Transcript Highlights:

• R&D is one of the most powerful engines of economic growth and innovation.
• The facility is an economic engine for McKinney, North Texas, and the rest of the United States, as has
• I mean, they'll fly away for sure to get an engine replaced or something major, you know, an avionics
• Right, and engine overhauls are a big ticket item. Thank you, Madam Chair. Senator Paxton.
• We're certified as an FAA Part 145 repair station and employ 36 mechanics, engineers, and support staff

Bills: SB214, SB935, SB1030, SB1901, SB2018, SB2020, SB2066, SB2206

Keywords: HVAC, tax exemption, energy efficiency, residential heating, installation services, Energy Star, sales tax, residential, installation, sales tax exemption, Environmental Protection Agency, temporary exemption, motor fuel tax, county exemption, diesel fuel, gasoline tax, transportation funding, SB 1030, Texas Tax Code, use tax exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• gaskets fuel hoses gaskets and engines gaskets fuel hoses gaskets and engines that<00:32:24.320>
• And do we know, you know, if these vehicles are shedding PFAS through those internal combustion engines
• And do we know, you know, if these vehicles are shedding PFAS through those internal combustion engines
• without causing fire into a hot engine without causing fire heat<00:49:50.440> resistance<00:
• represents manufacturers software represents manufacturers software developers<01:25:12.840>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• did reach a successful conclusion to that fight going outside of the state of Minnesota for the software
• did reach a successful conclusion to that fight going outside of the state of Minnesota for the software
• We're starting three and trying to start the engines.
• more valuable than trying to take... ...what we currently have and stuffing it into a new piece of software
• They go through that verification software system and never even get to our county eligibility workers

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• improvement program that we are executing aggressively in cooperation with CPRA and the Corps of Engineers
• the initiative where we're trying to improve the processes, training, and really leverage modern software
• And so a lot of the work that our department has done, including incorporating modern software, has allowed

Summary: The committee first adopted Amendment Set 527 without objection, then adopted Amendment Set 5327, which adds a compliance officer requirement and related qualifications for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority. Supporters of Senate Bill 56 argued that the Lafitte levee district lacks sufficient recurring revenue to maintain its system and that the West Bank flood authority could provide professional management, coordination, and financial support. Testimony also raised concerns about governance problems at SLFPA East and about unresolved landowner damage claims tied to prior levee work. The committee reported SB 56 favorably with amendments. The Department of Transportation and Development secretary then gave an update on the agency’s transformation initiatives, including outsourcing, construction process improvements, faster contractor payments, quicker change-order approvals, and higher project delivery rates. The committee next reported Senate Bill 171 favorably, which cleans up language for the recreation, economy, navigation, and transportation authority board, and Senate Bill 252 favorably, which allows driver’s license records to reflect both acceptance and refusal of anatomical gift authorization. Senate Bill 72, dealing with electronic vehicle titles and registration, was amended extensively to modernize OMV processes, require electronic lien and title functions for certain users, and set implementation timelines; it was then reported with amendments. House Bill 939, which would create a Louisiana Vehicle Commission by consolidating the motor vehicle commissions, was amended with a substitute but then voluntarily deferred to allow more stakeholder work. Senate Bill 129, creating a Master Combat Infantry Specialty license plate and adding a special plate provision for designated state officials tied to Supreme Court parking/security concerns, was reported with amendments. Finally, House Resolution 243, urging safety warning signage on the Tickfaw River after a fatal boating accident, was amended to shift responsibility to parish governing authorities and was reported with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Of communication devices, everything, laptops in it, engines, and everything.
• We have the ACEA software that we use that I have to maintain, and I Think it's $176,000 a year just
• to maintain our software system.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our offices register and license the people who power the economic engine that runs our Commonwealth.
• It's the engineering that allows them to use equipment that is uniquely suited to do this incredibly
• My dad worked a little bit farther south in Windsor at Combustion Engineering and ABB before he went
• “Trained on those systems that coordinate continuously with the vendors or the software providers.
• This amount includes upgrades to METRC, the seed-to-sale software utilized by the industry.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a public FY27 budget hearing at Barnstable Town Hall, with opening remarks emphasizing the Cape and Islands’ seasonal infrastructure, housing, transportation, workforce, and digital needs. The hearing began with testimony from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which outlined the Healey-Driscoll administration’s budget priorities for job training, apprenticeship, youth employment, reentry programs, and unemployment insurance modernization. The secretary highlighted proposed funding for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Career Technical Initiative, YouthWorks, reentry workforce development, and services for young adults with disabilities, along with a proposal to streamline youth work permits. Members also discussed the unemployment trust fund, the COVID assessment on employers, rising unemployment, and the need to improve DUA customer service and claims processing. Committee members asked about job seeker barriers such as child care, housing, transportation, and out-migration of young workers, as well as how to keep Cape Cod graduates and seasonal workers in the region. The administration said its strategy is to pair training with broader affordability investments and to expose students to career pathways earlier, including through middle school, early childhood STEM, YouthWorks, pre-apprenticeships, and Building Pathways. Senators and representatives also raised concerns about regional funding disparities, especially for Hampshire Franklin MassHire, and the administration said it is reviewing MassHire funding and service equity through a policy committee and statewide workforce board. On unemployment assistance, officials reported major improvements in wait times and claims processing, but said they are still working through backlogs and staffing challenges while maintaining program integrity. The committee then heard testimony from the Executive Office of Economic Development. The secretary described House 2 as a fiscally restrained budget with no new taxes or fees, while preserving core programs and using the Mass Leads Act tools to support competitiveness. EOED’s proposal included funding for the Community One Stop for Growth, rural economic development, social enterprise operating grants, regional economic development organizations, the Workforce Investment Trust Fund, Community Workforce Partnerships, Pathmaker, advanced manufacturing training, life sciences, innovation vouchers, AI initiatives, small business assistance, and tourism and live theater support. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation also testified on its FY27 request, focusing on consumer protection, licensing, banking, insurance, and public safety regulation. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, virtual private networking software have proven to be effective at bypassing such bans,
• I was an on-call engineer for a technology company.
• changes to library software, and reviewing their whole collection are costly.
• I'm a civil engineer, a special needs parent, and a proud transgender woman.
• I'm a civil engineer, a special needs parent, and a proud transgender woman.

Bills: HB186, HB201, HB229, HB796, HB1506, HB2702, HB2885, HB3225, HB3909, HB4285, HB5138

Keywords: social media, children, account verification, data privacy, parental control, financial crime, card fraud, motor fuel theft, law enforcement, criminal activity, skimmers, prevention, training, biological sex, government information, definitions, sex-based distinctions, public health, federal directives, state authority

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 186, which would require social media platforms to verify users are 18 or older before allowing account creation. Invited witnesses in support, including Mary Elizabeth Castle and David Dunmoyer, argued the bill would protect children from harmful algorithms, addictive design, bullying, sexual exploitation, and mental health harms, and emphasized parental rights and the idea that minors should not enter binding contracts with platforms. Committee members questioned them about how algorithms work, whether parents could realistically monitor content, and whether the bill would still allow educational use; the witnesses said the bill was narrowly aimed at harmful social media use and not educational content. Public testimony on HB 186 was largely in opposition, though several student witnesses said they supported the bill’s goals but wanted the age lowered to 16 or the bill amended to allow parental consent or joint accounts. Opponents argued the bill would be ineffective because teens could bypass age checks, would cut off access to educational tools, school communications, recruiting and NIL opportunities, and would burden free speech and privacy. Some witnesses also said social media helps teens with mental health, community, and creative or professional opportunities, while others warned the bill could disproportionately harm disabled and marginalized users. After public testimony closed, HB 186 was left pending. The committee then heard House Bill 5138, which Chairman Hughes said would respond to a court ruling limiting the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute election crimes unless invited by local prosecutors by changing the statute to require AG prosecution. Public testimony on HB 5138 was brief and opposed by at least one witness who argued it would further erode local control and expand state preemption. The bill was left pending after testimony. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 3225, a library bill aimed at keeping sexually explicit books and materials out of children’s sections in municipal libraries and requiring age verification for checkout, including digital access, with parental consent and other revisions added in the House. Supporters said the bill would protect children from explicit material and keep such content in adult sections, while opponents argued it would amount to censorship, be costly and difficult to implement, and could be used to target LGBTQ+ or other marginalized content. Library workers, parents, students, and advocates testified that existing library sections already separate age-appropriate materials and that the bill could reduce access to books, burden libraries, and infringe on parental choice and free expression.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have business processes and how they do things with their agency that have to be re-engineered.
• You can see the $38 million up there for the software systems integrator contract.
• But we have not pulled the software from another state to answer that part of the question.
• PeopleSoft is public software used by both public and private sector, but it is not unique to Florida

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of Financial Services on the My Safe Florida Home program, the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot, and the Florida PALM financial system replacement project. For My Safe Florida Home, Stephen Fielder explained the wind-mitigation grant program, including its inspection-first process, two-to-one matching grants for most homeowners, low-income exemptions from the match, and eligible improvements such as roofs, clips/straps, water barriers, and opening protection. He reported roughly 109,000 initial inspections, nearly 59,000 grants approved, 31,000 final inspections, 25,000 reimbursements, and about $240 million paid out through the end of 2024. Members asked about premium savings, contractor pricing, fraud, owner-builder eligibility, reimbursement timing, and whether the program should have a dedicated funding source; Fielder said the program is currently closed, more than 40,000 people have signed up for updates, and the office has seen some price-gouging and impersonation issues but no major fraud trend. The committee also discussed the new prioritization rules that took effect July 1, 2024, which direct grant awards by age and income. Fielder said the program used a survey of existing applicants to implement the new priority groups and that the first group was over age 60 and low-income. Members raised questions about how premium reductions are measured, whether insurance company changes or rising insured values affect the data, and whether the program can track long-term outcomes after reimbursement. Fielder said the office reports raw premium changes based on declarations pages, knows the insurer for participants, and has validated results with multiple insurers, but does not track homeowners after they leave the program or enforce continued insurance coverage. For the My Safe Florida Condo Pilot, Fielder said the program is modeled on the home program but uses association-level applications, a maximum grant of $175,000 per association, and a similar two-to-one match. He said the application window opened briefly in November and was closed quickly because available funding could be exhausted and the department is prohibited from creating a waiting list. He identified several needed statutory changes, including better distinguishing condos from single-family homes, adjusting roof requirements for flat concrete roofs, and revisiting the unanimous unit-owner vote requirement, which he said has been a major obstacle. Chair Lopez noted the pilot is intended to be a learning process and thanked DFS staff for identifying implementation issues. The final presentation covered Florida PALM, the state’s effort to replace the 40-year-old FLAIR accounting system with a PeopleSoft-based financial management system. Fielder and PALM Director Jimmy Cox said the project began in 2014, the state contracted with Accenture in 2018, cash management went live in 2021, and the project was paused in 2022 for legislative review and remediation. They said the system is expected to go live in 2026, possibly in July rather than January, and that the project has spent about $225 million to date, with a current-year budget of about $60.9 million and a projected next-year request of about $64 million. Members asked about cybersecurity, cloud hosting, project scope, and whether the system is unique to Florida; staff said the system is not Florida-specific, access is credentialed through agency identity management, and the cloud host location is confidential. After the presentations, Chair Lopez assigned members to work with specific agencies on budget review meetings, asked them to discuss agency structure, priorities, staffing, waste reduction, and other budget issues, and set a deadline to report findings in the first week of regular session. The meeting then adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• used to harvest sensitive data, used to enable remote unauthorized access or disable at will via software
• <00:06:17.919> That's via software updates unquote. That's via software updates unquote.
• We're all for change out the software.
• <00:31:26.240> that we're worried about the software that we're worried about the software
• software is involved. software is involved.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Instagram account and rendered her naked. using artificial intelligence-powered clothes removal software
• exception for individuals with disabilities to use their assistive technology and the accompanying software
• Some of the items that are considered no longer allowed include software that uses text-to-speech and
• communication boards. writing system software, and captioning software.
• permitted because schools are not able to limit or control the data that is being captured by these software

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

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

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are sending our economy... and our engineers to participate with their peers across the country
• engineers that, say, the Department of Transportation has.
• They're electrical engineers; they're specially trained. There's a whole energy engineering sector.
• So, those are the types of engineers we're trying to find.
• They're also the types of engineers that Sandia National Labs is trying to find.

Transcript Highlights:

• builders, the engineers, the architects that<00:32:26.559> we<00:32:26.720> work<00:32
• <00:58:18.880> to identified by the structural engineer to identified by the structural engineer
• Tyler is a software as a service.
• Tyler is a software as a applications.
• Tyler is a software as a service.<01:03:23.760> So<01:03:24.000> it's<01:03:24.160>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary met without a quorum and heard an update from the Administrative Office of the Courts on the judicial branch budget. AOC Director Zach Ramsey and budget director Carol Henderson outlined the branch’s current funding structure, noting that fiscal year 2026 general fund support is about 2.77% of the state general fund, below the National Center for State Courts’ typical 2% to 4% range. They emphasized Kentucky’s unusual responsibility for courthouse facilities, with the judicial branch directly involved in construction, maintenance, and operations across 229 facilities in all 120 counties. AOC said nearly 91% of its general fund is spent on personnel and other non-discretionary costs, and that the branch has long relied on agency revenue, restricted fund carryforwards, and vacancy credits to balance court operations. Members were told that Senate Bill 25 required a $34.5 million transfer into a reserve account, part of which was used to purchase the Chamberlain Avenue building in Frankfort. AOC reported that only $11.9 million remains in restricted funds, while it projects needing about $13.5 million to cover fiscal year 2026 obligations, not including roughly $9 million in flood-related remediation costs for Hardin and Franklin counties, much of which it expects to recover through insurance and FEMA. Looking ahead to the next biennium, AOC said it will seek full funding of court operations at $341 million annually, a $13.5 million increase to bring current services into the base appropriation rather than relying on reserves. It also previewed additional requests, including a 15% across-the-board pay parity plan for Kentucky Court of Justice personnel, replacement of declining master commissioner fee revenue tied to 141 deputy circuit court clerk positions, funding for technology subscription and case management system costs, JAV audiovisual system upgrades, AEDs and medical kits for courthouses, and other staffing and operational needs. Senator Funky Frommeyer asked whether the 15% salary proposal was included in the $13.5 million increase; AOC said it was not, and that it would be an additional request. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are part of our searchable engine on get there.
• You've got folks that are in different manufacturing engineering technology.
• technology or that would that would be in our engineering technology field.
• They're up programmable mannequins, cultural reality equipment, software to replicate real-world son
• Because the state has a shortage of nursing talent and the work Force engine.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , um, that happening, sort of the software, um, as they call it projects as well.
• <00:43:57.280> sort<00:43:57.440> of<00:43:57.559> the<00:43:57.720> software
• <00:43:58.440> um that happening sort of the software um that happening sort of the software
• What happened with the introduction of automobiles was an engineering of physical activity out of our
• of physical activity out of engineering of physical activity out of our<00:54:35.000> daily<00

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation held a hearing on several traffic safety and transportation bills. HB 1163 would update commercial driver licensing rules to meet federal requirements and allow limited-term non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and licenses; the Department of Transportation supported it as a fix to an FMCSA-identified issue, while Frank Schultz testified in opposition. HB 1166 would appropriate funds for the automated speed enforcement program; the Department of Law Enforcement, Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, and Edgardo Diaz Vega supported it, while Chad Taniguchi opposed and Frank Schultz offered support. The committee then heard HB 1231, which would prioritize photo red light cameras in school zones and direct related fine revenue to the Safe Routes to School fund; DOT supported the intent but cautioned against limiting placement decisions, Judiciary raised concerns about added court workload, and several advocacy groups and individuals supported the bill as a pedestrian and school safety measure. The committee spent substantial time on HB 1471, which would fund traffic-actuated signals, including leading pedestrian intervals and accessible pedestrian signals, and add a $5 vehicle registration fee for the Safe Routes to School special fund. DOT supported the bill with comments, saying its older signal controllers make LPIs harder to implement but that statewide upgrades are underway; the Department of Health also supported the safety and Vision Zero goals and said it is working with counties on public education. Testimony in support came from Hawaii Appleseed, Hawaii Bicycling League, Ulupono Initiative, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Path People for Active Transportation Hawaii, the Hawaii Self-Advocacy Advisory Council, and others, with one opposition noted among many supporters. Members asked questions about whether LPIs would address “beg buttons,” how red-light and speed-camera programs interact with county roads, and whether speed humps might be more effective in school zones. DOT explained that LPIs improve visibility but do not solve every signal issue, that newer adaptive signals use camera-based sensing, and that the department coordinates with counties and communities on crash mitigation and enforcement priorities. Officials also discussed the status of Safe Routes to School programs, noting that the federal program remains but is difficult to use and that the state program had been moved out of DOT; county coordinators and related coalitions were said to still be active. No votes or final committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Bills: HB19, HB170, HB171, HB173, HB174, HB19, HB170, HB171, HB173, HB174

Keywords: Ebony Alert, missing youth, public safety, law enforcement, racial equity, HB170, supplemental appropriations, Education Trust Fund, Alabama education budget, school funding, K-12 education, local boards of education, textbook adoption, school buses, school safety, charter schools, summer programs, afterschool programs, reading intervention, college and career readiness

Transcript Highlights:

• So we start people off early in the basics of engineering.
• So this is really the heart of what engineering is.
• So I don't want to turn out a civil engineer, a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer—and this
• It turns out they're desperate for engineers.
• You are doing it as a software-as-a-service deliverable.

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• I oversee engineers because that's what project managers do.
• So I'm hiring engineering firms that work all over the country.
• So I'm hiring engineering firms that work all over the country.
• I just don't think we should be going further than already having these engineers.
• We have to go to outside entities as engineers. We put specs on it.

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on May 18, 2026, with a quorum present and the chair noting it was the committee’s last meeting of the session. The committee first considered Senate Bill 254, which would prohibit certain excess debit card surcharges and authorize enforcement by the Attorney General. After adopting technical amendments and a committee amendment requiring written notice before a private right of action, the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee then took up Senate Bill 80 on broadband administration fees and GUMBO program closeout. Members questioned the proposed increase in administrative and contractor fees, the timing of project completion, and how withheld reimbursements would work for utility damage. After adopting several amendments, including cleanup language and a provision to restore the reimbursement process, the bill was reported favorably as amended, though the Louisiana Telecommunications Association voiced concerns about the withholding language and lack of a clearer fault-determination process. The committee next considered Senate Bill 469, updating the Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law. Technical amendments were adopted, along with amendments clarifying that the bill’s 30-day notice to utility owner-operators is separate from existing GUMBO notice requirements and creating a rapid dispute-resolution process involving the Office of Broadband, the utility operator, and the local governing authority. Testimony from broadband and municipal stakeholders emphasized the need for quicker responses to excavation damage and better enforcement, while some witnesses raised concerns about the late amendment and the need for clearer recourse and standards. The bill was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 468, dealing with fuel rewards programs and fuel discount limits, was also amended to allow such discounts while capping them at $1 below the advertised price; it was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 131, concerning attorney’s fees and costs in professional licensing disciplinary proceedings, drew testimony from a cosmetology board representative and the Pelican Institute. Supporters argued the bill would curb incentives for boards to generate revenue through enforcement and give licensees a fairer opportunity to resolve cases; board testimony noted that some boards already have fee caps and that enforcement actions are relatively limited. After adopting an amendment clarifying when a licensee is the prevailing party, the bill was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 251 on critical infrastructure protection also received technical amendments and several substantive changes, including adding ports and airports to the definition of critical infrastructure, clarifying “significant access,” adding a knowledge requirement, and adjusting exemptions and enforcement timing; it was reported favorably as amended after testimony from State Armor representatives about foreign adversary threats. Finally, House Resolution 253 was introduced to create a task force to study how post-2005 building code additions and inspection requirements affect residential construction costs, with the sponsor explaining the goal was to gather industry input and return recommendations next session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Weary, so, uh, last fall it was discovered in the software code of the machines that the
• code of the machines in the software code of the machines that<01:06:30.359> the<01:06:30.480
• However, there is no one who has human factors engineering background or another parallel background,
• um uh human factors engineering um uh human factors engineering background<01:27:39.440> or
• issues or hardware technical software issues or hardware issues<03:57:57.439> uh<03:57:57.600

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Williams International, an American jet engine company, chose to invest in rural Okaloosa County for
• CleverTech, actually one of the top engineering companies in the world, located in Fort Myers, Florida
• So ServiceNow is a software-as-a-service company, really a well-known company nationally.
• I'd like to introduce Jennifer Marshall, the Department of Transportation chief engineer.
• Fish and Wildlife Service, FWC, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, all of these different

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development met to hear presentations from the Department of Commerce and the Florida Department of Transportation. Jason Mahon of Florida Commerce outlined the state’s economic development strategy, emphasizing Florida’s GDP growth, business formation, and strengths in manufacturing, high-tech, life sciences, defense, and financial services. He described the department’s tools for small business lending, rural investment tax credits, venture capital support, infrastructure and workforce grants, performance-based incentives, and disaster recovery loans, and highlighted examples such as ServiceNow, Williams International, Asteris, and Point Blank Enterprises. Senators asked about grant availability for small businesses, foreign companies relocating to Florida, workforce shortages in manufacturing, and whether additional tools may be needed; Mahon said most small-business support is loan-based and noted ongoing workforce and infrastructure challenges. Jennifer Marshall of FDOT then reviewed major transportation projects and the Moving Florida Forward initiative, describing the state’s large portfolio of active contracts and major congestion-relief projects across Florida. She highlighted early completions and accelerated timelines on projects including the NASA Causeway Bridge, I-95 at US 1 in Volusia County, I-4 congestion relief lanes, the First Coast Expressway, the Howard Frankland Bridge, I-4 interchanges in Central Florida, A1A coastal protection work, I-75 improvements in Southwest Florida, and the I-395 reconstruction in Miami. Senators asked about how express lane projects are selected, whether toll revenues are used for local maintenance and improvements, the status of the Miami I-395 project, and the impact of losing electric-vehicle express lane exemptions. Marshall said FDOT works with local long-range plans and congestion data, and that she would follow up on several specific funding and project questions. Committee members generally praised both agencies for project delivery, cost savings, and coordination with local partners. Senator Mayfield noted the importance of using savings and working with local governments, while Senator Wright commended Commerce’s role in economic development and FDOT’s work on major road projects. The meeting concluded with no further business, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• China's national engineers developed the Deep-Seeker AI model that surprised the world this week.
• The engineers behind that were working here in the U.S., at U.S. universities and U.S. companies.
• I remember giving a speech that talked about 90% of Chinese software being stolen or acquired, mostly
• And this is something that goes back to sort of the back-end software that is on Huawei telecommunications