Transcript Highlights:

• captive insurers or protected cell companies.
• Even in the event of a cell liquidation, there is no legal recourse against any other cell in the company
• The bill draft authorizes protected cell captive insurers to be domiciled in Florida, using Tennessee's
• A while back, a group of us all involved...
• A while back, a group of us all involved in the insurance business were just discussing how Florida writes

Summary: The Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum present and heard a full agenda of bills, most of which were reported favorably. Early in the meeting, SB 1000 on trust fund interest for attorney trust accounts was explained as setting a floor and ceiling tied to the Wall Street Journal prime rate and passed without objection after supportive testimony from banking and credit union groups. The committee then took up CS/SB 1082 on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program; the sponsor described it as a way to move emergency out-of-network payment disputes away from costly litigation and into an independent dispute resolution process modeled on the federal No Surprises Act. A proposed amendment drew significant questions from senators and concerns from the Florida Insurance Council about confusion over state versus federal eligibility and possible effects on contracted rates, and the sponsor ultimately withdrew the amendment. The underlying bill was then supported by health care and insurance stakeholders and reported favorably. SB 684 on electronic signatures for total loss vehicles and vessels also passed, with Progressive Insurance waiving in support. The committee next approved CS/SB 158 on pet insurance, which requires continuing education for agents, clearer consumer disclosures, and annual reporting to OIR; the amendment was technical and adopted. SB 1494 on breast cancer screening coverage was presented as expanding required coverage for mammograms and supplemental screenings for certain insurance products, and it passed with support from cancer and radiology groups. CS/SB 314 on digital asset issuers was amended to create a Florida framework for payment stablecoin issuers consistent with the federal GENIUS Act, allowing state-level regulation as an alternative to federal supervision, and was reported favorably. SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, including higher small-estate thresholds and clearer authority for personal representatives, also passed after a banking-related amendment requiring letters of administration for safe deposit box access was adopted. Later, the committee approved CS/SB 618 on workers’ compensation insurance, which raises the consent-to-rate cap for workers’ comp policies from 10% to 20% and adjusts the Florida Workers’ Compensation Guarantee Association board membership; a carrier representative testified that the change would help keep more high-risk accounts in the voluntary market. CS/SB 1568 on a Florida Stable Coin Pilot Program was amended to remove authority for DFS to create a Florida coin, limit the pilot to existing stablecoins with at least $1 billion market capitalization, and require qualified public deposit handling; it then passed. CS/SB 838 on electronic payments for retail installment contracts clarified that convenience fees for electronic payments are permissible while preserving a fee-free option, and it was reported favorably after questions about consumer access to free payment methods. SB 1452, the Department of Financial Services agency bill, made a wide range of administrative changes affecting My Safe Florida Home, unclaimed property, licensing, bail bonds, and other DFS functions; a late-filed amendment on title insurer appointments was adopted, and the bill passed. The committee also approved SB 1706 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, targeting condo hardening assistance to owner-occupied units meeting income and occupancy criteria, and SB 990 on protected cell captive insurance companies, which the sponsor and industry witnesses said would modernize Florida law and promote insurance competition and economic activity. The meeting ended with all bills on the agenda reported favorably and the committee adjourning without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• A few announcements before we get started: Please silence your cell phone.
• . ...sometimes with some of us, maybe not all of us.
• I also have my cell phone that's available to them, and we have an email account that is available just
• She also has the cell phone numbers of all the leadership staff, where we provide information as it's
• I believe most legislators have my cell phone number, and if not, I can share that with them, but I am

Summary: The committee first approved the May 20 minutes and then advanced HCR 95, which would create a more uniform tax base for future state and local tax exemptions and credits, requiring a two-thirds vote of both chambers to deviate from that uniformity. HB 648 was deferred by the author. HB 1049, dealing with public meeting procedures and notice requirements, was amended after discussion with the Police Jury Association, school boards, and local government groups; the amendments removed a requirement for a lawyer at every meeting and clarified notice and posting language, and the bill was reported with amendments despite opposition from local government associations and the City of Baker. The committee then heard HB 615, which would expand livestreaming and two-year archiving requirements to more public bodies, including non-elected boards and commissions with taxing or rulemaking authority. Supporters framed it as a transparency measure, while local government and association witnesses argued it would impose an unfunded mandate, especially on small volunteer boards, and raised concerns about costs, staffing, record retention, and reliance on social media platforms. The bill was not advanced. HB 1201, as amended, would provide legislators reimbursement for travel and limited out-of-session expenses, including housing and mileage, beginning with the next term; members discussed the need to make public service more financially feasible and to broaden who can afford to serve. The committee reported HB 1201 with amendments. The committee also considered two constitutional convention-related bills. HB 244 would set guardrails for any future convention by capping delegates at 144, specifying delegate selection, requiring a two-thirds delegate vote to send proposals to voters, and requiring both a majority of voters and approval by three-fourths of the parishes for ratification; after debate over whether the parish threshold was too high, the bill was reported favorably on a roll call vote. HB 4, as amended, was narrowed to require the Senate and House Governmental Affairs committees to meet in the off-season to discuss the mechanics of a possible convention, but members viewed it as more of a study resolution than binding legislation, and the committee voted to keep it in committee. The meeting then moved to confirmation hearings. Courtney Myers, nominated for Deputy Secretary for the Office of Juvenile Justice, and Ernest Jacob Reade Jr., nominated as Assistant Secretary, testified about their backgrounds and priorities, emphasizing juvenile rehabilitation, education and vocational programming, mental health services, credible messengers, family contact, and better communication with legislators and families. Nathan McBride, nominated as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, testified about his engineering and government affairs background and said he would focus on legislative work, waste tire management, permitting modernization, and constituent service.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to thank you for passing the bill to keep cell phones out of classrooms.
• Cell phones in classrooms, I agree with you. Long overdue.
• phones are banned for the whole school day or only while the teacher's teaching?
• Representative Gutierrez then said she wanted to make a comment about cell phones.
• The plan also directed staff to use my daughter's birth name with us, her parents, while using a different

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• The portfolio that you're given law incarcerated is driving us through your assessments to do.
• So, yes, they can use the phones when it's appropriate, and it's at no cost to any one of them, and they
• substance use, substance use drives criminal behavior, criminal behavior to the correction centers.
• Substance use drives criminal behavior, criminal behavior to the correction centers.
• We try to take that money, or when we used to be able to do commissary or the phones, that money would

Summary: The commission met to continue its review of the county sheriffs’ role in corrections, reentry, and public safety. After approving the prior meeting minutes, the sheriffs completed a lengthy presentation describing how their offices provide regional jail services, women’s programming, mental health and substance use treatment, reentry support, community partnerships, and auxiliary public safety functions such as BCI work, TRIAD, Meals on Wheels, and event support. They emphasized that services are tailored to local needs, that women’s facilities are designed to keep mothers close to family and support reunification, and that programming, housing, and job placement are central to reducing recidivism. They also discussed challenges including K2/synthetic drugs in facilities, gang classification and separation, and the difficulty justice-involved people face obtaining IDs and birth certificates, especially for people from Puerto Rico. Commission members generally praised the sheriffs’ work and asked for more detail on how regional women’s facilities operate, how community-provider cuts might affect reentry services, how no-cost phone/tablet communication is balanced against programming time, and what the most essential programs are if funding is reduced. The sheriffs said programming must come first, identified mental health, substance use treatment, domestic violence programming, and housing/job placement as critical, and explained that community organizations and the Registry of Motor Vehicles are key partners in reentry. They also described their approach to gang management through classification, separation, and information sharing, and noted that the Registry has become more flexible but Real ID requirements have made documentation barriers more significant. The commission chair stressed that the purpose of the study is collaboration and improving system performance, not an adversarial effort against the sheriffs or a decarceration debate. Members noted that future meetings would hear from probation in June and the Department of Correction in July, and that the commission would continue gathering information before deciding on next steps. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• According to mass.gov, only 1% of Massachusetts students currently use a religious exemption, while 10%
• He has presented vague and misleading numbers to support the idea that, while the use of religious exemptions
• I personally have concerns with the use of fetal cells in vaccines and concerns about bodily autonomy
• Somebody used my name to speak a while ago, and I just want to make sure that I have my turn while somebody
• Thus, we have strongly held religious objections to the vaccines that are developed using fetal cell

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held a hearing on several vaccination-related bills, including proposals to eliminate non-medical or religious exemptions for school immunizations (notably H. 2554 and S. 1557), a bill to require or improve reporting and administration of immunization data and exemptions (described as the Community Immunity Act, S. 1618), and H. 2431, which would prohibit COVID-19, mRNA, or gene-altering vaccine requirements. The committee also heard testimony on H. 2463, which would classify funeral directors as public health workers for vaccine-priority purposes during emergencies. The chair reviewed testimony rules and repeatedly asked speakers to keep comments orderly and brief so the committee could hear as many people as possible. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony on H. 2554 and S. 1557 was sharply divided. Pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, public health advocates, and groups such as the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Medical Society, March of Dimes, Massachusetts Families for Vaccines, and several parents supported eliminating religious exemptions, arguing that vaccination protects medically vulnerable children and adults, improves herd immunity, and helps prevent outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other diseases. They cited local school data showing pockets of lower coverage and incomplete reporting, and several speakers referenced outbreaks in other states and the need for stronger, more consistent reporting and exemption management. Opponents argued the bills would infringe on religious freedom and parental rights, force families to choose between faith and education, and unfairly target a small number of families; some also said Massachusetts already has high vaccination rates and that the real issue is incomplete data or the gap population rather than religious exemptions. H. 2431 drew testimony from supporters who said COVID-era mandates caused job losses, privacy concerns, and harm, and that the bill would prevent future requirements for COVID, mRNA, or gene-altering vaccines in schools, workplaces, and public settings. Supporters described personal experiences with alleged vaccine injury or mandate-related hardship. H. 2463 was supported by the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, which argued funeral directors work in infection-facing settings and should be eligible for vaccine priority during public health emergencies. The hearing featured extensive public testimony but no committee action beyond hearing the bills and taking questions from members.

Transcript Highlights:

• Importantly, we hope to remove distractions from the classrooms by way of cell phones, getting cell phones
• Our first responders... classrooms by the way of cell phones um classrooms by the way of cell phones
• um getting<00:07:06.440><c> class</c><00:07:06.919><c> cell</c><00:07:07.120><c> phones</c><00:07:07.360
• ><c> out</c><00:07:07.479><c> of</c><00:07:07.639><c> our</c> getting class cell phones out of our getting
• class cell phones out of our classrooms<00:07:08.280><c> are</c><00:07:08.440><c> going</c><00:07:08.520

Summary: The Finance Committee heard a briefing from the governor on her recommended fiscal years 2026-2027 budget. She described it as a “recalibration” that reduces general fund spending by about $150 million from the prior budget, avoids tax increases, and aims to protect vulnerable residents while supporting the economy. She said the proposal addresses a projected current-biennium deficit, cites lower-than-expected revenues and off-budget spending, and includes a hiring freeze and other spending reductions. The governor also said the budget is built on current revenue estimates developed with the Department of Revenue Administration and the state’s chief economist. Major policy areas discussed included education, public safety, health and human services, housing, and workforce development. The governor said the budget increases spending on public education and special education, expands Education Freedom Accounts to public school students, funds a cell-phone-free classroom grant program, continues the community college tuition freeze, and supports workforce training. She also highlighted investments in the Group II retirement system for first responders, Northern Border Alliance and drug interdiction efforts, child advocacy and victim services, mental health services, developmental disability services with no wait list, and a streamlined housing permitting process with a 60-day review target. Committee members raised questions about the fiscal assumptions, the impact of possible federal funding changes, the Education Freedom Account expansion, dam infrastructure funding, and workforce issues such as state employee pay and vacant positions. The governor said the budget continues funding for federal programs currently assumed, and that she would advocate for block grants and other federal flexibility. On dams, administration officials said the budget includes about $13 million in capital funding, with possible fee increases under consideration. On staffing, the governor said the budget funds the previously bargained 12% state employee increase, includes eight position reductions tied to program changes, and would allow those employees to be rehired if openings arise. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Grade restrictions on student cell phone use.
• We will go from K to A and have a total ban on cell phone use.
• Cell phone use in school and a pilot from 9 to 12 to study the effects of instructional time.
• In Section 16, there is new language related to the use of cell phones in schools.
• One seems to be making permanent codifying cell phone use, and another seems to be saying that we will

Transcript Highlights:

• Our 19th JDC, if you're a person, you can bring your cell phone in.
• Our 19th JDC, if you're a person, you can bring your cell phone in.
• You can't bring your cell phone into the courthouse.
• You can't bring your cell phone into the courthouse. Into the building, correct.
• And it is a problem that they can't bring their cell phones in there.

Bills: HB29 , HB39 , HB77 , HB153 , HB183 , HB211 , HB263 , HB299 , HB324 , HB519 , HB520 , HB533 , HB538 , HB559 , HB562 , HB805 , HB823 , HB1004 , HB1011 , HB1018

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: insurance fund, retired employees, Ascension Parish, court clerks, premium costs, investment advisory board, HB 39, Act 283, peace officer, law enforcement officer, police certification, citizenship requirement, U.S. citizen, United States citizen, naturalization, lawful permanent resident, green card holder, immigration, public safety, law enforcement hiring

Transcript Highlights:

• He denies doing it, and the police say, "Well, do you have a cell phone?"
• The person like the top of a cell phone.
• ><c> that</c> people's cell phones, any property that people's cell phones, any property that they<01
• drugs, weapons, cell phones, and other prohibited materials.
• </c> such as illegal drugs, weapons, cell such as illegal drugs, weapons, cell phones,<02:22:04.720><

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• I would move that House File 4338 be in front of us and we'll move the DE1 to be in front of us for discussion
• I would move that House File 4338 be in front of us and we'll move the DE1 to be in front of us for discussion
• </c> prohibition on providing services while prohibition on providing services while background<00:16
• </c> Improving Systems for Substance Use Improving Systems for Substance Use Disorder<00:26:40.920><c
• For us, when to access capital.

Bills: HF4207 , HF4338

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: housing aid, local housing trust, funding projects, income provisions, technical changes, human services, medical assistance, Medicaid, provider enrollment, provider revalidation, fraud prevention, program integrity, background study, background check, fingerprinting, licensing, license revocation, payment withholding, payment suspension, prepayment review

Transcript Highlights:

• For all of you, if you have a cell phone, we ask you to please put it on silent.
• I'd rather us do it than the federal government step in here and do it for us.
• So you can show us and tell us what measures... well, we can find out.
• A lot of us legislators got phone calls about this bill, and we had no answers because the identity of
• Well, can you tell us about it? No. Can you tell us who filed it? No.

Bills: HB88 , HB181 , HB210 , HB250 , HB486 , HB529 , HB544 , HB639 , HB996 , HB1036 , HB1071 , HB1113

Committee: House House and Governmental Affairs

Keywords: local law, special bill, legislative process, transparency, election amendment, lobbying, public service, ethics, statewide officials, compensation, disclosure requirements, government employment, financial disclosure, public servants, immediate family, psychology, telepsychology, interjurisdictional practice, compact, licensure

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is already in wide use.
• phone, or regular mail.
• Perhaps the judge should use ChatGPT. With that, I'm an aye.
• And that's the problem with using that term.
• And that is the problem with using that term.

Bills: HB2041 , HB2144 , HB2239 , HB2321 , HB2371 , HB2594 , HB2661 , HB2662 , HB2793 , HB2968 , HB2995

Committees: Senate Federalism and Family Law , Senate Senate Federalism and Family Law Committee of Reference

Keywords: child neglect, financial resources, behavioral health, Christian Science treatment, parental rights, child support, preborn children, retroactive support, medical expenses, child welfare, child care, grant program, low-income, early learning, infrastructure, economic growth, HB2371, Arizona divorce, family law, dissolution of marriage

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Um, I'd like to start out by asking everybody to turn off their cell phones, please.
• But without this get the phone calls.
• So they use their license and close.
• </c> ideas that they did not offer to us ideas that they did not offer to us directly<00:32:29.440><c
• While So then we got to deal with that.

Bills: SB274 , HB586 , SB274 , HB586

Committee: House Boards, Agencies and Commissions

Keywords: cannabis, psychoactive cannabinoids, CBD, delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, delta-10 THC, criminal penalties, youth protection, medical cannabis, HB586, Cullman, Cullman County, City of Cullman, annexation, municipal boundaries, corporate limits, local legislation, boundary adjustment, city limits, municipal expansion

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I'm just picking that as an example because it's easy to use, but that would be opening us up
• And so I'm just picking that as an example because it's easy to use, but that would be opening us up
• Are they using a GPLET-type tool, or are they using something else that we don't have available to us
• subcategories of agricultural use, residential use, or vacant land, for example.
• You can't call that current use.

Bills: SB1090 , SB1293 , SB1414 , SB1429 , SB1503 , SB1536 , SB1633 , SB1724 , SB1764

Committees: Senate Finance , Senate Senate Finance Committee of Reference

Keywords: savings and loan, technical correction, Arizona Revised Statutes, financial institutions, prohibitions, GPLET, abatement, tax incentives, local government, property improvement, central business district, insurance, settlement demands, time limits, third-party claims, regulatory compliance, initiative, referendum, ballot measures, petition circulators

Transcript Highlights:

• So does anybody know what the first bill is while I'm pulling up? 5816.
• Next, we have Senate Bill 5838 before us.
• We have Senate Bill 6216 before us. Madam Vice Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• Next, we have Senate Bill 6318 before us, Madam Vice Chair.
• So because we had so many issues before us, I do want to check with staff.

Bills: SB5816 , SB5838 , SB5930 , SB5960 , SB5971 , SB6075 , SB6097 , SB6104 , SB6216 , SB6233 , SB6318 , SJM8015

Committee: Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources

Keywords: juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, tribal representation, natural resources, board of natural resources, environmental policy, community involvement, irrigation districts, director contracts, beneficial interests, transparency, governance, ungulate populations, wildlife management, habitat restoration, conservation, sustainability

Transcript Highlights:

• Please brief us on that bill. Thank you.
• tax or use tax need not be repaid.
• program, and it's a useful proof point.
• finally updated our code to allow mixed use about 10 years ago.
• While that funding has ended, the underlying struggles haven't.

Bills: SB5884 , SB5885 , SB5937 , SB5938

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: sales tax, redevelopment, economic incentive, underutilized property, infrastructure, affordable housing, religious organizations, zoning laws, land use, community development, smart access system, smart lock, residential landlord-tenant act, tenant privacy, biometric data, fingerprint, face scan, iris scan, key fob, key card

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, unless I'm using the proper.
• That's what really drives the movement of people and jobs. Mr.
• for us in our space.
• I know, used to be Senator Eltoff when he was here.
• to leverage us to help them politically pass it.

Bills: SB9 , SB 9

Committee: Senate Local Government

Keywords: property tax, ad valorem tax, voter-approval tax rate, no-new-revenue tax rate, tax rate calculation, Tax Code, local government finance, municipality, county, special taxing unit, sales and use tax, property tax cap, tax rollback, tax levy, maintenance and operations, debt rate, disaster relief rate, Texas Legislature, local taxing unit, school assessment

Transcript Highlights:

• use disorder treatment.
• substance use disorder could use substance use disorder treatment<00:28:16.559><c> um</c><00:28:17.080
• use disorder.
• use and opioid use addressing substance use and opioid use disorder<00:34:54.399><c> um</c><00:34:54.599
• to</c><00:42:27.720><c> pay</c> would allow us to use Medicaid to pay would allow us to use Medicaid

Bills: HF696 , HF1429 , HF1379

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Keywords: HF696, rural EMS, ambulance, emergency medical services, uncompensated care, payment pool, rural health, Office of Emergency Medical Services, public safety answering point, PSAP, nontransport, unpaid ambulance calls, EMS reimbursement, rural ambulance provider, general fund appropriation, Minnesota health finance, specialized life support, metropolitan counties, emergency response funding, HF1429

Transcript Highlights:

• Let us pray.
• We ask that you just give us wisdom and understanding. ...and that you give us understanding.
• I'm just using that as an example.
• Percentage of unfunded liability that's going to put us at...
• Retired employees and educators help us with those retirement systems. I know...

Bills: SB45 , SB73 , SB169 , HB243 , SB177

Committee: House Fiscal Responsibility

Keywords: athlete agents, commission, state regulation, Alabama, higher education, athletics, membership diversity, catastrophe savings account, catastrophe fund, storm savings, disaster savings, hurricane, windstorm, floodwaters, hail, tornado, property insurance, homeowners insurance, insurance deductible, FORTIFIED

Transcript Highlights:

• While the Governor painted a picture of our state on the rise, you know the cold reality of our state's
• Policy made right here in Olympia is literally driving our citizens to other states in droves.
• The most vulnerable among us, people already living at the edge of their means.
• Taxes on cell phones, storage units, fuel—you name it—hit hardest on the least able to pay.
• Taxes on cell phones, storage units, fuel, you name it, hit hardest on the least able to pay.

Summary: This transcript is a Republican response to the Governor’s State of the State address, delivered by Sen. Keith Wagoner. The speaker argues that Washington is facing an affordability crisis driven by state policy, citing high costs for housing, fuel, food, and living expenses, along with concerns about outmigration, crime, homelessness, drug overdoses, and declining student outcomes. He also criticizes recent budget decisions, saying the 2025 budget cut Medicaid funding for seniors and people with disabilities while raising taxes to record levels. A major theme is opposition to new taxes. The speaker says Democrats are proposing regressive taxes on items like cell phones, storage units, fuel, and employers, and warns these measures could lead to a state income tax, which he says voters have rejected 11 times. He contrasts this with Republican proposals for property tax relief and a sustainable spending limit, which he says were rejected by Democrats. He also criticizes Governor Ferguson for signing a budget with tax increases after previously promising not to do so. No formal votes or committee actions are described. The speaker instead urges the public to participate in the legislative process by testifying, emailing lawmakers, and pressing the governor to pursue more fiscally conservative policies. The closing message is a call for Republicans and citizens to work together to oppose new taxes and make Washington more affordable.