Transcript Highlights:

• ISS and Glass-Lewis, as background, express a preference for companies that have a certain number of
• Another study by the American Council for Capital Formation found that 175 asset managers controlling
• However, the study used the wrong data for its analysis, and using the incorrect data Using the correct
• The Chambers of Commerce Foundation study never corrected its analysis and still continues to use that
• The correction in the study claims that nearly $700 million in economic losses were entirely moot.

Bills: SB312, SB945, SB946, SB1367, SB1861, SB2044, SB2337, SB2403, SB2819, SJR54

Keywords: public school funding, education, budget allocation, financial transparency, state law, local control, fiduciary responsibility, public retirement systems, investment management, proxy voting, financial factors, insurance, political shareholder proposals, fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental regulation, discrimination, credit extension, social credit, value-based standards

Transcript Highlights:

• And it says, Recent studies have upended the hypothesis that avoiding all opioid drug inoperatively by
• It's a JAMA review, and this was a study from 2022.
• So it's a very new study, and I'd be happy to email a copy to your office. Thank you, ma'am.
• She has a career too, and we also have a teenage son who's still studying.
• She has a career too, and we also have a teenage son who's still studying.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and considered several health-related bills. SB 398, by Senator Burgess, would create a statewide Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness campaign through the Department of Elder Affairs, focused on early detection, brain health, risk reduction, clinical trial access, and community resources. Supporters said Florida has a large and growing Alzheimer’s population and that the campaign would help families and vulnerable communities; the bill was reported favorably after a roll call vote. The committee also adopted an amendment to SB 714, by Senator Burton, which would create non-opioid advanced directives and add liability protections for providers in medical emergencies involving opioids. Supporters framed it as a patient-choice measure, while opponents argued it was vague and could interfere with appropriate pain treatment; the amended bill was then reported favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 756, which removes the current age-eight diagnosis requirement for autism-related insurance coverage and extends coverage beyond age 18 for those diagnosed with autism. Senator Burton said the bill would help families whose children are diagnosed later or whose needs continue into adulthood. There was brief discussion about existing lifetime benefit caps, but the sponsor said the bill did not change those limits. The committee then took up SB 734, a proposal by Senator Yarbrough to repeal Florida’s wrongful death exception that bars certain parents and adult children from recovering non-economic damages in medical negligence cases. The sponsor and supporters described the current law as discriminatory and unjust, especially for families of older adults and disabled individuals, while opponents warned it would raise malpractice costs, increase premiums, and worsen provider shortages. The bill drew extensive public testimony from both grieving family members and health care/insurance representatives, and members debated whether caps or other safeguards should be added. No final action on SB 734 is reflected in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• From decades of study, writing, and business operation, I've reached the conclusion that everything that
• Often the new employee owners come from more working-class backgrounds than a small business founder,
• As a political scientist, one of the things that I study are collective organizations like cooperatives
• One of the things that I study are collective organizations like cooperatives and the social effects
• For example, one of the cooperatives that I studied, dealing with the increasing costs of housing by

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies held its first public hearing of the session, chaired by Rep. Carole Fiola with Sen. Barry Finegold. After housekeeping on livestreaming, virtual testimony, and written testimony deadlines, the committee heard testimony on several bills, with the main focus on S. 303/H. 503/S. 305 and H. 491, all related to worker ownership and business succession. Testimony generally supported expanding employee ownership, right of first refusal for workers, and incentives for owners to sell to employee groups. Speakers from worker co-ops, technical assistance organizations, lenders, and business owners said these measures could preserve local businesses, protect jobs, build worker wealth, and help communities retain valued services and storefronts. On S. 303, Vincent Lawrence Dixon described a proposal to create tools such as a special community trustee, right of first refusal, and community institution landmarks to help communities preserve important local properties and uses when owners cease operations. On H. 491 and the employee-ownership bills, witnesses including Matthew Page Lieberman, Caleb from Circus Cooperative Cafe, Sarah Acefa of Dorchester Food Co-op, Halsey Platt, Kevin O'Brien, John Abrams, Virginia Berman, Stacey Cordero, Adrian Roman, Alex Popali, Adam Trott, and Ethan Tupelo emphasized that worker-owned businesses can be more resilient, support democratic participation, and help with business transitions as owners retire or close. Committee members asked questions about the tax incentive threshold, the timing and mechanics of the right of first refusal, and whether the bills would affect sale prices or business succession. Rep. Kristen Kassner also testified on H. 490, which would create a special commission to inventory the Commonwealth’s built environment, infrastructure, permitting, and land-use barriers to help Massachusetts adapt vacant or underused spaces for the next economy. She said the commission would help identify opportunities for housing, climate and energy tech, advanced manufacturing, and other uses, and members discussed commission composition and data sources. At the end of the hearing, the chair read a series of additional bills into the record, noted an upcoming Economic Development Expo, and the committee adjourned after a motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have some insight from the California State Study of People Experiencing Homelessness, or CASPH
• because it provides consumer protection from brokers by allowing people to understand what their background
• So previously to the fee study being conducted and then the fees being increased...
• So previously to the fee study being conducted and then the fees being increased, the fee tied to escrow
• So one of the entities that we brought in to do the fee study, Crow, helped us evaluate the costs and

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration heard a series of budget proposals and informational items, beginning with the Department of Housing and Community Development’s HCD Connect system. HCD requested permanent authority for seven existing temporary positions to maintain and expand the system, and also sought funding and positions to implement eight 2025 housing-related bills. Members asked about how HCD Connect will interact with programs moving to the new Housing Development Finance Committee and about the revised implementation cost for AB 1053, which HCD said had dropped from about $6 million to $1.9 million because of shared infrastructure with HDFC and CalHFA. The committee also heard Cal ICH’s request for $339,000 to implement AB 678 on LGBTQ+ inclusive and culturally competent homelessness services, with testimony emphasizing the need for better data and training for a population disproportionately affected by homelessness and discrimination. The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation presented three continuation proposals: funding for the California Consumer Financial Protection Law program, the Debt Collector Licensing Act program, and the broker-dealer/investment adviser continuing education program. Members and public commenters focused heavily on the debt collector licensing fees, the number of licensees, and whether assessments were too high compared with other states; DFPI explained that fees are set on a pro rata basis tied to net proceeds and that the workload remains substantial. Public testimony also supported DFPI’s student loan assistance work and raised a separate request for franchise broker registration funding. The committee then took up a mandate suspension item, voting to suspend a new disclosure mandate related to deferred property taxation, and heard trailer bill language from the Department of Finance on AB 91/MENA data collection, aimed at protecting federal funding, ensuring non-disclosure, and allowing more time for implementation. The Secretary of State presented Help America Vote Act funding for VoteCal and the HAVA spending plan, as well as the Cal-Access Replacement System (CARS), the Notary Automation Program Replacement Project (NAP 2.0), and AB 1392 on confidential voter registration for elected officials and candidates. Members asked about project costs, timelines, user testing, and data migration; the Secretary of State said VoteCal funds would be exhausted in 2027–28, CARS is targeted for completion by November 2026, and AB 1392 would require system modifications and new confidentiality procedures. The committee also heard an informational overview from the California Arts Council, which described its 50th anniversary, the economic impact of arts funding, and the cultural districts program; public testimony strongly urged increasing Arts Council grant funding from $24 million to $50 million and adding support for cultural districts. Throughout the hearing, the committee took multiple vote-only actions approving the items before it, with votes recorded on the HCD, Cal ICH, DFPI, HAVA, CARS, NAP 2.0, and AB 1392 proposals, while some items were held open or discussed without a quorum at earlier points in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we've already shown based upon statistic based upon studies, the in a study in 2023 that said pornography
• about family structures, such as lgb to cop aches, people of different religions, racial ethnic backgrounds
• They're moving books about the Holocaust, environmental racism and gender studies.
• We've seen examples of the loss of AP, American African African American Studies and the temporary loss

Transcript Highlights:

• I wanted to make sure he provided background, so thank you for that. We appreciate your time, sir.
• when I commit, I commit, but with having that information, it confuses me so I want to do some more studying
• start, I would like to say Jenna Redbomb: that in 2023 it is no longer accessible, but there was a study
• done by the CDC that found that one in four high school students identified as LGBTQ+ in a study done
• protects children, Anthony Dugo: this law protects parental rights, this protects parental consent, and studies

Transcript Highlights:

• In other business, a request for a study of fiscal impact statements was withdrawn.
• This trip was to fulfill the study abroad and global leadership component of the program, and the itineraries
• The study abroad, I think, was actually paid for through an external grant that the program pulled down
• I do have one question just to give some background.
• I am sure that the thorough study of the case would allow them to answer every one of those questions

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• TODAY'S PANEL BRINGS TOGETHER LEADERS WHO ARE NOT ONLY STUDYING AI BUT ACTIVELY DEPLOYING IT.
• K-12 INSTRUCTORS, YOU NEED K-12 ADMINISTRATORS, YOU NEED ALSO PROFESSORS, YOU NEED THOSE WHO ARE STUDYING
• OR WOULD IT JUST BE TEACHERS OR PEOPLE WITH A BACKGROUND IN AI?
• CERTAINLY STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT WHEN A STUDENT USES AN AI TOOL FOR EDITING THE LEARNING AND CRITICAL
• >> Speaker: THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA ASKED US TO DO A STUDY SPECIFICALLY

Transcript Highlights:

• She has a water, um, resources background, and she's has some degrees in that, so she's been very helpful
• ties in with all of our wildfire and forest management kind of package bills that happened, um, that study
• happened here within our states, what are the updates on the reforestation, and this, I guess there is a study
• get and how to get that mapping in place to where their risk management team can come in and really study
• Um, a few things I would add to the plan, um, that I saw come up during the session was the study on

Transcript Highlights:

• Attendance is directly linked to student success in achievement, and we know that there are several studies
• I'm a researcher, I'm a professor of government, and I've spent years studying issues around the Holocaust
• The first is a relatively new TPPF study that documents nine separate instances of electioneering that
• items were the most egregious, I would point to the situation highlighted on pages 7 and 9 of your study
• It also ensures that every Texas parent, no matter their background, has access to plain language that

Bills: SB204, SB570, SB735, SB784, SB1207, SB1396, SB1447, SB2392, SB2540, SB747, SB875

Keywords: parental rights, education, school trustees, training, handbook, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district, open-enrollment charter school, student support services, school counselor, principal, administrator

Transcript Highlights:

• Community substitute House Bill 2711 will establish a temporary work group to study the feasibility of
• I wanted to give you a little background.
• Um, we have that maternal mortality and morbidity, um, Um, I guess it's a task force, um, that studies
• According to a comprehensive study commissioned by the US Department of Health and Human Services and
• Corrections officers die by suicide at twice the rate of the general population of police officers, and one study

Transcript Highlights:

• As a result, based on a recent study we conducted, rollback taxes today can significantly impact housing
• Our studies are showing it has a potential impact of $13,000 up to $25,000 per household.
• Citizens' groups, universities, and policy analysts who wish to study property tax systems on a statewide
• By way of background, I'm a retired Air Force Colonel.
• but I would like to work with the committee. regarding this going forward, even if it's an interim study

Bills: HB485, HB1367, HB1370, HB1827, HB1879, HB2032, HB2133, HB2357, HB3581, HB3830, HB4060, HB4085, HB4270, HB4979, HB5217, HB5268, HB5478, HJR96, HJR97, HJR119, HJR195, HJR209, SB4, SB23, SJR2, SJR85, SB 4, SB 23, SJR 2

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, access, affordability, public health, emergency services district, sales tax, gas and electricity, residential use, tax exemption, emergency services, gas, electricity, HB 485, ESD, use tax, residential utilities, utility tax, local option tax, Texas Health and Safety Code

Transcript Highlights:

• I've studied the Holocaust, but I saw images in that moment that have seared into my brain.
• much it meant to them as survivors to see people whose life experiences and personal stories and backgrounds
• At Stanford University, Willow is a fourth-year American Studies student. major with a concentration
• in post-Holocaust Jewish-American culture, and will be receiving a certificate in Jewish Studies.
• is now a visiting professor at UC Berkeley and he brought two classes with him today, the Ethnic Studies

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the past five years, we've had numerous studies and scholarly evidence supporting the fact that
• A study in Mississippi showed increased instances of violence.
• A study from Texas shows increased mortality.
• In fact, a study we did with Brown University highlighted that 13% of the individuals between 2001 and
• By way of background, there are a few rehabilitative programs that are as well supported by scholarly

Bills: HB1826, HB2854, HB3006, HB4614, HB5261, HB5639

Keywords: mental health, women's health, county jail, depression screening, criminal justice, HB 2854, Pokuaa-Flowers Act, parole, mandatory supervision, electronic monitoring, releasee, parole officer, hospital visit approval, general hospital, law enforcement notification, DSHS, Department of State Health Services, corrections, public safety, liability immunity

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill aims to study the feasibility of using tiny home shelters and university resources to provide
• deferring to the agency. to use their best judgment to evaluate what will be needed to conduct the study
• The study is aimed at modeling and figuring out how we best address homelessness.
• This study can give us much-needed tools to make a serious reduction in the number of homeless persons
• You've already heard some of the background that leads to why the city is against the bill to an extent

Bills: HB386, HB1449, HB1701, HB2142, HB2675, HB2857, HB3063, HB3171, HB3641, HB3732, HB4045, HB4370, HB4491, HB4505, HB4626, HB5267, HB5356

Keywords: construction contracts, change orders, local government, budget limits, Texas legislation, HB 1449, mobile food vendors, food trucks, mobile food service establishments, permits, county health permit, municipal permitting, Health and Safety Code Chapter 437A, Chapter 437, inspection agreements, permit reciprocity, fee cap, preemption, large counties, population over one million

Transcript Highlights:

• Our recent study with Sustain confirms that the chemicals used in textile production directly influence
• So it is with that compelling background and perspective.
• The federal standard relied on thousands of studies and received more than $100 million. 120,000 public
• Studies have also shown that PFAS exposure is associated with increased rates of preeclampsia. a serious
• A recent study documenting the evidence of widespread food contamination found that the two most common

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think this committee did a study and released it in February, which said the majority of school districts
• And so, you know, in my background, my second company, my lead customer was an intelligence agency you
• In the elementary years, studies confirm that this type of support can realize gains of up to seven months
• Our study results show this, and scaling early identification across the state could yield invaluable
• She has an A in social studies. But she's got a C in reading.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 met with a quorum and announced a full agenda, including combined public testimony for two bills related to student personal communication devices. The committee first took up Senate Bill 1262 by Senator Nichols, a school safety cleanup bill following House Bill 3. The bill would allow TEA to commission peace officers for school safety purposes, require annual renewal of good-cause exceptions to armed guard requirements, create a new report based on intruder detection audits and vulnerability assessments, and require behavioral threat assessment teams to include someone with specific knowledge of a special education student’s disability. Committee members asked about the difference between TCOLE licensing and TEA commissioning, the scope of the officers’ authority, and how the good-cause exception would work. The committee substitute was adopted, and public testimony included support from school safety and drone-response advocates, Disability Rights Texas in favor of the special education provisions, and a student witness raising concerns about the mental health impact of repeated lockdowns and the need for immediate, reliable school safety responses. The bill was left pending after testimony, then the committee briefly recessed and later reopened testimony to hear the student witness. The committee then laid out Senate Bill 2252 by Senator Creighton, a major early literacy and numeracy bill for kindergarten through third grade. Creighton said the bill builds on prior literacy efforts by funding teacher stipends for literacy and math academies, providing free and clearly administered screeners and assessments, expanding screening options, clarifying how results are used, supporting high-quality pre-K, and increasing the early education allotment. He emphasized low reading performance and the need for early intervention. Members discussed how the bill differs from earlier academy models and whether the assessments are diagnostic or high-stakes; Creighton and witnesses said the tools are intended to identify students needing support, not to serve as punitive testing. The committee adopted the substitute. Witnesses for SB 2252 largely supported the bill. A Uplift Education representative described strong gains from small-group literacy tutoring and said students receiving targeted support can make more than a year of growth in a year. An education specialist explained that the bill aligns general education screening with existing dyslexia and special education practices and helps districts identify students who need intervention before a disability evaluation is required. A Commit Partnership witness cited statewide reading data, the importance of high-quality pre-K, and the need for transparent, consistent progress monitoring and parent engagement. Members asked about the meaning of the growth data, how dyslexia screening works, and how the bill would help identify struggling students earlier. Before finishing all questions, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• secondary and the post-secondary space that either prepare students for continued matriculation and study
• We have 160 different programs of study, and 96 of those are career and college credit certificates,
• We have 160 different programs of study and 96 of those are career and college credit certificates with
• talk to you a little bit about the economic impact, and I'd say we recently had an economic impact study
• of ...commitment to offering accessible and relevant training regardless of students' financial background

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education received an overview of Florida’s career and technical education (CTE) system from Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell, who described the state’s CTE pathways, program types, enrollment and completion growth, quality audit metrics, and the Master Credentials List used to identify credentials of value. He highlighted record postsecondary CTE enrollment and completions, strong statewide performance in talent attraction, and several funding tools supporting expansion, including Open Door, the Florida First Responder Scholarship, Workforce Development Capitalization grants, Perkins funding, CAPE performance incentives, and apprenticeship grants. Senators asked about eligibility for Open Door and first responder aid, top industry certifications, and the teacher apprenticeship initiative. A panel of college and technical school leaders then described how state and federal funding has supported local program growth and facility expansion. Santa Fe College, Palm Beach State College, North Florida Technical College, Lake Technical College, Florida Gateway College, and Manatee Technical College each cited increases in enrollment, high placement or licensure pass rates, and new or expanded programs in nursing, welding, CDL, automotive, manufacturing, public safety, and apprenticeship. Several speakers emphasized partnerships with hospitals, employers, school districts, and local governments, and noted that grants helped fund equipment, renovations, and new training hubs. Palm Beach State also raised a request to broaden line funding beyond nursing to other health science fields, and multiple presenters asked for more flexibility, multi-year support, and continued or increased funding to sustain growth. Members discussed broader challenges, including the difficulty of sustaining grant-funded growth after initial awards, the lag between enrollment growth and funding formulas, and alignment problems for dual enrollment and technical programs with high school schedules. Senators also noted the need to balance support for high-demand core programs like nursing and welding with the ability to respond quickly to emerging industries such as AI and space. The meeting ended with no formal action beyond adjournment after Senator Davis moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, and just to follow up on that, um, and I wanted to do some background here so people understood that
• 10:28.560> some that, um, and I wanted to to do some that, um, and I wanted to to do some background
• c> here<00:10:29.279> so<00:10:29.519> people<00:10:29.680> understood background
• here so people understood background here so people understood that<00:10:30.240> you<00:10:30.399
• and entertainment can readily distract drivers from the driving task, as found by safety research, studies

Keywords: 01:09 Roll Call 02:11 SB 7 12:42 SB 7 Vote 13:48 SB 30 17:26 SB 30 Vote 19:56 SB 28 46:35 SB 28 vote, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met for its first meeting of the 2026 regular session, welcomed new member Senator Gary Clemens and an intern, established a quorum, and took up several bills. Senate Bill 7, sponsored by Senator Aaron Reid, would let counties voluntarily handle driver’s license renewals and duplicates locally through county clerks, circuit clerks, sheriffs, or county judge/executive offices, with a $25 convenience fee retained locally and interlocal agreements allowed. Reid said the bill was meant to address long travel distances, long lines, and delays, especially in rural areas, and emphasized it was not a mandate or an unfunded requirement. Senators asked about fraud, local interest, and stakeholder views; Reid said the bill would not directly change fraud but would increase local accountability, and he said most agencies were neutral or supportive. The committee reported SB 7 favorably with a “shall pass” recommendation on a roll call vote. The committee then considered Senate Bill 30, also sponsored by Senator Greg Elkins, a cleanup bill for the Motor Vehicle Commission that would allow restricted funds from license fees to carry forward from one fiscal year to the next instead of lapsing. Elkins said the change would let the commission use its own fee revenue for operations in future years, and the chair noted the commission’s work on dealer regulation and lemon law cases. Senator Burke asked what happened to the money under current law and whether there would be a cap on accumulation; Elkins said the bill would simply allow carryforward and did not set a cap. The committee approved SB 30 favorably with a “shall pass” recommendation. Finally, Vice Chair Douglas introduced Senate Bill 28, a hands-free/distracted driving bill sponsored by Senator Jimmy Higdon. Higdon said the measure was revised from prior versions to address concerns raised last year and would prohibit drivers from holding or supporting a mobile electronic device while driving, while still allowing hands-free use, navigation, emergency reporting, and certain device functions. He cited safety research, support from advocates, and the death of Kimberly Burns in a distracted-driving crash as motivation for the bill. The proposal also included enforcement limits, a $100 fine, no license points, signage at highway entry points, and distribution of fine revenue to trauma and veterans-related funds. The transcript cuts off during Higdon’s presentation before any committee questions or action on SB 28 are shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• VA accreditation requires each applicant to be subject to an FBI background investigation to determine
• subject<00:28:06.799> to<00:28:06.960> an<00:28:07.200> FBI<00:28:07.679> background
• to be subject to an FBI background to be subject to an FBI background investigation<00:28:09.039
• When I first did a study on the attorney general, we used to have just only 70 attorneys representing
• Senator Putnam: ...but it's an issue that the more I've studied, the more clear it's become to me.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all