Transcript Highlights:

• It's not a surplus if you haven't paid your bills yet.
• But this surplus is here now. We're here now.
• And so we've been working for months on returning the surplus to the taxpayers.
• We've known about the surplus since at least January. to the taxpayers.
• We've known about the surplus since at least January.

Keywords: 970, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Given the size of these surplus funds, and since this is the first time we are using this type of revenue
• Now with this large pot of one-time surplus funds, we have a unique opportunity to further that progress
• We are pleased to be here today to present our supplemental budget for surplus fair share revenue from
• The fair share revenue is already delivering results, and the surplus allocation allows us to go even
• And I know we're here to talk about today the FY25 supplemental with the surplus set.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 55, the governor’s FY25 supplemental budget proposal to spend about $1.3 billion in surplus Fair Share revenue. House and Senate chairs framed the bill as a one-time opportunity to invest fairly in education and transportation, while also noting the need to protect the state’s long-term fiscal balance. Administration officials said the proposal should be considered alongside the FY26 budget and related bills, since the governor’s broader Fair Share plan aims for roughly an even split between education and transportation over time. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler outlined the administration’s priorities. Transportation funding would go mainly to the MBTA and related reserves, including money for the Federal Transit Administration reserve, MBTA stabilization reserve, low-income fares, winter resilience, RTA workforce support, MassDOT workforce and project delivery, and micro-transit grants. Education funding would support universal preschool expansion, early education and care capacity, early literacy tutoring, adult basic education and ESOL, early college and career technical education, MyCAP expansion, and special education circuit breaker funding. The administration emphasized that many of these investments are one-time or multi-year measures designed to address current needs without creating unsustainable recurring costs. Committee members raised concerns about regional equity, especially the large share of transportation money going to the MBTA versus regional transit authorities and rural areas. Several members asked for more detail on how the proposal would benefit Western Massachusetts and other non-MBTA regions, and whether micro-transit and Chapter 90-related investments would be sufficient. Education questions focused on special education reimbursement shortfalls, federal funding cuts to school districts, and how CTE and vocational investments would align students with workforce needs. The administration said it would provide additional data on MBTA versus RTA investment and explained that the special education circuit breaker and transportation reimbursement changes were intended to improve predictability and relief for districts. After the administration panel, Jessica Tang of AFT Massachusetts testified in support of using Fair Share funds to protect public education amid federal uncertainty and cuts. She argued that schools are facing a fiscal cliff, that vulnerable students would be hit hardest by funding losses, and that the Fair Share revenue should be used to preserve services and support students’ needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><02:53:09.880><c> statement</c> and fishing game Surplus statement and fishing game Surplus statement
• </c> into it too when we get to the Surplus into it too when we get to the Surplus statement statement
• </c> can move to the highway fund Surplus can move to the highway fund Surplus statement the<03:19:17.640
• </c> me line 15 uh the transfers from Surplus me line 15 uh the transfers from Surplus I<03:19:42.640
• So it’s the same idea there: it’s using surplus to balance these two years.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up HB 129, which would redefine “evidence-based” in public education. Department of Education testimony said the bill’s definition would conflict with the federal definition and be unusually restrictive, potentially affecting curriculum, educator training, and many existing state requirements. The department said it could force a broad overhaul of school programs and create a need for at least one new state position, with local districts likely facing significant unbudgeted costs. Members raised concerns about impacts on federal pass-through funding, curriculum materials, and whether the bill was workable at all. Several members said the proposal would be too costly and difficult to implement, especially during a tight budget cycle. Representative Papovich moved to retain HB 129, and the motion passed 7-0. Members who supported retention said they wanted to set the bill aside because of the scale of the concerns, while also stating they did not support the bill as written. The committee then opened HB 133, dealing with DMV follow-up on residency and licensing issues tied to voting and other interactions. Department of Safety/DMV officials said the bill would require a $40,000 technology update plus a full-time position to handle manual correspondence and review of possible matches, and that postage was not included in the fiscal note. They said the bill’s 60-day residency trigger is vague, that the DMV would be acting outside its normal role by investigating status after the fact, and that the measure could create privacy and operational problems. Members questioned whether the bill would effectively force people to buy a driver’s license to vote, whether non-driver and voter ID options would avoid that concern, and whether the Secretary of State rather than DMV would be the more appropriate agency to handle any follow-up.

Transcript Highlights:

• lines coverage um so that's Surplus lines coverage um so that's that's<00:24:19.559><c> at</c><00:24
• lines because of coverage via Surplus lines because of the<00:25:14.600><c> costs</c><00:25:15.000><
• </c> much more of them are not un Surplus much more of them are not un Surplus lines<00:26:07.960><c>
• </c><00:47:21.440><c> lines</c> and that's done via the Surplus lines and that's done via the Surplus
• </c><01:11:21.400><c> lines</c> what's accomplished in the Surplus lines what's accomplished in the Surplus

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This supplemental appropriates $2 million from the unappropriated surplus balance of general revenue
• This supplemental appropriates 132,000 from the unappropriated surplus balance of general revenue to
• This supplemental appropriates $1 million from the unappropriated surplus balance of general revenue
• This supplemental appropriates $4,960,630 from the unappropriated surplus balance of general revenue
• to a new current expenses surplus appropriation within the Department of Health Facilities, William R

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the journal, and spent much of the day recognizing pages, guests, school groups, and civic organizations visiting the chamber. Several communications from the House and committee reports were received, and a petition on support for new electric transmission lines was referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining. Senate Resolution 61, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse Obergefell, was referred to the Committee on Rules, while other resolutions and bills were held over or referred as required. The chamber then acted on a large number of measures, including concurrence in House amendments to Senate Bill 137 on parole eligibility for second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, and a conference committee was appointed on House Bill 4026 regarding integrated resource plans. Numerous House bills were advanced or passed after committee reports, covering topics such as industrial access roads, local airport hangar financing, college campus safety, youth and handicapped hunting, missing persons records, driver’s licenses, adjudicatory alternative dispositions, chronic absenteeism, party-switching deadlines for candidates, teacher/school personnel/state police pay raises, election official trainees, political committee filing notices, security personnel for the State Treasurer, post-secondary financial aid, legal practice rules, overseas voting, public officials’ residential information, homestead exemption, military juvenile jurisdiction, military interpersonal violence, kinship care subsidies, statewide prevention planning, contraband smuggling into federal prisons, forestry equipment taxation, microgrid and data center certification, transcript acceptance for students, emeritus medical licenses, higher education rule authorizations, board and commission reforms, managed care organization taxes, and deputy sheriff vacation carryover. Most of these measures passed with little or no opposition, and several received title amendments. The Senate also passed a series of supplemental appropriations, many with immediate-effect motions adopted by the required two-thirds vote. These included funding for the Department of Commerce, Workforce West Virginia, Homeland Security divisions, Health Facilities, Administration, Human Services, the Governor’s Civil Contingent Fund, the Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Senior Services. Votes were overwhelmingly in favor, with only a few measures drawing one or more dissenting votes. One bill on tourism appropriations was referred to the Committee on Rules, and several second-reading bills were advanced, including measures on the West Virginia Collaboratory, business-ready sites, volunteer fire companies, religious organization eminent domain restrictions, electric load forecasting, and funeral service licensure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Trotsky legislation that would accomplish most of this, you put 90% of the surplus in there.
• balance... is not structural surplus.
• taxpayers who built this surplus that don't own homes and won't benefit from compression?
• We would argue for a majority of that $24 billion surplus.
• With another budget surplus, it is our responsibility.

Bills: HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22, HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB22

Keywords: HB 8, school finance, compressed tax rate, maximum compressed tax rate, MCR, PYMCR, property tax, school district taxes, Education Code, Tax Code, state aid, school funding formula, local school taxes, Texas school finance, tax rate compression, public education funding, ad valorem tax, tangible personal property, income-producing property, business personal property

Transcript Highlights:

• , our carryover balance, is not structural surplus.
• who've built this surplus that don't own homes and won't benefit from compression?
• Leave, leave our surplus alone. I, I, I heard just a couple of times.
• Uh, we would, we would argue for, uh, a majority of that $24 billion surplus.
• With another budget surplus, it is our responsibility to return this money to the taxpayers.

Bills: HB8, HB9, HJR1, HB 22

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• , but that budget only increased the Rainy Day Fund by $3 billion in 2022-23. $100 billion surplus.
• I remember asking a new member orientation why we did not put more of the projected surplus aside in
• It's untested, and it's called the Projected Surplus Temporary Holding Account.
• In 2023, the state enjoyed a record-breaking $97.5 billion surplus.
• And unfortunately, in 2024, a $45 billion... ...surplus.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on proposals to reform California’s Budget Stabilization Account, or rainy day fund, ahead of the May Revision. Members and witnesses reviewed how Proposition 2 (2014) changed reserve rules, including mandatory deposits, a 10% cap on the fund, and limits tied to the Governor’s declaration of a budget emergency. LAO staff explained that California’s revenues are highly volatile, that current reserve rules are complicated by interactions with Proposition 98 and the Gann limit, and that under current law reserves would cover only about one-third of funding shortfalls in a benchmark scenario over 50 years. The LAO presented its report recommending a larger reserve target, including raising the cap to 50% by 2055 and pairing that with either broader, more flexible deposit rules or a simpler approach that deposits all excess capital gains. The Department of Finance described the Governor’s proposal to raise the cap from 10% to 20% and exempt BSA deposits from the state appropriations limit, while Assembly Member Valencia presented ACA 1, which would make similar changes and was described as an evolving proposal. Testimony generally supported saving more during boom years, but differed on how much to hardwire into the Constitution versus leave flexible, and on whether to broaden the deposit formulas beyond capital gains. Public witnesses and committee members raised additional issues, including whether reserve reforms should also address debt repayment, the treatment of unemployment insurance fund debt, and whether the Gann limit should be adjusted to better allow reserve growth. Supporters argued that stronger reserves would protect Californians from cuts during downturns and help the state weather volatility and federal funding threats. Some advocates warned that reforms should not come at the expense of current public needs, while taxpayer representatives cautioned against turning the BSA into a pass-through account that weakens constitutional spending limits. The hearing ended without a vote, with the committee chair noting the complexity of the issue and adjourning after public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, with an $18 billion surplus that turned into a $6 billion deficit, there's lots of ways we can talk
• So, with an $18 billion surplus that turned into a $6 billion deficit, there's lots of ways we can talk
• the event of a surplus.
• The condition is that there has to be a surplus before we give that back.
• Now you can look at the surplus that we currently have, and it's not a structural surplus, so I would

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2073 before you relates to nonprofit health carrier surplus.
• Excess reserves, surplus, plus...
• According to OIC data, Premera's surplus grew by $916 million over the past 15 years.
• Today, the top two carriers combined carry nearly $3.4 billion in excess surplus.
• It's surplus over and above anything that is required in reserves.

Bills: HB2073, HB2403, HB2587, HB2607, HB1170, HB1570, HB1710, HB1750, HB1834, HB2441

Keywords: health insurance, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, failure to register, criminal justice, registration requirements, public safety, law enforcement, nonprofit, grant funding, pilot program, financial support, community development, child care, childcare, subsidy rates, rate regions, market rate survey

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> savings we can pick up on the surplus savings we can pick up on the surplus statement<00:45:32.079
• Since you have a surplus statements.
• surplus surplus statement,<01:13:56.080><c> okay?
• So, that surplus statement I I Okay.
• And you know, so that surplus things.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2073 before you relates to nonprofit health carrier surplus.
• Excess reserves, surplus, plus...
• Today, the top two carriers combined carry nearly $3.4 billion in excess surplus.
• It's surplus over and above anything that is required in reserves.
• It's surplus over and above anything that is required in reserves.

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on House Bill 2073, which would require nonprofit health carriers with surplus above 600% of risk-based capital to pay 3% of the excess to support the Cascade Care Savings premium assistance program. Committee staff said the bill could generate about $80 million in FY 2027 based on 2024 surplus data, while carriers and business groups argued their reserves are needed to pay claims, manage risk, and avoid premium increases. Supporters said the bill would redirect consumer-funded surplus to help Washingtonians afford coverage, especially as federal subsidies expire. No action was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then heard House Bill 2132, which limits disclosure and retention of personally identifying and financial information in WASFA applications. Staff explained the bill would exempt WASFA records from public disclosure, restrict sharing to narrow purposes, and shorten retention periods, with significant fiscal impacts tied to purging records and updating data-sharing practices. Student and advocacy testimony strongly supported the bill as a privacy and safety measure for immigrant and mixed-status students. The committee also heard House Bill 2403, which lowers the penalty for failure to register as a sex offender and adds community custody and DOC supervision; public defense supported it as a cost-saving, consensus reform, and staff projected DOC savings. House Bill 2587 was also heard, creating a Commerce pilot to provide limited advance grant funding to eligible nonprofits; supporters said it would help smaller nonprofits manage reimbursement-based contracts, while staff estimated indeterminate but potentially significant administrative costs. The committee heard House Bill 2607, which would require DCYF to periodically rebase child care subsidy rate regions to better reflect local cost differences. Supporters from Benton and Franklin counties said current regional rates are outdated and unfairly low in fast-growing areas; staff said the fiscal impact was indeterminate. The committee then moved into possible executive session on several bills. Second Substitute House Bill 1170, dealing with generative AI disclosures and provenance tools, was amended and ultimately passed out of committee on an 18-9 vote after all proposed amendments were rejected. Substitute House Bill 1570 was amended to narrow its scope to Western Washington University and then passed out of committee on a 17-9 vote. The committee also began action on proposed Third Substitute House Bill 1710, which would create a state pre-clearance requirement under the Washington Voting Rights Act, but the transcript cuts off during consideration of amendments to that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• The latest figures reflect an expected budget surplus of $2.47 billion for the current biennium, a roughly
• Uh, we have recognized challenges remain over the next four years, but we've grown the surplus.
• Uh, we have recognized challenges remain over the next four years, but we've grown the surplus.
• </c><00:02:28.480><c> a</c><00:02:28.640><c> deficit</c><00:02:29.440><c> and</c> there will be a surplus
• or a deficit and there will be a surplus or a deficit and then<00:02:29.840><c> the</c><00:02:30.080

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> sort of the same Dynamic uh Surplus sort of the same Dynamic uh Surplus lines<00:40:22.680><c> premiums
• are Surplus lines lines premiums are Surplus lines coverages<00:40:24.599><c> are</c><00:40:24.800><c
• </c> markets everyone knows that Surplus markets everyone knows that Surplus lines<00:41:30.079><c> companies
• This method already exists for surplus lines too, right? We're not making this out of whole cloth.
• This method already exists for surplus lines too, right? We're not making this out of whole cloth.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on March 12, 2025, and heard testimony on several bills, with most measures drawing support from state boards, agencies, and industry groups. SB 102 (restaurants) had one supportive testifier and no questions. SB 1367 SD1 (installment loans) drew support from DCCA and other boards, but the chair raised concerns about a proposed $5 debit-card convenience fee, saying it seemed high and suggesting it might be amended downward; DCCA said it would check with industry on the likely impact. SB 1373 SD2 (administrative licensure action against sex offenders) received broad support from DCCA and multiple professional licensing boards, including psychology, physical therapy, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, massage therapy, nursing, optometry, barbering and cosmetology, the Hawaii Medical Board, and HPD. The committee then heard SB 1142 SD1 (insurance proceeds), which was supported by DCCA, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, AARP, Hawaiʻi Realtors, and the Hawaiʻi Insurers Council, while State Farm offered comments and the Hawaii Bankers Association opposed. Testimony focused on insurance access after the Lahaina wildfires and the need to address underinsured homeowners. The committee also discussed SB 144 SD2 (stabilization of property insurance), with support from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, AARP, Hawaiʻi Realtors, and the Hawaiʻi Insurers Council, and comments from the Attorney General and DCCA Insurance Division about revising the financing structure and correcting bill language. Opponents and reservationed supporters argued the bill may not help if applicants can still obtain coverage at very high prices, while supporters said it would expand market capacity and provide a safety net as climate-related losses continue. Finally, SB 253 SD2 (condominium reserves) received support from Hawaiʻi Realtors, CI, and several individual testifiers. Supporters said it would enforce existing disclosure requirements under Act 199 and improve reserve funding transparency, while one individual argued stronger enforcement and an ombudsman-style office would be more effective. The chair reminded testifiers to stay on the bill at hand. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• See, we have a $3 billion surplus."
• And what I've been telling Minnesotans is that surplus is spent. It's already encumbered.
• </c><00:08:21.360><c> And</c><00:08:21.520><c> what</c> have a $3 billion surplus."
• And what have a $3 billion surplus."
• </c> I've been telling motans is that surplus I've been telling motans is that surplus is<00:08:23.960

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This budget amendment places an overall surplus of $32.1 million into reserve and multiple appropriation
• The main driver of the surplus is declining caseloads. Follow-up, Representative Tant. Thank you.
• Meyer was curious, what is driving or what is predominantly responsible for that $32 million in surplus
• I think that's mainly good news, but just want to make sure. 32 million in surplus.
• there waiting for... ...be served when we say we don't know what the backlog is, and then we have a surplus

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We heard last week in the budget forecast that the surplus is now $3.7 billion dollars.
• We heard last week in the budget forecast that the surplus is now $3.7 billion dollars.
• We just talked about the $9 billion in fraud and the $3.9 billion that we have in a surplus.
• We still have a short-term surplus. We still have a structural<00:21:08.000><c> imbalance.
• It's been spending our $18 billion budget surplus. It's been increased taxes.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Minnesota Senate Republicans held a press conference unveiling a package of affordability and tax-relief bills aimed at property taxes, taxes on tips and overtime, and vehicle registration costs. Leader Mark Johnson said the proposals were meant to counter rising costs for wages, homeownership, and driving, and argued that Democrats’ policies had made life more expensive. Several senators echoed that theme, saying Minnesotans need immediate relief and that the state has room to act because of a reported surplus. Senator Michael Kunesh described a property-tax cap bill that would limit increases for cities and counties to inflation plus 50% of population growth, with higher increases requiring voter approval. He said constituents, including seniors, a disabled veteran, and young people, are seeing unsustainable property-tax hikes, and he argued that state and federal mandates have driven local costs. In response to a question about added county workload from federal SNAP and Medicaid changes, he said the solution is both to pause new mandates and to cap property-tax growth. Senator Karin Housley outlined a proposal to end state taxes on tips and overtime, with deductions up to $25,000 for tips and $12,500 for overtime, phased out at $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for families. She said the measure would help workers keep more of what they earn and would not cost small businesses directly. Senator John Jasinski proposed rolling back vehicle registration tab fees to pre-2023 levels, saying Minnesota’s fees are far higher than neighboring states and that the change would save drivers money over time. Senator Julia Coleman also supported the package, saying the bills would provide practical relief for families facing high housing, driving, and work-related costs. No votes were taken; the event ended with questions from reporters about fiscal impacts, offsets, and whether the proposals would worsen the state’s structural budget imbalance.

Transcript Highlights:

• commission, the representative from Capital One talked about how if you have cash and you go into a hardware

Summary: The Special Legislative Commission on the future of credit card payments and their impacts on small businesses held what was described as its last public hearing. Chair Paul Feeney opened by noting the commission’s mandate under Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024 and explained that members would continue working on a final report after the hearing. The meeting featured testimony from banks, payment industry groups, restaurant advocates, convenience store representatives, and others, with repeated discussion of interchange fees, surcharging, fraud, and federal preemption issues. Banking and card-industry witnesses, including the Massachusetts Bankers Association, the Card Coalition, and the Electronic Payments Coalition, argued that state-level interchange restrictions would disrupt a global payment system, create compliance problems, and likely apply only to a small share of transactions because of federal preemption. They emphasized consumer and merchant benefits of cards, the role of banks in absorbing fraud losses, and recent federal and state developments, including Illinois litigation, OCC and NCUA actions, and a settlement that they said would give merchants more flexibility. Several witnesses also suggested alternatives such as vendor compensation for tax collection and modernizing Massachusetts’ surcharge ban. Restaurant and convenience-store advocates took the opposite view, saying swipe fees are a major burden on thin-margin businesses and that merchants should not pay interchange on sales tax or gratuities that are not their revenue. Mass Restaurants United and individual restaurant owners described severe financial strain, rising costs, and the need for transparency and relief. NACS supported swipe fee reform and argued that current fees are excessive and inflationary. A few members questioned witnesses about whether industry should share more of the burden and about the feasibility of changing the current system. No votes or formal policy actions were taken. The chair said the commission would meet again to discuss a draft framework and final report, and members of the public were invited to submit additional written testimony before the commission concludes its work.

Transcript Highlights:

• They do not have any hardware to support direct internet connectivity. 2.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long list of Senate bills covering elections, transportation, health care, land use, water, criminal justice, and local government. Several election-related measures were described, including SB 1037 on voting equipment custody and internet/port restrictions, SB 1568 on election system software timekeeping, and SB 1687 moving the primary date to May starting in 2028. Members also discussed bills on photo enforcement fines, roadable aircraft registration, motor vehicle booting, assisted living occupancy limits, and municipal permit and exaction rules. A number of measures were noted as third-read consent items, while others were flagged for further discussion or amendments. Health and public safety bills drew substantial discussion. The committee heard bills on insurance coverage for breast cancer screening, safe-haven hospital surrender of newborns, dialysis documentation, behavioral health licensing compliance, naturopathic IV drug administration, traumatic event counseling for public safety employees, sex offender registration limitations, and probation rules for dangerous crimes against children. Members raised concerns or requested removal from consent on several items, including SB 1095 and SB 1094 related to gender-affirming care for minors, SB 1346 on AHCCCS claims processing, and SB 1178 on naturopathic drug administration. There was also debate over SB 1520 on immigration data sharing and SB 1635 on warning someone about an imminent arrest, with objections citing civil liberties and First Amendment concerns. The committee also considered multiple property, water, and development bills. These included measures on effluent water use for landscaping, groundwater fee diversion in Pinal County, increasing the Water Supply Development Revolving Fund loan cap, creating a foreign entity review commission for real property transfers, and restricting transport of Mexican gray wolf pups into Arizona. Members discussed SB 1419 on solar roof inspections and financing disclosures, and SB 1787 on municipal exactions and appeals, with an amendment proposed to limit it to commercial property. Several members explained their votes or asked to pull bills from consent, and some items were noted as having split votes or anticipated floor amendments. The caucus ended with Rhonda’s election-related bills and a note that the group would move immediately into a closed caucus afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Republicans that there was foreign influence in every single voting machine, that China was making the hardware

Summary: The Committee on Ethics and Elections met with a quorum present and took up Senate Bill 62 by Senator Errington, which would create an enforceable requirement that partisan candidates meet the 365-day party affiliation or no-party registration requirement before qualifying. The committee adopted an amendment changing the effective date to upon becoming law, heard no opposition, and then approved the bill. The committee also approved a slate of 15 gubernatorial nominees en bloc and recommended them to the floor. The Florida Supervisors of Elections presented their 2026 legislative priorities. Their requests included automatically updating voter records when DHSMV changes driver license numbers, treating verified petition signing by inactive voters as voter activity that restores active status, adding election equipment and ballots to the state’s critical infrastructure protections, clarifying public-records treatment of election worker names and addresses, allowing more flexibility for early voting sites when a supervisor’s office is not suitable, eliminating the need for provisional-ballot envelopes when polling hours are extended by emergency order, and allowing vote-by-mail voters to remain on the list for the next general election unless they opt out. Senators asked questions about inactive voter status, security implications, early voting site requirements, and vote-by-mail renewal, and several members expressed support or interest in the supervisors’ proposals. During public testimony, several speakers urged stronger election-integrity measures, including proof of citizenship, tighter chain-of-custody controls, more hand-counting or manual audits, quarterly list maintenance, and reduced reliance on vote-by-mail and voting machines. They also criticized current audit systems and cited outside reports and research they said showed vulnerabilities in Florida’s election process. No additional committee action was taken after public testimony, and the meeting adjourned.