Transcript Highlights:

• Wearing denim today is a simple but powerful act. It says we stand with individuals, survivors.
• Members, SB 1036 would provide clarity under the Mitigation Fee Act by requiring that all jurisdictions
• SB 1036 will create a uniform policy that clarifies that impact fees should only be paid on the new impact
• This will reduce costs for duplicative fees and lower overall development costs.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through privileges of the floor recognizing Fresno State Ag Leadership Development Program students and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The body also approved the Senate journals and took up several gubernatorial appointments, including confirmations to the Court Reporters Board and the California Law Revision Commission, each approved by roll call vote. The chamber then considered SCR 136 marking the 50th anniversaries of the California Coastal Act, Coastal Commission, and Coastal Conservancy. Supporters emphasized coastal access, habitat protection, public trails, and resilience, while one senator argued the commission can overrule local control and slow development. The resolution passed 27-4. The Senate also adopted SR 68 for Denim Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with broad support focused on survivor advocacy and accountability, and SCR 130 recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month, which passed unanimously. Several bills were then approved on unanimous roll call, including SB 1058 on school nutrition procurement, SB 930 on encryption for school exam proctoring, SB 917 on winery sales at farmers’ markets, SB 1002 on continuity of out-of-state telehealth care, SB 1036 on mitigation fee credits for redevelopment, SB 1285 on juvenile record dismissals, and SB 969 on remote developmental services. Later, SCR 131 called for an urgent, coordinated response to unsheltered homelessness, emphasizing interim shelter, permanent housing, and supportive services. Supporters said the state must stop normalizing encampments and better coordinate resources; one senator objected that the resolution did not sufficiently address self-sufficiency or alternatives to housing-first approaches. The resolution passed 34-0. The Senate also adopted SCR 157 honoring school bus drivers, approved the consent calendar, heard committee announcements, and adjourned in memory of Sandy Steers, a conservation advocate and longtime executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley.

Transcript Highlights:

• the quality of homes and apartments, or just being able to find somewhere to live, the answer is simple
• division that will make a real difference for all of us, like eliminating some of our agricultural fees
• university without using general fund dollars or pulling from other important needs. agricultural fees
• , investing in Vorre to agricultural fees, investing in Vorre to continue<00:37:47.920> to<00:

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the state just adjusted for known import fees or, I mean, export fees.
• Our goal is simple: collect data, conduct pump tests, and share results publicly.
• donations that were withheld from them, giving victims the right to recover triple damages, attorney fees

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's very simple. I think it's fair.
• requirements, transparency for consumers, reinsurance costs, claims costs, defense and containment costs, fees
• So when you have consumers who are wanting to transact in gold, maybe to pay fees or taxes to the state
• So when you have consumers who are wanting to transact in gold, maybe to pay fees or taxes to the state

Summary: The committee first took up SB 794, as amended by a late-filed strike-all, which would require a human being to make insurance claim denial decisions and prohibit artificial intelligence from being the sole basis for a denial. The sponsor said the bill was intended to preserve human oversight while allowing innovation in claims processing. Public testimony included support from the Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate and the Florida Medical Association, along with one speaker urging additional protections for homeowners. The committee adopted the strike-all and reported SB 794 favorably with committee substitutes. Members then heard SB 134, which removes the $500 threshold on the sales tax exemption for bullion, making sales of gold, silver, and platinum bullion fully exempt and eliminating certain dealer documentation requirements. Supporters argued the change would reduce a regressive tax and help consumers preserve savings; the sponsor estimated a revenue impact of about $300,000. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also adopted a strike-all on SB 888, which directs the Office of Insurance Regulation to create a more consumer-friendly homeowners insurance website with premium comparison information, market data, rate filing access, and educational resources. The sponsor and Leader Boyd said the goal was to improve transparency and help consumers navigate a stabilizing market. SB 888 was reported favorably with committee substitutes. The final bill heard was SB 1578, covering mammograms and supplemental breast cancer screenings. The sponsor said it would expand coverage requirements in ACA plans and private insurance policies, including annual mammograms for women ages 40 to 50 and supplemental screening coverage, while noting Medicaid already provides these services. The Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate waived in support, and the bill was reported favorably. After the bills, the committee held a lengthy panel discussion on gold and silver as legal tender and transactional money, with testimony from officials from Utah and Florida, industry representatives, and advocacy groups. Panelists discussed constitutional authority, consumer protections, depository oversight, taxation issues, and possible transactional platforms for precious metals. No further action was taken after the discussion, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• getting more and more sophisticated, with multiple layers of encryption and password protection on simple
• The sheriff's office in Pinellas County pays $600,000 a year for licensing and for maintenance fees.

Summary: The Criminal Justice Subcommittee considered four bills and reported all of them favorably. HB 373, by Rep. Duggins, tolls the statute of limitations for the offense of knowingly and willfully failing to report suspected child abuse until law enforcement or another outside agency learns of the violation. Members raised concerns about fairness if the underlying abuse is time-barred while the reporter still faces prosecution, and the sponsor said he would discuss possible changes with his state attorney, but the bill was not amended and passed 13-0. HB 359, by Rep. Anderson, extends the deadline for forensic examination of seized computers and electronic devices from 45 days to 365 days. Supporters from the Florida Prosecutors Association and state attorneys said modern devices are difficult and time-consuming to unlock and analyze, creating repeated requests to extend search deadlines and slowing investigations in cases involving child exploitation, homicide, and other crimes. The bill passed 13-0. HB 703, by Rep. Gentry, preserves a public records exemption for information generated by a state attorney’s conviction integrity unit during reinvestigation of a claim of innocence, with supporters saying disclosure could reveal sensitive information such as alternate suspects, witnesses, or evidence and compromise the review. It passed 12-0. HB 4001, by Rep. Tant, caps inmate health care compensation in Jefferson County at 110% of the Medicare reimbursement rate to encourage preexisting provider contracts and prevent overbilling; it also passed 13-0. The committee then adjourned.

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• Putting the tunnel in and in some cases it's as simple as like a culvert under a road.
• To adjust fees and categories as needed, this change will streamline the non-resident hunting license

Transcript Highlights:

• budgeted through the general fund, but in a lot of cases, it might be, for instance, a pistol permit fee
• This is a simple thing that the cities could do, and it would not necessarily be an added cost.

Bills: HB407, SB306, SB320, SB321

Keywords: local redevelopment, tax payments, transient occupancy, state revenue, authority powers, transparency, discretionary accounts, government accountability, public access, online publication, liquefied petroleum gas, safety regulations, public gathering places, cylinder storage, proximity regulations, drycleaning, environmental remediation, pollution, hazardous waste, trust fund

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• replacing the term Oriental with Eastern, striking the antique language related to the department fees
• Again, this is a simple bill looking to update the state statute to reflect current rule and practice

Summary: The Health Professions and Program Subcommittee met and reported several bills favorably. PCS for HB 647, which allows physicians to use advanced practice registered nurses under written protocol to certify deaths and file death certificates for hospice patients, passed unanimously after brief supportive testimony from hospice, AARP, and physician assistant representatives. HB 803 on acupuncture updated outdated statutory language, clarified the definition of acupuncture, listed allowable point injection therapy items while prohibiting certain drugs, and affirmed referral authority for imaging and labs; it passed 16-1 amid support from acupuncture stakeholders and opposition from several medical groups. PCS for HB 1545 would create recurring state funding for Parkinson’s disease research at the University of South Florida and a consortium of Florida universities; it drew support from USF, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Mayo Clinic, with concerns raised about limiting participation to universities, and it passed unanimously. HB 901, which clarifies procedures for parents challenging court-appointed psychologists in family law cases, passed 15-1 with support from a witness and no debate. HB 591, the children with developmental disabilities/autism bill, was presented as a broad early-diagnosis and intervention measure to help children enter treatment and mainstream life sooner; it received supportive testimony from the Florida PTA and strong floor support, and passed unanimously. Finally, PCS for HB 1299, the Department of Health agency bill, made multiple changes including preventing the mRNA vaccine from sunsetting in statute, adding vaccination-status protections in the patients’ bill of rights, updating medical marijuana center screening and reporting requirements, revising nurse active-practice requirements, making technical compact changes, and extending sovereign immunity protections to dental students doing charitable clinic work. After a brief note that optician-related provisions had been removed, the bill passed unanimously. The committee adjourned after reporting all measures favorably.

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• It was called to my attention that, as consumers, we pay a $3 fee for the disposal of tires.
• I was going to ask a very simple question.

Bills: HB145, HB311

Keywords: HB145, scrap tires, scrap tire disposal, illegal dumping, ADEM, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, environmental enforcement, Class 2 municipality, municipal court, local enforcement, delegation agreement, primacy, waste management, tire recycling, tire hauling, environmental quality act, misdemeanor penalties, Class A misdemeanor, Class B misdemeanor, Class C misdemeanor

Transcript Highlights:

• The Motor Vehicle Division makes itself available to you to complete simple transactions.
• money that can be advanced by employers for discovery costs, increasing the maximum amount of attorney fees

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• We establish fees to go into that fund.
• administrative and marketing purposes. that's when the fee is paid. that's when the fee is paid.
• to build a simple to build a simple duplex?
• they pay a 3 and 1/2 cent handling fee they pay a 3 and 1/2 cent handling fee for<03:20:35.560><
• handling fee The container handling fee has<03:21:02.920> remained<03:21:03.240> constant<

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House first suspended the rules briefly to make announcements, including welcoming former representative Doug Gage to the gallery. It then returned to House Bill 211 on data brokers and personal information, where the Appropriations Committee explained a $50,000 appropriation to the Secretary of State for a consultant-led study on an accessible deletion mechanism for consumers to delete personal data held by data brokers, with interim and final reports due in 2027 and 2028. The committee reported a 9-0-2 vote in favor, and the House agreed to the Commerce and Economic Development Committee’s amendment and ordered third reading. Floor debate on H. 211 focused heavily on the bill’s deletion and exemption framework. Supporters argued the bill is needed to give Vermonters meaningful control over their data and to prevent data brokers from commingling information for unrelated uses. Opponents warned the bill could conflict with existing federal frameworks such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and could make credit, banking, insurance, fraud prevention, and identity verification harder. In response, the sponsor said the bill uses use-case-based exemptions rather than broad entity-level exemptions, noted testimony from banks, insurers, a data broker, a former data broker employee, and the Attorney General, and said no constitutional concerns were raised. The House ultimately adopted the amendment and advanced the bill. After H. 211, the House moved to House Bill 577, establishing the Vermont Prescription Drug Discount Card Program. Committee reports from Health Care, Ways and Means, and Appropriations were read into the record, and the Colchester member described the bill as a way to lower prescription drug costs by joining the multi-state Array Rx program. The bill would let any Vermont resident obtain a free discount card for FDA-approved prescription drugs, with claimed savings up to 80% on generics and 20% on brand-name drugs. The House then proceeded to second reading on H. 577.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we'll go to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Credit.
• So we'll go to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Appreciate it. Thank you.
• Brad Miller with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
• It was for some specific fire prevention activities, and so I wouldn't think of this fee as a fee that
• But we passed some of those costs on when we instituted this fee.

Summary: The Budget Subcommittee No. 4 hearing focused on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and cap-and-trade reauthorization, with members and panelists discussing how to balance climate goals, affordability, and legislative oversight. The chair emphasized the hearing as a broad review of past GGRF spending and future options, while the LAO outlined how GGRF revenues are generated, how variable they have been, and the tradeoffs between continuous appropriations and annual budget control. Two academic panelists, Dr. Kyle Meng and Danny Cullen Ward, argued that cap-and-trade remains an effective climate policy, but stressed that future revenue will depend heavily on market design, allowance allocation, and price levels. They also raised the idea that GGRF could be used more directly for affordability, especially by lowering electricity costs, and for targeted investments in technologies that the market would not otherwise support. Committee members pressed the panelists on where revenues come from, how much has actually been spent, and whether continuous appropriations reduce oversight. CARB staff said more than $33 billion has been generated to date and a little over $11–12 billion has been spent, with the rest committed or in process, and noted that project timelines can be lengthy. Members also asked about ways to lower electricity rates, reduce wildfire-related utility liabilities, and support electrification. The panelists said transportation fuels are the largest source of GGRF revenue, that industrial emitters receive a smaller share of free allowances, and that reducing wildfire liability and investing in grid-scale batteries could help lower costs and speed decarbonization. Public commenters largely urged the Legislature to preserve or expand continuous appropriations for specific climate programs. Speakers supported funding for nature-based solutions, natural and working lands, urban greening, agricultural climate solutions, waste and composting programs, clean transportation, AB 617 community air protection, clean cars, transit, affordable housing near transit, and dairy digesters. Several groups argued these programs are cost-effective, provide public health and affordability benefits, and should receive dedicated shares of GGRF. Others urged reducing free allowances and using more GGRF revenue to directly lower energy costs for households. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but they don't have a fiscal agent fee.
• They're unable to collect a fiscal agent fee in order to hire an auditor.
• There's no fiscal agent fee allowed on severance tax.
• So I'm Assuming if we are assessed fees, Mr.
• , and we have a strict cap on how those fees are paid.

Transcript Highlights:

• the cost of higher education has been increasing and it's important to note that while tuition and fees
• So they, they retain those fees even if the student is not accepted at the university. They do.
• But for, for other students, they, they do retain that application fee. Thank you.
• The only office that we had was in student life that was paid by student fees.
• We do have, um, 90% of our students are fully funded for tuition and fees at the same time.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's very simple. It's very Boom. It's very simple.
• Um, it’s very simple.
• Um, it’s very simple.
• Um, it's it's very simple. It here." Um, it's it's very simple.
• are approved by a simple majority vote. are approved by a simple majority vote.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill addresses a simple problem.
• What began as a simple patriotic gesture grew into a cherished community event.
• legislation also waves all fees legislation also waves all fees associated<03:56:15.199> with
• In short, it's simple. It does one thing well. Let's Mr.
• It may sound simple, but the earned.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For some increases in the recognition that fees might need to go up to account for inflation.
• So it allows a municipality to increase fees and utility rates, but only by the increase in inflation
• But what they can't do is significantly increase their utility rates or fees without getting approval
• And this is a simple common sense measure to put in place some protections.
• House Bill 2946, amending Section 9-463.05, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to development fees.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And in terms of acting willfully, go back to the current fee, which is $250.
• So essentially, we are returning the fee and finance structure to its format.
• This bill cuts petition time frames and fees, friends, people with criminal charges and it is based upon
• I don't know if your bill contemplates this, but if publishers impose an additional fee on Florida's
• A significant contribution to our renewal, the new designation is much more than a simple name change

Bills: HB 9, HB 22, HB 908, HB 1392

Keywords: property tax, ad valorem tax, tangible personal property, income-producing property, business personal property, tax exemption, local government finance, appraisal district, chief appraiser, rendition statement, property tax relief, small business, commercial property, leased property, related business entity, unified business enterprise, tax situs, Texas Tax Code, local taxing unit, constitutional amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• would, that fee would be. have a license with a fee that would be self-sustaining.
• Fees from time to time really make a lot of sense.
• That trust is built on a simple promise: do no harm.
• Um, so the impact fees, I just first want to be clear that the impact fees are not the big bad city charging
• Just to give you an example of some of these fees.

Bills: HB2072, HB2251, HB2279, HB2308, HB2323, HB2342, HB2400, HB2408, HB2456, HB2660, HB2697, HB2868, HB2873, HB2877, HB2910, HB2946, HB2955, HB2991, HB4001, HB4010

Keywords: Cesar Chavez, public holiday, state law, holiday repeal, Arizona Revised Statutes, midwifery, medication administration, healthcare, patient safety, advisory committee, licensed midwives, river trips, liability, outfitter, Grand Canyon, negligence, risk management, contractual waiver, dental practice, business registration

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, the simple truth is they're already getting that benefit, and that's a separate mechanism.
• So there is... ...no longer a fee, monthly fee charged to customers in North Dakota for excess use of
• So May was the last time any North Dakota person paid extra for legal fees to MDU.
• How did we then stop collecting the fees for the legal if it's still... Sorry, Madam Chair.
• How did we then stop collecting the fees for the legal if it's still in the court system?

Summary: The committee met at the Coteau Freedom Mine in Mercer County, approved the June 2 minutes, and heard an overview of the mine from Coteau Properties president Andrew Hawbaker. He described the Freedom Mine as the largest lignite mine in the United States, supplying coal to Dakota Gasification, Antelope Valley Station, and Leland Olds Station. He emphasized the mine’s scale, safety record, reclamation work, workforce needs, community involvement, and economic impact, including payroll, taxes, royalties, scholarships, and local hiring. Members asked about how long land stays in production, how quickly it returns to agriculture after reclamation, labor shortages, and how mining affects groundwater and water wells. Hawbaker said most tracts are mined for about three to five years, reclamation is coordinated with landowners, and the company continues to struggle to find electricians, welders, mechanics, operators, and engineers. The committee then heard from Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christman on coal mining reclamation and permitting. He reviewed North Dakota’s coal mining history, the state’s reclamation laws, federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act primacy, bonding, permit renewals and revisions, prohibited mining areas, inspection and enforcement, and contemporaneous reclamation requirements. Christman stressed that North Dakota’s program is professional and thorough, with frequent inspections, financial assurance, and a 10-year revegetation monitoring period before bond release. He also discussed federal coal ownership issues that can delay mine plans, the treatment of prime farmland, and how reclamation differs for wind and pipelines. In response to questions, he said one challenge is sometimes releasing land too soon before long-term compaction issues are fully understood, and he noted that data centers do not currently have a comparable reclamation model because they typically own the land. In the afternoon, the committee received an update from Lignite Energy Council president Jonathan Fortner on the lignite industry. He said North Dakota’s lignite sector supports five commercial power plants, four mines, about 12,000 direct and indirect jobs, and more than $5.5 billion in economic activity, while helping keep the state’s electricity rates among the lowest in the nation. Fortner reviewed coal severance and conversion tax revenues, the lignite research fund, federal regulatory rollbacks, carbon capture policy, and the industry’s legal costs fighting federal rules. He also highlighted a study on large-load development, saying new data centers and critical mineral processing facilities could create major local tax revenue and help justify new baseload generation. Members asked whether new gas pipelines would crowd out coal plant development and whether the economic study included jobs and broader local impacts; Fortner said the industry sees room for both and that the study did include construction, operations, jobs, and tax effects.