Transcript Highlights:

• affect the projected bottom line. affect the projected bottom line.
• Not actually the bottom line. I misspoke. The bottom line is something quite specific.
• Coming from It's line, if you will.
• ,<01:43:02.400> that's and projected deficit surplus, that's and projected deficit surplus
• <01:57:25.880> in you know, comes across state lines in you know, comes across state lines

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's an actuarial surplus. It's generated from two sources.
• What my bill would do is take that $1.5 billion surplus, put it in an account like an endowment, then
• working on this for five years, trying to get it done ever since Jay Lark reported about this actuarial surplus

Keywords: House Committee Room 1200, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• authority to use three previous years of Schimberg's annual reports rather than one year to identify a surplus
• of affordable housing in order to... ...one year to identify a surplus of affordable housing in order
• So, I mean, that's a legitimate question, but the bottom line is, if you look at the counties, they're

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee met with a quorum present and took up two bills. The first, SPB 7046, was the Senate tax package. It included changes to Live Local property tax opt-outs, charter school distributions from voter-approved property tax levies, RV park special assessments, fiscally constrained county funding, a permanent sales tax exemption for small propane tanks, a hunting/fishing/camping sales tax holiday, and provisions barring governmental net zero policies. An amendment made the charter-school distribution change prospective starting July 1, 2026. Committee discussion focused heavily on whether the charter-school language would divert money from traditional public schools and on the fiscal-constrained county formula. The bill was reported favorably as a committee bill after a roll call vote, with Senators Bernard and Jones voting no. The committee also considered SPB 7048, which updates Florida’s conformity to the Internal Revenue Code as of January 1, 2026 and partially decouples from federal tax changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill addresses bonus depreciation, research and experimental expenses, business meal deductions, and the business interest deduction, with the Revenue Estimating Conference expected to review the fiscal impact later in the week. The Florida Chamber testified that the bill should better align with federal tax relief and reduce administrative burdens, while senators emphasized the need to balance business tax relief with state revenue constraints. SPB 7048 was also reported favorably as a committee bill by roll call vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• authority to use three previous years of Schimberg's annual reports rather than one year to identify a surplus
• One year to identify a surplus of affordable housing in order to opt out of the Live Local exemption.
• So, I mean, that's a legitimate question, but the bottom line is, if you look at the counties, they're

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee met with a quorum and considered two Senate proposed bills. The first, SPB 7046, was the Senate tax package. It included changes to Live Local property tax exemptions, charter school distributions from voter-approved property tax levies, limits on special assessments for RV parks, revisions to fiscally constrained county funding and eligibility, a permanent sales tax exemption for small propane tanks, a hunting/fishing/camping sales tax holiday, restrictions on governmental net zero policies, and new voting thresholds for certain local millage actions. Staff estimated the bill would reduce general revenue by about $77 million in FY 2026-27 and about $50 million recurring. An amendment making the charter-school distribution change prospective starting July 1, 2026, was adopted. A late-filed amendment by Senator Gaetz on disability tax exemptions was withdrawn for lack of a fiscal analysis. The charter school provision drew the most debate. Senator Jones and Senator Bernard raised concerns that expanding eligibility to charter schools authorized through alternate authorizers could reduce funding available to traditional neighborhood public schools and that the effective date did not give districts enough time to plan. Senator Avila argued the change corrected an omission from earlier legislation and ensured public schools, including charter schools, were treated equally. Several speakers supported the fiscally constrained county provisions, while the Florida Association of Counties urged grandfathering for counties that could currently opt out of the Live Local exemption and asked the committee to review language on millage thresholds and net zero provisions. SPB 7046 was ultimately reported favorably as a committee bill by a roll call vote. The committee then took up SPB 7048, which updates Florida’s conformity to the Internal Revenue Code as of January 1, 2026, and partially decouples from federal changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill addresses federal changes to bonus depreciation, Section 179 expensing, research and experimental expenses, business meals, and business interest deductions, with some provisions phased in or adjusted over time. The Florida Chamber testified in support of continued conformity but expressed concerns about administrative burdens and the bill’s partial decoupling structure. After brief debate, the bill was reported favorably as a committee bill by roll call vote, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• would remind members that every dollar we spend out of the first biennium, where we do have projected surplus
• Working with the Senate, but on this particular amendment, we essentially line up the definitions of
• Now, I've heard, where did the money go during the surplus?

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you look at this line, it has $7.4 million.
• So originally, the forecast had an expected surplus of $185 million.
• Now with the updated forecast by DF&A, there's an expected surplus of $334 million.
• the concern here is as we go down the road, the first two entities are on a four-year expenditure line
• So I don't have a hard line for that. I don't think this body does either.

Summary: The meeting began with a prayer, approval of the prior minutes, and a February 2026 revenue report from Carlos Silva of the Bureau of Legislative Research. He reported gross revenues of $5.36 billion and net collections of $4.5 billion, both above the prior year, and said the updated forecast showed a larger expected surplus than before. Members asked about declines in some tax categories, natural gas severance fees, and possible effects of inflation and international conflict; Silva generally attributed the changes to timing issues, prior tax cuts, refund activity, and price fluctuations, and said he could not speculate on future impacts. The committee then heard and adopted several subcommittee reports, including the Executive Committee, Administrative Rules, Claims Review, Game and Fish State Police, Higher Education, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Hospital/Medicaid/Developmental Disabilities, Occupational Licensing Review, State Insurance Programs Oversight, and APER filings. Most reports were approved without objection. One budget classification transfer for the Commissioner of State Lands was reviewed and failed. The review report also led to discussion of several contracts, including DHS staffing contracts and a Department of Education security contract, with some items held or separated for individual votes. A major portion of the meeting focused on DHS and state staffing contracts for the Human Development Centers, Arkansas State Hospital, and related facilities. DHS officials said the contracts were on track against seven-year projections, but members expressed concern about heavy reliance on contract labor, vacancy rates, and the need to move workers onto state payrolls. Officials said they were preparing a recruitment and retention plan and described staffing levels, vacancies, and turnover. Members also questioned contract projections and federal-state funding matches, and several urged faster action to reduce contract labor costs. The committee also discussed a Department of Commerce reduction-in-force affecting the Division of Services for the Blind and Employment and Training. Secretary Hugh McDonald said the cuts were driven by funding shortfalls, over-obligation of funds, and federal issues, and that 27 positions would be permanently eliminated while furloughed employees would be recalled. Members raised concerns about service impacts, board appointments, and the division’s fiscal management. The meeting ended after the personnel report was adopted and APER was filed as reviewed, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The LFC recommendation is for about 4.2 million, which is in line with the FY 26 budget and about 95,000
• We are using some surplus to offset some costs for new graduates.
• We are using any surplus we have to pay for the things that I talked about earlier, and we are looking
• And I was following the line of questioning from Representative Brown, and I just wanted to expand a
• in custody. how many are awaiting to be heard, adding more days to the parole board to get them in line

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not over the finish line yet, but we can see the finish line.
• The Florida Legislature has given us $500,000 in a line item that says—” “In a line item that says non-declared
• We have an accurate inventory of where those are at in line today.
• We have an accurate inventory of where those are at in line today.
• I do not know exactly, we have an accurate inventory of where those are at at the in line today.

Bills: S7040, S0110, S0434, S0856

Keywords: property assessment, wind damage, home improvements, real estate, tax exemption, Florida statutes, ad valorem taxes, property listings, tax estimation, disclosure, Florida, residential property

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and took up three property-tax related bills before turning to a broader discussion of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund. SB 434, which would prohibit counties from increasing a residential property’s assessed value because the owner installed wind mitigation measures, was presented by Senator Lee and reported favorably. CS for SB 110, which clarifies that holders of 98-year-or-longer residential leases remain eligible for the homestead exemption even if the lease ends at death, was also reported favorably. SB 856, requiring online residential listing platforms to display estimated property taxes using prescribed calculation methods and not the current owner’s tax bill, drew support from property appraisers, Zillow representatives, and others and was reported favorably after questions about transparency and realtor obligations. The committee then considered SPB 7040, which would recreate and extend the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund through December 31, 2027. Senator DiCeglie and Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie argued the fund is needed for hurricane response, other natural and man-made emergencies, and reimbursement-based spending; they said the extension preserves legislative oversight that would otherwise lapse. Several senators questioned the use of the fund for immigration-related operations, detention facilities, and other non-disaster activities, as well as the lack of additional guardrails, reimbursement timing, and transparency. Guthrie said the division has used the fund for hurricanes, flooding, civil unrest, security operations, and other incidents, and that some reimbursements are still pending from the federal government. Public testimony on SPB 7040 was largely opposed. Speakers from the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Florida for All, and others argued the fund has been repurposed for immigration enforcement and detention-related spending rather than true emergencies, and raised concerns about deaths in detention and the absence of competitive bidding and oversight. Guthrie answered extensive questions about the South Florida and North Florida detention facilities, Operation Vigilant Sentry, State Guard support, reimbursement requests, equipment purchases, and legislative access to facilities. The committee did not take a final vote on SPB 7040 within the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And on line<00:04:42.400> 2.4<00:04:43.840> of<00:04:44.000> the<00:04:44.160>
• You see that the A2 amendment inserts this new language after page 2, line 10.
• Um, the Democrats have squandered an $18 billion surplus.
• <00:35:24.240> They squandered an $18 billion surplus.
• They squandered an $18 billion surplus.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And when I'm in the first line of defense to get things going.
• It's dealing with a new provision pertaining to surplus lands on lines 5 away through 5.
• But where the Constitution draws the line is where it causes harm to someone else.
• And the reality is they are the front line. They watch our water.
• If I removed line 42, section 47 from the statute.

Transcript Highlights:

• The non-admitted carriers, or surplus lines, pay an amount equal to 3% of the premium to go towards those
• The non-admitted carriers<03:52:37.760> or<03:52:37.880> surplus<03:52:38.400> lines
• <03:52:39.120> pay<03:52:39.360> an<03:52:39.600> an carriers or surplus lines
• pay an an carriers or surplus lines pay an an amount<03:52:40.080> equal<03:52:40.320> to<
• <03:53:10.040> lines admitted carrier uh or the surplus lines admitted carrier uh or the surplus

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 31 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, received an invocation from Dr. Reginald Anderson, and recited the pledge of allegiance. The journal and committee reports were dispensed with by voice vote. Early in the meeting, senators also introduced guests, including Dr. Adrian Gilliam Pierre as doctor of the day and several school groups and community visitors in the galleries. A major portion of the session was devoted to recognizing student athletes and coaches through commendation resolutions. The Senate honored the Northside High School Gators boys basketball team for winning its first Class 2A state championship, the Morton High School Panthers boys basketball team for winning the 2025 Class 4A title, East Rankin Academy teams for multiple championships, Simpson County Academy’s boys cross country team and Lily Overby, Brookhaven Academy’s fast-pitch softball team, and several other schools and programs. The chamber also recognized Mississippi artist Castro Coleman (Mr. Sipp) for his music contributions, and later introduced the Meridian High School Choir, Brookhaven Academy fifth graders, and David Hoke, who has delivered Bibles to all 50 state legislatures. The Senate then took up nominations and approved three by advise-and-consent: Kent Gerard Nico to the Mississippi Hospital Equipment and Facilities Authority, Marcus Jones Martin to the State Tax Appeals Board, and Keith Allen Williams Jr. to the Mississippi Business Finance Corporation. After that, Senator Kirby moved to suspend the rules and take up a large block of commending resolutions, which the Senate agreed to consider together. The block included numerous resolutions honoring schools, athletes, educators, and community figures, and the Senate agreed to proceed to final passage by roll call with no objection noted.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sure, we'll just go down the line and let everyone introduce themselves.
• The light blue line represents the reinsurance expense.
• they would exhaust 56% of their Surplus they would exhaust 56% of their Surplus in<00:21:04.440>
• Is there an excess surplus policy I could get for the 250 balance?
• the carriers that are writing this line the carriers that are writing this line of<00:58:15.119>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• one of the things that people don't realize, a couple years ago, during the period when we had a surplus
• where<00:14:46.639> we<00:14:46.800> had<00:14:47.440> a<00:14:47.720> surplus
• ,<00:14:48.720> we span of time where we had a surplus, we span of time where we had a surplus
• /c><00:14:50.720> that put a ton of money, a ton of that put a ton of money, a ton of that surplus
• went into building three new surplus went into building three new veterans<00:14:52.800> homes.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• another<00:07:52.319> line This line interacts with another line This line interacts with
• that line. that line.
• Line bianium.
• Line 124 is uh the line that I bianium.
• On line 257 is related to an unspent. On line 257 is related to an earlier<00:24:16.960> line.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:35:22.119> 8 that's great um beyond that uh line 8 that's great um beyond that uh line
• <00:35:35.200> 22<00:35:36.079> through we get to lines 22 through we get to lines
• And specifically if you look to Roman numerals 2 on line 9 and Roman numeral 3 on line 13, where we have
• And specifically if you look to Roman numerals 2 on line 9 and Roman numeral 3 on line 13, where we have
• So if I have a property, a water line runs by me, the sewer line runs by me, but I'm not hooked up, I

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• about districts dealing with surplus about districts dealing with surplus property<00:12:23.040>
• Along those same lines, um, when >> Yes.
• "The bottom line is teacher retirement.
• The blue line is actually what is paid."
• So the blue line is that match on that teacher retirement."

Keywords: Meeting start 00:00:09 Roll call 00:00:24 Election of Co-Chairs 00:01:11 Office of Education Accountability Annual Report 00:04:41 Office of Education Accountability District Data Profiles, School Year 2024 00:23:50 Update from the Education Professional Standards Board 00:58:19 Adjournment 01:08:00, 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee opened its first meeting with roll call and procedural business, including elections of co-chairs. The House elected Representative Truett as House co-chair, and the Senate elected Senator Denine as Senate co-chair. After the organizational votes, the committee heard the Office of Educational Accountability’s annual report, beginning with Brian Jones and Deborah Nelson describing OEA’s investigations and research divisions and recent staffing turnover. On the investigations side, OEA said it handled complaints only when submitted in writing and generally opened cases only when it had enough facts to evaluate. Jones reported complaint volume declined from 805 in 2023 to 738 in 2024, with 325 in the first half of the current year. He outlined the kinds of matters OEA investigates, including school-based council issues, open meetings, board eligibility, nepotism, conflicts of interest, certification, activity funds, and surplus property, while noting that routine personnel matters, bullying, child interviews, and cases tied to litigation are generally handled locally or referred elsewhere. He also said OEA refers special education, assessment/testing, discrimination, and serious misconduct matters to the appropriate agencies, and that he did not see a need for statutory changes to improve OEA’s work, though he said cases should move more quickly. The research division presentation focused on OEA’s district data profiles and annual research agenda. Nelson explained that OEA reviews KDE-reported data and underlying datasets to verify accuracy, analyze trends, and produce reports for the General Assembly. She highlighted 2024 publications on district governance models and student achievement, and said this year’s agenda includes district data profiles, student discipline analysis, and a review of early childhood regional training centers. She also noted OEA received an NCSL notable document award for its 2023 staffing shortages report, its 10th such award. Sabrina Smith then walked through the district data profiles, which compile demographic, staffing, finance, and performance data for all 171 districts, plus statewide and comparative data. She noted changes in the report format, the continued availability of an online interactive version, and several trends: adjusted average daily attendance declined statewide from 2015 to 2024; the counselor-to-student ratio has improved but has not yet reached the statutory goal of one counselor per 250 students; the share of teachers moving from rank three to rank two has declined; special education identification has risen from 13% to 16%; and starting teacher salaries vary widely by district, with Kentucky’s average starting salary around $40,000 ranking near the bottom compared with surrounding states and the nation. Members asked about the history of the research division and whether the paper copies of the district profiles would continue, and staff said the printed versions would continue unless legislators asked otherwise.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now going down through the bill on line and page three, line four, claims must be related to and tied
• :57.279> page<00:13:57.920> three on line and page three on line and page three line<00
• :14:00.639> four line four line four claims<00:14:03.360> must<00:14:03.680> be<
• on page three, excuse me, On line three, on page three, excuse me, line<00:17:37.200> 22, line
• on to page three, lines 24 through page<00:19:16.720> four.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, and that's C on page 12 line 17. And then also on page 23 the comptroller may not...
• I want to go back to this line on page 12 that says they have to operate in the state.
• budget, they actually had a $4.3 million surplus in the Department of Education.
• So Representative Bryant: The bottom line question I'm asking about is that the average SAT score in
• My city's neighborhoods follow the redlining lines perfectly, right?

Bills: HB 3

Keywords: emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, 911, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management, public safety infrastructure, Project 25, P25, broadband emergency alerting, outdoor warning sirens, homeland security, disaster response

Transcript Highlights:

• USUALLY A SURPLUS IS THERE BUT IN THIS CASE IT SEEMS LIKE THE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS ARE LOWER THAN THE PROJECTIONS
• THE AGENCY IS REQUESTING THE REALIGNMENT OF THE GENERAL REVENUE AND TRUST FUND BUDGET TO PROJECT SURPLUS
• DEFICIT BASED ON THE CONFERENCE FROM MEDICAID SERVICES AND EXPENDITURES OF THE REALIGNMENT PROJECTS AS SURPLUS

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• "So you literally would go through line by line and decide what would be redacted.
• >> So you literally would go through line >> So you literally would go through line
• by<00:27:34.799> line<00:27:34.960> by<00:27:35.279> line<00:27:35.840> and
• by line and decide what would be by line by line and decide what would be redacted.<00:27:38.960>
• my bottom line concern is that our my bottom line concern is that our adequacy<04:39:45.680> formula

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting covered two committee of conference items. On HB 1260, the House and Senate debated a Senate amendment dealing with sealing certain divorce-related financial records. House members argued the amendment conflicted with the Keane Sentinel decision and would improperly flip the burden of proof on public access to court records, raising constitutional concerns under the state constitution’s open government and privacy provisions. Senate members responded that the privacy amendment and modern conditions support more protection for sensitive financial information, especially in limited uncontested divorces, but several members agreed the issue should be studied in a separate bill with a full hearing next year rather than resolved in conference. The committee ultimately voted unanimously to have the Senate recede and pass HB 1260 in the form originally passed by the House, preserving the underlying bill without the Senate amendment. The committee then took up HB 1574, which extends free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs and provides funding for SNAP administrative costs. The main dispute was the Senate’s addition of $4.4 million for SNAP administration. Senator Gray and DHHS officials said federal changes will shift more administrative costs to the state and that underfunding administration could raise the SNAP error rate, which could trigger future federal penalties and larger state costs; DHHS reported a current error rate of 7.57%, below the national average, and said a higher error rate could cost the state roughly $12 million in a partial fiscal year and nearly $16 million in a full year. Representative Papovich said he understood the department’s needs but was reluctant to support the bill as amended, noting the Senate language resembled a prior bill that had already failed in the House. The discussion ended with the committee still considering the Senate amendment, with members weighing the immediate appropriation against possible future costs.