Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, we have 62 vacancies, which is about 177% of our force.
• Currently, we have 62 vacancies, which is about 177% of our force.
• Currently, we have 62 vacancies, which is about 177% of our force.
• Currently, we have 62 vacancies, which is about 177% of our force.
• Currently, we have 62 vacancies, which is about 177% of our force.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 153, which would require two or more law enforcement officers in each county to receive animal cruelty training through the police standards system. Representative Barbara Coma, the sponsor, said the bill was prompted by problems in animal cruelty cases, especially in rural areas without animal control officers, and she described it as a limited training measure. She said an amendment was forthcoming that would add an eight-hour approved course and a two-hour refresher every three years, and she emphasized that the trained officers would serve as resources rather than being required to take action themselves. Members asked about cost, due process, overlap with animal control officers, how trained officers would be identified and notified, and whether veterinarians could fill the role. Coma responded that the bill would not be a heavy financial lift, would not interfere with animal control officers, would apply to livestock as well as companion animals, and would still require law enforcement involvement because veterinarians cannot lawfully remove animals from property. She also said the training could improve due process by helping officers better understand when animal removal is appropriate and how cases should proceed. Sheriff William Wright, speaking for the New Hampshire Sheriffs Association, testified in opposition. He said training itself was acceptable, but the bill went beyond training by creating an obligation for sheriffs and state police to respond to and potentially investigate animal cruelty cases, which he argued would be ambiguous, unfunded, and burdensome for staffing and resources. He said some sheriff’s offices do not have investigative deputies and that the bill could create liability and uncertainty about who would lead investigations. In response to questions, he said the association would likely have no objection if the bill were limited to training, but it opposed the assistance/investigation mandate as written.

Transcript Highlights:

• don't want them to because they're very good at their job and we don't need, and we don't need that vacancy
• Uh, overall, they are proposing a $12 billion reduction to the Department of Education, or 15%.
• Uh, a lot of that reduction is the FTE terminations that the, that the administration wants to codify
• They're recommending this new formula push out $2 billion in funding, but that is a $3.8 billion reduction

Transcript Highlights:

• to PEPRA are still necessary for the long-term health of the retirement fund, retirement formula reductions
• are a contributing factor to vacancies throughout the public sector in this state, especially with our

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A person who is ineligible due to the prescribed term limit is eligible for appointment to fill a vacancy
• This policy will only exacerbate the school board vacancy issues and will lead to experienced, effective
• A school may appeal any funding reduction to the State Board of Education.
• There's a reason we have a lot of vacancies in the classroom because policies like this that go after

Bills: HB2020, HB2032, HB2033, HB2249, HB2313, HB2318, HB2378, HCR2003

Keywords: interference, disruption, educational institutions, public order, conduct rules, statewide assessment, student testing, academic standards, third grade reading, reading retention, promotion and retention, school accountability, assessment window, testing window, test scores, school report cards, nontest data, graduation rates, dropout rates, education data privacy

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from February 18 and March 4, 2026, then took up HCR 2003, the Protect Girls in Sports in Arizona Act. Supporters, including Superintendent Tom Horne and several athletes and coaches, argued the measure would protect fairness, safety, and privacy in girls’ sports and locker rooms by requiring sports to be designated male, female, or co-ed and by limiting access to certain private spaces. Opponents, including the ACLU and Arizona Education Association, argued the resolution was discriminatory, would function as a bathroom ban, and could create enforcement and privacy problems. The committee passed HCR 2003 on a 4-3 vote, giving it a due pass recommendation. The committee then heard HB 2020, which would make certain threats or disruptions at educational institutions by minors a class 1 misdemeanor instead of a class 6 felony, and passed it 4-3. HB 2032, which shifts the statewide testing window later in the school year and changes related score deadlines, drew support from school leaders who said it would better reflect full-year learning; it passed 6-1. HB 2033, allowing school districts and charter schools to choose paper-and-pencil statewide testing by governing board vote, also passed 6-0 with one member not voting. HB 2318, establishing term limits for school district governing board members, was amended to clarify the limit applies only after two consecutive four-year terms beginning after a specified date; it passed 4-3 despite opposition from the Arizona School Board Association over impacts on rural districts. The committee next approved HB 2378, which changes eligibility rules for School Facilities Oversight Board members so certain architect and engineer members may not have school-construction business interests, passing 4-3. HB 2313, which prohibits teacher strikes or organized work stoppages and reduces school funding if a strike occurs, passed 4-3 after testimony from educators who said it was punitive and could worsen staffing shortages. Finally, the committee considered HB 2249, which expands the Parents’ Bill of Rights to require written parental consent and notification regarding school facilitation of social transitioning and creates significant civil penalties for violations. Opponents warned it was vague, punitive, and likely to chill ordinary school interactions, while supporters said it was needed to stop schools from hiding information from parents. After adopting a six-page amendment, the committee passed HB 2249 on a 4-3 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• , we did not decrease the funding at that point to a corresponding amount, to correspond to that reduction
• We already have an issue with teacher vacancies and so... Those cohort sizes are going to balloon.
• We already have an issue with teacher vacancies and support staff vacancies.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to better stabilize placements struggling with acute behavior needs. crisis intervention trauma reduction
• What is Your vacancy rate, Madam Chair, members of the committee.
• Back in September, our vacancy rate was at Over 30 percent. Currently, today, it's at 25.
• just wondering what makes you think that this will make you be able to hire and Retain staff if your vacancy

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• over the last two years, we've seen an average increase of about 10%, as well as a decrease in our vacancy
• When I arrived, we were at about a 22% vacancy rate.
• In DVS, we're at a 2.7% vacancy rate right now, and because of the moves we've made and the realignments
• And we've seen a small reduction in veteran suicides in the state of New Mexico.

Transcript Highlights:

• finally get to the end of this, we're not going to see those types of expenditures counting toward the reduction
• qualifying candidate paperwork to the Madison County Supervisor of Elections, resulting in a one-year vacancy
• qualifying candidate paperwork to the Madison County Supervisor of Elections, resulting in a one-year vacancy
• During the vacancy of the town clerk position from April 2021 through February 2024, minutes did not

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee first heard a long-running audit finding involving Daytona Beach’s unexpended building permit funds, which have exceeded the statutory limit for several years and were reported at $10.8 million in the most recent audit. Mayor Derek Henry and city staff said the city has analyzed the fund, adopted a corrective action plan, waived more than $5.5 million in permit and inspection fees over several periods, and used some excess funds for a training facility rehabilitation and a proposed City Hall expansion. Committee members repeatedly questioned whether the city was simply trying to spend down the money, raised concerns about the legality and necessity of proposed expenditures, and asked about interest earnings, truck purchases, and the lack of detailed tracking for training-facility use. The city said an Attorney General opinion allows construction of a new building for building-code functions but not purchase of an existing building, and that if the city cannot comply through permissible construction it would have to return the funds. No vote was taken, but members expressed strong frustration and urged the city to resolve the issue quickly and lawfully. The committee then received the Auditor General’s presentation on the Town of Greenville, which found 31 findings and described pervasive control failures, possible fraud, waste, and abuse. The findings covered elections and quorum issues, conflicts of interest, late or missing financial disclosure forms, related-party transactions, poor meeting notices and minutes, council involvement in day-to-day operations, missing ethics training, budget and accounting deficiencies, weak bank reconciliations, improper utility billing and rates, grant compliance problems tied to a grocery store project, personnel and compensation issues involving the town manager, late vendor payments, weak procurement and P-card controls, vehicle-use and property-control problems, public records issues, and IT/fraud-policy weaknesses. The auditor said the review focused mainly on October 2022 through February 2024 but went back further for some grant-related matters. Greenville’s mayor and staff said the audit reflected actions of a previous administration and that the current council and staff have already adopted seven new policies to improve procurement, financial controls, inventory management, grant oversight, and ethics. They said the town has a new manager and clerk, that the former manager was terminated, and that the town referred matters to FDLE, which is investigating. Committee members asked about the manager’s salary increase, severance, P-card use, and whether the town should consider consolidation or dissolution. The mayor said the town is on a better path, that most of the prior leadership has been voted out, and that the town is working with auditors and an outside accounting firm to correct the problems.

Transcript Highlights:

• infrastructure to address sea level rise and storm surges, and support modeling efforts to assess flood-risk reduction
• Higher turnover and vacancy rates increase the caseload on current CPIs, positions.
• Higher turnover and vacancy rates increase the caseload on current CPIs and case managers and put additional
• This is intended to decrease the vacancy rates of CPIs and case managers and reduce the strain on the

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing visiting groups, including FSU students and officials, Catholic lay leaders, Broward County school officials and students, and veterans-related guests. The chamber then took up a series of bills, with several routine reviser measures passing unanimously: SB 36 adopting the 2025 Florida Statutes, SB 38 changing a division name in the statutes, SB 40 deleting repealed provisions, and SB 42 cleaning up obsolete language and cross-references. SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience was amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub’s role and passed 39-0 after debate about mangroves, oyster reefs, living shorelines, and hybrid green-gray infrastructure. SB 116, a major veterans bill, passed 39-0 after extensive discussion of veteran benefits awareness, mental health training, coordination with federal agencies, adult day health care, and the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. SB 118 on presidential libraries passed 36-3 after questions and debate over state preemption of local zoning and related regulation, and SB 126 on mailing prescription hearing aids passed 39-0 to expand access for adults after licensed evaluation. The Senate also passed SB 150, as amended, to conform to the House by changing the bill’s wording from “animals” to “dogs” in the natural-disaster abandonment context. SB 294 passed 38-0 to limit collaborative pharmacy practice from being expanded to certain serious cardiac conditions. Senate Memorial 314 was adopted by voice vote, urging Congress to seek a larger Florida National Guard force structure. SB 322 passed 39-0 creating a nonjudicial process for commercial property owners to have unauthorized occupants removed by the sheriff. SB 348 passed 39-0, making it an ethics violation to falsely claim a military rank for material gain and allowing delinquent ethics fines to be withheld from public paychecks. SB 7012 on child welfare passed 39-0 and would recruit former public safety workers into CPI/case manager roles, create a treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits, and improve data collection and services for commercially sexually exploited children. Later, the Senate returned to SB 108 on administrative procedures, which passed 39-0 after debate over a five-year review cycle for agency rules, reporting requirements, and greater transparency in rulemaking. SB 160 on public accountancy passed 39-0 after an amendment clarifying contracted services and discussion of easing pathways into the CPA profession while maintaining standards. SB 110 on rural communities passed after an amendment package and extensive debate, with provisions described as creating an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program, housing and road funding, school support, and health care investments for rural areas. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify all passed bills to the House, observed a moment of silence for former Surfside Chief John Healy, and received additional announcements before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• approach to hiring, focusing first on workload absorption, process improvements, and efficiency This vacancy
• In OEQA, we are proposing a $100,000 reduction or approximately 3% to the FY2027 budget.
• This reduction reflects sustained cost efficiencies achieved through technology, streamlined operations

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• talking more with the department this year as they're tracking more teacher data, both in terms of vacancies
• Um, we, we did some, uh, local, local match reductions and capital outlay in 2023, which is part of those
• We've extended that local match reduction as staff. Capital outlay oversight task.

Transcript Highlights:

• ONLY A 90% REDUCTION.
• FIRST YEAR YOU GET THERE WE HAD, I BELIEVE I'M ACCURATE OR CLOSE TO THESE NUMBERS. 15% VACANCY RATE.
• THE DAIRY CATTLE GOING DOWN FROM 20% REDUCTION AND RECOVERING BACK TO 70 OR 80 IN SOME CASES.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is the program set up to be a one-time payment for that reduction, or is this an ongoing payment for
• as long as they maintain the reduction in fertilizer use?
• The next change you'll see is our green fertilizer reduction. That's on page 17.8.
• You'll see the cancellation for three million dollars for a reduction.
• Over that time, we saw a 27% reduction. in nitrate production from these tile samples.

Transcript Highlights:

• be removed or replaced at the pleasure of the appointing authority, and each appointer must fill a vacancy
• and each appointer must fill a vacancy and each appointer must fill a vacancy for<00:04:28.400><
• We will see a drastic reduction in the amount of PFAS entering our wastewater and water systems.
• We will see a drastic reduction in the amount of PFAS entering our wastewater and water systems.
• Act and the the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS<00:29:12.159> Act.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Item 5, strategic educator compensation adopted with a reduction and a transfer for additional contingency
• Item 30, Amend Writer 64, Civics Training Programs, adopted as amended with a reduction of 14.6. 6 million
• this with you, Madam Chairman, on agency performance and measures, particularly. salaries, turnover, vacancy
• correction for the gas utility commerce that was adopted Under technical adjustments, there was a reduction
• Under technical adjustments item number one, there was a reduction of five FTEs that was adopted.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Vacancies, fewer employees, fewer customers all add up to real-world economic challenges that make it
• our state is a shuttering of businesses and the degradation of public spaces by way of blight or vacancy
• Kalmer's testimony] ...have impacted cancer and those proven policies that have helped contribute to reductions
• recommendation or for an amendment when it comes time to committee or the floor, you know, you need to have a reduction
• recommendation or for an amendment when it comes time to committee or the floor, you know, you need to have a reduction

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• when uh unfunded mandates or reduction when uh unfunded mandates or reduction in<00:13:52.240>
• So I believe Hennepin County's net commercial change this year is around just minus 2% reduction, and
• and and in addition industrial reduction and and in addition industrial properties<00:17:51.320>
• At the lowest trough of this, they received just over $100,000, so that's almost an 80% reduction of
• is the vacancies is the vacancies changed<01:04:50.839> usually<01:04:51.279> they're<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, with imminent cuts in Medicaid and reduction in SNAP, we anticipate fewer patients will seek care
• Already, we have seen a reduction in expected funds from FEMA and federal appropriations to the tune
• Already, we have seen a reduction in expected funds from FEMA and federal appropriations to the tune
• They're at risk due to federal pass-through reductions and reimbursement delays.
• My name is Heather Lusk, and I'm with the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: This joint informational briefing focused on Act 310 grants and aid, with committee members hearing one-minute testimony from organizations first in person and then by Zoom. At the outset, the chairs explained there would be no Q&A during the briefing and asked testifiers to focus on how federal cuts were affecting their work. The meeting was organized by registration number and included both neighbor island and Oʻahu applicants. Testimony centered on organizations seeking state support to offset federal funding losses or anticipated reductions. Health and social service providers described impacts from Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidy, Title X, and other federal changes, including Aloha Care, Community Clinic of Maui, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, West Hawaiʻi Community Health Center, Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center, Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network, Alcoholic Rehabilitation Services of Hawaiʻi, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Other groups highlighted losses affecting food security, housing, disaster preparedness, and climate resilience, including the Kohala Center, Feeding Hawaiʻi Together, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Dynamic Community Solutions, and the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Several arts, youth, and education organizations also testified, including Hawaiʻi Literacy, Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Kids Hurt Too Hawaiʻi, and US Vets, each requesting funding to preserve programs and staffing. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing. The only action was procedural: the chairs moved through the applicant list, limited testimony time, and then transitioned from neighbor island in-person testimony to Oʻahu and later Zoom participants.

Transcript Highlights:

• any property tax reduction.
• That was when we took the reduction.
• <00:52:14.240> So reduction of the increase by 20%. So reduction of the increase by 20%.
• <01:53:26.480> into they're facing these reductions into they're facing these reductions into
• vacancies are currently at DHS. vacancies are currently at DHS.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee met on October 30 to act on a series of bills that had been considered during the budget process, with many being recommended for inexpedient to legislate because their funding or policy language had already been handled in House Bill 2. Early actions were largely unanimous. House Bill 54, allowing alternate treatment centers to operate for profit, was recommended ought to pass and was approved 25-0, then placed on the consent calendar because it carried no appropriation. House Bill 97, a wastewater and infrastructure appropriation, was recommended inexpedient to legislate because its funding had been replaced in HB 2; Representative Rum opposed the motion and argued the grant funding helps local taxpayers and housing development, but the committee adopted ITL 14-11, with a minority report to follow. House Bill 111, dealing with the right-to-know ombudsman, was also unanimously recommended ITL because the budget had already made related reforms. The committee then took up House Bill 164, and adopted Amendment 225-2979H, which appropriates $150,000 in FY 2027 to the Secretary of State’s Division of Archives and Records Management for a local government records manager position. The amended bill was then recommended ought to pass as amended and approved 25-0. House Bill 197, the Property Tax Relief Act, drew the most extended debate. Supporters said it would restore a state contribution to retirement costs for local employers and provide property tax relief, while opponents argued the earlier change was largely offset by employee contribution increases and other retirement-system adjustments. The committee ultimately adopted ITL 14-11, and a minority report was requested. The committee also acted on House Bill 215, a landfill-related bill. Members explained that most of its language had been included in HB 2 but was removed in conference, so the bill was retained and amended to apply more narrowly to new landfills. Amendment 2025-2970H was adopted unanimously, and the bill was then recommended ought to pass as amended by a 25-0 vote. House Bill 216, which would change retirement eligibility rules for certain workers injured on the job, was recommended inexpedient to legislate after its sponsor said the fiscal impact was too uncertain to support. Finally, House Bill 219 received Amendment 2025-2988H to change its effective date to July 1, 2027, and discussion began on the bill’s broader purpose of returning about $5.7 million annually from RPS funds to ratepayers.

Transcript Highlights:

• expenditures at this point, and that's what led to this policy coming forward as just a straight 50% reduction
• expenditures at this point, and that's what led to this policy coming forward as just a straight 50% reduction
• In Palm Beach County, that's like maybe a $50 million reduction to our school budget.
• So my next question is about the 50%, or the potential impacts of the 50% reduction.
• The funds that won't be available with this reduction, because it is really a popular program when we

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met during Budget Week and first considered three member bills. House Bill 1111, by Rep. Valdes, would eliminate the option for students to leave high school with a certificate of completion instead of a standard diploma. Valdes said the bill was inspired by students who met credit requirements but could not pass a required assessment, and argued the certificate does not provide access to college, trade school, or military service. The bill passed unanimously, 15-0. CS for House Bill 127, by Rep. Kendall, would support students with disabilities by using existing Florida Department of Education curriculum to create micro-credentials and coordinating with the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities and OSHA on workplace safety. Goodwill, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Florida PTA, and others supported the bill, which also passed unanimously, 15-0. House Bill 1367, by Rep. Booth, addressed chronic absenteeism by requiring statewide definitions and more uniform attendance reporting, along with rules for excused and unexcused absences and early identification of chronically absent students. Testimony emphasized inconsistent district policies and the need for clearer data and interventions. The bill passed 13-0, with some members noting concerns about implementation details and future rulemaking. The committee then took up PCB-P-PKB-2501, the proposed conforming bill for the fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget. The chair said the bill was designed to align statutes with budget and scholarship funding procedures, especially around the Florida Education Finance Program and scholarship payments. The PCB would require Florida student ID numbers for scholarship students, standardize cross-checking against FTE survey data, set quarterly payment dates, and use one data source for both reporting and withholding scholarship-related FFP amounts. It also would reduce certain add-on weights by 50%, remove the budget stabilization program, and repeal the educational enrollment stabilization program. Several members raised concerns that the add-on weight reductions could hurt career and technical education, AICE, IB, and CAPE programs, while the sponsor argued the data showed too much spending in an “other” category and that the reductions were aimed at aligning funding with actual program costs. Public testimony was mixed: some supported tighter accountability and clearer payment rules, while others warned against undermining expensive career-readiness programs. The PCB passed 11-2. After the conforming bill, the chair presented the proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget, totaling just under $21 billion, about $400 million below the current year. She said the budget reflects a need to slow spending growth and includes $20 million for New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, $7 million for security grants at Jewish day schools and preschools, $14 million for public school transportation stipends, an overall FEFP increase of about $747.7 million, $100 million for teacher salary increases, and increases in the base student allocation and funds per student. The committee did not vote on the budget recommendation at this meeting; it was distributed for review and will move to the Budget Committee next week.