Transcript Highlights:

• I think it's incredibly important that we ensure clean, safe drinking water.
• We don't need it in our public drinking water. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you.
• Drinking water. Thank you for your testimony. Next up, Dr. Warren Edwards.
• I can't drink that much water in a day or even a year.
• I don't know that anyone here drinks out of the tap in this building either. Let's be honest.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government heard a presentation on its 2025-2026 budget recommendations and adopted the proposal as a recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The chair highlighted major funding items including more than $1.2 billion for water quality and Everglades work, citrus recovery, food bank and pantry grants, wastewater and drinking water loans, beach restoration, flood and sea level rise projects, rural land protection, disaster loans, state facilities repairs, SLERS, accounting system replacement, and continued funding for My Safe Florida Home. Staff were authorized to make technical adjustments, and members were told final proviso project lists would be printed later in the week. The committee then considered several bills and reported them favorably, including SB 796 on DEP general permits for distributed wastewater treatment systems to help local governments address failing septic-related water quality problems; SB 1162 expanding boating improvement and water access facilities programs; SB 466 implementing the Florida Museum of Black History task force’s selection of West Augustine as the museum site; SB 178 creating a FAMU agronomic study on viable crops for land taken out of production; CS/SB 678 allowing pawnbroker transaction forms to be printed or digital; and CS/SB 736 updating the Brownfields program, with a technical amendment adopted. Testimony on these bills was generally supportive, with speakers from affected industries, local governments, and advocacy groups. The committee also took up CS/CS/SB 700, the comprehensive Florida Farm Bill, which included technical agency changes and major policy provisions such as restrictions on additives to public water supplies, labeling requirements for meat, milk, poultry, and eggs, drone-related protections for farmland, disaster recovery loan updates, an honest services registry for charities, FFA scholarship and school infrastructure provisions, and a mechanism for state purchase of former solar-converted agricultural land. The water-additive provisions drew extensive debate and testimony from supporters and opponents, including dental professionals, public health advocates, and groups arguing for medical freedom and local control. Despite the controversy and a no vote from Senator Arrington, the bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 1226 creating a regulatory framework for pet insurance was also reported favorably, and the committee adjourned after members recorded additional votes on several bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's different than just don't drink, okay?
• The person who's drinking two quarts of vodka a day, that's not who we are targeting.
• To get your alcohol, and that changes the way people are drinking it.
• They just have to consume it before they can drink it.
• So they binge drink and come home drunk, and then all things happen. We've seen this cycle.

Transcript Highlights:

• which helps fund critical infrastructure in Hastings to remove past or forever chemicals from their drinking
• which helps fund critical infrastructure in Hastings to remove past or forever chemicals from their drinking
• The reason my bills are critical is because the threshold for acceptable levels of PFAS in drinking water
• The reason my bills are critical is because the threshold for acceptable levels of PFAS in drinking water
• The reason my bills are critical is because the threshold for acceptable levels of PFAS in drinking water

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• department and for instance drinking department and for instance drinking water<04:19:54.760>
• management division we have the drinking management division we have the drinking water<04:32:32.600
• to offset the cost of connecting into that drinking water public drinking water system.
• we protect the quality of our drinking water resources in groundwater, and also to assist public drinking
• out where we we see p fast and drinking out where we we see p fast and drinking water<05:01:56.120

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented an overview of its budget and operations, emphasizing that it is the lowest-spending agency in state government and that its general fund allocation has declined since 2019. Commissioner Arling House explained that DAS also handles back-office functions for several administratively attached boards, which has affected staffing and spending comparisons. He said the department’s current general fund spending is roughly split between retiree health and other operations, and that the presentation was based on adjusted authorized spending rather than the original budget figures. A major portion of the meeting focused on retiree health benefits and the long-term effort to control costs. Deputy Commissioner Cassie Keane described how the state moved from a projected deficit in retiree health to savings through a series of changes, including higher premium contributions, co-pay adjustments, and shifting Medicare retirees into Medicare Advantage arrangements to capture federal reimbursement. She said the state has about 12,500 retirees and spouses on the plan, with roughly 10,906 Medicare retirees and 1,580 non-Medicare retirees, and that the savings have depended heavily on federal funding and procurement decisions. She also noted that Medicare retirees pay Part B premiums and that the state has grandfathered older retirees from some premium contributions. Members asked about what the expenditures cover, why the state offers retiree health instead of simply giving retirees a payment to buy coverage themselves, and whether out-of-pocket costs changed under Medicare Advantage. Keane said the plan covers actual health claims or insurance premiums, that co-pays and maximum out-of-pocket limits remain in place, and that the state has no authority to change benefit details without legislative action. She explained that retiree health is a long-standing employee benefit that wraps around Medicare and is not collectively bargained in the usual sense, though its eligibility rules and cost-sharing have been tightened over time to better target the benefit to long-term state service. The discussion also covered vendor performance problems. Keane said Anthem recently won the contract back from Aetna, but its pharmacy subsidiary, Caroline, caused serious service disruptions. DAS responded by withholding payments, assessing more than $2 million in performance guarantees, and hiring a third-party auditor to review the pharmacy processes. The current contract runs through the end of calendar year 2026, and officials said they are watching federal Medicare Advantage reimbursement changes closely because future savings are uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is, you know, extreme drinking.
• <02:41:43.280> Um you know, ex- extreme drinking. Um you know, ex- extreme drinking.
• 50.080> that's<02:58:50.280> drinking, in back that's drinking, in back that's drinking
• It's like, why are they drinking?
• It's okay to drink, you know?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• if they're not of age to drink in the community.
• We're drinking from the fire hose, but it's actually been fun up to this point.
• In total, we serve an average of 30. billion gallons of drinking water per year.
• Risk, and below that, it is water that is safe to drink.
• the drinking water supply well.

Transcript Highlights:

• drink. >> You know, that's the cheapest thing in the store. >> Do you drink diet drinks?
• >> Do you drink diet drinks? >> Do you drink diet drinks? >> Nope. >> Nope.
• >> I I drink ginger ale. >> I I drink ginger ale.
• We're probably the loosest that any of them, the 22 has done. soft drinks, diet drinks, um all soft drinks
• drinks, they're full of sugar. drinks, they're full of sugar.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But again, if the funds are available, I think clean drinking water benefits all communities.
• He's in our drinking water program at the department.
• We already have about uh drinking water.
• um uh appropriation through the drinking um uh appropriation through the drinking water<00:23:36.559
• And um just the drinking water program.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we're seeing less drinking.
• of drinks, or the simulation drinks.
• They phrase, the u simulation drinks.
• <00:48:06.480> as upset with people for not drinking as upset with people for not drinking
• More so drinking as much.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Invite up here Darren Bohemus, the head of our Division of Drinking Water.
• Darren Bohemus, Deputy Director for the Division of Drinking Water.
• Thank you, Darren Bohemus, Deputy Director for the Division of Drinking Water.
• Because for the ones who don't have safe drinking water, it's the problem for them.
• This program provides access to safe, affordable drinking water to many communities.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard an extensive discussion on the Governor’s proposal to eliminate vacant positions across several environmental and natural resources departments, including Fish and Wildlife, Parks, the Coastal Commission/BCDC, DPR, DTSC, CalRecycle, and the State Water Resources Control Board. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained that the JLBC had already not concurred with 650 of roughly 1,000 positions under review, citing concerns that many of the vacancies support core functions such as law enforcement, permitting, public safety, sea-level rise planning, and implementation of recently enacted laws. The Department of Finance defended the vacancy reduction exercise as a way to capture savings from a statewide pool of about 40,000 vacancies, arguing that departments need flexibility to manage operations and that some vacancies are used to cover operating costs or hard-to-fill roles. Several department representatives testified that the cuts would reduce capacity and could slow permitting or enforcement, though they said they would try to reclassify positions and prioritize the highest-need work. No vote was taken and all items were held open for a future hearing. Members focused heavily on the practical effects of the cuts. Senators questioned whether vacant positions should be treated as a budget savings tool, whether special-fund positions should be eliminated when they do not affect the General Fund, and whether long-vacant positions should simply be removed if they have not been filled for years. Fish and Wildlife and Parks described impacts to permitting, wildlife conflict response, and law enforcement; Parks said its academy can train only about 50 rangers a year, leaving many vacancies even after the proposed reductions. The Coastal Commission said the affected positions support SB 272 sea-level rise planning with local governments. DPR said the proposed cuts would affect multiple branches involved in pesticide registration, enforcement, and safety review, while DTSC said it was still hiring from a large 2022 reform package and had reduced its vacancy rate from about 30 percent to 15 percent before the drill. The State Water Board said its proposed reductions would be spread across programs and could lead to slower permitting and backlogs, though it would protect drinking water functions as much as possible. The committee then moved to a State Water Resources Control Board overview and a new budget proposal tied to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. Chair Esquivel described the board’s responsibilities for water quality, water rights, drinking water, and financial assistance, and said the board is updating the Bay-Delta Plan while also pursuing voluntary agreements and broader water-rights administration. He said federal workforce reductions and the Sackett ruling have increased pressure on state programs. The board requested $2.6 million and 12 permanent positions from the Waste Discharge Permit Fund to address permitting and enforcement gaps created by the narrowing of federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction. The LAO said the request met its high bar for new proposals because it was supported by the board’s data and would help maintain water-quality protections, though it noted that state processes are less efficient than the federal framework they are now partially replacing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So just as a frame of reference, biosolids typically contain a thousand times more PFAS than drinking
• Young people like me should not grow up wondering if the food we eat or the water we drink will silently
• I view this bill as a crucial step in protecting the soil we use to grow our food and the water we drink
• EPA set legally enforceable drinking water limits at four parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, with
• The residents had to drink PFAS-contaminated water until 2024, when a temporary million-dollar PFAS drinking

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries held a public hearing on 19 legislative proposals, with testimony limited to three minutes per speaker and seven minutes per panel. The hearing opened with testimony on bills promoting urban agriculture and vacant-lot conversion, including H.121/S.61, which Green Roots staff and community members supported as a way to turn vacant lots in environmental justice communities into urban farms and gardens that improve food access, health, community cohesion, and climate resilience. Rep. James Arena-DeRosa also spoke in support of H.109/S.56, the PFAS bill, describing it as a measure to protect soil and farms from contamination and to create relief for affected farmers. A major portion of the hearing focused on H.109/S.56, which would ban land application of sewage sludge/biosolids, provide liability protection and relief funds for farmers, and address PFAS contamination in soil, water, crops, and animals. Testimony came from environmental groups, farm organizations, and individual farmers, including the Mass Food System Collaborative, Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Water Action, CEMAP, NOFA, Sierra Club, and several farmers who described contamination in Maine and Massachusetts and urged the committee to act. Witnesses emphasized that PFAS poses serious health risks, that farmers should not bear responsibility for legacy contamination, and that the bill should be paired with funding for testing, remediation, and assistance. Committee members asked questions about farm liability, the scope of the bill, contamination in different ownership situations, and the costs and timelines of remediation, with Senator Comerford and others clarifying that the bill is intended to protect farms and farmers rather than non-agricultural landholders. The committee also heard strong support for H.416, a farm-to-institution pilot program, from Rep. Lee Davis, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, and Berkshire Bounty. They said the pilot would connect Massachusetts farms to schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other institutions, creating new markets, strengthening local supply chains, and supporting food-is-medicine efforts. Members discussed whether the model could be statewide and referenced existing programs such as Island Grown Initiative and local hospital and insurance partnerships. Another agricultural bill, H.1058, was supported by Rep. Mark Sylvia and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association as a way to allow unused cranberry water rights to be transferred within the same watershed for municipal mitigation while helping growers retire or consolidate bogs. The hearing also included testimony on the broader farm omnibus bill H.112/S.55 and related measures, with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and others praising the committee’s work on agricultural resilience, food security, agritourism, workforce development, and farmland access, while suggesting additional transportation-related fixes for farmers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We all drink water. We're all downstream from somewhere.
• We all drink water. We're all downstream from somewhere.
• <01:04:56.760> in water Amara and grew up drinking in water Amara and grew up drinking in
• live on and the water that we drink live on and the water that we drink exempting<01:15:17.520><
• <01:18:06.120> there ensure the water is safe to drink there ensure the water is safe to drink

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• not going to get sick from drinking not going to get sick from drinking water.<00:34:13.440>
• It's going to stay on hold because it's wastewater and not drinking water.
• Drinking water. Seeing no discussion, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay.
• <00:39:04.240> Drinking<00:39:04.560> water. right, further discuss.
• Drinking water. right, further discuss. Drinking water.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we drinking water and wastewater.
• c><00:49:23.920> PAS<00:49:24.480> treatment drinking water to building PAS treatment drinking
• <00:49:28.480> water those public community drinking water those public community drinking
• sample just 10% of the private drinking sample just 10% of the private drinking water<00:50:44.079
• just removing PAS from the drinking just removing PAS from the drinking water.<00:59:01.200>

Bills: HF3220

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

Transcript Highlights:

• On average tampons contained lead levels eight times higher than the federal limit for lead in drinking
• 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted a chromium-6 MCL at 10 parts per billion in drinking
• CVWD's goal and the goal of every public water agency is to provide clean, safe, and affordable drinking
• CVWD is committed to serving our customers with high quality, affordable, clean drinking water, and we
• And we all get the challenges. but shall not be deemed in violation of the primary drinking water standard

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, similarly to the way we regulate alcohol sales by the drink.
• On the federal level, do we have any control on hyper-caffeinated drinks? Who is in charge?
• On the federal level, do we have any control on hyper-caffeinated drinks? Who is in charge?
• On the federal level, do we have any control on hyper-caffeinated drinks? Who is in charge?
• drink of bourbon. drink of bourbon.

Keywords: The livestream event for this meeting cut off shortly after the meeting began. This is the complete copy pulled from back ups., 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and drinking culture, right?
• So, you know, if you don't want to drink out of one, use water bottles.
• because it wasn't fit to drink.
• But it took 3 months we were out of drinking water for three months.
• Your report said it was safe to drink Personally, I wouldn't drink brown water if I had a choice, but

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our drinking water. our drinking water.
• <00:15:34.960> water monitoring of private drinking water monitoring of private drinking water
• Um, you drinking too much, you know?
• <01:02:54.360> So, where people have excess drinking.
• So, where people have excess drinking.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• drink drink flated<04:23:38.680> water<04:23:39.520> but<04:23:39.920> many<04:
• the drinking the drinking water<04:32:25.960> also<04:32:26.640> this<04:32:26.920
• kidney disease should never drink kidney disease should never drink fluoridated fluoridated fluoridated
• <05:00:42.558> fluoridated Dr Charles hay don't drink fluoridated Dr Charles hay don't drink
• used for food additives or drinking used for food additives or drinking water<05:33:42.920> additives

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up several bills in executive session, beginning with HB 568 on subdivision regulations concerning water supply. Representative Donnelly moved ITL, arguing the bill would create costly studies, that towns already have jurisdiction over needed studies, and that the issue was not widespread. The committee voted ITL 9-7. HB 582, dealing with safety requirements for personal watercraft, was also moved ITL on the grounds that existing law already covers the issue and the bill was unnecessary after recent action on personal flotation devices. Representative Derby opposed the ITL, saying the bill was a common-sense safety measure and would restore a misdemeanor penalty, but the committee voted ITL 9-7. The committee then retained HB 595, relative to coastal resilience zones, after members said the bill was important but needed more work and time because of its complexity. Members noted it should be revisited later, and the motion to retain passed 16-0. HB 607, funding the Hampton Beach Area Commission and making appropriations, received an ought-to-pass recommendation 15-1, with support from members who described Hampton Beach as an important economic driver and one dissenting member saying the state should not bear the full cost. The committee also adopted Amendment 2025-3 on HB 624, establishing a local river management advisory committee grant program, by a 16-0 vote; the amendment shifted funding decisions to the Department of Environmental Services based on demonstrated need and a first-come, first-served process. The bill as amended then received an ought-to-pass recommendation 16-0 and was placed on consent. Later, the committee retained HB 629, funding the operation, maintenance, and repair of state dams, after members said the dams need attention but the bill required more work because suggested amendments had just been received. That motion passed 16-0. HB 644, concerning drones in state parks, was ITL’d because the Department of Parks and Recreation is already working through rulemaking on UAS use in remote areas, and the committee voted 16-0 for ITL. HB 657, the short notice booking act access for New Hampshire residents to state parks, was also ITL’d at the request of the prime sponsor, passing 16-0. The committee then adjourned and announced a later hearing on HB 663, which would allow the Division of Historical Resources to use a portion of Moose plate funds for administering its grant program; testimony from the sponsor and the division supported the bill as clarifying existing authority, and no final vote on HB 663 was included in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would be more cost effective to be able to provide them a connection to the city's drinking water
• Statewide drinking water contamination and<00:57:54.079> mitigation<00:57:54.520> for<
• Water Systems so Municipal Drinking Water Systems so these<00:59:11.760> work<00:59:12.000>
• water system which the city's drinking water system which is<01:00:00.039> not<01:00:00.280><
• The Department of Health does the scoring and ranking for drinking water projects, and then PFA uses

Keywords: 1183, house