Transcript Highlights:

• commissioner and the provider. commissioner and the provider.
• commissioner commissioner and<00:31:00.680> then<00:31:00.920> the<00:31:01.080> commissioner
• <00:52:06.800> still Um but the but the commissioner still Um but the but the commissioner
• We're talking about uh the commissioner We're talking about uh the commissioner may<00:58:58.640
• :40.880> asked >> The The commissioner has asked >> The The commissioner has asked

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The captive cell insurance companies.
• These are situations where a large company that because of the cost of insurance decides to self-insure
• was self-insured.
• Benjamin Stearns, Florida Insurance Association.
• We're the ninth insurance market in the world. We produce 280 billion dollars worth of insurance.

Transcript Highlights:

• The next measure is SB 1050, relating to insurance.
• This is the captive insurance measure, where we had a robust discussion in the hearing between the Insurance
• We're... relating to insurance this is members relating to insurance this is members this<00:01:50.320
• :51.840> measure<00:01:52.840> uh this is the captive Insurance measure uh this is the
• <00:01:56.520> Division hearing between the insurance Division hearing between the insurance

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection met on February 1, 2025, for decision-making on two measures previously heard on January 14. For SB 146, relating to condominiums, the committee recommended passage with amendments. The amendments were described as incorporating Real Estate Commission language to clarify the bill and narrowing its scope to managing agents with budget and replacement reserve responsibilities and authority to communicate with unit owners, thereby excluding smaller associations. The committee also deferred the effective date to July 1, 2050 and made technical, non-substantive changes. The measure was adopted without objections. The committee also considered SB 1050, relating to insurance and captive insurance. Members described ongoing discussions between the Insurance Division and the captive insurance industry over revised language intended to support industry growth while preserving the state’s regulatory oversight and solvency protections. The committee noted receipt of compromise amendments developed after a week of negotiations and again deferred the effective date to July 1, 2050. A member thanked the chair and referenced the role of former chair Bob Her in bringing the captive industry to Hawaii, expressing support for continued momentum in the sector. For SB 1050, the committee recommended passage with amendments, with the chair voting aye and no reservations or objections from members present. Both measures were therefore adopted by the committee for recommendation to the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• folks don't get the health insurance folks don't get the health insurance that<00:36:52.880>
• She health insurance is already hard.
• wouldn't have to pay the insurance cost. wouldn't have to pay the insurance cost.
• . insurance. insurance.
• /c> say with conviction, insurance say with conviction, insurance instability<00:45:15.440> for

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have risk managers, self-insured group health insurance.
• My insurance rates went up two years, health insurance from my employees, 11 and 13% respectively.
• I’m not an insurance guy, but I’ve had enough explained to me because we’ll ruin your insurance plan
• And at the end of the day, insurance is an issue for us, transportation, and property insurance is an
• Insurance. For example, payroll, MIS.

Summary: The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee met to discuss the needs of rural school districts and the role of Florida’s three regional education consortia: the Panhandle Area Education Consortium, Northeast Florida Educational Consortium, and Heartland Educational Consortium. Executive directors and several rural superintendents described the consortia as member-led organizations that provide shared services, professional learning, leadership development, grant support, cooperative purchasing, risk management, IT/cybersecurity help, and back-office assistance that small districts could not afford to provide on their own. They emphasized that rural districts are often very small, have limited staff, and must still meet the same state reporting and compliance requirements as large urban systems. Testimony focused heavily on teacher recruitment and retention, alternative certification, and the difficulty of staffing specialized roles such as CFOs, MIS directors, IT staff, and content-area teachers. Superintendents said many new hires are career changers or alternatively certified teachers who need consortium-supported training, and several argued for more flexibility in funding so districts can raise salaries and compete with neighboring districts and nearby states. Members also asked about the impact of declining enrollment, homeschooling, and voucher-related school choice; superintendents said those trends are reducing FTE and creating budget instability, while also requiring districts to right-size staff and programs. Several speakers described the financial strain on rural districts, including rising insurance costs, transportation costs, and the challenge of forecasting budgets when enrollment changes after the school year begins. One superintendent recounted major hurricane damage and said consortium risk-management support was essential to recovery. Others said the consortia help districts pool resources for property and health insurance, payroll, student data systems, and procurement, and that this shared approach saves money and improves services. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or provide for self-insurance and the current look at the public entity insurance marketplace.
• It may be self-insurance, but some form of insurance.
• There are cases where that insurance coverage is insufficient or there are gaps.
• At some of that, I wouldn't describe myself as an insurance expert either.
• There are also limits on each tranche of insurance.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Public Advocate, the commissioner-level head of the Department of Public Advocacy.
• :36.159> public<00:01:36.320> advocate<00:01:36.880> the<00:01:37.119> commissioner
• I'm deputy public advocate, the assistant commissioner to Mr. Preston. Good morning.
• Did they have insurance? Were they a veteran? Were they homeless?

Keywords: 0:00:04 Call to Order 0:00:50 Dept for Public Advocacy 0:51:31 Life Learning Center 1:21:06 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary heard testimony from the Department of Public Advocacy (DPA) on attorney compensation and alternatives to incarceration. Because the committee lacked a quorum, the chair skipped formal roll call and minutes approval, then invited DPA Public Advocate Damon Preston, Deputy Public Advocate Melanie Lowe, and alternative sentencing worker Cena/Tina Mills to present. Preston said DPA is fully state-funded, has 698 funded positions, and was near full staffing with 673 filled positions and 42 new law graduates expected to join in August. He argued that DPA’s resources lag behind those of prosecutors, noting that local prosecutorial offices receive substantially more total funding and have additional revenue sources beyond the state budget. Preston focused on salary disparities and turnover. He said DPA trial-office attorneys total about $26 million in salaries, compared with about $41.9 million for prosecutors on publicly listed state funding, and estimated that more than 100 additional prosecutors are paid through other sources, bringing total prosecutor compensation to a little over $50 million versus DPA’s $26 million. He said starting DPA attorney pay is $58,200, experienced attorney pay averages about $73,000, and that these levels are too low given law school debt and the state’s constitutional obligation to provide defense counsel. He also said DPA attorney turnover is about 20%, median service time before separation was 15 months in 2024, and exit interviews often cite salary as the main reason for leaving. He gave examples of former DPA attorneys moving to prosecutor offices for raises ranging from 12% to 50%. Committee members asked about how often defendants are represented by private counsel versus DPA and how that affects workload. Preston said a 2017 study found about 50% of misdemeanor cases and about 75% of circuit court cases were handled by DPA, with DPA handling most of the most labor-intensive cases. He said DPA will step aside when a defendant hires private counsel or is found ineligible, and he acknowledged the system historically erred by denying counsel in some cases, though he said the current concern is whether DPA is now appointed too broadly. Members requested updated trend data on appointments over the past decade. Preston also described DPA’s pay scale and said the agency’s compensation structure makes retention difficult. Mills then described DPA’s alternative sentencing worker program, which she said has operated for about 20 years and has received national recognition. She shared a case example involving a client named Patrick, who faced a prison sentence on a possession charge and was referred to a horse-based treatment and certification program in Shelbyville. She said the client wanted treatment and a fresh start, a bed became available, and she and the client’s attorney presented an alternative sentencing plan to the court. The presentation was interrupted briefly by a technical issue, but the testimony continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what's being done now by insurance companies, in theory, what we're paying insurance companies to
• > theory,<00:07:59.280> what insurance companies in theory, what insurance companies in
• who work for insurance companies.
• Um, this idea might insurance companies.
• We're not going have insurance in there.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The segment focused first on Senator John Marty’s bill, SF 3612, which would remove private insurers and HMOs from Minnesota’s state health care programs and replace them with a statewide administrative services model. Marty argued that managed care has created churn, coverage disruptions, and administrative waste in Medicaid and MinnesotaCare, and said the state should instead pay providers directly while investing more in care coordination, case management, and wraparound services through primary care clinics and county-based purchasers. He said the goal is better care, not just savings, though he also cited potential taxpayer savings and pointed to Connecticut as a model. He acknowledged the bill is not expected to become law this year and said a fiscal note and more details are still pending. Marty said the proposal has support from the governor and groups such as the American Cancer Society, but that his current co-authors are all DFL members. He expressed hope for bipartisan support and said the simpler system would also improve fraud detection and transparency. He addressed concerns about insurance-industry jobs by saying workers should be treated fairly and that retraining and dislocated-worker assistance would be part of the transition. He also said the broader goal is universal coverage for all medical needs, including mental health and dental care, without co-pays or deductibles. The second half highlighted Senator Jeff Howe and Minnesota’s Hometown Heroes Assistance Program for firefighters. Howe described the program as a statewide effort for roughly 20,000 career, paid-on-call, and volunteer firefighters that provides up to $20,000 in assistance for occupational illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, along with training, counseling, and family support. He said the program helps firefighters process trauma and has been recognized as the nation’s most comprehensive firefighter well-being initiative. Howe said the most recent version of the bill received unanimous bipartisan support in both chambers, and he suggested future expansions could include retired firefighters and possibly peace officers. The segment also noted a separate therapy approach using retired racehorses to help first responders work through trauma, with participants saying it has helped them stay on the job and manage anxiety and PTSD.

Transcript Highlights:

• Assistant Commissioner Kadelka: Sure. Assistant Commissioner Kadelka: Sure.
• Representative Purcell: Uh, thank you. commissioner um I guess I have another commissioner um I guess
• Assistant Commissioner Kadelka: Mr.
• Assistant Commissioner Kadelka: Mr.
• Representative Fisher: Is that correct, Assistant Commissioner? Assistant Commissioner Kadelka: Mr.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• already insurance plan?
• This is insurance for farmers in the state of Florida who have a very difficult time getting insurance
• I have, health insurance I have available, and I'm paying through the roof, and my Insurance I have,
• Anxious around creating insurance plans that we're not calling insurance, we're calling the benefit plans
• opportunity to have private insurance.

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism took up several measures, beginning with SB 1666, which would adopt Florida’s version of UCC Article 12 to address commercial transactions involving digital assets such as cryptocurrency, smart contracts, blockchain, and NFTs. The committee adopted a technical amendment and then reported the bill favorably. It also approved CS/SB 480, a proposal to create affordable health coverage options for farmers and ranchers through a nonprofit agricultural organization model; the bill drew significant questions about preexisting conditions, ACA coverage, costs, and whether the plans would function like insurance, but it was ultimately reported favorably despite opposition from some members and outside groups. The committee then unanimously advanced CS/SB 1172, which expands business development incentives for veterans and military spouses, including procurement preferences, fee waivers, tax exemptions, and an entrepreneurship program; an amendment added military-spouse hiring preferences and protections for private employers that adopt them voluntarily. The committee also approved CS/SB 1400, a bill aimed at non-consensual AI-generated sexual deepfakes. The measure requires covered platforms to provide a removal process, post clear notice of that process, and remove identified content within 24 to 48 hours, with liability under the Florida Unfair Trade and Deceptive Practices Act for noncompliance; an amendment carved out internet service providers from liability. Members raised concerns about repeat uploads and the meaning of “reasonable efforts,” but the bill was reported favorably. The committee then adopted SM 1488, a memorial urging Congress to create a sovereign wealth fund, despite testimony opposing it as unnecessary and constitutionally questionable. It also passed SB 1252, which would create a centralized statewide system for sharing pawn and secondhand dealer data among law enforcement agencies; the sponsor said the first step would be a $250,000 feasibility study, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee considered SB 922, which revises Florida’s restrictive covenant laws by creating a streamlined process for certain non-compete and garden leave agreements involving employees with access to sensitive information and higher wages. The bill drew extensive debate over worker mobility, global scope, and whether it would strengthen employer leverage too much; after a technical amendment, it was reported favorably. The last major item was SB 1776, a Florida Whistleblowers Act revision that adds a notice-to-cure requirement, narrows retaliation and employer definitions, and limits claims where another statutory remedy exists. Members and public speakers raised concerns that it could make whistleblower claims harder to bring and give employers time to destroy evidence, but the bill was amended and then reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Commissioner. My proceed. Thank you, Commissioner.
• Mr. uh<00:27:15.600> Commissioner uh Commissioner uh Commissioner that<00:27:17.640> is
• Well,<00:29:14.560> Commissioner Well, Commissioner Well, Commissioner >> back<00:29:15.320
• Thank you, Commissioner. Okay. Thank you, Commissioner.
• Thank you, Commissioner. Yeah, so Mr. Thank you, Commissioner.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• "And Madam Chair, Representative, Senator, Commissioner Nybert..." "Or Commissioner Nybert.
• Madam Chair, Commissioner Nibbert, if one or more of you are hearing the case live, how does a commissioner
• The commissioner may consult with another commissioner.
• And if the commissioner... And make a ruling.
• My experience, having been a commissioner, county commissioner type person who had a, you know, you have

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have Ris managers, self-insured group, health insurance.
• And we know what property insurance looks like.
• He can my my insurance rates went up 2 years, health insurance for my employees, 11, 13% respectively
• Why don't we put the school systems on the state insurance of the insurance cobb of have that.
• If we could get property insurance assistance, if we could get health insurance assistance or the ability

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have lots of members who want to and offered some insurance. and offered some insurance.
• It's just after health insurance, right?
• <00:21:13.679> right afford to offer health insurance right afford to offer health insurance
• , insurance plan.
• If you offer insurance, insurance plan.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Commissioner<00:19:21.280> Campbell. >> Commissioner Campbell.
• Uh thank you, commissioner.
• >> Commissioner<00:21:15.120> Campbell. >> Commissioner Campbell.
• >> Commissioner, >> Commissioner, >> Commissioner, >> Mr.<00:47:53.200> Mr
• Thank you, Commissioner. So, uh, Commissioner Gro, thank you.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Fix through the insurance policies in our state.
• There's no insurance for me.
• Have any of the insurance companies said to you, have you met with any insurance company that provides
• this insurance?
• And we don't know whether the insurance part or...

Transcript Highlights:

• We only insure New Mexico contractors, currently insuring over 800 million dollars in payroll in this
• I am now the Risk Management Director of the New Mexico County Insurance Authority, which is a self-insurance
• Let's see if this worker has other insurance that will pick it up.
• Receiving from the insurance company, but that they're entitled to.
• One from the Self-Insurance Group Builders Trust, Randy Aiken, is here.

Transcript Highlights:

• be sold by an insurance producer who is licensed to sell or solicit accident and health insurance in
• product, it is not under the insurance department.
• Section 12, the Department of Insurance shall enforce this act.
• This is a self-funded plan, and the Alabama Department of Insurance does not regulate self-insured plans
• does not regulate self-funded insurance plans.

Bills: HB506, HB513, HB437

Keywords: emergency vehicles, off-road vehicles, public safety, liability, regulations, background check, criminal history, biometric identifiers, fingerprints, iris scan, palm print, photograph, rap back, NGI Rap Back, ALEA, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, AJIC, Alabama Justice Information Commission, employment screening, licensing

Transcript Highlights:

• Insurers still determine what is authorized and what is medically necessary.
• Matt Aiken, with the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies.
• And so an insurance carrier, yeah, and you can look at the analysis that is online.
• This bill can assess a $10,000 per incident penalty against an insurance carrier per...
• If an insurance carrier discriminates against someone who says that they are transgender.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• you, and we have insurance folks at AGC.
• All these contractors that the insurance folks will tell you, and we have insurance folks at AGC in Missouri
• You ask about the cost of insurance based on the litigious environment we live in.
• on a contractor's insurance policy, even if that public entity didn't actually... ...insured on a contractor's
• insurance policy, even if that public entity didn't actually purchase that policy.

Summary: The Commerce Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 916, which would limit contractor liability on Missouri Department of Transportation projects when contractors are following approved plans and standards, and would also clarify that contractors are not required to indemnify the state as a condition of bidding or beginning work. Senator Berger and several supporters argued the bill would align responsibility with control, reduce unnecessary litigation, and lower insurance and project costs for contractors who are sued for conditions they did not create. They emphasized that the bill would not protect negligence, defective workmanship, or concealment, and the sponsor described examples of contractors being drawn into lawsuits before work began or after projects were complete. Supporters included representatives of construction firms, the Missouri Asphalt Payment Association, the AGC of Missouri, the Missouri Municipal League, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and engineering groups. Contractors described cases where they were sued over alleged design issues or incidents occurring after completion, saying they had no ability to change the design but still incurred legal and insurance costs. One municipal league witness also explained a separate provision clarifying that a public entity does not waive sovereign immunity merely by being named as an additional insured on a contractor’s policy. MoDOT’s deputy director testified for informational purposes, warning that removing indemnification could expose the state to more litigation during construction. After the committee established a quorum in executive session, a motion was made to vote Senate Bill 916 do pass. The committee approved the bill unanimously, 8-0, and then adjourned.