Transcript Highlights:

• involved with almost all of those at the time, we came back and said, you know, optometry is now educated
• Do you know the difference in education between the two? Is there a difference?
• I do not know the difference in education.
• I do not know the difference in education.
• Are you telling me now that the education is the same for both of them and it's just a testing procedure

Committee: House Professional Registration and Licensing

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 3111, which concerns bail bonds oversight. Representative Phelps offered a committee substitute that moved bail bondsmen into the existing Board of Private Investigators, Private Fire Investigators, and Professional Surety Bail Bonds to avoid a fiscal note. An amendment was adopted to remove fee caps in the substitute, and the committee then adopted the revised substitute and voted it do pass 21-0. The committee then heard Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill 1233, the CPA licensure bill, along with related provisions for social work supervisors and speech pathologists. Senator Trent and supporters from the Missouri Society of CPAs, the speech-language association, the social work community, and the State Auditor’s Office said the bill would address CPA shortages by creating a new licensure path based more on experience, while preserving exam standards and adding reciprocity. No opposition was offered, and the hearing concluded without a vote. House Bill 2999 on optometry scope of practice drew extensive testimony and debate. The sponsor and ophthalmology witnesses described the bill as a negotiated compromise that would codify specific procedures optometrists may perform, while opponents from optometry argued it would freeze scope in statute, limit modernization, and require repeated legislative action as standards change. Witnesses disagreed sharply over whether the bill improved patient safety and access, whether the procedures were already within current practice, and whether surgical procedures such as lasers should be included. The bill was heard but no committee action was taken in the transcript. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2957 on respiratory therapist licensure. Representative Castile and respiratory care witnesses said the bill would phase out the CRT as the entry credential for new applicants in favor of the higher RRT standard, while grandfathering current CRTs and adding renewal audits to confirm active credentials. Supporters said the change reflects current training standards and would raise patient-care quality without reducing workforce numbers. No opposition testimony was presented, and the hearing adjourned without a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• looked at the report for last year and, just highlighting that in the summer of 2025, the Youth Education
• and career pathways in these fields. had less access to outdoor education and career pathways in these
• I looked at the report for last year and just highlighting that in the summer of 2025, the Youth Education
• Outdoor Program support In the summer of 2025, the Youth Education Outdoor Program supported 112 students
• Through this program, DNR provides technical support and education to plant and sustain trees in urban

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session on HEAL Act implementation, beginning with an orientation from Environmental Justice Council member David Mendoza. He described the law’s purpose as integrating environmental justice into agency decision-making, community engagement, tribal consultation, strategic planning, and environmental justice assessments, with the goal of reducing environmental health disparities and improving accountability to communities and tribes. He also discussed the council’s role, the interagency work group, challenges with limited volunteer and agency capacity, and concerns about inconsistent assessment formats and future funding pressures. Committee members asked about council composition, including the balance of tribal, community, business, and other representation, whether the HEAL Act increases permitting time or costs, how “overburdened” and “vulnerable” populations are defined, and whether the council should be refreshed or audited. Mendoza said the statute is not limited to racial categories and can include rural and low-income communities, that the council has not quantified permitting delays, and that there is no formal audit requirement, though the council is discussing how to improve its work. Members also raised questions about the relationship between the Environmental Justice Council and the Office of Equity, with Mendoza saying the bodies are complementary but should coordinate more closely. The Department of Agriculture then reported on its HEAL Act work. Director of Equity and Environmental Justice Nicole Johnson said WSDA conducts environmental justice assessments for significant actions, applies an equity lens to licensing, funding, rulemaking, and strategic planning, and has completed 11 EJ assessments to date. She highlighted pesticide regulation, animal health, and weights-and-measures work as examples of environmental and economic justice, and said the department recently hired a full-time tribal consultant and has only 1.5 FTE supporting HEAL implementation. Members asked whether WSDA’s assessments apply to its role on boards such as the Forest Practices Board; Johnson said the department’s current understanding is that assessments are conducted on agency work. The Department of Natural Resources then presented on its HEAL Act implementation, focusing on strategic planning, community engagement, tribal consultation, environmental justice assessments, and equitable funding. DNR officials said environmental justice is being embedded in the agency’s 2025-2029 strategic plan, in its Community Access and Impact Plan, and in its advisory committee and board representation efforts. They reported conducting EJ assessments for sustainable harvest calculations, agency request legislation, and a prescribed burn manager certificate program, and said DNR has invested about $130 million in overburdened communities and vulnerable populations in fiscal year 2025 through wildfire resilience, youth education, and urban forestry programs. Committee members pressed DNR on how it identifies impacted communities, why landowners were not more visible in the process, how agency-request legislation is being assessed, and whether assessments are required for actions taken through other boards and commissions. DNR said its current interpretation is that assessments apply to internal agency actions, that some notices may appear on OFM’s notices page rather than the completed-assessments dashboard, and that it would follow up on specific questions about its posted assessments and process.

Transcript Highlights:

• So at the level of education that we have to... ...because you know that may happen again.
• So at the level of education that we have to put out for quantum, we can build that quickly and we can
• build it rapidly in our educational systems with CNN and UNM and MSU.
• three Alexes to run the educational pieces you're running, the advanced energy projects, the quantum
• And I really would suggest you look at letting education, under guidance and collaboration with EDD,

Summary: The committee first heard SB 20, as amended, which would limit prior authorization for certain medications used to treat serious mental illness and extend prior authorization approvals for other chronic maintenance drugs to three years. The sponsor and supporters said the bill would reduce treatment interruptions and administrative burden for patients, clinicians, and pharmacies, while opponents argued the three-year period could raise safety concerns, reduce annual clinical review, and increase costs and premiums. After public testimony and committee discussion, the bill passed on a 7-2 vote. The committee then considered SB 21, as amended, establishing an annual Medigap open enrollment period with guaranteed issue protections for eligible Medicare beneficiaries already enrolled in Medigap plans. The Aging and Long-Term Services Department said the measure would give seniors more flexibility to change plans as their needs and premiums change, and OSI said premium impacts were expected to be limited. An amendment setting the effective date at January 1, 2027 was adopted, and the bill passed unanimously. Next, the committee heard SB 177, a large economic development package centered on quantum, advanced energy, defense, and related workforce and research investments. The sponsor and administration witnesses described New Mexico as uniquely positioned to attract major private and federal investment, while members raised questions about guardrails, reporting, use of the Research and Development Fund, and whether EDD could manage the spending and educational components. An amendment removed the public safety section, a technical title fix was adopted, and the bill passed 9-1. The committee also took up SB 189, which would protect existing coverage and expand insurance coverage for reproductive and gender-affirming care, including mid-year enrollment options for pregnancy and coverage for double electric breast pumps. Supporters said the bill would prevent abrupt coverage changes and ensure access to care, while opponents objected to abortion-related coverage and argued existing law and Medicaid already cover much of the care. A motion to table failed, and the bill then passed 6-4. Finally, the committee unanimously passed Senate Memorial 6 honoring golfer Nancy Lopez and her New Mexico roots and achievements.

Transcript Highlights:

• How do y'all have continuing education hours?
• They're required to have 40 continuing education hours every two years.
• They're required to have 40 continuing education hours every two years.
• I'd be interested to know if we're really spending a number well—I mean, getting them educated, they
• I'd be interested to know if we're really spending a number well—I mean, getting them educated, they

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 4 February, 2026; 9:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to Education Policy.
• So they could be a math course, science course, a career and technical education course credit, and an
• course credit, and an elective education course credit, and an elective credit.<00:16:19.680><c> So<
• Representative Collins has been my, you know, this is her last session, uh, but she's been my education
• mentor since I got been my education mentor since I got here<00:18:05.600><c> and</c><00:18:06.080><

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pharmacy certification, education, and accountability have changed quite a bit since then.
• In Washington State, doctorate-level training has been a minimum standard for pharmacist education.
• In Washington State, doctorate-level training has been a minimum standard for pharmacist education since
• The Department’s Sunrise report found that pharmacist education includes extensive training in pharmacology
• The Department's Sunrise report found that pharmacist education includes extensive training in pharmacology

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

Committee: Senate Health & Long-Term Care

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

Transcript Highlights:

• to work in every community, in as many communities as possible, to deal with projects related to education
• And so a lot of what we do in terms of our efforts around child sexual abuse education is to help people
• understand how grooming work. abuse education is to help people understand how grooming works, which
• I got to Idaho, I was shocked at the lack of stability and education that came along with that grant
• I got to Idaho, I was shocked at the lack of stability and education that came along with that grant

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee met to hear presentations on possible uses of temporary Millennium Fund dollars for youth- and family-focused prevention programs. Members first approved the prior meeting minutes, then heard from the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, which requested $682,000 for mid-sized grants to community organizations for child abuse prevention, parenting support, family resource centers, and school-based programs. The presenter emphasized the link between adverse childhood experiences and later substance use, and described the fund’s statewide grant-making process and current projects. Committee members asked about grant selection, funding sources, and how families are identified for services. The committee also heard from Children’s Bridge, which requested $3.5 million over four years to build a shared-services infrastructure for child care providers. The proposal focused on helping providers stabilize their businesses through software, coaching, shared purchasing, bookkeeping, and access to benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. The presenter argued that child care is part of Idaho’s prevention infrastructure and said the model would transition toward earned income and employer support over time. Members asked about similar programs, infrastructure, and how the model would be sustained after 2029. Idaho Safety Assessment Centers requested $1 million to support 12 youth assessment centers that divert youth from court, ERs, and school discipline into screening, counseling, and family support. The presenter cited individual success stories and said the centers served more than 12,000 youth in a year, with an estimated return of more than $3 in benefits for every dollar invested. The committee also heard from the Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, which requested $3 million in one-time bridge funding for 10 centers that conduct forensic interviews and coordinate child abuse investigations; members asked about coordination with state agencies and sustainability. Ross Edmunds of the Department of Health and Welfare requested $150,000 for a 10th recovery community center in Kamiah, explaining that the department already oversees nine centers through quarterly payments and reporting requirements. Finally, Representative Jordan Redman proposed a $5 million statewide drug-use awareness campaign using research, surveys, and targeted media buys; he said the campaign would be evaluated through impressions, reach, and frequency. No decisions were made, and the chair said the committee would return later to continue reviewing the requests, noting the fund is one-time money and that the governor’s recommendations and a $25 million request reduce the amount available.

Transcript Highlights:

• to work in every community, in as many communities as possible, to deal with projects related to education
• Possible to deal with projects related to education on preventing child sexual abuse, abusive head trauma
• So a lot of what we do in terms of our efforts around child sexual abuse education is to help people
• The one in Rigby, the Upper Valley... abuse education is to help people understand how grooming works
• I got to Idaho, I was shocked at the lack of stability and education that came along with that grant

Summary: The committee met to hear presentations on proposed uses of temporary Millennium Fund money for youth- and family-focused prevention programs. The chair opened by emphasizing that the funds are one-time and not ongoing, and that the committee would not make decisions at this meeting. Minutes from the prior meeting were approved before testimony began. Roger Sherman of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund described the fund’s statutory role in preventing child abuse and neglect and requested $682,000 for mid-sized grants to community organizations for child sexual abuse prevention, abusive head trauma education, parenting programs, family resource centers, and school-based family supports. Royal Lockhart of The Children’s Bridge proposed $3.5 million over four years for a shared-services model to stabilize child care businesses through software, coaching, bookkeeping, purchasing, and benefits access, arguing that stronger child care infrastructure supports prevention and family stability. Nancy Windmill of the Idaho Safety Assessment Center Coalition requested $1 million for 12 youth assessment centers, citing diversion and early intervention outcomes for youth facing substance use, behavioral, or mental health crises. Sonia Howerton of the Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers asked for $3 million in bridge funding for 10 children’s advocacy centers, explaining that declining federal funds and prior one-time state support created a sustainability gap. Ross Edmunds of the Department of Health and Welfare requested $150,000 for a 10th recovery community center, the Upper River Youth Leadership Council in Kamiah, noting that the department now serves as the pass-through and accountability entity for existing recovery centers under prior intent language. Representative Jordan Redmond also presented a proposed $5 million statewide drug-use awareness campaign through the Office of Drug Policy, with research, survey work, and multi-platform media buys to test and refine messaging. Members asked about grant criteria, referral networks, sustainability, oversight, and coordination with state agencies; presenters generally described extensive application processes, multidisciplinary collaboration, and plans to transition toward earned revenue or state oversight. The chair closed by reiterating that the Governor’s recommendation already includes $150,000 for recovery centers and that the Governor has proposed $25 million from the Millennium Fund, limiting available funds, and said the committee would reconvene later for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have to educate that level. Representative Price. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Director.
• We provide that because it includes a whole host of educational rehabilitative resources, and we can,
• We provide that because it includes a whole host of educational rehabilitative resources, and we can,
• We know the research is pretty clear that things like education and some of the career technical ed,
• try to parse out which pieces of rehabilitation were not required to do, but we know that those education

Summary: The joint Senate Finance and House Appropriations committee reviewed the Idaho Department of Correction budget, beginning with an agency-wide overview and then moving through management services, state prisons, county and out-of-state placement, community corrections, community-based substance use disorder treatment, and medical services. Analysts and the director explained that the department’s budget is heavily driven by personnel, contracts, medical costs, and population pressures, with dedicated funds such as inmate labor and probation/parole receipts declining in cash balance. Members asked about vacancies, overtime, holdback impacts, software licensing, hepatitis C funding, and the department’s use of contracts and technology. The committee also heard that some planned reductions tied to the governor’s holdback remain in place despite the agency being exempted, including cuts to Recidivis, GEO-related services, and some technology purchases, while body-worn cameras were kept in place because of safety and accountability benefits. A major portion of the discussion focused on rising incarceration and housing costs. The director said the department is near capacity, with more people coming in than leaving, and that county jail and out-of-state placements are increasing because state facilities are full. Analysts described the county jail and out-of-state placement budget as highly volatile and based on updated population forecasts, with supplemental and ongoing requests increasing significantly. Members also asked about mandatory minimums, criminal aliens in custody, and the cost of housing inmates in state versus out-of-state facilities. The director said Idaho’s per-day direct prison cost is about $85, or about $95 with administrative costs, while the Arizona contract rate is about $85 per day. The committee also discussed rehabilitation and recidivism-reduction programs, including education, work programs, community reentry centers, and the Bridge 8 tablet system. The director said the tablets are funded through inmate phone-related charges and are used for educational and rehabilitative purposes, not because the state is required to provide them. She said community reentry centers have shown an 11% lower recidivism rate for participants, and that the department has previously eliminated ineffective programs after evaluation. Members asked for more information on inmate labor contracts, hepatitis C treatment funding, and the cost and effectiveness of various programs. The meeting ended before all questions were resolved, and the committee adjourned to continue work groups the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh chair of education, energy, and the environment. Uh thank you, Mr. President.
• ><c> and</c><00:14:54.320><c> the</c> chair of education, energy, and the chair of education, energy,
• Um at 1:00 today,<00:15:26.000><c> our</c><00:15:26.720><c> uh</c><00:15:26.959><c> education</c><00:
• 15:27.920><c> uh</c><00:15:28.160><c> subcommittee</c> today, our uh education uh subcommittee today,
• our uh education uh subcommittee is<00:15:29.040><c> invited</c><00:15:29.360><c> to</c><00:15:29.519

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Thursday, January 22, 2026, 960, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I would like to welcome you to our campus and thank you for supporting higher education and for serving
• In my role, I work closely with our veteran and military-affiliated students to ensure their educational
• And then my final question is, do you have a teacher education certification program here?
• We have two-year degrees in elementary education and secondary education, and we also have alternative
• and special education master's.

Transcript Highlights:

• She's the LFC analyst for the Early Childhood Education and Care Department.
• Early childhood education and care fund for maternal and child health. We did 5 million there.
• A lot of it comes from the land grant permanent fund, from the Early Care and Education Fund.
• We're seeing continued reductions of special education designation.
• Pre-kindergarten is really good at choosing, changing educational and literacy outcomes.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Boston University, and worked for decades as a continuing education counselor and professor. ...and
• What I saw firsthand, and what I learned from my mother, is that for many of us higher education is not
• They need their education and credentials to work for them.
• They need their education and credentials to work for them.
• Their money, their time, their hard work, it must be channeled into an education and credentials that

Committee: Senate Nominations

Summary: The Senate Committee on Nominations met with a quorum and first took up pending nominations from an earlier agenda. Members severed Douglas McReecken, nominated to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, from the rest of the list and then voted to report the remaining nominees to the full Senate by a 7-0 vote. The committee then voted on the severed nomination itself and reported Douglas McReecken to the full Senate as well, by a 5-2 vote. The committee heard testimony from Brooke Pop, reappointed as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and later from Commissioner Katarina Gonzalez, also of TCEQ. Questions focused on whether TCEQ rules comply with state law, ex parte restrictions, public transparency, concrete batch plant permitting, MUD approvals, water availability, illegal dams, enforcement, and the agency’s role in local environmental disputes. Both nominees said they follow the law as written, described internal legal review of rules, and emphasized transparency, public outreach, and enforcement; Gonzalez said she had already sent back two rules she believed did not comply with legislation. Members also discussed TCEQ’s authority limits and the need for clearer public communication about what the agency can and cannot regulate. The committee also considered Alethea Sullivan, nominated to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. Questions centered on TSU’s status as an independent institution, the role of HBCUs amid DEI-related legal changes, and student outcomes. Sullivan said she would focus on ensuring taxpayer and student resources produce valuable credentials and noted concerns from her review of graduation and bar passage rates. The committee then heard from Benjamin Barkley, appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel. Barkley said OPUC’s main need is additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and expert witnesses, reduce turnover, and continue representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility rate cases; he said the office was involved in 73 contested cases and saved Texans $2.2 billion in FY 2024. No final action was taken on the later nominees, and the committee recessed with nominations left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• 714 removes commercial driving from programs that may be exempted from the private post-secondary education
• act which establishes Bureau for Private Post-Secondary Education in 2010.
• The Bureau oversees private post-secondary education, making sure that these programs meet minimum educational
• In California, my company is licensed and governed by the Bureau for Private and Post-Secondary Education
• that commercial driving programs are properly regulated by the Bureau for Private Post-Signature Education

Committee: House Business and Professions

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Through education, public recognition, and policy. Never again must be more than a phrase.
• It must be a promise we actively uphold through education, advocacy, and community engagement.
• Strip you of citizenship, bar you from higher education, take away your right to vote.
• Resolve, that general be suspended to permit the Committee on Education to meet, consider, and report
• For 47 years, the Valley Women's Club has worked to protect the watershed. enhance education, empower

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• training and entrepreneurship programs, apprenticeship programs, and partnerships between higher education
• and industry, including the master plan for career education, which I know you've all been discussing
• is, the key ingredient to our... ongoing success, and that is the world's best system of higher education
• We have the best educated, best trained workforce in the nation.
• And as Director Myers and Assemblymember Ward indicated with the example of higher education, those core

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Educational resources will be provided in both English and Spanish, with continuing education opportunities
• Education equals prevention. And prevention equals life.
• It's a combination of awareness, education, and access to that.
• The majority of people now get their education from social media and websites. It's accessible.
• Specifically, the campaign will prioritize. continuing education, implementing trauma-informed care,

Bills: HB514 , HB1652 , HB2117 , HB2298 , HB3269 , HB46 , HB46

Committee: House S/C on Disease Prevention & Women's & Children's Health

Keywords: maternal health, maternal care, pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, doula, birth worker, midwife, obstetric care, women's health, rural health, health workforce, workforce development, trauma-informed care, public outreach campaign, health equity, minority health, underserved communities, Texas Department of State Health Services, HHSC

Transcript Highlights:

• It has a provision relating to out-of-state continuing education credit for appraisers.
• Minnesota is a nation-leading market with steady growth, educated consumers, and a network of retailers
• We have educated over 400 chiropractors. There is nothing unsafe about CBD.
• I'm the Director of Sales and Education at CARPE DMCBD.
• I am co-founder of the Cannabis Awareness Education Council for Youth.

Bills: HF1545 , HF2426 , HF1615 , HF2403

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: medical cannabis, cultivation, cannabinoid products, plant canopy, Minnesota statutes, cannabis, hemp, lower-potency, edibles, regulations, licensing, local control, consumer safety, age restrictions, commerce policy, financial institutions, insurance regulation, limited long-term care insurance, Medicare supplement, health insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• Making this declaration in the law about STEM funds, Title I funds being used for STEM education, is
• Next, we're going to take up tab four and Senate Bill 472 on education and correctional facilities for
• And finally, we can't ignore the role of education.
• Remove the restrictions on advertising, which unfairly limit branding and education without improving
• Remove the restrictions on advertising, which unfairly limit branding and education without improving

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy considered several bills and reported all of them favorably. SB 70-24, on state planning and budgeting, was presented as a modernization of the long-range planning program to simplify reporting, remove outdated measures, and focus on key data points and outcomes; it passed without opposition. CS/SB 166, on administrative efficiency in public schools, made broad changes to school accountability and operations, including lowering the stakes of certain student assessments, giving districts more flexibility on evaluations, contracts, certification, calendars, facilities, and VPK oversight. Two amendments were adopted: one clarifying that Title I funds may be used for STEM services, and another refining how advanced degrees count on salary schedules. The bill passed favorably after testimony both supporting and opposing the changes, with supporters emphasizing flexibility and opponents raising concerns about teacher evaluation and instructional practice. CS/SB 164, on vessel accountability, was described as a measure to address derelict and at-risk vessels by improving owner identification, creating a free long-term anchoring permit program, increasing penalties, and authorizing grants for local governments in the FWC prevention program. It received support from marine industry groups and was reported favorably. CS/SB 472, on education and correctional facilities for licensed professions, would allow inmates to receive credit toward licensure for qualifying coursework; a strike-all amendment added coordination with DBPR and professional boards. The bill drew support from criminal justice, business, and policy groups and passed unanimously. The committee spent the most time on CS/SB 438, on food and hemp products. Senator Burton and co-sponsor Senator Davis argued the bill was needed to regulate intoxicating hemp products, restrict child-appealing packaging and signage, ban synthetic hemp products, cap THC content in edibles and beverages, and require hemp beverages to be sold through alcohol-style distribution channels. Supporters, including alcohol distributors and some public safety advocates, said the bill would improve testing, labeling, and consumer protection. Opponents, including hemp retailers, farmers, and libertarian advocates, argued it would harm small businesses, reduce consumer choice, and push sales to the black market. After extensive debate, the bill was reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on tab five, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you want to significantly benefit boating safety, require education, boating education, for all renters
• Beyond boating education and training, the penalties for noncompliance are vague and outdated.
• But, yeah, the education that we need, the courses that are out there really, truly don't even educate
• don't see how people can be going 50 miles an hour on the wrong side of the boating channel, but education
• It requires education, prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts.

Summary: The Criminal Justice Subcommittee heard and advanced a series of bills on inmate medical billing, court-order transmission, animal abandonment during disasters, first responder peer support, firearm purchase waiting periods, capital felony aggravators, domestic violence protections, boating safety, restitution for leaving the scene of a crash, xylazine trafficking, and offenses against law enforcement officers. Testimony was generally supportive across the agenda, with some opposition or caution raised on the xylazine bill, the boating safety bill, and parts of the law-enforcement-officer bill. Several measures were presented as responses to specific tragedies, including the Martin County jail medical billing bill, the Baker Act transmission bill, Trooper’s Law for restrained dogs, the Jason Rayner Act, and Lucy’s Law. HB 407 would cap certain emergency medical charges for Martin County jail inmates at 110% of Medicare rates, mirroring Department of Corrections practice; it passed 15-0. HB 513 would require faster electronic transmission of certain court orders, including Baker Act orders, to law enforcement within six hours; it passed 15-0. HB 205, Trooper’s Law, creates a third-degree felony for abandoning a restrained dog during a natural disaster; it passed 15-0. HB 421, as amended, expands peer support for first responders to certain support personnel involved in crime scene work or evidence handling; it passed 16-0. PCS for HB 383 would let law enforcement, correctional officers, correctional probation officers, and active military service members bypass the three-day handgun waiting period without a concealed carry permit; it passed 18-0. HB 693 adds an aggravating factor in capital cases when the victim was gathered with others for a school, religious, or public government meeting; it passed 17-1 after opposition testimony from Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. PCS for HB 19 and HB 41, the Haven Act, would expand domestic and dating violence protections, including a feasibility study for a web-based 911 alert system and confidentiality/public-records protections for victims; both passed 18-0. PCS for HB 289, Lucy’s Law, would align boating penalties with driving offenses and expand boating safety card requirements; it passed 18-0 despite concerns from one witness that the bill should go further. HB 479 would allow courts to order restitution in leaving-the-scene property-damage cases; an amendment changing mandatory to discretionary restitution was adopted, and the bill passed 18-0. PCS for HB 57 would regulate xylazine, add trafficking penalties, and include veterinary-use exceptions; it passed 17-0 after one witness opposed mandatory minimums. HB 175, the Jason Rayner Act, clarifies that officers are protected when acting within the scope of their duties and adds manslaughter of a law enforcement officer to offenses requiring life imprisonment; it passed 17-0 after debate over self-defense and unlawful police conduct.