Transcript Highlights:

• and 1,200 individuals trained.
• training provider.
• noncredit training.
• non-credit training.
• So I understand what refresher training is, but are we doing refreshing training or fresher training

Summary: The meeting focused on Arkansas’s workforce development reorganization and a set of federal waiver requests intended to consolidate and streamline the state’s WIOA system. Commerce officials said the department has already centralized shared services, split the old workforce agency into reemployment and Arkansas Workforce Connections, and submitted a combined WIOA/Perkins state plan. They described nine waiver requests, including replacing local workforce boards with a single statewide board, creating one planning and accountability structure, allowing more flexible movement of funds across regions, easing the “last-dollar” requirement for training and supportive services, reducing required youth program elements, and allowing affiliate sites instead of mandatory comprehensive centers. Officials said the goal is to reduce administrative costs and redirect more money to training, supportive services, and employer-driven programs. Legislators raised concerns about rural representation, local employer relationships, and whether local offices would close. Commerce officials said local offices would remain open, some current staff could be rehired, and regional business councils would preserve local employer input. They said the current system is fragmented and expensive, with roughly $14 million in federal workforce funds flowing through local boards but only about $1.9 million spent on training and supportive services last year; they argued the reorganization could raise training spending to about $6 million to $7 million annually. Questions also addressed board composition, performance accountability, and how funds could be shifted between regions when needs change. The State Board of Workforce Development had approved the waiver package 11-3 before it was submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor. Members also discussed workforce access for people with disabilities, child care and transportation supports, and the role of Arkansas Launch, apprenticeships, and career and technical education. Officials said vocational rehabilitation now has better access to the state job board and that referrals and data-sharing with DHS and other partners still need improvement. Several legislators emphasized the need for training to align more closely with employer demand, especially in manufacturing, technology, health care, and rural areas. The committee also heard a brief overview of Workforce Pell, with staff explaining that the new federal short-term Pell option has narrow eligibility rules and may not fit many existing programs, including some CDL and CNA programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Training across agencies, training for partners, training for educators. Vulnerable students.
• Training: what training should be mandatory for educators, for providers, for investigators?
• So they just had to get sort of trained by a certified instructor, kind of a train-the-trainer model,
• trained as well.
• a handout, which isn't, I mean, the training and the certification is different and you're not trained

Keywords: 907, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's already training. There's already a requirement for training.
• responds to that training.
• Training is very specific.
• require trainings.
• So when you say we have the training already, the one-hour training, Okay.

Bills: HR249, HR251, HB395, HB902, SB83, SB132, SB157, SB338, SB450, SB484, SB501, SB507

Keywords: artificial intelligence, AI, BESE, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, content standards, K-12 education, public schools, curriculum, digital literacy, computer science, STEM, technology education, student privacy, ethical AI, workforce development, future-ready workforce, instructional resources, education policy, school standards, Louisiana education

Transcript Highlights:

• responders having been trained.
• The training objectives.
• And then that training, that training... That is catered towards them.
• That's the universal training.
• That would benefit from trainings.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Working Group on Education and Training of the Special Commission on Xylazine held its first meeting to begin developing findings and recommendations on education and training for first responders, the medical community, the substance use treatment community, and people who use drugs. Members discussed the need for baseline information on what xylazine is, its clinical effects and harms, signs of exposure or poisoning, wound care, and immediate response steps, while also noting that training should be tailored by audience, geography, and role. Several members emphasized that the training should be practical and action-oriented, helping people recognize xylazine exposure and know what to do next, including whether naloxone is relevant and how to reduce risk and mitigate harm. A major theme was whether the group should recommend a needs assessment or survey to identify what different audiences already know and what they still need to learn. Members suggested that BSAS, DPH, local public health departments, licensing boards, and other stakeholders could help gather this information, and that existing resources such as DPH materials, MADS data, Brandeis materials, and trainings already being funded at BMC should be reviewed. The group also discussed the importance of using plain language for non-clinical audiences while still including clinical detail for providers, and of distinguishing between clinical and non-clinical training tracks. The working group agreed to divide into subgroups: Senator Keenan will focus on first responders, Dr. Simon on the medical community, and Millie Batiya on the substance use treatment community, while Chair Domb will focus on people who use drugs. Staff will send meeting notes, an early draft PowerPoint framework, and a shared Google Drive folder for materials. Members were asked to gather sources and ideas by November 25 ahead of the December 11 public meeting. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, a second, and unanimous thanks to staff and participants.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not sure of my training. I haven't had any training.
• We could not do the training that we do. The commissioner has allowed me to train troopers, too.
• But now this training is available. We'll go out and do the training for them.
• I appreciate that you're training them. My question is: are they training you?
• I want to clear one thing up on the run, hide, fight training: we do not train the educators.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on Oklahoma school safety from Commissioner Tipton, OSSI director Mike Fike, OACTIC director Alan Young, OSBI lieutenant Isiles Keene, and Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton. The main focus was a statewide school-safety framework built around response, prevention, and recovery. Witnesses described training law enforcement in the LASER active-shooter response model, adding A-TURK training for coordinated law enforcement/fire/EMS response, expanding run-hide-fight and Stop the Bleed instruction for educators and staff, conducting risk and vulnerability assessments, and using the Rave panic-button system and the ProtectOK tip app to speed reporting and dispatch. They also emphasized behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) teams as a prevention tool to identify and support at-risk students before violence occurs. Members asked about administrator and teacher training, school counselor involvement, how apps are deployed on personal versus school devices, and whether schools are actually using the programs. Witnesses said administrators, counselors, and SROs should be part of BTAM, that training is most effective when it is realistic and repeated, and that Rave is geofenced and typically invited onto devices by schools. Several members stressed that school leaders must buy in for safety plans to work, and one member raised concerns about traumatic training and the need for mental-health support as part of prevention. Witnesses said mental-health referral and monitoring are part of BTAM, but the school and local partners must manage the process. OSBI’s lieutenant added broader context, comparing school safety to fire safety and noting that Oklahoma still lacks some statutory requirements for intruder drills and stronger penalties for school threats. He also discussed possible future tools such as surveillance analytics, gunshot detection, ballistic-rated doors and walls, and better access controls, while warning that technology should supplement, not replace, basic safety systems and training. Sheriff Walton closed by describing rural response challenges and his foundation’s effort to place ballistic shields in schools and police cars, arguing that human resources and rapid communication remain the biggest gaps. No votes or formal actions were taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• a job training trust we can currently set up a linkage fee but without a training trust that funding
• With proper training, when I went to Texas for school, with proper training and education of me and the
• I have been trained to practice balanced training methods, and I have used them to rehabilitate and train
• So a quick question: pushback on training, what would you anticipate a training program to be like for
• conferences, webinars, in-person trainings, on-demand trainings, where communities come to us and ask

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a lengthy hybrid hearing of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, with testimony spanning local board training, animal welfare and enforcement, municipal charters, water district dissolution, and other home rule matters. Chairs Rausch and Lewis set strict time limits because of the large number of speakers and explained that written testimony would also be accepted. Members heard from local officials, advocates, municipal employees, and residents, with many bills receiving broad support from municipal and advocacy witnesses. Several speakers supported bills requiring or expanding training for local boards and commissions, including pre-service training for planning, zoning, and other land use boards. Supporters said training would help volunteers understand complex laws, improve consistency, reduce legal challenges, and speed up housing and development decisions. Related testimony also backed a bill to modernize historic district commissions and another to allow associate planning board members to serve more broadly when needed to maintain quorums. A major portion of the hearing focused on animal legislation. Witnesses supported bills to expand citations for cruel conditions beyond dogs, update dangerous dog procedures, improve animal health inspections and breeder oversight, strengthen tethering rules, and protect pet consumers. Animal control officers, humane organizations, and some victims of dog attacks described enforcement gaps and the need for clearer standards, while several dog trainers and the American Kennel Club opposed parts of the dangerous dog bill and tethering restrictions, arguing they would limit humane training tools and professional discretion. The committee also heard strong support for a bill to create a statewide pet shop and consumer protection framework. The committee also heard testimony on several local home rule petitions. Medford officials and residents strongly supported a new city charter that would replace the current at-large council with ward-based representation and periodic charter review. Wayland representatives supported a bill to preserve the library’s Millennium Fund as intended, Cambridge officials backed creation of an employment and job training trust, and Carver officials supported dissolving the North Carver Water District due to compliance and financial problems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair repeatedly invited written testimony and follow-up materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• We continue training.
• <00:14:47.000> this parah and volunteer training this parah and volunteer training this training
• The training is so much easier to do, and this is very intense training.
• The training is so much easier to do, and this is very intense training.
• The training is so much easier to do, and this is very intense training.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . training. training.
• training for their employees.
• , or other training providers.
• . those training costs training providers. those training costs are<00:10:19.920> also<00:10:20.320
• that's<00:16:26.000> not training support from trains, that's not training support from trains

Keywords: Cabinet for Economic Development – Bluegrass State Skills Corporation Overview 02:35 ----Discussion of BR 868, 2026 Regular Session 24:08, 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with a quorum call and approval of the August 21 minutes. The main presentation was from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development on the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation (BSSC), which was created in 1984 and is administratively tied to the cabinet. Staff explained that BSSC supports workforce training for companies in Kentucky through two main programs: the grant-in-aid reimbursement program and the skills training investment tax credit. They also described the board’s structure, quarterly meetings, annual audit, and the metropolitan tax credit tied to UPS in Louisville, along with public-private training consortia supported by the program. The cabinet outlined eligibility and funding rules: applicants must be qualified companies, trainees must be full-time Kentucky residents meeting wage requirements, and eligible training includes in-house company-specific training, train-the-trainer efforts, safety/OSHA training, and outside training through KCTCS or other providers. Grant-in-aid is a 50% reimbursement program capped at $75,000 per company per fiscal year and $2,000 per trainee, while the tax credit is capped annually and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are scored based on county tier, wages, workforce development activity, veteran hiring, participation in consortia, and job growth. Members asked for data on trainees and industries served, and staff said they could provide it. They also discussed coordination with other workforce programs, especially KCTCS and the state’s TRAIN program, to avoid overlap and double dipping. Several members asked about program usage and differences between fiscal years. Staff said the tax credit is less popular because it is not refundable and requires tax liability, while grant-in-aid is more attractive because it is cash reimbursement. They said lower or delayed spending in some years can reflect one-year training windows, reimbursement lag, new facilities ramping up, consortia activity, and special allocations such as those tied to Ford facilities. Questions also covered support for new businesses, which staff said can receive favorable scoring for new jobs and may have funds set aside for new location projects. On veterans, staff said they connect companies to Kentucky Valor and other resources, but the program does not track veteran retention outcomes. The final discussion was on a draft bill related to the Kentucky Horse Park and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Representative Vanessa Gracel and Kentucky Horse Park President Lee Carter explained that the proposal is intended to help the park maintain integrity and protect athletes, volunteers, coaches, trainers, and guests from abuse and misconduct. They described SafeSport’s federal role in Olympic and Paralympic sports and said they hope to move the draft forward as legislation in 2026. No votes were taken on the BSSC presentation or the horse park discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• It trained officers initially.
• And I know that they love their training, but we fought hard to get this training out there, and it's
• law enforcement training class.
• I think you meant that the training that's required now, and that training, it's very important to me
• would happen—better training, more relevant training, more updated training—if that was mandated by

Bills: SB30, SB43, SB50, SB136

Keywords: SB30, induced abortion, abortion reporting, vital statistics, public health reporting, medical records, health care providers, repeal, New Mexico, pregnancy termination, abortion data, state reporting requirements, confidentiality, reproductive health, parole, life imprisonment, rehabilitation, criminal justice, victim rights, law enforcement

Transcript Highlights:

• SNAP employment and training.
• in SNAP employment and training.
• in either an educational training, work experience, or on-the-job training component, 45.31% of them
• There are other job training programs that are not SNAP Employment and Training related. Okay.
• There are other job training programs that are not SNAP Employment and Training related. Okay.

Summary: The subcommittee first recognized the Arkansas Community Colleges Leadership Institute and received a brief DHS update on the Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver reimbursement process, including that the new cost-reporting period began in January and provider/contractor calls are underway. The main presentation then focused on SNAP and TANF, with DHS describing federal changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill that tighten SNAP work requirements for adults ages 18 to 64 without certain exemptions, remove some prior exemptions, and add new federal definitions for Native American populations. DHS also reviewed SNAP Employment and Training providers, their service areas, projected budgets, participant characteristics, and outcomes, noting that the program is currently voluntary but will shift toward mandatory participation for those subject to the new rules. Members asked detailed questions about how mandatory participation will be implemented, how referrals will be made, what other training options exist, how verification of work, volunteering, disability, and exemptions will be handled, and whether DHS has enough funding and provider capacity. DHS said it will conduct verbal and written notices during eligibility interviews, make direct referrals to providers, use six-month recertifications and documentation from employers or volunteer organizations, and apply sanctions for noncompliance after determining whether a good cause exists. Members also requested additional data, including age breakdowns of at-risk SNAP recipients, provider-level outcomes and costs, and information on other training programs such as WIOA. The committee then moved to Medicaid community engagement requirements for ARHOME, which DHS said are also required by the same federal law and must be implemented by January 1, 2027. DHS said it is preparing policy, system changes, communications, and a customer-service/outbound verification vendor, and plans a soft launch beginning in July to help clients understand what would be required if the rule were already in effect. Members raised concerns about timing, local versus central decision-making, and how clients in rural areas will be notified and assisted. The meeting concluded with broader discussion of the committee’s workforce-development goals, the recently released Alliance for Opportunity audit, and interest in continuing the contract with that group to help guide future reforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c> but with that being said, being trained but with that being said, being trained on<00:02:16.640><
• uh teachers renewal their training uh teachers renewal training<00:02:34.080> by<00:02:34.480
• them you need more training?
• Is it additional training to training.
• telling them you need more training? telling them you need more training?

Bills: HF60, HF3067, HF3730, HF3638, HF3401

Keywords: interchange, bond issuance, transportation, infrastructure funding, Sherburne County, paraprofessional, paraprofessional qualifications, education support staff, teacher aide, teacher assistant, special education, Title I, federal personnel qualifications, Minnesota Department of Education, school district, charter school, cooperative unit, Read Act, reading instruction, math instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• Right of preference means that passenger trains are to be operated ahead of freight trains in the sense
• two long-distance trains There's two long-distance trains operating<00:03:02.239> through<00:
• trains that operate over three routes. trains that operate over three routes.
• the strongest, but the midday trains, all the trains are performing well.
• are midday trains, all the trains are midday trains, all the trains are performing<00:07:39.840><

Keywords: Highways and Transportation - Room 216, January 14, 2026; 10:30 AM, 925, all

Summary: Amtrak officials Todd Stenis and Jeff Mann briefed the committee on Amtrak service in Mississippi, with a focus on the new Mardi Gras state-supported route on the Gulf Coast. They reviewed Amtrak’s national structure, including the distinction between long-distance and state-supported service under PRIIA section 209, and noted that Mississippi is served by the City of New Orleans, the Crescent, and the new Mardi Gras service. They said the Mardi Gras began service on August 18 and operates four trains a day between New Orleans and Mobile with Mississippi stops, supported by Mississippi, Louisiana, and Mobile. The officials reported strong early performance for Mardi Gras, saying ridership had already exceeded 60,000 by the end of December against a 71,000 first-year projection, with about 435 passengers per day and a 64% average load factor. They also cited 86% on-time performance, a 94% customer satisfaction index, and average fares of $27 in coach and $66 in business class. They said the service is benefiting from strong demand, good coordination with host railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern, and planned capital improvements totaling more than $200 million that they said should reduce trip times by 30 to 40 minutes. Committee members responded positively, with Senator Williams praising the train experience and another senator noting personal use of the Mardi Gras service. The presenters invited members to ride the train and described it as a state investment paying off across South Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. After the Amtrak presentation, the committee returned to business and took up one bill, 2019, which would delete the sunset on the provision directing the first $80 million of lottery proceeds to the state highway fund. Senator Blackmon asked for clarification, the chairman confirmed the bill would make the road funding provision permanent, and the committee approved the title and reported the bill out.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:10:18.640> not they had certain training but that's not they had certain training but
• Everybody that gets trained in the medical field trains until they can do it, and these people are trained
• They're being trained for this.
• But we talked about training, and in health care we all get trained to our scope.
• And what's that training? Because the fellow EMT said you trained them.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I was trained. I knew my compressions I was trained.
• no CPR or AED training. no CPR or AED training.
• The training is offered this training.
• There are some that are not as well trained or not as frequently trained, but training has taken place
• > but<01:04:23.839> training<01:04:24.319> has frequently trained, but training has

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The on-the-job training The on-the-job training is also reinforced with classroom hours.
• on-the-job training.
• I talked about the training plans and how many organizations I've gone into and their training plan was
• We actually already do this training.
• But we will often make a solidified connection between our training providers who only do training and

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Workforce Support Subcommittee met to discuss using registered apprenticeships to help address workforce shortages in disability services, human services, and other high-need fields. Co-chairs and staff introduced the session as a follow-up to earlier discussions with state labor officials and representatives from developmental disability and behavioral health provider associations. The panel focused on how apprenticeships can create paid, structured pathways into jobs while also supporting credentialing and retention. Amara Ramon of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards explained how Massachusetts apprenticeship programs are registered and supported, including the roles of apprenticeship liaison staff, operations, quality assurance, and grant support. She described the core features of apprenticeships—paid on-the-job training, related technical instruction, wage progression, and industry credentials—and contrasted them with internships or co-ops. Melissa Chabelli of the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board described the intermediary role her board plays in designing programs, registering apprentices, coordinating employers, and handling compliance. She emphasized flexibility, employer investment, tax credits, retention benefits, and the importance of mentors and local workforce partnerships. Lisa Morris of UMass Chan/For Health Consulting described a developing apprenticeship for medical interpreters, built from an existing training foundation and designed to address the gap between classroom preparation and work experience. She said the model would combine pre-apprenticeship training, employer interviews, 2,000 hours of apprenticeship, and related technical instruction tied to national certification. Speakers also discussed examples for nursing, early childhood education, CNC machining, and programs serving neurodivergent learners, including Bridgewater State’s Excel program. In response to audience questions, panelists said state agencies can serve as intermediaries, recruitment can come through career centers, youth programs, community colleges, ESL centers, and incumbent workers, and accommodations or modified curricula can support apprentices with disabilities. No votes were taken; the session ended with encouragement for attendees to contact the presenters and Division of Apprenticeship Standards for help developing programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• CareerSource Florida offers two training grants to help businesses cover the cost of training.
• This includes the Incumbent Worker Training Grant and the Quick Response Training Grant.
• My question is regarding the quick response training and the incumbent worker training programs.
• So this would be contracts for incumbent worker training, contracts for on-the-job training.
• , then they can fund that training through an individual training account.

Summary: The subcommittee met to receive an informational presentation from CareerSource Florida President and CEO Adrian Johnson, joined by Anthony Gagliano of CareerSource Suncoast, on the structure, funding, and services of Florida’s workforce development system. Johnson explained that CareerSource serves job seekers and businesses through 21 local workforce development boards and nearly 100 career centers, using federal and state funding streams such as WIOA, Wagner-Peyser, SNAP Employment and Training, and TANF. She described services including case management, training, wraparound supports, job matching, rapid response for layoffs and disasters, and business services such as recruitment, customized training, and on-the-job training. She also highlighted the REACH Act’s role in consolidating local boards from 24 to 21, creating the Master Credential List and Credential Review Committee, and implementing performance-based letter grades for local boards. Members asked detailed questions about funding formulas, letter grade metrics, apprenticeships, youth services, small business access, and the demand occupation list. Johnson said federal allocations are driven largely by unemployment and poverty formulas, which has reduced Florida’s WIOA funding by about $27 million over four years because of the state’s low unemployment rate. She explained the letter grades measure outcomes such as increased earnings, reduced public assistance, employment and training outcomes, work-based learning, business engagement, and service to individuals in certain programs, and said the system is being reviewed for possible changes, including removing extra credit and adjusting weights. On youth services, she said Florida has a waiver allowing a 50/50 split between in-school and out-of-school youth funding, and that local partnerships drive outreach. On the demand occupation list, she said it is based on state labor market data and projections, but local boards can submit evidence of local demand when data does not reflect conditions in their area. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on apprenticeships and workforce training grants. Johnson and Gagliano described apprenticeship navigators funded by the $7.75 million apprenticeship expansion allocation, which help employers navigate registration and expand apprenticeships into nontraditional fields such as IT, health care, education, and hospitality. Gagliano gave examples from CareerSource Suncoast and said navigators helped employers move faster through registration and develop programs with local education providers. Johnson also discussed Incumbent Worker Training Grants and Quick Response Training Grants, noting recent awards of nearly $3 million to 69 businesses and $6.5 million to 24 businesses, respectively, and said these programs are targeted toward high-skill, high-wage occupations and priority industries. The meeting ended with no votes or formal action; the chair thanked the presenters, invited follow-up questions, and adjourned the meeting without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• in SNAP Employment and Training.
• There is job search training, supervised job search,...
• assigned in either an educational training, work experience, or on-the-job training component, 45.31%
• This is some information that we received for E&T training.
• There are other job training programs that are not SNAP Employment and Training related. Okay.

Summary: The subcommittee received a brief DHS update on the Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver reimbursement rate process, with Secretary Janet Mann reporting that the new cost reporting period began in January and that DHS has begun provider and contractor conference calls as the process moves forward. The bulk of the meeting focused on DHS’s overview of TANF and, especially, SNAP changes under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill. Mary Franklin explained new SNAP work requirements for adults ages 18 to 64 who are not otherwise exempt, including the three-month time limit in a 36-month period unless they meet an 80-hour monthly work, volunteer, education, or training requirement. She also reviewed exemptions, noted that some prior exemptions were removed while new tribal-related exemptions were added, and described SNAP Employment and Training providers, budgets, service areas, participant characteristics, and outcomes. Members asked about how mandatory referrals will work, whether funding and vendors are sufficient, how cross-program participation is tracked, how verification and recertification will be handled, and how error rates and sanctions will be managed. DHS said mandatory participants will be referred directly to providers, verification will occur at application and recertification, interviews can be by phone, and the department will return with more information on error-rate mitigation and other requested data. DHS then outlined upcoming Medicaid community engagement requirements for the ARHOME population under the same federal law, which must be implemented by January 1, 2027. The department said it is preparing policy, system changes, data matching, communications, and an outbound customer-service verification process, with a soft launch planned for July to help identify who would meet the requirement or need to provide more information. Members raised concerns about notice, local versus centralized decision-making, and how clients will document work, school, caregiving, or medical exemptions. The meeting concluded with broader discussion of the Alliance for Opportunity audit and a shared emphasis on using SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and workforce programs together to improve outcomes, expand training options, and better connect Arkansans to education and employment opportunities. The committee also discussed extending the audit contract at a future meeting and adjourned without taking any formal vote in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the training of the models.
• for training.
• to get paid for AI training.
• They train on images. They train on something over a billion images.
• To train AI models.

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee and Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational hearing at Stanford on the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright, transparency, and California’s creative economy. Chairs and members emphasized that the hearing was not on a specific bill and no vote would be taken. Opening remarks framed the issue as balancing protection for artists and other rights holders with the need to keep AI innovation and related economic activity thriving in California, while noting that federal action is unlikely and that state policy may influence national standards. The first panel featured Professor Pamela Samuelson and Stanford researcher Rishi Bommasani. Samuelson reviewed the current copyright litigation landscape, including dozens of lawsuits over AI training, and explained the fair use framework, the Google Books precedent, and the uncertainty around newer theories such as market dilution. She said states can likely regulate transparency, deepfakes, privacy, and safety, but warned that some proposals may be preempted by federal copyright law. Bommasani described widespread opacity around training data among major California AI companies, discussed AB 2013 and the EU AI Act as transparency models, and identified gaps in disclosure design, enforcement, and whether transparency alone can address copyright and IP concerns. Members asked about open-source models, opt-outs, machine unlearning, user data, and state options for protecting creators. The second panel included SAG-AFTRA board member Jason George, Animation Guild president Danny Lynn, and OpenAI copyright counsel Mark Gray. George and Lynn argued that AI training on performers’ and artists’ work without consent or compensation threatens jobs, bargaining power, and reputations, and they supported stronger transparency and licensing requirements so creators can identify when their work is used. Gray said AI is already being used as a productivity tool and highlighted partnerships between AI companies and publishers, record labels, and studios, while arguing that specific harmful uses such as deepfakes should be regulated directly rather than restricting general-purpose AI development. Committee members discussed labeling and watermarking of AI-generated content, transparency around model use, and whether state law should require more detailed disclosure of training data; no formal action was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Provide high quality IEP training.
• In fact, there is a lot of research that shows better trained students are better trained.
• PED Canvas training, Canvas training with two hours of PE to develop content by specialists at PED.
• Members go into a training and halfway through the training they get up and walk out.
• to them being trained.

Transcript Highlights:

• This training helps officers distinguish ASD-related behaviors from defiance, and This training helps
• Secondly, the training component and the fact that it would mandate training is very, very important.
• Secondly, the training component and the fact that it would mandate training is very, very important.
• And then, of course, have law enforcement trained about it.
• The officer was in a training by ASGO, which is one of the trainings for individuals with autism spectrum

Bills: S0132, S0418, S0646, S0820, S1734

Keywords: voting rights, felony conviction, database, Florida Commission on Offender Review, restoration of rights, autism spectrum disorder, law enforcement, communication, training, blue envelope, blue card, drug paraphernalia, narcotic testing, fentanyl, controlled substances, civil forfeiture, juvenile justice, detention, Medal of Heroism, probation officers

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice met with a quorum and took up several bills. SB 646, relating to drug paraphernalia, was presented by President Gates as a narrow measure to allow drug testing tools such as fentanyl test strips and reagent kits to detect dangerous adulterants and help prevent overdose deaths. Senator Osgood spoke in strong support, describing the bill as important for people in recovery. The bill had one support appearance and was reported favorably by unanimous roll call. The committee then heard SB 418 on law enforcement interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Senator Jones explained that the bill requires autism awareness and communication/de-escalation training for officers and creates a voluntary Blue Envelope Program for drivers with ASD. Multiple advocates, including Disability Rights Florida, an Autism Society representative, parents, and a retired federal officer, testified in support, emphasizing safety, communication, and the need to avoid tragic misunderstandings during police encounters. Senators also discussed whether broader disability training should be considered in the future. SB 418 was reported favorably unanimously. Next, the committee considered SB 132 on restoration of voting rights, which would require the Florida Commission on Offender Review to create and maintain a public database to help people determine whether they have completed sentence requirements for rights restoration and to publish clearer instructions for eligible individuals. An amendment was adopted to make the database subject to legislative appropriation. The bill was then reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1734, which recognizes juvenile probation and detention officers as officers under state law and extends training, certification, and certain benefits, and CS/SB 820, which strengthens reporting requirements for problem-solving courts and sets annual reporting deadlines. Both bills were reported favorably after brief discussion and support appearances.