Transcript Highlights:

• provide no need for accountability, and the claims bill process currently in place is inefficient and wasteful

Summary: The Budget Committee met with a quorum and took up several bills. HB 677, relating to state-covered fertility preservation for employees undergoing cancer treatment, was introduced as coverage for egg and sperm preservation for up to three years, with an estimated fiscal impact of about $813,000. After brief questions and no public testimony or amendments, the bill passed unanimously and was reported favorably. The committee then considered CS/HB 59, which would reform Florida’s wrongful incarceration compensation process by extending the filing deadline from 90 days to two years, removing the clean-hands requirement, and allowing exonerees to choose between the state compensation process and a civil lawsuit; it was supported by the City of Flagler Beach and passed unanimously. CS/HB 1313, which recreates the Resilient Florida Trust Fund in the Department of Environmental Protection before its scheduled termination in 2025, also passed unanimously after supportive testimony from advocacy groups. The committee received a lengthy presentation from the Department of Management Services on the State Group Insurance Program and the recent Revenue Estimating Conference. The presentation covered enrollment, revenues and expenditures, rising medical and pharmacy costs, emergency room utilization, GLP-1 drug spending, and options for tighter formulary and utilization management. Members asked about ER cost growth, GLP-1 coverage and copays, PBM oversight and potential conflicts, avoidable ER visits, cancer screening claims, dental and vision costs, specialty drug biosimilars, and possible savings from more restrictive pharmacy models. DMS said it would follow up on several questions and noted ongoing work on cancer coordination, preventive screening, biomarker testing, and a proposed member-facing benefits platform. The committee also heard extensive testimony on HB 301, which would raise sovereign immunity caps from $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident to $1 million and $3 million, align limitations periods with private claims, and allow government entities to settle above the caps without a claims bill. Local governments, school-related entities, and county and city associations opposed the bill, warning of major fiscal impacts, higher insurance costs, and pressure on services; several speakers urged smaller increases or a tiered approach. Proponents, including families affected by catastrophic injury or death, argued the current caps are too low and the claims bill process is inefficient and unfair. After debate, the bill passed on a recorded vote, with some members voting no, and was reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• a very high rate to conserve our aggregates, but also to provide an economic use for construction waste

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Transportation Committee heard and acted on a series of transportation, licensing, and memorial bills. The first major item was CS/SB 462, the Department of Transportation agency package, which included provisions on transportation trust fund revenue for electric vehicles, county project reporting, speed limits, workforce grants, procurement and utility relocation procedures, airport participation, metropolitan planning, and related DOT administration. The committee adopted a substitute amendment after extensive discussion, especially over utility relocation reimbursement, penalties, and whether the bill was too rigid while stakeholders continued negotiating. Testimony came from industry and utility representatives both supporting the need to address delays and opposing the bill’s prescriptive approach. The bill passed 8-3. The committee then approved several specialty license plate and memorial measures. CS/SB 1024 added a United States Military Academy plate alongside the Naval Academy plate. CS/SB 824 created a Florida Highway Patrol specialty plate. CS/SB 666 created a Miami Northwestern Senior High School alumni plate, with supporters emphasizing the school’s history and scholarship uses for the revenue. CS/SB 916 authorized indemnification and insurance arrangements for commuter rail operations on the Brightline corridor, modeled on SunRail law, and was reported favorably after technical amendments. CS/SB 1290 updated DHSMV rules to conform to IFTA and federal motor carrier standards, raised the crash-damage reporting threshold, and made other registration and email-notification changes; CS/SB 1292 created a public-records exemption for certain email addresses used in motor vehicle and vessel notifications. CS/SB 1408 designated memorial highways for fallen officers Jesse Madsen and Elio Diaz, and CS/SB 1502 authorized FDOT blanket permits for mobile cranes to travel at night under specified conditions. All of these bills were reported favorably. The committee also received a lengthy informational presentation from FDOT on aggregates and the state’s construction-material supply chain. The witness described aggregate sources, transportation methods, recycling efforts, the importance of the Lake Belt and out-of-state imports, and the department’s supply-chain grant program. Senators asked about long-term reserves, stranded reserves, pricing, and the impact of regulation on future supply, and requested the study and a summary of regulatory impacts for members. The meeting concluded with no further business and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Here we are in the state of Minnesota; we had an $18 billion surplus, and we wasted it in a lot of sense

Transcript Highlights:

• So while raising rates, they're also not helping customers reduce energy waste.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Hazards map hazards, earthquakes, floodplains, toxic waste.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 253, by Assembly Member Ward and presented by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to review certain post-entitlement permits if a local building department would take more than 30 days. Supporters, including California YIMBY, the California Chamber of Commerce, the Housing Action Coalition, the Bay Area Council, SPUR, and Abundant Housing LA, said the bill would reduce permitting delays and help housing production. League of Cities and the California State Association of Counties expressed concerns but were not formally opposed. Members voiced strong support, and the bill passed the committee 10-0 to Appropriations. The committee then held an informational hearing on California’s general plan. The first panel, led by UC Davis professor Catherine Brinkley, gave an overview of the general plan structure, required elements, update cycles, and the new PlanSearch database that makes adopted plans searchable statewide. She emphasized that general plans are long-term, locally tailored documents that integrate housing, transportation, safety, environmental justice, and other policy areas, and noted that many plans and elements are outdated. Members asked about update timelines, public participation, and whether AI tools could help with drafting and analysis. A second panel of local government representatives described the practical challenges of preparing and updating general plans, especially in rural and small jurisdictions. Speakers from Calaveras County, Sacramento, San Joaquin County, and Fountain Valley cited staffing shortages, consultant availability, funding constraints, CEQA and outreach costs, changing state mandates, and the difficulty of keeping plans aligned with local conditions and board turnover. They asked for more funding, more time, clearer prioritization, and more flexibility. A third panel from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation explained its role in issuing general plan guidelines, technical advisories, and annual planning surveys, and said it is updating its guidance through 2027 to reflect recent housing, climate, safety, environmental justice, and open space laws. No public comment was offered, and the informational hearing was adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• They told me how sad and disgusting and wasteful the dissection was.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• those corridors, threatened and endangered species, the public, businesses. jobs, hazardous materials, waste

Committee: House S/C on Transportation Funding

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're wasting a lot of time, a lot of money, and then they're released back into the streets without

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee met and took up several criminal justice, public safety, and boating measures. It first heard SB 168, the Tristan Murphy Act, which would create mental health diversion options for eligible misdemeanor and felony defendants, expand mental health and substance abuse grant uses, require evaluations and treatment recommendations in certain cases, add Hillsborough County to a forensic diversion pilot list, and create a behavioral health data repository. After adopting a technical amendment, the bill received strong support from NAMI Florida, family advocates, sheriffs, and the Murphy family, and was reported favorably on a unanimous vote. The committee also approved SB 86, expanding peer support programs for certain law enforcement support personnel, and SB 472, allowing inmates who complete approved education in correctional facilities to receive credit toward professional licensure requirements. Both bills were amended and then reported favorably without opposition. SB 276, which increases penalties for unlawfully sheltering or aiding an unmarried minor and creates a defense for actions taken to protect a minor from danger, drew questions about runaway youth, LGBTQ youth, and the scope of the defense; the sponsor said he was open to further amendment, and the bill passed favorably. Members then approved SB 402, updating the unlawful use of uniforms, medals, or insignia statute to reference the armed forces by definition rather than by branch. SB 490, as amended, would let law enforcement, correctional, and correctional probation officers carry concealed off duty and exempt law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and active military service members from the three-day waiting period for rifle and shotgun purchases; it passed 8-1 after debate over the waiting period and equal treatment concerns. Finally, the committee passed SB 628, Lucy’s Law, to strengthen boating safety and penalties, after adopting an amendment that removed proposed changes to warrantless blood draws and boating education requirements; the bill was supported by the family of Lucy Fernandez and passed unanimously. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• quiver, and we should recognize the many areas across the globe that talked about medicines going to waste

Committee: Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Four, protecting Texans from fraud, waste, and abuse.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, Attorney General, budget recommendations, funding swaps, salary increases, Landowner's Compensation Program, public testimony, law enforcement

Summary: The meeting focused on the budget recommendations for the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), where key issues included the proposed decrease of $163.9 million for the 2024-25 biennium and various methodology swaps for funding. Attorney General Paxton discussed ongoing litigation expenditures and emphasized the need for continued investments in agency staffing to address rising demands within law enforcement. Notably, he requested a 6% salary increase for 2026 and 2027 to retain talented personnel amidst competitive job markets. Public testimony highlighted community awareness challenges regarding the Landowner's Compensation Program, indicating a need for enhanced outreach efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• INVESTOR-OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITIES, INVESTOR OWNED NATURAL GAS UTILITIES, INVESTOR-OWNED WATER AND WASTE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of methods that only serve to harm our children is not only counterproductive and insulting, it's a waste
• of methods that only serve to harm our children is not only counterproductive and insulting, it's a waste
• If you'd like to identify yourself, and you may begin. and insulting, it's a waste of time, and insulting
• , it's a waste of time, energy,<02:06:24.640><c> and</c><02:06:24.760><c> resources.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll let this go, Madam Speaker, because I don't want to waste any more time, but the way I read the
• </c><01:25:18.400><c> don't</c><01:25:18.560><c> want</c><01:25:18.680><c> to</c><01:25:18.760><c> waste
• </c><01:25:19.040><c> any</c> Speaker, cuz I don't want to waste any Speaker, cuz I don't want to waste

Keywords: House streaming session for Friday, April 10, 2026, 957, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 29, an act relating to solid waste management facilities. Senator from Taylor. Mr.
• gt;&gt; Senate Bill 29, an act relating to solid &gt;&gt; Senate Bill 29, an act relating to solid waste
• </c> waste management facilities. waste management facilities.

Bills: HB567 , HB776 , HB2 , HB568 , HB619

Keywords: open records, public access, transparency, government accountability, public agency, dental practice, licensing, administrative regulations, dental assistants, supervision, Medicaid, community engagement, healthcare, managed care, eligibility, public assistance, insurance, public adjuster, claim process, contract requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• If this doesn't go favorably, I'm not going to waste the committee's time.
• report, and I don't want to, I know we've still got a lot left this evening, and so I don't want to waste
• You know, I've talked to many people about the road and some people said that they think it's a huge waste
• They do a phenomenal job in rescuing produce and food that would otherwise be destroyed or wasted.

Committee: House Budget

Summary: The House Budget Committee met with a quorum and began by taking up a series of budget bills and committee substitutes, including House Bills 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, which were laid over. The chair then walked members through a committee amendment package, explaining a mix of technical corrections, fund swaps, and adjustments involving highway patrol fringe costs, summary budget timing, rural health care, the CCBHO FMAP correction, and marijuana-fund reallocations. Members adopted the chair’s decrease amendments and later adopted the corresponding increase amendments, including partial restoration for Care to Learn, a Title I grant language change, an Overpass and Seymour road project, technical corrections for DPS and health-related items, and restorations for Jordan Valley and FQHC substance abuse funding. After a brief recess for session and lunch, the committee returned to House Bill 2 and began considering member amendments. On House Bill 2, the committee adopted Representative Lewis’s amendment making the curriculum transparency and parent portal item a pilot program, and Representative Davidson’s amendment adding $2 million in federal Child Care and Development Block Grant funds for One-Time Wonder School. Representative Steinhoff’s attempt to shift funding from Missouri Star Solutions and WorkKeys to the Success Ready Student Assessment failed, as did Representative Taylor’s proposal to move $1.2 million from career ladder to community college nursing programs. The committee then rejected Representative Steinhoff’s attempt to redirect Title I Innovation and Improvement Grant funds back to the governor’s recommendation, and later adopted Representative Steinhoff’s vocational rehabilitation amendment, which restored the department’s request and drew down additional federal matching funds. The committee also adopted Representative Hyne’s language amendment to allow flexibility between the MOQPK pre-K grant program and the Child Care Works tri-share program, though members discussed concerns about cross-bill flexibility and whether funds would actually be available. Representative Fogle’s amendment to require budget communications sent to committee chairs to also go to the full Budget Committee was defeated after members expressed concern about information overload and the difference between required distribution and requested information. The committee then took up a lengthy debate over Representative Fogle’s amendment to remove language barring Parents as Teachers participation for children already enrolled in public pre-K. Supporters argued the programs serve different purposes and that families should not be forced to choose between them, while opponents said the language was intended to prevent duplication of services and preserve resources for children without other options. After extensive discussion, the amendment failed. The committee continued with additional House Bill 2 amendments, but the transcript ends before final action on the remaining items.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so they start wondering, you know, if MnDOT has money to waste on that, you know, not that I'm complaining
• wondering, you know, if MDOT has money wondering, you know, if MDOT has money to<01:42:17.280><c> waste
• 18.560><c> know,</c><01:42:18.719><c> not</c><01:42:18.880><c> that</c><01:42:19.040><c> I'm</c> to waste
• on that, you know, not that I'm to waste on that, you know, not that I'm complaining<01:42:19.679><c

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, you know, I just think that this bill is a waste of time for what we're getting here.
• I would rather not see it move on and waste time in another committee in a short session. >> Senator
• So, you know, I just think that this bill is a waste of time for what we're getting here.
• I would rather not see it move on and waste time in another committee in a short session. >> Senator

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I thought that was a terrible waste of $4 million worth of highway funds and was ready all ready
• And I thought that was<00:13:37.200><c> a</c><00:13:37.920><c> terrible</c><00:13:38.399><c> waste</c
• /c><00:13:39.040><c> $4</c><00:13:39.279><c> million</c><00:13:40.000><c> worth</c> was a terrible waste
• of $4 million worth was a terrible waste of $4 million worth of<00:13:40.399><c> highway</c><00:13:40.720

Committee: House Public Works and Highways

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I can tell you that the $150,000 will not go wasted.
• And so I can tell you that the $150,000 will not go wasted.
• And so I can tell you that the $150,000 will not go wasted.
• So I can tell you that the $150,000 will not go wasted.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 15 January, 2026; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I don't want to waste any of anyone's valuable time.
• So I<00:05:59.520><c> don't</c><00:05:59.600><c> want</c><00:05:59.680><c> to</c><00:05:59.759><c> waste
• /c><00:06:00.000><c> any</c><00:06:00.240><c> of</c><00:06:00.400><c> anyone's</c> I don't want to waste
• any of anyone's I don't want to waste any of anyone's valuable<00:06:01.199><c> time.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The first meeting of the Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force focused on the task force’s mission and on recent Kentucky flooding disasters. The co-chairs described the need to better prepare for increasingly frequent and costly natural disasters, including flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, and ice storms, and emphasized coordination among local, state, federal, and interstate partners. The discussion also stressed the importance of budgeting for mitigation, infrastructure resilience, housing, insurance, and recovery planning, with several members sharing personal experiences with disaster impacts in their districts. Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson gave the main presentation, responding to questions about the February and April flooding events. He said the February event affected the entire state, with 11,825 individuals registering for assistance and 1,194 public-assistance projects written so far; he also reported 134 households still sheltered, 190 households moved to permanent housing, and three disaster recovery centers still open after a regional consolidation. For the April event, he said 37 counties had individual assistance, 83 counties were still pending public assistance, and no hazard mitigation had yet been declared; 5,893 people had registered for individual assistance, and 144 households were sheltered, with 83 families already moved to permanent solutions. He noted that counties without public assistance would have to cover expenses locally unless state or federal aid is approved. Gibson also outlined Kentucky Emergency Management’s tools and resources, including a 24/7 state operations center and warning point, embedded National Weather Service meteorologists, five regional warehouses stocked with water, MREs, blankets, and kits, a statewide web-based damage reporting system, laundry trailers, generators, a disaster needs hotline that has received 6,972 calls, and a mutual aid system used to deploy resources such as water tankers. He highlighted ongoing work on urban search and rescue, qualification systems for emergency operations personnel, and aerial documentation of storm damage. No votes or formal actions were taken at this meeting.