Transcript Highlights:

• DCF data shows us that one in four of those children was autistic.
• The bill also says that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation may suspend or revoke
• When the Department of Health has all their data in, we should have it in probably by June.
• Look, the data is... Look, the data is devastating: 119 fatal child drownings in Florida last year.
• Shouldn’t we do the same thing with financial data, do you think?

Bills: S0018 , S0028 , S0260 , S0848 , S0934 , S1014 , S1102 , S1264 , S1566 , S1622 , S1724

Committee: Senate Community Affairs

Summary: The committee heard and advanced a wide range of bills focused on water safety, utilities, housing, transparency, and claims relief. CS/SB 848 on stormwater treatment was presented as a follow-up to prior water-quality legislation and reported favorably with one support waiver. SB 28, a claims bill for Reginald Jackson against the City of Lakeland, was also reported favorably. CS/SB 658, a bipartisan child-drowning prevention bill for rental properties, drew extensive testimony from child advocacy and drowning-prevention groups in strong support; amendments required rental license applicants to certify compliance and removed local-government add-on authority, and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 18, a claims bill involving the estate of a deceased minor and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, prompted questions about settlement and responsibility but was ultimately reported favorably despite opposition from a waiver form. Several utility and infrastructure measures were considered. CS/SB 1724 would regulate municipal utility service outside city limits, limit revenue transfers, require public meetings, and cap rate differences; an amendment added gas utilities, and the bill was reported favorably after testimony from municipal utility representatives and small-county advocates. CS/SB 1014 would require municipal utilities to extend water and wastewater service to certain nearby residential properties without conditioning service on annexation; an amendment narrowed the bill to residential uses and clarified capacity and grandfathering provisions, and it passed favorably. CS/SB 1102 would allow local infrastructure surtax revenue to fund body camera programs, with an amendment making the surtax authorization prospective and requiring a new referendum; it was reported favorably. CS/SB 260 on electric-vehicle storage in towing yards was amended to focus on storage only and to tie the higher fee to the period before fire-risk inspection, then reported favorably after testimony from insurers, fire officials, and EV industry representatives. The committee also advanced education, housing, and ethics-related bills. SB 1264 would ease zoning and code barriers for small private schools and micro-schools, with supporters arguing it would expand school choice and opponents raising implementation concerns; it was reported favorably. SB 934 on Florida Keys areas of critical state concern was amended to remove a tax-exemption section that conflicted with the Live Local Act, then reported favorably. SB 1622 would provide a one-time waiver of late financial-disclosure fines under specified conditions and was reported favorably. Finally, CS/SB 1566 on local government spending and transparency required online posting of budgets and related materials, and an amendment added utility revenue reinvestment and other changes while removing DEI spending restrictions; the bill drew support for transparency but concern from small cities and counties about cost and workload, and it was reported favorably. The meeting ended with adjournment after senators recorded votes on selected bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Absent that, we have no data whatsoever.
• Absent that, we have no data whatsoever.
• Absent that, we have no data whatsoever.
• We're not asking for management vendors or HOAs to add more data or show more data. We're saying...
• Management vendors or HOAs to add more data or show more data.

Committee: Senate Housing

Summary: The committee first heard SB 1091, which would create the Community Anti-Displacement and Preservation Program within HCD to help nonprofit developers, community organizations, and local governments acquire unsubsidized rental housing and preserve it as affordable housing or homeownership opportunities. The author and supporters from Enterprise Community Partners, the Unity Council, and several housing and tenant groups argued that acquisition-preservation is a proven, cost-effective way to prevent displacement and homelessness. There was no opposition testimony. Members discussed funding, with the author and chair noting the bill is intended to be supported through the housing bond or other appropriations. The committee voted the bill do pass to Judiciary, with broad support and no recorded opposition. The committee then took up SB 904, which would codify and expand the wildfire rebuilding coordination and permitting streamlining used after the Los Angeles-area fires, including HCD-led review of permitting and code barriers and reporting on recovery lessons. The author said the bill is meant to speed rebuilding after future wildfire disasters and avoid repeated delays seen in places like the Camp Fire. Members raised concerns about the cost and repetition of requiring multiple agencies to produce reports after each disaster, and about e-permitting mandates for smaller jurisdictions. The author responded that the bill is meant to capture lessons from different fire contexts and that some concerns could be addressed with amendments. The bill was moved do pass to Emergency Management and was reported out with sufficient votes, though kept on call. Finally, the committee heard SB 1007, which would change HOA assessment rules by tying annual increases to inflation rather than allowing up to 20% increases, and would require clearer annual budget disclosures and evidence for fines. The author and supporters said the bill would improve transparency and protect homeowners from steep fee hikes, while opponents from community manager and HOA industry groups warned it could underfund reserves, force larger special assessments, and add duplicative paperwork. Several senators expressed support for the bill’s goals but raised concerns about the inflation cap, the need for flexibility for insurance and maintenance costs, and the visual-aid disclosure requirement. The author said amendments are forthcoming and that the bill will look different in the next committee; no final vote is reflected in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I believe that my background in business and corporate governance, we're in a highly regulated...
• We're in a highly regulated business, so corporate governance and financial controls are very important
• And I really feel that this committee needs to have direct input and hear from trustees.
• And I really feel that this committee needs to have direct input and hear from trustees.
• And I really feel that this committee needs to have a direct input and hear from trustees.

Bills: S1570 , S1376

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Keywords: missing persons, special needs, autism, search-and-rescue, Florida, voluntary program, funding, genetic counseling, education grants, state universities, faculty recruitment, student financial assistance

Transcript Highlights:

• Of meeting newer, more expensive regulations. This exemption is not a blanket change.
• I don't think they're waiting for any sort of input from a body like this.
• The bill also reflects stakeholder input based on 30 years of experience with the existing law to add
• AB 656 ensures platforms make it clear as day how to delete your account and your personal data.
• It's very clear any study, any data, any evidence will support this bill on the environmental side.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, current regulations and laws do not require schools to inform parents when these.
• The data shows, and you have a copy of that sheet.
• The substitute version of the bill incorporates stakeholder input and mirrors the Senate bill.
• But again, that's where I'd have to go back to the members and get their input on that.
• But in health care, data drives decisions. Any arguments that the Red Cross endorses?

Bills: HB367 , HB497 , HB549 , HB983 , HB 1188 , HB 1290 , HB1368 , HB2243 , HB2310 , HB2849 , HB3099 , HB3546 , HB3629 , HB3627

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: education, absences, severe illness, life-threatening, school policy, verification, healthcare, insurance, affordability, coverage, patient rights, school health, respiratory distress, airway clearance devices, medication training, public health, HB 983, Texas Education Agency, TEA, educator privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• their cisgender peers, as only four states in the U.S. have LGBTQ-inclusive data regulations.
• regulations.
• I do not see any data in there from that agency yet.
• , development regulations, things like that.
• Substitute Senate Bill 6287 concerns the regulation of kratom.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on February 6, 2026, and first voted to suspend the five-day notice rule for all bills on the agenda. Senators Braun and Gildon objected, arguing the bill needed more public review and that the fiscal note had only just been released, but a roll call vote passed 15-9 and the committee proceeded to Senate Bill 6346. Staff briefed SB 6346 as a proposal to create a 9.9% income tax on Washington taxable income above a $1 million per-household standard deduction, with a $50,000 charitable deduction, apportionment rules for nonresidents and certain professions, quarterly estimated payments, and credits for capital gains tax and certain business taxes. Staff said the tax would begin in 2029 and eventually raise about $3.5 billion annually from roughly 30,000 taxpayers. The bill also would expand the Working Families Tax Credit, create a sales tax exemption for grooming and hygiene products, increase the small business B&O tax credit and filing threshold, and end the B&O surcharge on high-grossing businesses one year early. Members questioned the bill’s constitutionality, its exemption from referendum, treatment of student athletes, natural-resource industries, and whether real estate gains would be captured. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including labor groups, educators, health care advocates, counties, child care workers, and some business owners and high-income individuals, said the bill would make the tax code more progressive and provide stable funding for health care, education, child care, public defense, and other services, while expanding the Working Families Tax Credit. Opponents, including many small business, construction, housing, and taxpayer advocates, argued the measure would function as a tax on pass-through businesses and retained earnings, harm housing production and investment, encourage wealthy residents and businesses to leave the state, and violate the state constitution or the will of voters. No final action on SB 6346 was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• How many people filed these claims to get this data? $300 billion. So think about that.
• How many people filed these claims to get this data?
• And their own internal documents say Meta is not going to act unless regulators or others force them
• I do applaud this legislature for your passage on regulation on crypto ATMs.
• But I’m curious to know, do you have any statistics data on how that’s impacting Arkansans?”

Summary: A joint House-Senate Insurance and Commerce meeting focused on the growing threat of financial fraud in Arkansas, with members hearing from bankers, regulators, law enforcement, AARP, and mortgage and insurance industry representatives. Witnesses described a wide range of scams, including spoofed bank calls and texts, fake websites and social media impersonation, romance and investment scams, business email compromise, gift card fraud, check fraud, wire fraud, reverse mortgage scams, and crypto kiosk schemes. Several speakers emphasized that fraud is increasingly organized, technology-driven, and amplified by artificial intelligence, and that seniors are disproportionately targeted and often suffer the largest losses. Testimony highlighted both prevention and recovery efforts. Bankers said institutions spend heavily on training, customer education, and fraud detection, but often cannot stop losses once customers have been convinced to authorize transfers. The Attorney General’s office described its Consumer Protection Division, a new Financial Fraud Task Force, and examples of recovering funds quickly from crypto kiosk and wire fraud cases. The State Bank Department and Securities Department said Arkansas’s 2025 crypto ATM legislation and related education requirements have helped, and they urged continued public education. The Insurance Department reported major insurance-fraud trends, including fake insurance cards, forged policies, premium-finance schemes, and staged auto accidents, and said it prosecutes these cases aggressively. Members asked about reporting scams, the security of tap payments, how fraud losses are tracked, the role of crypto kiosks, and whether Arkansas should pursue model legislation or stronger action against telecom and social media companies. Witnesses said tap payments are generally safer than chip or swipe, that crypto transfers are often unrecoverable, and that spoofed caller ID and impersonation ads remain major problems. Paul Benda of the American Bankers Association urged state and federal action against telecom and social media platforms and supported national scam legislation. No new bills were voted on at the meeting, but members approved the November 3, 2025 minutes and several witnesses offered to share model legislation, consumer education materials, and state-by-state fraud data with the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, that's really about getting better housing data and having that feed into a data dashboard, working
• New Mexico has one of the bigger problems around regulations.
• have that data.
• Houston does not have Zoning regulation.
• Thank you very much for your input. Okay, let's go online.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> requirements for online data reporting. requirements for online data reporting.
• </c> activity to require community input activity to require community input about<00:12:27.920><c> the
• </c> PhD class but there are a lot of data PhD class but there are a lot of data sets<00:25:54.960><c
• ><c> sellers</c><00:48:00.240><c> have</c> data brokers where the sellers have data brokers where the
• </c> data is there, but it's often buried. data is there, but it's often buried.

Transcript Highlights:

• The board was established in 1967 to regulate the practice of veterinary medicine in Arizona.
• Our 2025 sunset review report includes an appendix with data on all department state trust land sale
• appraisal of state trust land at least every 10 years, and this mass appraisal should consider market data
• Which stakeholders did you contact for input on that? Mr.
• As you can see by everybody's input, and thank you for the Auditor General for the investigation.

Summary: The committee first heard an Auditor General presentation on the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board’s sunset review. The audit found the board generally met some licensing requirements, but it did not timely investigate and resolve 49 of 159 complaints in fiscal year 2024, and it did not fully comply with conflict-of-interest disclosure and filing requirements. The Auditor General also noted the board lacked a formal process to verify continuing education compliance. The board’s executive director said the agency had already corrected some conflict-of-interest issues, was working to improve complaint handling, and would implement all 21 recommendations. A veterinarian representing the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association supported the board and said the profession is also working to address the shortage of large-animal veterinarians. The committee then voted to recommend continuation of the board for eight years, until July 1, 2034. The committee next received the Auditor General’s sunset review of the Arizona State Land Department. The audit identified three major problem areas: the department had not updated its required five-year disposition plan for state trust land since 2011, it had not adjusted agricultural rental rates to reflect market conditions for many years, and it had not consistently inspected mineral-related leases and permits before releasing reclamation bonds. The Auditor General said these issues risked lower returns for trust beneficiaries, lost revenue, and public safety hazards, and made 18 recommendations in the performance audit plus 34 additional recommendations in the sunset review. The department agreed to implement or partially implement nearly all recommendations and said it had begun a mass appraisal process. State Land Commissioner Robin Zahid then testified that the department was making operational improvements, including rulemaking updates, stakeholder outreach on water-use policy, a new customer-service status bar, and process changes for land sales and mining applications. She defended the decision not to renew the Fondomonte leases in a transportation basin, citing the high value of groundwater and the trust’s fiduciary duty. Members questioned her about agricultural lease water charges, the status of a water policy framework and addendum, the lack of a formal expedited review process, the Fondomonte reimbursement payments for improvements, and the department’s handling of a high-profile land auction tied to the Coyotes arena proposal. Several members also asked for follow-up information on pending residential housing applications, acreage, administrative fees, and third-party contractors.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're not requiring them to provide a certain type of data.
• That's what we're trying to do; we don't want them to have to have that burden of providing all the data
• Their property tax input to their county by doing this. This creates its own set of problems.
• more than capable of helping us get through some of these issues without the need for additional regulations
• But the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce favors clearly defined regulations that provide specific

Committee: House House Agriculture, Acequias And Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> think PayPal Western Union we regulate think PayPal Western Union we regulate small<01:31:29.400
• of regulation.
• of regulation.
• of regulation.
• </c><04:24:29.920><c> all</c> regulate our job is to regulate all regulate our job is to regulate all

Summary: The meeting began with introductory remarks for new and returning members of the House Commerce Committee, led by Chairman John Hunt. Members briefly introduced themselves and their backgrounds, and several noted the committee’s bipartisan, collegial tone. Hunt explained the committee’s structure and traditions, including the division into three subcommittees: banking and business, consumer protection, and liquor commission matters, with insurance now handled as a single area. He also reviewed basic hearing procedures, including decorum, questions for information only, and the committee’s practice of moving bills through subcommittees before full committee executive sessions. The committee then heard an overview from the New Hampshire Insurance Department, led by Commissioner DJ Bettencourt and staff. The department described its mission as promoting a safe and competitive insurance marketplace and emphasized consumer protection, market competition, and affordability. Officials outlined the department’s responsibilities, including licensing insurers, producers, adjusters, and TPAs; reviewing insurance forms; regulating companies and market conduct; overseeing financial solvency; and investigating insurance fraud. They also noted that the department is self-funded through assessments on insurers, collects premium taxes and fees for the state, and returned more than $2.7 million to companies in fiscal year 2024 due to underspending. The presentation also covered the broader regulatory framework for insurance, including the role of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in promoting uniform standards across states and territories. Officials said New Hampshire licenses about 1,200 insurance companies and roughly 245,000 producers and adjusters, and that the department’s financial examinations are part of an accreditation system used nationwide. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided; the session was primarily organizational and informational, with the insurance department presentation beginning the committee’s substantive work for the term.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:43:36.960><c> of</c> their lure and regulation of their lure and regulation of postsecondary<
• </c><00:46:24.880><c> um</c> soon um here's the most recent data um soon um here's the most recent data
• </c><00:47:54.079><c> that</c> program and it uses uh FAFSA data that program and it uses uh FAFSA data
• <01:11:53.080><c> of</c><01:11:53.239><c> post-secondary</c> regulation of post-secondary regulation
• </c> like the Minnesota Government data like the Minnesota Government data Practices<01:18:37.840><c>

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• data in their<00:03:44.800><c> clothing</c><00:03:45.320><c> or</c><00:03:45.480><c> person.
• , and business mandates on workplaces that are already heavily regulated in Minnesota.
• </c> regulated in Minnesota. regulated in Minnesota.
• </c><00:15:07.560><c> on</c> new the new or expanded regulations on new the new or expanded regulations
• </c><00:16:41.360><c> the</c> of the bill related to regulating the of the bill related to regulating

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, we believe we can implement and regulate it.
• Again, we believe we can implement and regulate it.
• </c> um repeal all of the state regulations um repeal all of the state regulations regarding<01:53:14.320
• </c> which is the tipped pooling regulations. which is the tipped pooling regulations.
• </c><01:54:25.440><c> from</c> promulgate that policy with input from promulgate that policy with input

Committee: House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> other substantial employment regulations other substantial employment regulations like<00:52:33.359
• We met with BIA and got their input.
• Manufacturers have no input in that whatsoever.
• They are heavily regulated.
• ><c> to</c><03:50:25.680><c> the</c> of me but our data is specific to the of me but our data is specific

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• It is data. And in housing, we track a lot of data. There's data everywhere.
• It is data. And in housing, we track a lot of data. There's data everywhere.
• </c><02:12:53.080><c> There's</c><02:12:53.240><c> data</c> track a lot of data.
• There's data track a lot of data. There's data everywhere. everywhere. everywhere.
• </c> according to the data. according to the data.

Transcript Highlights:

• of data based on all the criteria that I mentioned.
• and exact process, as any other pesticide chemical, have the same data, same types of data based on
• When you look at the available data for those chemistries versus the data for... there's virtually none
• And so the FDA is now set in regulation, Operation Stork Speed, right?
• to set regulation?

Committee: House Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Transcript Highlights:

• And while RSA 14:46, paragraph I, gives LBA the ability to request assistance from any source of data
• of data they deem reliable reliable reliable including<01:05:57.079><c> but</c><01:05:57.240><c> not
• NHA and other professional associations are often requested by legislators to provide input from our
• NHA and other professional associations are often requested by legislators to provide input from our
• </c><04:33:36.160><c> to</c> our members by providing input to our members by providing input to legislators

Summary: The committee first dealt with scheduling and housekeeping, including a plan to take a hard break at 2:00 p.m. for an early bill, hold a brief executive session, and then continue with the remaining afternoon bills. The chair also noted the next likely meeting date would be March 12, when the committee expected to take up the remaining bills before crossover deadlines. The main substantive item was House Bill 142, which would recognize the Honor and Remember flag for Gold Star families and related remembrance purposes. Prime sponsor Rep. Michael Moffett described the bill as a bipartisan measure revised to address earlier concerns, arguing that the flag honors fallen service members, can be personalized with names, and complements rather than detracts from the American flag. He said many other states have already adopted it and suggested the committee could amend details such as the number of days and locations for display. He also raised practical issues about flag dimensions and whether the bill should use "shall" or "may" for display requirements. Testimony was divided. Janine Nutter opposed the bill, saying she supports Gold Star families but objected because the flag resembles the Viet Cong flag and because she believes the American flag should remain the sole symbol representing servicemembers. Kevin Grady, representing the State Veterans Advisory Committee under RSA 115:8, also opposed the bill, saying the committee believes the American flag is the only symbol needed, while still praising the work of Honor and Remember in creating personalized flags for families. Committee members asked questions about where the flag would be flown, whether the State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen is already displaying it, and how the bill’s language would interact with cemetery policies and committee discretion. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• peers, as only four states in the U.S. have LGBTQ-inclusive data regulations.
• I do not see any data in there from that agency yet.
• , development regulations, things like that.
• , development regulations, things like that.
• Substitute Senate Bill 6287 concerns the regulation of kratom.

Bills: SB6346 , SB6347 , SB6147 , SB6246 , SB5940 , SB5882 , SB6223 , SJR8206 , SB5762 , SB5828

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: millionaires tax, wealth tax, income tax, state revenue, tax reform, Washington estate tax, estate tax, inheritance tax, death tax, probate, decedent, gross estate, taxable estate, exclusion amount, tax rate, estate planning, heirs, beneficiaries, RCW 83.100, Department of Revenue