Transcript Highlights:

• What I'll further note is under current construct, the current statutory construct, when an injured worker
• and increasing fire codes as needed.
• and increasing fire codes as needed.
• Road construction, other construction—these are very dangerous jobs. just didn't happen and so um Sam
• job who knew that um road construction job who knew that um road construction other<04:47:39.000

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , North American Industrial Classification System codes.
• And then it has to fall under one of the NAICS codes specified in the CCA.
• Quick follow-up: so the NAICS codes that are the most prominent will be listed, I assume, correct?
• And if you'd like the NAICS code list, we'd be happy to follow up with that. Yep, of course.
• They're halting construction on projects that are already in advanced stages of construction.

Summary: The committee held a work session covering PFAS regulation and impacts, no-cost allowance allocation for emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries (EITEs), and regional resource adequacy and data center load growth. Senator Victoria Hunt was welcomed as a new member. The Department of Ecology reviewed Washington’s Safer Products for Washington PFAS work, including completed restrictions on PFAS in outdoor furniture, carpets, rugs, stain/water-resistant treatments, and newer rules adopted in November restricting PFAS in most apparel, cleaning products, and automotive washes, with reporting requirements for some other products such as cookware and firefighting gear. Ecology also described Cycle 2 PFAS reviews now underway, including artificial turf and paints, and answered questions about compliance, online sales, sell-through periods, and how Washington’s approach differs from broader bans in states like Maine and Minnesota. The Department of Ecology also presented on PFAS in biosolids, describing a 2024 sampling study, limitations in testing methods, and a 2025 statutory amendment requiring additional sampling between 2027 and 2028 and a report to the legislature in 2029. The Department of Health then updated the committee on PFAS in drinking water, reporting that most Group A public water systems have completed sampling, that 317 sources and 188 systems are expected to exceed new contaminant levels, and that treatment costs for public systems are estimated at about $970 million, leaving a large funding gap; members also asked about private wells, health effects, bathing exposure, and home filters. The Board of Health’s new state action levels are being aligned with federal MCLs, and the department said it expects to continue monitoring and notification under state rules. Ecology also briefed the committee on no-cost allowance allocations to EITEs under the Climate Commitment Act, explaining the leakage-mitigation rationale, the current allocation schedule through 2034, and a forthcoming report on policy options for 2035-2050; members asked about industry barriers, competitiveness, and whether facilities might leave the state. Finally, E3 presented a regional resource adequacy study showing rising load, retirements outpacing additions, limited winter reliability value from wind, solar, and batteries, and a projected shortfall beginning in 2026 that could grow to about 9,000 MW by 2030 if planned projects are not built. The presentation emphasized winter cold-weather events, hydro variability, the importance of permitting and transmission, and longer-term options including nuclear, geothermal, hydrogen, carbon capture, and long-duration storage. EPRI then introduced its DC Flex initiative, which is studying how data centers can provide flexible load through workload shifting, cooling optimization, and on-site backup or bridging resources to reduce grid stress and protect ratepayers.

Transcript Highlights:

• But on this particular project at a state level across the state on developing a uniform case reporting
• So the last item on that slide is the uniform data reporting system.
• Gay shuns volunteer uniform Crime reports program transition away from collecting summary based to to
• try to sing to incident based to beginning with the 2021 reporting cycle Florida's repository for uniform
• Tea is a collection of uniform criminal justice data from 7 contributor groups in the criminal Justice

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, clarifies when local officials are entitled to uniform increases that are provided equally to all
• ><00:01:17.440> are<00:01:17.560> entitled<00:01:18.080> to<00:01:18.160> uniform
• local officials are entitled to uniform local officials are entitled to uniform increases<00:01:

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But large capital appropriations from the state were responsible for constructing the vast majority of
• Uh, we would be able to start construction hopefully in the fall.
• And so we'd think that the bridge would be able to be functional for the entire time of construction,
• So essentially, the construction would occur during the school year, but likely maybe this time or a
• essentially, the construction would essentially, the construction would occur<00:23:26.480> during

Bills: HF3220

Keywords: school safety, school security, emergency access, law enforcement access, master key box, secure key box, entry device, school grants, education finance, Department of Education, charter schools, school districts, cooperative units, appropriation cancellation, one-time appropriation, school safety plan, emergency preparedness, public safety, school building security, 1183

Transcript Highlights:

• On page five, another program integrity proposal is the uniform service standards.
• This is a series of budget technical changes that correct coding errors that were in last year's bill
• correct um, um, that correct um, I<00:10:07.600> would<00:10:07.800> say<00:10:08.000> coding
• <00:10:09.200> um, I would say coding um, I would say coding um, errors<00:10:10.480> that
• We look forward to working with Senator Wiklund and the committee to deliver constructive, forward-looking

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• knowing how to swim, Detective Anderson courageously dove into a lake fully clothed in her police uniform
• There's also $16.5 million for Camp Blanding, specifically supporting various construction projects to
• And let's make sure every child in Florida, no matter their zip code, has a chance to climb.
• Duggan, CS for CS for House Bill 1173, a bill to be entitled an act relating to the Florida Trust Code
• The bill amends the Florida Trust Code as it relates to the powers of the Florida Attorney General.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the pledge, quorum call, and several recognitions, including guests for Education and Sharing Day, law enforcement officer of the day Detective Miata Anderson, and later FAMU Day at the Capitol and other visiting groups. The chamber adopted the special order report and then moved through a series of budget-related bills and conforming measures, with debate focused largely on recurring funding, environmental programs, housing, insurance reserves, and tax policy. Members approved HB 5011/SB 2506, which conform environmental resource funding to the proposed budget by shifting Seminole Gaming Compact-related dollars from recurring to nonrecurring funding; supporters said this preserves annual legislative review, while opponents warned it would reduce funding for the Resilient Florida program, wildlife corridor protection, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. The House then passed HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves by lowering the RAP program and repealing FORA funding, and HB 5501, which redirects documentary stamp tax revenues from housing and transportation trust funds to general revenue; Democrats argued the housing changes would reduce affordable housing support, while Republicans said the move was needed to control recurring spending. The chamber also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, HB 5201 on Florida PALM accounting conforming changes, HB 5203 on Capitol Center tenancy and utilities control, and HB 5009 creating a Florida Accountability Office and revising audit and budgeting functions. The most extended debate came on HB 7031, which permanently reduces the state sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25% and also lowers several related tax rates. Supporters described it as broad-based, immediate tax relief for Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more targeted and that sales tax cuts also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. The bill passed 112-0. The House then took up the main budget bill, HB 501, and subcommittee chairs outlined the proposed $112.9 billion budget, including education, health care, transportation, agriculture and natural resources, higher education, state administration, justice, and IT spending. Members began questioning the pre-K-12 budget on school funding, vouchers, proration, mental health and safety allocations, and inflation, with the discussion continuing beyond the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• knowing how to swim, Detective Anderson courageously dove into a lake fully clothed in her police uniform
• There's also $16.5 million for Camp Blanding, specifically supporting various construction projects to
• And let's make sure every child in Florida, no matter their zip code, has a chance to climb.
• Representative Duggan, CS for House Bill 1173, a bill to be entitled an act relating to the Florida Trust Code
• The bill amends the Florida Trust Code as it relates to the powers of the Florida Attorney General.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then adopted the special order report and moved into a series of budget-related bills. The chamber first took up HB 5011/SB 2506 on environmental resource management and natural resources funding, where Democrats argued the bill would reduce recurring support for the Resilient Florida program, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, invasive species removal, and other conservation efforts. Supporters said the change would shift money from recurring to nonrecurring funding so the Legislature could reassess priorities each year and rely more on private-sector stewardship. After a strike-all amendment and conference posture change, SB 2506 passed 97-12. HB 5013, reducing state-funded property reinsurance reserves, passed 108-0, and HB 5501, redirecting documentary stamp tax distributions from housing and transportation trust funds into general revenue, passed 82-26 after extended debate over its impact on affordable housing and transportation funding. The House also passed HB 5015 on state group insurance, which requires DMS to develop a formulary management system and was described as producing significant savings; members raised concerns about prescription access and implementation, but the bill passed 109-0. HB 5201 on state financial accounting and HB 5203 on the Capitol Center both passed unanimously, as did HB 5009, which creates a Florida Accountability Office and reorganizes audit functions. The chamber then passed HB 7031, a major sales tax reduction bill lowering the state sales tax rate and several related rates; supporters framed it as permanent relief for all Floridians, while opponents said property tax relief would be more meaningful and that the sales tax cut would also benefit tourists and out-of-state visitors. HB 7031 passed 112-0. The House then began consideration of HB 501, the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget, totaling $112.9 billion and emphasizing reduced recurring spending and large reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined their budget silos: K-12 education at $20.6 billion with teacher raises, school hardening, literacy, transportation stipends, and security funding for Jewish day schools; health care at $47 billion with full Medicaid and KidCare funding, opioid settlement spending, mental health beds, and senior services; transportation/economic development at $18.5 billion; agriculture and natural resources at $5.8 billion with reduced Everglades spending but continued water, resiliency, and land management funding; higher education at $8.7 billion; state administration at $2.9 billion; justice at $7.3 billion; and IT at $529 million for Florida PALM, FX, and other systems. Members then began questioning the K-12 budget, focusing on FEFP funding, proration, voucher growth, stabilization dollars, mental health and school safety funding, and whether districts would be held harmless under the proposed allocations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, the construction of the project is having a strong, positive economic impact in the Central
• This project has faced many challenges during its construction, including lack of funding to complete
• that sections 11 and 12 of this act, which adds sections 187035 and 187037 to the Public Utilities Code
• The suspects were charged under Penal Code 236.1.
• The suspects were charged under Penal Code 2236.1.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have McCarthy Construction on site.
• The space in its entirety is fully encapsulated by the construction team.
• McCarthy Construction initiated that demo, as I just touched on, last Monday.
• And then it will be full-on construction and starting to build out the space as designed.
• "Construction to show you that vantage point.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a series of updates on health-related projects and Department of Health and Human Services budget matters. Representatives from CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck and Williston, and Altru in Grand Forks, reported progress on behavioral health expansion projects, including demolition and construction milestones, updated timelines, funding status, staffing plans, and barriers such as an unbudgeted air handler replacement in Williston. Members asked about original completion dates, use of telehealth, recruitment of psychiatrists and other staff, and whether the new beds might reduce the need for patients to travel to Jamestown State Hospital. The projects were described as on track overall, with completion expected in 2027 for the larger builds and earlier openings for some phases in Williston. The committee then heard from HHS leadership on technical line-item transfers and the Salaries and Wages Block Grant. Donna Ockland explained that recent transfers were administrative corrections to place spending in the proper budget lines and did not involve new spending, and she reviewed FTE counts and vacancies across the department. Questions focused on behavioral health staffing changes and the use of consultants in the Rural Health Transformation Program. Pat Rainer outlined the rural health program’s first-year grants and priorities, including workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community wellness initiatives, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, hospital equipment, suicide prevention training, technology, and EMS support. He said North Dakota’s plan was drawing positive national attention, but the department still needed to obligate roughly $199 million by September and was working with CMS on timing and compliance. The committee also received an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller. She said North Dakota had been accepted as a demonstration state, with certification efforts underway in Williston, North Central, Fargo, and Dickinson. Members asked about care coordination, service growth, staffing, and whether certification would expand to all clinics; the department said it was still collecting baseline data and evaluating impacts before making future recommendations. Finally, Rebecca Askins reviewed SNAP payment error rates, explaining that the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89 percent and that the department is working on training, system changes, and quality assurance steps to get below 6 percent. Members pressed on the causes of monthly variability, the performance of the SPACES system, and accountability for ongoing errors, and the department said it expects improvement over the next 6 to 12 months.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, so 20 projects delivered to construction over four years.
• Okay, so 20 projects delivered to construction over four years.
• Some of those are already underway and being constructed.
• It is disruptive while it's being constructed.
• We'd have to manually code that into the record. We have to manually code that into the record.

Summary: The committee met to receive a base budget overview for agencies under its jurisdiction, which include the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Military Affairs, and Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Staff explained the budget format and noted that the Legislature appropriated more than $20.2 billion to these agencies in the current fiscal year, a 66.7% increase over 10 years. The Department of Transportation then presented on the Moving Florida Forward initiative, describing it as a $7 billion effort to advance 20 major congestion-relief projects statewide. Secretary Jared Perdue said the department is ahead of schedule, with 14 of 20 projects expected to be underway by the end of the calendar year. He highlighted major projects including I-4 in Polk and Osceola counties, I-75 improvements, Southwest 10th Street in Broward County, Fruitville Road, Capital Circle in Tallahassee, and I-275, and discussed innovations such as aggregate supply grants, modified phase design-build, workforce hiring events, and voluntary acceleration. Senators asked about business impacts from construction, tourism-related transit funding, aggregate sourcing, and labor shortages; the secretary said FDOT works with local businesses and that additional revenue sources for transit would require legislative action. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reviewed motorist services, revenue collection, licensing, vehicle titling, specialty plates, insurance compliance, driver safety, and commercial driver licensing. Officials said the department collected about $2.9 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023-24 and described modernization efforts, including electronic verification systems, Real ID compliance, mobile licensing units, and a planned digital driver license. Members asked about the driver license backlog in Miami-Dade and Broward, and the department said service delays were driven by growth and staffing constraints but should improve with $7.5 million in recent funding and the eventual transition of services to county tax collectors. Questions also addressed temporary paper licenses and birth certificate fraud prevention. The Department of Commerce presented on the Job Growth Grant Fund and Visit Florida. Commerce said the grant fund, created in 2017, has awarded $257 million to 70 projects in 37 counties since 2019, with demand exceeding supply about four to one. Officials emphasized that the program supports targeted industries and workforce and infrastructure projects, and they highlighted examples in CDL training, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and health care. Senators raised concerns about small businesses affected by transportation construction, and Commerce said it has an Office of Small Business Innovation and other tools, though the grant fund is limited by statute to targeted industries. Visit Florida then described its public-private tourism marketing role, saying the state’s $80 million appropriation is matched by private investment and that the latest EDR review found a $3.30 return in tax revenue for every state dollar spent. Visit Florida reported record visitation and tourism spending, along with hurricane recovery marketing and rural promotion efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:17:46.000> So,<00:17:46.240> we had major construction defects.
• So, we had major construction defects.
• What's the status of the construction defects with Hawaii State Hospital?
• But because of the construction defects, how many of the original beds before the construction defects
• in our sort of during the penal code in our sort of during the penal code review<01:00:36.319>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The briefing focused on the Hawaii State Hospital’s overcrowding, construction defects in the new addition, and how Act 26 and related court-ordered processes are affecting admissions and discharges. The chair said the hospital has become increasingly forensic-focused, has lost beds after the closure of Kahimohala, and may face further costs and possible litigation over the defective addition. Hospital and Department of Health officials said they are working with the attorney general and contractors on repairs, and that the hospital is currently using all 292 licensed beds, including 13 waiver beds, while average daily census last fiscal year was 376. Officials explained that the high census is driven by both increased admissions and discharge barriers. They said the loss of Kahimohala returned patients to the state hospital, and that Act 26-related petty misdemeanor cases are contributing to admissions. They also said limited lower-level placement options delay discharges. Hospital staff reported that many patients are repeat admissions, about 22% were unhoused before admission, and a significant share are in categories such as fitness-to-proceed evaluations and conditional-release violations. They said these groups could potentially be reduced if evaluations were done elsewhere and if more community or supportive housing were available. The chair and senators questioned whether some fitness-to-proceed detainees need to be held at the state hospital at all, and whether the Clark consent order requires transfer to the hospital. The attorney general’s office said the Clark injunction does not govern unfitness-to-proceed cases; instead, the requirement comes from state statute, and the statute could be changed. Director Johnson said DCR cannot keep such detainees because the court orders them into the custody of the Department of Health, and the department cannot provide the needed therapeutic level of care in a correctional setting. The discussion also emphasized co-occurring substance use and mental illness, especially among petty misdemeanor defendants, and the need for supportive housing and a decompression plan to reduce readmissions and free beds for civil commitments.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've seen people who have submitted materials that not long ago, I saw a citation to a code section that
• .. ...is a real gap in the law by harmonizing the law of mandatory reporting under CANRA and Penal Code
• Okay, because that was why the separate callout to include it in Civil Code Section 3310, because it
• Madam Chair and members, Mike West, on behalf of the State Building and Construct and Trades Council
• The Penal Code defines person to include businesses.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on artificial intelligence, child safety, mental health, and privacy. SB 574 by Senator Umberg would require transparency and human oversight when attorneys, judges, and court neutrals use AI; it drew support from privacy advocates and committee members, with no opposition. SB 1276, the End Child Exploitation Act, would update child sexual exploitation laws to cover live-streamed and AI-generated abuse material and clarify that viewing such content can be criminally punishable; prosecutors, child advocacy groups, and others supported it, while no one appeared in opposition despite opposition on file. SB 813 would create a California AI standards and safety commission and a voluntary two-tier certification framework for AI safety standards; supporters said it would create scalable, independent oversight, while TechNet and CalChamber opposed it as duplicative, under-defined, and likely to create a de facto mandate. The committee discussed market pressure, federal preemption concerns, and the role of voluntary standards, but no final vote was taken in the excerpt. Senator Padilla also presented SB 300, which would strengthen protections for minors from sexually explicit chatbot content by moving from a reasonableness standard to an affirmative duty to prevent such exposure and to prohibit facilitation. Supporters said new evidence showed greater risks and that companies can and should build stronger safeguards; opponents, including TechNet and CCIA, argued the bill was premature because SB 243 had only recently taken effect and warned it could create strict-liability-like exposure. Padilla then presented SB 903, which would bar AI chatbots from being advertised as therapists, require licensed clinician oversight and informed consent for AI use in psychotherapy, and protect patient confidentiality; it received broad support from mental health professionals and labor groups, while industry and health associations were opposed unless amended over triage and crisis-detection language. The committee members emphasized the need for human judgment in mental health care and noted ongoing negotiations on amendments. The committee also heard SB 1119, a companion to AB 2020, which would require annual risk assessments, crisis-response protocols, default child settings, parental controls, limits on data use, public incident reporting, and third-party audits for chatbots used by children. Supporters argued the bill would address documented harms and improve transparency, while industry groups objected to ambiguous standards, liability exposure, and the private right of action. A roll call vote was taken on SB 1119 after quorum was established; the motion to pass to Appropriations succeeded on a 5-1 vote, with one no vote and the measure left on call for absent members. Finally, SB 354, a privacy bill for insurance consumers, would modernize outdated insurance privacy rules, bar sale of personal information, and expand consumer rights to know, correct, and delete data. Supporters said it would implement Proposition 24’s privacy mandate, while a large coalition of insurers, agents, brokers, and related businesses opposed unless amended, mainly seeking a small-business exemption and narrower treatment of publicly available information; members and the author said negotiations were ongoing and the bill had already been substantially revised.

Transcript Highlights:

• That, all of the allocation of the in-state program is really well outlined in statutory code regarding
• If there's been an update to any century code or any anything, you've also incorporated that into these
• describe the withdrawals of cash from the fund for the Legacy Fund because it's outlined in Century Code
• And maybe just to add, you've incorporated any new changes to Century Code in here, which we can tell
• One doesn't have to construct this program to accommodate the possibility of that.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor is proposing a long-overdue improvement to the sales tax code.
• <00:02:40.760> stable<00:02:41.760> uh<00:02:41.959> tax<00:02:42.319> code
• a more fair and more stable uh tax code a more fair and more stable uh tax code so<00:02:43.360>
• 00:02:57.800> tax overdue Improvement to the sales tax overdue Improvement to the sales tax code
• and uh what uh he and lieutenant code and uh what uh he and lieutenant governor<00:03:02.120> is<

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met to hear a presentation from the Commissioner of Revenue on Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s tax proposal, with members told no public testimony would be taken because bill language was not yet available. The commissioner said the proposal would lower the statewide sales tax rate by 0.75 percentage points while expanding sales tax to selected professional services such as legal, brokerage, banking, and accounting, with several carve-outs. He emphasized that the plan would not add business-to-business sales taxes, arguing that taxing business inputs leads to tax pyramiding and higher hidden consumer costs. The commissioner said the rate cut would be the first sales tax rate cut in state history and estimated it at about $95 million annually, while the service expansions would raise about $203 million to $205 million annually, for a net increase of roughly $110 million per year. He said the proposal is part of the governor’s broader budget, which he described as addressing long-term structural deficits and funding other priorities such as an R&D credit, an expanded sustainable aviation fuel credit, fraud prevention, and service-member retention bonuses. He also said the carve-outs and exemptions would be reflected in the revenue estimate. Members questioned whether the proposal was truly a tax cut or instead a tax increase, and several asked for a revenue-neutral rate if all or more services were taxed. One member raised concerns about how pro bono legal work with a fee would be treated, and another asked about possible streamlining issues and whether fees are treated as taxes in statute. The commissioner said a fee would be taxable depending on the arrangement and that the department would review the language carefully once drafted. He also said the department would provide more detailed estimates later, including what the rate would be if the tax were made revenue neutral. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would love to hear any ideas that are constructive to address the problem, and that's an invitation
• I would love to hear any ideas that are constructive to address the problem, and that's an invitation
• I would love to hear any ideas that are constructive to address the problem, and that's an invitation
• after comment by the the construction after comment by the planning<01:30:23.560> board<01:30
• for a municipality to allow construction for a municipality to allow construction a<01:31:38.040

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That uh capital construction bill.
• ,<00:01:19.000> the Uh for state capital construction, the Uh for state capital construction
• bill uh to the capital construction bill uh to the capital construction bill. bill. bill.
• in the wrong um object code. in the wrong um object code.
• where the what the proper code is? where the what the proper code is? Uh<00:54:08.600> Mr.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Actually helped me construct one of them.
• You specific guys for construction projects.
• During construction.
• Where they are under construction by year, color-coded with the links shown on this map.
• Paseo del Vulcan will eventually be constructed.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is going to be Agency Code 350. We had been a little bit ahead of time.
• If you are not aware, we purchase everything from pencils to construction.
• It's... ...a new facility that we are constructing. The bids are closing December 4th.
• The construction will be complete December of next year.
• Building passed all codes, Mr. Chairman. Um, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• of a lot of small-town conservation commissions when we might just need a scalpel in some building codes
• :17.040> building just need a scalpel in some building just need a scalpel in some building codes
• 10:18.240> that<00:10:18.399> right<00:10:18.640> in<00:10:18.720> the codes
• and things like that right in the codes and things like that right in the bar<00:10:19.000> business
• And the idea, um, here, of course, is just to incent additional construction of housing in the state.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all