Donate Life participants, AARP, educators, and rural water advocates. Members also introduced a doctor of the day and several former legislators and officials. The chamber later agreed to the House’s request to adjourn after completing business on March 11 until March 16, and committee meetings and caucuses were scheduled for the recess. The Senate then took up a series of third-reading votes. Bills passed included SB 1602 on kinship foster care; SB 1621 creating an obesity treatment and prevention advisory council; SB 1672 on AHCCCS step therapy, where one senator objected to the fiscal note while another argued for broader access to treatment; SB 1677 appropriating funds for forestry and fire management, with comments about tamarisk removal and native plant restoration; SB 1811 on public schools; SB 1001 and SB 1072 appropriating funds to the Department of Economic Security; SB 1169 appropriating funds to AHCCCS administration, with support tied to medical residency opportunities; SB 1531 on special plates; and SB 1776 amending AHCCCS statutes. SCR 1020, a proposed constitutional amendment on compensation for elective state officers, also advanced after debate about recruiting a broader range of candidates and making the salary more livable. The chamber also used Committee of the Whole to amend and advance several bills. SB 1170 on drug offenses was amended to change crime qualifications and remove mandatory minimums, then recommended do pass. SB 1488 establishing a study committee on coal-impacted communities was amended to alter appointment provisions and then passed out of committee and later on third reading, with a lengthy explanation from a senator about the economic history of coal plants and tribal communities. SB 1641 on marijuana licensure was amended to remove DHS’s annual license determination role and passed with the required three-quarters vote. SB 1752 on mescaline offenses and SB 1740 on turquoise alerts also advanced. The Senate confirmed gubernatorial nominations for Alex Ridgeway as Director of Tourism, Jessica Manuel to the Game and Fish Commission, and Stephen Williams to the Livestock Loss Board. The session ended with announcements, a motion to reconsider the failed SCR 1047, a civic learning proclamation, and a series of first-reading referrals for House bills before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• When they're building a school, there's inspectors there every day.
• The building inspectors go in there after the fact.
• The building inspectors go in there after the fact.
• We're building bridges. We're building infrastructure.
• When building a new home, typically there are three pours.

Bills: S3091 , H5477

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing on two late-file matters, centered on S. 3091, a bill to create relief for homeowners affected by the crumbling concrete/pyrrhotite crisis. Senator Peter Durant presented the bill as a way to establish a crumbling concrete assistance fund, administered by CEDAC, to help replace failing foundations and reimburse homeowners who already paid out of pocket. He said the proposal follows recommendations from a state commission and would be funded by a $6 fee on homeowner/condo insurance policies and a $6-per-cubic-yard surcharge on concrete, with the goal of spreading costs broadly rather than placing them on homeowners alone. Several affected homeowners testified about severe financial and emotional harm, including expensive foundation replacements, lost equity, inability to sell or refinance, and long delays in getting help. Homeowners Karen Riani, Michelle Iglesi, Karen Bellotti, and Russell Dupierre described living with homes that became unsellable or unaffordable to repair, and urged the committee to move the bill forward. Committee members asked about inspection practices, whether pyrrhotite can be detected during home sales, whether the bill would ban pyrrhotite, and how much funding the program would need. Witnesses said the problem is broader than originally understood, affecting at least 52 municipalities, and that the only fix is full foundation replacement. They also said the bill includes training and education for inspectors, but does not ban pyrrhotite outright because the issue is now being addressed through quarry testing and material controls. Representatives of the concrete industry, including Craig Dauphinay, Karen Marshall, and Guy Glottis, said they support homeowner relief and the creation of a fund, but strongly opposed the concrete surcharge. They argued the industry has already taken significant steps, including supporting state testing and regulation of aggregate sources, and said the surcharge would unfairly assign blame, raise costs for residential, municipal, and infrastructure projects, and create cross-border competitiveness issues with neighboring states. They favored a Connecticut-style model funded primarily through insurance assessments, noting that Connecticut’s program has been successful and that Massachusetts could adopt a similar approach. No vote was taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• , especially if the new owner acquires a bunch of traffic tickets.
• , especially if the new owner acquires a bunch of traffic tickets.
• , especially if the new owner acquires a bunch of traffic tickets.
• um especially if the new as the owner um especially if the new owner<00:54:48.079><c> acquires</c><00
• </c><01:00:32.720><c> Greater</c> also kind of building Greater also kind of building Greater transparency

Bills: HF2382 , HF639 , SF1075 , HF1243 , HF1087 , SF1360 , HF739 , HF2337 , HF1220 , HF712 , HF1219

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Small businesses are the building block of our economy.
• How about this concept of we build a healthier society? We use technology.
• We're doing experiments in our office with other wearables, trying to build data.
• It's, we want more money, or we want you to build a barrier to entry to our competition.
• We will double in 10 or years to build.

Transcript Highlights:

• I remain committed to incentivizing residential high-rise building owners to install life-saving sprinklers
• We now better define a high-rise building since we had interested building owners who learned that their
• I remain committed to incentivizing residential high-rise building owners to install life-saving sprinklers
• Since we had interested building owners who learned that their building was as little as 2 feet short
• </c><00:48:23.880><c> buildings</c> not trying to mess up building buildings not trying to mess up building

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2123 builds on the proven model by creating a statewide medical debt relief program.
• AB 2123 builds on the proven model by creating a statewide medical debt relief program.
• This bill builds on what is already in place. Finally, it supports recovery.
• If the date is 2029, or three years from now, what we're trying to do is build in more relief so that
• First, it builds on SB 822, which passed into law last year and notably allows the state to hold on to

Committee: House Banking and Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> but the old buildings were still there. but the old buildings were still there. and<00:33:13.919
• I believe that's to the remaining owner.
• The building smelled stainless steel.
• They're business owners. They're landowners. They're voters.
• Um he wanted to build his in accounting.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• Like many of you, I believe that the people in our school buildings are the biggest lovers of change
• </c> that from my small business uh owners that from my small business uh owners and<01:08:51.880><c>
• Like, we hear this from small business owners, from large corporations to small ones.
• Like, we hear this from small business owners, from large corporations to small ones.
• Like, we hear this from small business owners, from large corporations to small ones.

Bills: HF3119

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• If you build the housing stock on your farm, there's all types of things saying, well, but it will be
• And Commissioner, just kind of building on that discussion.
• Through this loan program at zero percent, they can afford to clear and put up a new building.
• We can't prevent everything, but you can certainly build them to today's standards.
• If you don't hearing anything from your gun shop owners.

Summary: The committee received an overview from Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, including staffing, licensing, forestry, law enforcement, and consumer services. He emphasized agriculture as a major economic driver and a national security issue, arguing that Florida should protect farmland, aquifer recharge areas, and the wildlife corridor through the Rural and Family Lands program. He said the program is cost-effective because the state buys development rights rather than land outright, keeps land on local tax rolls, and helps preserve farmland in perpetuity. He also highlighted the Fresh From Florida marketing program, increased social media reach, and the department’s efforts to reduce vacancies and improve pay and efficiency. Members asked about nutrient management, citrus disease, housing, disaster recovery, wildfire prevention, interdiction stations, and concealed carry permitting. Simpson said SB 1000 and updated best management practice manuals, informed by University of Florida research, are helping agriculture use less water and fertilizer, and he described citrus greening as having devastated the industry while noting research, replanting programs, and CUPS as possible paths to recovery. On housing, he argued that allowing H-2A farmworker housing on farms would ease pressure on the broader housing market, and on disasters he described a zero-interest loan program for farmers affected by hurricanes and other events. He also detailed wildfire preparedness improvements, including upgraded helicopters, dozers, drones, and prescribed burns. The commissioner said ag interdiction stations are catching stolen semis, drugs, human trafficking, and other illegal activity, and that the department wants more technology, including X-ray scanning, to inspect more trucks. He also discussed concealed carry administration, saying the department cleared a large backlog and that constitutional carry reduced but did not eliminate permit demand because permits still provide reciprocity and other benefits. Members generally praised the department’s work, expressed support for rural land protection, Fresh From Florida, water-quality improvements, and foreign-interference concerns, and the meeting ended with no formal votes or other committee action beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• A number of school districts have, for example, banned rainbow flags from their buildings or rejected
• A number of school districts have, for example, banned rainbow flags from their buildings or rejected
• A number of school districts have, for example, banned rainbow flags from their buildings or rejected
• on some of members um that maybe Builds on some of the<00:49:00.319><c> testimony</c><00:49:00.960><
• We'll make sure that you have what you need. just um building on that say I'm am a a just um building

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• Does anyone know, when you talk to the store owners, what are they telling you?
• Does anyone know when you talk to the store owners? What are they telling you? You recognize.
• So the first question is: are there owners that own multiple locations in one case?”
• “Are there owners that own multiple locations in one county or in multiple counties?”
• There's this new 1,500-square-foot building. There appears to be slot machines in there.

Summary: The Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee met to hear a panel on the prosecution and enforcement of illegal gaming in Florida. The chair opened with a video showing seized machines at a Florida Gaming Control Commission warehouse and described the scale of illegal operations. Panelists included the commission’s executive director, local sheriffs and police officials, and state attorneys from several counties, who described widespread illegal slot-machine locations, often in strip malls or convenience-store-type settings, and said the machines are typically used in organized criminal activity rather than legitimate amusement gaming. Witnesses repeatedly said the current penalty structure is ineffective because possession and operation of illegal slot machines are generally second-degree misdemeanors, which they described as too minor to deter operators who can quickly reopen after paying fines or completing diversion. They said enforcement is resource-intensive, requiring undercover work, search warrants, machine seizure, storage, forensic review, and long prosecutions, often while the same operators reopen elsewhere. Several panelists cited associated crimes such as robberies, firearms offenses, prostitution, drug activity, human trafficking, and at least some homicides tied to illegal gaming locations. Members also asked about the difference between legal amusement devices and illegal slot machines, online gambling, illegal horse racing, local licensing and ordinances, and whether manufacturers or distributors could be pursued. The commission and prosecutors said legal slot machines are limited to specific regulated locations and that lawful amusement machines lack a material element of chance. They said many illegal machines are imported or reworked versions of gaming devices and that upstream accountability is difficult under current law. Panelists also discussed cooperation with licensed casinos, tribal gaming entities, and local governments, noting that some local ordinances have tried to permit or limit these businesses. The main policy takeaway from the panel was a call to increase penalties, likely to felony-level offenses, and to consider stronger forfeiture and enforcement tools. No vote or formal action was taken at the meeting, and the chair adjourned after thanking the panelists.

Transcript Highlights:

• > mobile home mobile home owner under mobile home mobile home owner under legal<00:46:36.000><c> disability
• </c> 5 million from this, and and and build 5 million from this, and and and build out<01:12:27.360><
• There's there's this is the building.
• </c> violate the 1986 Firearms Owners violate the 1986 Firearms Owners Protection<04:43:33.680><c> Act
• </c> firearm owners, or transactions. firearm owners, or transactions.

Transcript Highlights:

• File item 38, colleagues, is the confirmation of Kansasaki for reappointment to the Building Standards
• File item 38, colleagues, is the confirmation of Kansasaki for reappointment to the Building Standards
• very important, especially in California, to draw a line between trades unions, labor unions that build
• And I think Outcomes in this building. Let's talk about that too.
• He was president of the San Francisco Building Trades Council for 30 years.

Transcript Highlights:

• As we continue to build our structure and divisions, the cost will change.
• That was my... employee to $150 owner and trainer ly employee to $150 owner and trainer ly and<00:08:
• that award owners of Kentucky bred<00:19:52.880><c> horses.
• </c><00:41:51.920><c> uh</c> our amount of mayors and uh build uh our amount of mayors and uh build uh
• We're trying to build that up. tourism.

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from its August 21 meeting and then received an update from Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation leadership on implementation of Senate Bill 299 and House Bill 566. Jamie Eids and staff described the agency’s new structure after charitable gaming was brought under the corporation, including new divisions, staffing, banking, payroll, insurance, procurement, and reporting systems. They also unveiled the corporation’s new logo and tagline, and said the transition had been designed to avoid interruption for charities, licensees, and racing operations. A major focus was the fee structure required by House Bill 566. Eids outlined current licensing fees across racing, sports wagering, and charitable gaming, compared Kentucky’s fees with other states, and recommended keeping the status quo for one more year because the agency has only recently brought all three components fully in-house. Members asked about whether charitable gaming had harmed veterans’ groups or other nonprofits, whether any revenue should be transferred back to the state, and whether the charitable gaming licenses cover one-off raffles as well as standing operations. Eids said she had not heard complaints, said the licenses include all such activity with some exemptions, and agreed to look at the question of future transfers. The committee then heard from Melissa Combs Wright on pari-mutuel wagering and Hannah Sims on sports wagering. They reported continued growth in historical horse racing, more than $11 billion in total pari-mutuel wagering in fiscal year 2025, over $10.5 billion in HHR wagers, and about $161 million in pari-mutuel tax revenue, with most of that supporting the general fund and horse-breeding development funds. They also said sports wagering has generated nearly $5 billion in wagers since launch, $73 million for the public pension fund, and more than $2 million for problem gambling services, while expanding to 13 retail locations and 92 additional sports events. Members raised concerns about players being cut off after winning, the lack of local government revenue sharing from gaming facilities, and the growth of computer-assisted wagering; the witnesses said they were reviewing CAWs and that Kentucky does not license poker rooms through the corporation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Jessica Altman: Covered California has at some point covered small business owners and employees, gig
• I sat across from working families and small business owners who are doing everything right, and they
• I sat across from working families and small business owners who are doing everything right, and they
• I sat across from working families and small business owners who are doing everything right, and they
• The small grocery store owners, the employees will have coverage, but they won't.

Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Senate and Assembly Health Committees focused on the cost of federal instability for California health coverage, access, and affordability. Opening remarks from members of both houses emphasized that California’s coverage gains under the Affordable Care Act are now threatened by federal policy changes, including the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, H.R. 1, and new federal regulatory actions. Members repeatedly cited rising premiums, skipped care, medical debt, and the risk that low-income, immigrant, and working Californians could lose coverage or be pushed into less comprehensive plans. The first panel reviewed the federal landscape and state response. Don Joyce described the ACA’s coverage expansions and warned that H.R. 1, regulatory changes, and broader federal retrenchment could reduce coverage and weaken meaningful benefits. Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman said the loss of enhanced premium tax credits is driving major affordability problems, with average monthly premiums projected to rise sharply and enrollment already down, especially among middle-income consumers. HCAI’s Elizabeth Lansberg explained the Office of Health Care Affordability’s role in slowing spending growth, monitoring consolidation, and setting spending targets, including lower targets for high-cost hospitals and new primary care investment goals. Members asked about bronze plans, high-cost hospitals, administrative burdens, provider taxes, and whether federal advisory changes could affect required benefits such as immunizations. The second panel examined population impacts and cost drivers. UC Berkeley Labor Center’s Miranda Dietz said most Californians get coverage through employers, Medi-Cal, or Covered California, and that affordability problems are widespread across all groups. She projected that California could have up to 2 million more uninsured residents by 2030, largely from Medi-Cal losses, and said higher premiums reduce wages and increase medical debt. Christoph Stremakis of the California Health Care Foundation highlighted survey data showing widespread concern about medical bills, skipped care, and medical debt, and argued that a large share of spending is wasted through administrative complexity, inflated prices, and underinvestment in prevention. Committee members pressed the panel on whether California can sustain coverage without new revenue, how cost-growth targets affect workers and families, how medical debt relief programs like Los Angeles County’s could be expanded, and how OCA can address uncompensated care, consolidation, and prior authorization burdens.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 248 takes a very simple, proactive approach to reducing gun violence by ensuring that new gun owners
• SB 248 builds on that legacy, providing education, information, and tools for those bringing firearms
• Alainese, is in the building, so I'm going to hand him back the gavel.
• We drove around, and so many residents and business owners were saying, enough is enough.
• We drove around, and so many residents and business owners were saying, enough is enough.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills, with testimony split between supporters who framed the measures as targeted fixes and opponents who warned about overcriminalization and unintended consequences. SB 701, by Senator Wahab, drew support from law enforcement and local government groups, who said state law lacks a tool to address the conduct at issue; the ACLU opposed it as duplicative of existing law, while public defenders said they may withdraw opposition after amendments. Because there was no quorum at that point, the bill was held open without a vote. SB 834, by Senator DeRazzo, was presented as a technical cleanup bill to improve California’s automatic record clearance system by preventing outdated “pending” charges from blocking relief, requiring local court records to match DOJ records, and creating a way for people to obtain proof of relief. It received broad support from criminal justice reform and defense organizations, with no opposition, and the chair indicated support, but no final action was taken during the hearing. SB 248, by Senator Rubio, would require DOJ to send new gun purchasers educational materials during the waiting period about safe storage, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and related resources; supporters called it common-sense education, while one opponent argued the information is already available. The committee voted the bill out on a due-pass motion to Appropriations, but it remained on call pending one additional vote. Senator Rubio’s SB 19, the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, would create a new offense for credible threats against schools or houses of worship even when no specific individual is named. Supporters, including law enforcement and Jewish community advocates, said current law leaves a loophole and that the bill would help prevent panic and resource-draining lockdowns; opponents from civil liberties and youth justice groups argued existing law already covers threats and that the bill would worsen the school-to-prison pipeline. After a motion and second, the committee voted due pass to Appropriations, with the measure also left on call. Later, SB 759 by Senator Archuleta, prompted by the killing of Whittier Officer Keith Boyer, would require a court hearing after a third supervision violation or new offense for people on post-release community supervision; supporters said it adds accountability, while opponents said it removes probation discretion and could increase jail and court burdens. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was reported as passing. The committee also heard SB 6 by Senator Ashby, which would schedule xylazine as a controlled substance while preserving veterinary use. Supporters, including veterinarians, law enforcement, and a parent who lost a son to a drug-related death, said the drug is increasingly present in fentanyl mixtures and needs to be controlled; opponents from drug policy and civil liberties groups argued scheduling would criminalize users, hinder research, and repeat failed drug-war policies. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out due pass to Appropriations, and it passed. Finally, SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, was introduced to regulate AI-generated voice, image, and video replicas, with supporters emphasizing protection against deepfakes and nonconsensual images; the California Chamber of Commerce opposed unless amended, seeking narrower definitions and limits on consumer warnings. The hearing ended while SB 11 was still under discussion, with no final vote reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• The speaker explained that the $5 figure is person-by-person and property-owner-by-property-owner.
• It is person by person, property owner by property owner, and not relevant at all to a city or a town
• owner by property owner person property owner by property owner it<03:20:19.680><c> is</c><03:20:20.239
• </c><03:31:01.960><c> or</c> deterioration of school buildings or deterioration of school buildings or
• </c><03:46:23.239><c> so</c><03:46:23.439><c> there</c> build and continue to build so there build and

Summary: The committee opened a public hearing on HB 402, a bill dealing with whether Education Freedom Account (EFA) payments should be described in state law as not constituting taxable income. The bill sponsor argued that the current statute is misleading because New Hampshire should not imply a federal tax result, and said the bill would remove that language and could also be amended to clarify that families should consult tax advisors. He emphasized that the measure was not intended to impose a state tax on EFAs, but to avoid giving inaccurate advice about possible federal tax liability. Testimony was divided. A retired representative and a tax preparer both opposed the bill, saying EFA payments are already treated consistently with IRS rules and that the bill would create confusion, administrative burden, and possible tax consequences for low- and moderate-income families. They argued the bill is a solution in search of a problem and warned that requiring 1099s could add costs for the scholarship organization and recipients. A tax attorney supported the bill’s repeal of the state language, saying New Hampshire should not put tax advice into statute and that the current wording is inaccurate because federal law, not state law, controls taxability. He cited IRS Section 117 and Publication 970, explaining that only some scholarship-like payments are tax-free and that many EFA-eligible expenses may not qualify for federal exemption. Members asked questions about what would be misleading, whether the bill was trying to tax EFAs, and the cost of issuing 1099s. The sponsor and witnesses repeatedly said the bill was not a state tax on voucher payments, but a clarification about federal tax treatment. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion provided.