Transcript Highlights:

• The committee substitute narrows the bill's scope by limiting regulatory authority to live animal vendors
• Chairman and members. ...regulatory requirements. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members.
• The substitute will improve the process in which a local regulatory authority may rescind a development
• The substitute will improve the process in which a local regulatory authority may rescind a development

Bills: HB1532, HB2731, HB3483, HB4308, HB4580, HB4582, HB5509, HB5663

Keywords: Lake Houston, dredging, maintenance district, flood control, environment, public works, HB 2731, roadside vendors, solicitors, county regulation, border counties, Mexico border, Transportation Code, unincorporated areas, right-of-way, public highway, parking lot, livestock sales, live animals, vendor regulation

Summary: The committee heard and discussed several local-government-related bills, mostly with committee substitutes. House Bill 2731 would let certain border counties regulate roadside vendors selling live animals in unincorporated areas and along public rights-of-way; the substitute narrowed the bill to live animal sales only and excluded livestock and other roadside commerce. House Bill 3483 would streamline TCEQ review of special utility district revenue bonds by removing tax-bond requirements that do not apply to SUDs. House Bill 4308 would create a county industrial development district framework, limited in the substitute to certain counties including Fort Bend County, to help finance industrial sites and related infrastructure. House Bill 5663 would create a Wood County Hospital District memory-care-focused district with no taxing power, intended to help pursue grants and other funding for a new facility. House Bill 4582 addressed attainable housing in Dallas and Tarrant counties, allowing local reimbursement tools for developers under a uniform, optional framework. House Bill 5509 would let municipalities suspend or revoke a hotel’s certificate of occupancy if law enforcement and a criminal court both find probable cause of human trafficking, with the substitute adding due-process protections. House Bill 1532 created a Lake Houston dredging and maintenance district funded by revenue from dredged material sales and revenue bonds, with no taxing authority or eminent domain. House Bill 23, heard as pending business, would revise the process for local governments to rescind development documents and adjust third-party reviewer liability and eligibility rules. House Bill 4580, concerning property tax exemptions for charitable organizations such as the Houston Rodeo, was amended to remove language about exempting revenue from property use and instead focus on land used for agricultural, youth, and educational support. Public testimony was generally supportive on the bills heard, with witnesses including county officials, utility and water association representatives, hotel industry representatives, and housing developers. Several speakers emphasized the need for faster financing or permitting tools, flood mitigation, housing affordability, anti-trafficking enforcement, or local economic development. Some members raised concerns about scope, precedent, consultation with affected senators, and due process, particularly on House Bill 4582 and House Bill 5509, but the committee largely accepted the committee substitutes as improvements. No public testimony was offered on several bills, and most measures were left pending before later being voted out. The committee took recorded votes on multiple pending bills and reported them favorably, often with committee substitutes adopted in lieu of the filed versions. House Bills 1532, 2731, 3483, 5509, 5663, and 4580 were reported out, with 1532 and 5663 passing unanimously and 3483, 2731, and 5509 also receiving favorable votes despite one present-not-voting on 3483. House Bill 23 and House Bill 4582 were left pending subject to call of the chair. The committee then recessed until adjournment or later.

Transcript Highlights:

• establishments to be licensed through OPLC and to be held accountable through that department's regulatory
• Um, but they also do extensive training and support for regulatory authorities, including agencies like
• But it gives them the regulatory authority.
• information for you as well, but I think it's looking at it, um, from like a health and safety regulatory
• But it gives them the regulatory authority.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, Kentucky has increasingly fallen behind on a lot of these regulatory reforms.
• driving this regulatory barriers driving this artificial<00:53:36.400><c> shortage.
• In Houston and Minneapolis, where they removed regulatory barriers, made it easier to build, rent growth
• barriers, made it easier to regulatory barriers, made it easier to build,<00:55:37.359><c> rent</c><
• reforms in recent years on regulatory reforms in recent years and<01:11:53.679><c> speeding</c><01:11

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:15 Roll Call 00:00:45 Discussion of Pro-Growth Housing Policies 00:02:33 Adjournment 01:17:15, 958, all

Summary: The Housing Task Force 2.0 reconvened with several new members and heard a presentation from Kentucky Housing Corporation Executive Director Winston Miller and Deputy Executive Director Wendy Smith. They framed the task force’s work as a practical effort to address Kentucky’s housing shortage, update members on the current housing landscape, summarize existing state and federal resources, and suggest areas for the task force to focus on over the coming year. KHC said its 2024 housing supply gap analysis found Kentucky is short about 206,000 housing units, split roughly evenly between rental and homeownership, and projected the gap could grow to 287,000 units by 2029 if current trends continue. They emphasized that every county in Kentucky needs more housing, that the 2008 housing crisis and loss of construction capacity remain major causes of the shortage, and that current pressures include high interest rates, rising insurance and tax costs, construction cost inflation, and housing prices and rents growing faster than incomes. KHC also said homelessness has risen in Kentucky, with point-in-time counts showing double-digit increases in recent years. The presenters reviewed existing resources, including federal programs, the Kentucky Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the rural housing trust fund, KHC mortgage and down payment assistance programs, and the state mortgage interest deduction. They said these resources are important but insufficient to close the gap, and noted that a proposed federal FY2026 budget would cut HUD programs by 44%, potentially removing about $286 million from Kentucky housing resources, though no action has been taken yet. They urged the task force to consider stronger, more flexible tools such as a revolving loan fund, a state affordable housing tax credit, and economic development and employer-assisted housing incentives, and pointed to Indiana’s housing infrastructure and regional development funds as examples. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:46:26.319><c> delivery</c> with project efficiency and delivery with project efficiency and delivery
• Two, it would strengthen efficiently.
• And for many years, as Senator said, MnDOT has been expected to hit a 15% efficiency measure.
• </c><01:43:20.960><c> savings</c> assumes all of those efficiency savings assumes all of those efficiency
• Uh, there simply is no need for the state to seize all regulatory control in this area.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:42:51.119><c> the</c> overlap here, but because of the overlap here, but because of the regulatory
• tools that were used and regulatory tools that were used and challenged.<00:42:54.880><c> Courts</c>
• </c><00:45:14.960><c> regimes</c> AI-specific regulatory regimes, where clarification is warranted.
• Courts have been pretty consistent on those three regulatory measures that I've mentioned.
• </c> consistent on those three regulatory consistent on those three regulatory measures<00:54:38.079>

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 KentuckyWired Communications Network Authority 00:01:20 Artificial Intelligence and Free Expression 00:38:40, 958, all

Summary: The committee questioned KCNA officials about the Kentucky Wired network refresh, focusing on whether the equipment truly needed replacement now and what the vendor end-of-support dates were for the network’s layer 1, 2, and 3 equipment. Senators and representatives pressed for invoices, purchase orders, and vendor documentation, and KCNA staff explained that end-of-support dates vary by specific model and component, not just by broad product family. KCNA agreed to provide a detailed list of components, part numbers, and support dates, and acknowledged that some requested documentation had not yet been produced. A major point of discussion was the timing of the system refresh. KCNA said the 10-year refresh schedule comes from the project agreement, specifically Schedule 19, Section 2.1B, which requires the first system refresh to be completed by September 3, 2026. Committee members argued the network equipment appears to remain in service life for at least the next two years and questioned why an upgrade would be needed immediately. KCNA responded that failing to complete the refresh could excuse the service provider from contractual obligations and could constitute a material breach or default under the project and bond documents. Members also asked about network capacity and the impact on schools and state users. KCNA said it would need to check with Quark for an exact utilization figure, while the chair cited prior testimony that schools account for about 80% of traffic and KCNA about 20%. The committee raised concerns about schools not connected to the network and the effect of KCNA’s actions on continuity of service, while KCNA disputed that K-12 service had been put at risk. KCNA also explained the contract and payment structure: the Commonwealth’s project agreement runs through Kentucky Wired Infrastructure Corporation/Quark, with KEDA-issued bonds and funds flowing through Quark in a waterfall structure. The meeting ended with KCNA agreeing to request underlying vendor invoices from Quark, provide the requested contract documents, and supply information on the status of the wholesaler replacement procurement and related litigation. No formal vote was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• SHPDA so we can see transparently what's going on, and then a working group without any binding regulatory
• </c><00:09:28.959><c> requirements</c><00:09:29.480><c> ments</c> binding um regulatory requirements
• ments binding um regulatory requirements ments to<00:09:29.920><c> try</c><00:09:30.079><c> to</c><00
• Finally, we think those would require additional resources for the regulatory side of that, which we
• side of that which we the regulatory side of that which we didn't<00:10:01.519><c> request</c><00:10

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several health-related bills. HB 72 on pharmacy drew only support, with testimony from the University of Hawaiʻi system, the Board of Pharmacy, pharmacists, and others; no questions were raised. HB 237 on peer support programs also received broad support from the Department of Health, DHS, early learning officials, families, and advocates, with testimony emphasizing the value of peer-to-peer mentoring and support for parents, youth, and people with disabilities; no opposition or questions were noted. HB 250, the prior authorization bill, generated the most discussion. SHPDA supported a revised version focused on reporting prior authorization practices and creating a nonbinding working group to develop automation standards, while PCMA, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, and others raised concerns about duplicative pharmacy requirements, unintended consequences, and alignment with federal timelines and reporting. Several medical groups and individual patients supported the measure, describing delays and burdens caused by prior authorization. A committee member asked whether the bill’s working group differed from a similar group in Senate Bill 1449, and the witness said it was intended to be the same. HB 303 on health care preceptors was supported by the Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi, nursing and health care organizations, and the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, which asked that pharmacists’ residency programs be specifically tied to national accreditation standards. HB 341, relating to issuance of SPURS to assist the Hawaii Island Community Health Association, drew support from the health center and related groups. HB 692 on Preschool Open Doors received extensive support from early learning, education, family, labor, and community organizations; testimony stressed the shortage of child care and preschool slots, especially on Kauai, and the need to expand access for families. Committee members asked about adding family child care providers and about licensing/certification barriers, and DHS said the bill was focused on current licensed child care facilities and that certification issues were a separate, broader problem. HB 700 on cognitive assessments also drew strong support, with the Department of Health, the Executive Office on Aging, disability advocates, the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers, and others urging use of a validated cognitive assessment tool during annual wellness visits and asking that the age 65 threshold be removed; some witnesses supported keeping the data-collection portion as a pilot and emphasized early detection and reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• For instance, purchasing and reporting could be centralized, which would lead to a more efficient process
• For instance, purchasing and reporting could be centralized, which would lead to a more efficient process
• </c><00:57:19.480><c> process</c> would lead to a more efficient process would lead to a more efficient
• I'm here to oppose Senate File 1759, a bill that would provide additional regulatory benefits to large
• </c><01:25:28.840><c> and</c> business operations to be efficient and business operations to be efficient

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the lack of regulatory enforcement by the Commerce Department at this time will put costs back onto
• And the lack of regulatory enforcement by the Commerce Department at this time will put costs back onto
• And<00:15:06.200><c> the</c><00:15:06.280><c> lack</c><00:15:06.640><c> of</c><00:15:06.760><c> regulatory
• </c><00:15:07.440><c> enforcement</c> And the lack of regulatory enforcement And the lack of regulatory

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: Senators and House members held a press event in support of HF 4188, a bill addressing commercial insurance coverage for home care nursing for medically complex children who also receive medical assistance. Speakers said the issue arose after Medica and HealthPartners began imposing caps on coverage that had been provided for years under Minnesota law, and argued that the change would shift costs to Medicaid and taxpayers, create budget pressure, and force families to reduce other needed services. They emphasized that home care nursing is distinct from short-term home health visits and said the bill would prohibit quantity limits and clarify that insurers must continue covering authorized nursing care. Parents and family members described the impact on children who depend on continuous skilled nursing to remain safely at home, including one family whose child Nash has spent extensive time hospitalized and another speaker who said her niece Isabel’s care showed how many nurses, aides, and hospice workers are involved in these cases. Testimony stressed that the coverage caps could lead to more hospitalizations, ICU stays, and trauma for children and families, while costing more overall than home care. Several lawmakers, including Sen. Matt Klein and Rep. Robert Bierman, said the statute’s original intent was clear in 2010 and that the plans’ reinterpretation and the Commerce Department’s response should be corrected. Lawmakers said the Commerce and Consumer Protection Conference Committee has completed its work but is being kept open for the remaining days of session in hopes of resolving the issue this year. In response to questions, supporters said the bill is intended as a clarification rather than a new mandate, that it would simply bar caps on already-authorized home care nursing, and that they believe there is support to move it through the House and Senate before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• legislation which allowed additional information to be added to a label that was above and beyond the regulatory
• purview of the federal regulatory... ...purview of the federal regulatory purview of this specific label
• discussed on the dais, they would have to have an enforcement mechanism in Idaho and some kind of regulatory
• discussed on the dais, they would have to have an enforcement mechanism in Idaho and some kind of regulatory

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Commerce Committee approved the February 24, 2026 minutes and then considered a gubernatorial reappointment of Jeff Seilich to the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) board. Seilich told the committee PERSI remains stable and well funded, and members praised his service; the committee said it would likely vote on the reappointment later in the week. The committee then advanced House Bill 543, a technical PERSI bill updating language to comply with federal Secure Act 2.0 by changing references from after-tax contributions to Roth-type contributions in the PERSI Choice Plan. Representative Ben Furman and PERSI Director Mike Hampton described it as a narrow compliance fix, and the committee voted unanimously to send the bill to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. House Bill 563, which revises CPA licensing requirements, also received a due pass recommendation. Representative Jeff Ehlers and Idaho Society of CPAs representatives said the bill is intended to address a shortage in the profession by creating three pathways to licensure, including options with fewer education hours but more experience, while keeping the CPA exam requirement and easing reciprocity for out-of-state CPAs. The committee voted to send the bill to the floor. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 1310, the Human Fetal Tissue Transparency Act, which would require labeling for products tested or developed using human fetal tissue or related cell lines. Supporters argued the bill would improve consumer transparency and informed consent for products such as vaccines, cosmetics, and food items; opponents and several senators raised concerns about federal preemption, enforcement, costs to businesses, and whether the bill would apply to doctors, hospitals, and retailers. After debate, the committee adopted a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee by a 5-4 roll call vote, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Rather, it modernizes outdated statutory language, clarifies regulatory standards, and it helps ensure
• It also improves regulatory clarity, restores necessary rulemaking authority, and The regulatory clarity
• cannabinoid products are treated as marijuana, or treats them as marijuana, and subjects them to the regulatory
• This bill creates a closed regulatory class.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the House Journal by roll call vote, 126-0. Members then offered several points of personal privilege and introductions, including recognition of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, a tribute and moment of silence for the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, and greetings to various visiting groups such as manufacturers, FFA students, university graduate students, and the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps for an America 250 event. The chamber then moved through first reading of several bills and took up multiple measures for perfection and printing. House Bill 2596, dealing with multiple employer self-insured health plans for small businesses, received supportive testimony from members who said it would help small employers recruit and retain workers and modernize outdated law; it was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 1644, establishing a franchise-specific joint employer standard, drew extensive debate over liability, franchisor control, and whether it would protect small franchise businesses without limiting legitimate claims; it was also adopted and ordered perfected and printed. House Bill 2423, updating consumer credit licensing fees for the fee-funded Division of Finance, was presented as a way to keep the agency self-funded and maintain consumer protection staffing, and it too was ordered perfected and printed. The House also considered House Bill 2641, which would regulate intoxicating hemp products and align state law with federal changes set to take effect on November 12, 2026. The bill’s sponsor said it was intended to protect children, provide clarity, and create a coordinated enforcement framework, while opponents argued it was unconstitutional because it would effectively reclassify hemp products under the marijuana framework in Article 14 of the Missouri Constitution and could harm lawful hemp businesses. An amendment and a technical amendment were adopted, and the bill was then adopted and perfected and printed as amended. The House later announced committee meetings and other notices before voting to recess until 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• We strongly support the goals of this bill to ensure that the regulatory frameworks allow audiologists
• preserve access to high-quality hearing care for Washington residents by ensuring that Washington's regulatory
• And thank you to the legislature for giving us the authority to continue to do this with our regulatory
• And thank you to the legislature for giving us the authority to continue to do this with our regulatory
• Senator Riccelli noted, the funding for this program comes out of the insurance commissioner's regulatory

Bills: SB6226, SB6305, SB5924, SB5990, SB5185, SB5845, SB6071, SB6258

Keywords: SB 6226, Washington, audiology, audiologist, hearing aid specialist, speech-language pathologist, telehealth, teleaudiology, clinical autonomy, clinical judgment, in-person care, remote care, Board of Hearing and Speech, hearing instruments, hearing aids, dispensing hearing aids, standards of care, professional licensure, health professions regulation, patient-centered care

Transcript Highlights:

• requires language making clear that this is not an insurance product, that it is not subject to the regulatory
• have to be told clearly that this is not insurance, that it is not subject to the insurance code's regulatory
• would an insurance agent know which ones are allowable to sell, which ones qualify, if there's no regulatory
• It is not a regulatory structure for these ministries. It's a safe harbor from regulation.
• And with all the regulatory burdens listed in that state law, Colorado did not put into place a ban on

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills. SB 624, by Senator Yarborough, would allow batterers intervention programs to offer optional supplemental faith-based activities, with no participant required to take part; supporters said it would expand provider options amid a shortage of certified programs, while opponents raised concerns about government speech and mixing religion with court-ordered programming. After debate, the bill was reported favorably 7-2. The committee also considered CS/SB 834, which repeals a 2022 restriction preventing licensed insurance agents from marketing or selling health care sharing ministries; supporters framed it as restoring choice and free speech, while opponents warned about consumer confusion, commissions, and lack of insurance protections. It was reported favorably 8-2. The committee next approved CS/SB 502, via a strike-all amendment, to give Florida concurrent jurisdiction over certain juvenile offenses on military installations so juveniles can be handled in state juvenile court rather than federal court; the amendment and bill both passed unanimously. CS/SB 52 also passed unanimously after testimony from church leaders and security personnel supporting an exemption from Class D/G licensing for unpaid armed security volunteers at places of worship. Supporters said the bill would clarify legal gray areas and help churches afford security, while members noted the broader concern that houses of worship need armed protection at all. Finally, the committee reported favorably SB 840, which revises last year’s emergency/local planning law by narrowing its application after storms from 100 miles to 50 miles of the storm track and exempting certain water, flood, and state/federal planning matters; local government representatives supported the clarification, and the bill passed 9-0. CS/SB 758, as amended, updated the membership of the Justice Administration Commission to better reflect the entities it oversees, and it also passed 9-0. The meeting ended with a recorded affirmative vote from Senator DeSigley on SB 624.

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota set the stage for what a hemp beverage regulatory framework should look like.
• beverages at no more than 10 milligrams of THC per can while evolving with the national hemp beverage regulatory
• beverage</c> evolving with the national hemp beverage evolving with the national hemp beverage regulatory
• </c><00:10:19.200><c> House</c><00:10:19.519><c> File</c><00:10:19.920><c> 1615</c> regulatory landscape
• House File 1615 regulatory landscape.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• strengthen telehealth access, and align Washington with a well-established, carefully structured regulatory
• with stakeholders within the profession, such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, dietitian regulatory
• of investigative and disciplinary information among participating states, the compact will allow regulatory

Summary: The Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee met on January 13, with members and staff introducing themselves and the chair reviewing committee procedures for the session, including amendment deadlines and the plan to hold most executive sessions on Tuesdays. The committee had only one bill for public hearing, House Bill 2088, which would enact the Dietitian Licensure Compact. Staff explained that the compact would let licensed dietitians practice across state lines under a compact privilege, while member states retain licensing, investigative, and disciplinary authority. Representative Mari Leavitt, the bill sponsor, said the measure follows Washington’s prior work on interstate licensure compacts and is intended to improve access to care, especially in rural areas, and help military spouses quickly reenter the workforce when they move. Testimony was uniformly supportive. Witnesses from the Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, military and veterans groups, the Council of State Governments, and individual dietitians described the compact as a way to reduce licensing delays, support telehealth, improve continuity of care, and ease burdens on military families. One witness also used the hearing to advocate more broadly for universal licensure recognition, though still in support of the compact. According to the committee, 107 people signed in in support and none opposed the bill. After public testimony closed, the committee made a brief announcement about an upcoming dinner with Washington Students Association student lobbyists, and members then broke into caucuses. No vote on HB 2088 occurred during this meeting, and the session adjourned after the hearing and announcements.

Transcript Highlights:

• in advance of giving out the licenses like they did in Teacup because you create the appropriate regulatory
• And that's something that we do need to work on, which is speeding up the rulemaking and the regulatory
• But really, it's a, a regulatory issue at this point.

Transcript Highlights:

• But I certainly would be very open to that, and I agree that it could probably be more efficient. to
• Um I also just wanted to get efficient.
• </c><04:41:37.120><c> structure,</c> when there is a regulatory structure, when there is a regulatory
• So they recognize that efficiencies in the government are going to allow them to do that.
• in the they recognize that efficiencies in the government<04:48:30.718><c> are</c><04:48:30.878><c>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed a budget-related issue involving liquor commission enforcement staff and tobacco enforcement funding. A member explained that proposed cuts to “group two” enforcement positions at the liquor commission could jeopardize the tobacco enforcement money that flows to Health and Human Services, and expressed confidence that the enforcement division would ultimately be preserved. The main hearing was on Senate Bill 19, which would modernize hotel and motel statutes by repealing outdated requirements. The sponsor and the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association said the bill would remove obsolete rules such as the old guest book/card system and antiquated posting requirements for room rates and motel signs. Members questioned whether the bill would eliminate the requirement to record guest departure dates or affect inspection rights, and the witnesses said the intent was only to remove the book-and-card reference while leaving the rest of the recordkeeping requirement in place. Supporters argued the rate-posting rules are widely ignored, hard to enforce, and outdated in an era of digital reservations and variable pricing; the committee also discussed whether any consumer-protection purpose remained. The public hearing on SB 19 was then closed. The committee then heard Senate Bill 280FN, which would require food delivery services to have an agreement with a restaurant or food retail store before offering delivery from that business. The sponsor said the bill restores a prior law that had sunset and was intended to prevent third-party platforms from listing restaurants without consent. Restaurant industry testimony strongly supported the bill, describing problems with unauthorized listings, delayed deliveries, and reimbursement disputes, and saying the agreement requirement protects restaurant brands and consumer expectations. Members shared examples of delivery problems and voiced support for reinstating the safeguard.

Transcript Highlights:

• We share the legislature's commitment to strong consumer protection and effective regulatory oversight
• However, We share the legislature's commitment to strong consumer protection and effective regulatory
• Insurers are already under strict oversight through both regulatory and statutory rules.
• So that's a regulatory issue or creation of the Department of Insurance, seemingly?
• scheme here that And we need to have a regulatory scheme here that is fair to consumers and fair to

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• activities... ...changes to the list of acceptable photo IDs used for voting, creation of a new regulatory
• bus, the things, and they choose the quieter, more energy-efficient bus, they're not allowed to make
• You have kept this chamber moving in a lively and efficient manner.
• Part of it is through energy efficiency in county buildings.
• Isn't that something that we want, but also fleet electrification and fuel efficiency?

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and included several member introductions recognizing guests, interns, firefighters, and a doctor of the day. The chamber then moved to the special order calendar and began taking up a series of bills, often substituting House companions for Senate measures before final passage. The first major bill, health care patient protection, required hospitals with emergency departments to adopt pediatric emergency care policies, training, a pediatric emergency care coordinator, and readiness assessments; it passed 36-0. A public records bill protecting victim identities and temporarily exempting the name of a law enforcement officer who is a victim also passed after questions about access for victims of police misconduct, with a 33-4 vote. The Senate next approved a local government cybersecurity bill creating a state-administered program through Florida Digital Service to help counties and cities strengthen cyber defenses, with priority for rural and fiscally constrained governments; after amendments, it passed 37-0. A clerks of court bill allowing clerks to retain all revenue above projections and, through a House amendment, revising legal notice and traffic citation distribution provisions, passed 38-0 despite debate over impacts on municipalities and law enforcement. The chamber also passed a trademark modernization bill and a septic system permit bill intended to reduce delays for builders; the septic bill was amended to align the House and Senate versions and passed 38-0. The longest and most contested item was the elections bill, which updated citizenship verification procedures using REAL ID and state databases, changed candidate qualification rules, and altered election administration provisions. Numerous amendments were offered and rejected, including proposals to exempt certain seniors, preserve student and retirement-center IDs, allow attestations in place of documentary proof of citizenship, and require human review over automated systems. One amendment to delay implementation until July 1, 2027, was also debated. The transcript ends while debate is still underway on the elections measure, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And while I'm encouraged to see the PUC tackling this issue with the regulatory tools we have, it's our
• Pearson said he wanted to provide a little bit of additional context about the regulatory process.
• mean, I've heard bills in here before that would have got kind of close to taking some of their regulatory
• got kind of close to taking some of got kind of close to taking some of their<00:24:40.240><c> regulatory
• away or their regulatory effect away or different<00:24:42.159><c> things</c><00:24:42.480><c> we've

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard House File 76, as amended by the adopted A1 amendment, and the chair moved the bill to be re-referred to the general register. The bill would limit the amount investor-owned utilities can charge ratepayers for executive compensation, capping recoverable pay for the top 10 executives at the governor’s salary. Representative Greenman argued the measure would protect customers from paying for lavish executive pay and said it would not affect what executives are paid, only what can be recovered from ratepayers. She cited recent Public Utilities Commission action and ongoing rate cases as evidence the issue is real and recurring. Supportive testimony came from a Minneapolis resident describing financial hardship and rising utility bills, a local worker who said customers have no choice of utility provider and should not fund monopoly executive pay, and advocates from the Energy and Policy Institute and Utility Reform Now, who said ratepayers should not subsidize excessive compensation and that the bill is a targeted reform. Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy opposed the bill’s premise by defending the current regulatory process. Their representatives said the PUC already reviews executive compensation in rate cases, generally allows only limited recovery, and has used that process for decades. Xcel also emphasized its affordability programs and said executives help secure savings and investments for customers. Members discussed whether the legislature should set a bright-line rule or leave the issue to the PUC. Representative Greenman said the bill is needed because the PUC process can take years and the legislature should establish a clear standard for all investor-owned utilities. Some members supported the bill as a response to an affordability crisis and the lack of consumer choice, while others said the legislature should focus on broader energy-cost issues and existing regulatory tools. The committee did not take a final vote on the bill in the portion of the meeting provided, but the amendment was adopted and the bill was moved for re-referral to the general register.

Transcript Highlights:

• Folks were concerned about crime and regulatory issues.
• Regulatory issues being a rather large bucket.
• ..about predictability and the impact on employers navigating an already uncertain economic and regulatory
• group of stakeholders and has really worked to try and resolve the issues around affordability, regulatory
• Regulatory burdens and public safety issues, and we appreciate her for doing that.

Bills: HB2038, HB2297, HB2382, HB2487, HB2018

Keywords: HB2038, Washington, B&O tax, business and occupation tax, social media tax, platform tax, youth behavioral health, mental health, adolescent mental health, children's mental health, telebehavioral health, behavioral health account, state treasury, digital services tax, internet platform, social media companies, youth services, depression, anxiety, public health funding