Transcript Highlights:

• It is a very good program.
• C-PACE program for one of our districts. And it's a very good program to work with.
• And I speak as a Lebanon City program.
• </c> C-PACE program for one of our districts. C-PACE program for one of our districts.
• </c> Garmin's, certain other mapping program Garmin's, certain other mapping program programmers programmers

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is an EPA program that was established, I think, in the 1970s.
• It's part of LCA's program to try and It's part of LCA's program to try and compile this data and get
• So first, the permit to construct is evaluated, or the application for the permit to construct is evaluated
• Those are approvals or permission to construct the well.
• Those are approvals or permission to construct the well.

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• safety programs.
• We're reforming entitlement programs to get people who are ineligible off of those programs.
• We're cutting health care, we're cutting food assistance, we're cutting housing assistance.
• meals from school when they go to school daily.
• The schools for the Deaf and Blind made a difficult yet financially wise decision to shift their programming

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and several guest recognitions, including a student honored for a national Mandarin speech contest, a Ms. Black Arizona candidate, and a Madison Elementary School reusable-tray pilot program. The body also recognized interns and approved the prior journal. The chamber then moved through Committee of the Whole calendars and adopted committee reports recommending passage of a series of budget-related bills. The main legislative business centered on the 2026-27 budget package and related omnibus measures, including appropriations, budget implementation, capital outlay, commerce, criminal justice, environment, health care, higher education, human services, K-12 education, state property, revenue/taxation, and transportation bills. Most of these measures were advanced with do-pass recommendations, with repeated debate focused on the tax omnibus and the overall budget’s policy choices. Supporters argued the package provided affordability, tax relief, conformity with federal tax changes, reduced government spending, and reforms to entitlement and other programs; opponents argued it favored corporations and wealthy taxpayers, cut health care, food assistance, housing, tourism, wildfire response, and education, and would forfeit federal matching funds. Several members specifically criticized the failure to close the data center tax exemption and to raise sports betting taxes, while supporters defended those provisions as pro-business and pro-growth. There was also discussion of fund sweeps, including university research funds, housing trust funds, and other agency balances, with opponents saying the sweeps targeted encumbered or already-committed money. After debate, the Senate adopted Committee of the Whole reports and advanced the bills, and later took up House bills introduced and placed on third reading, with members explaining their votes on HB 4138, the General Appropriations Act, largely along party lines. At the end of the session, the Senate processed messages from the House requesting the return of SB 1160 and SB 1786 for reconsideration, and the Senate requested the House return HB 2415 for reconsideration. The chamber also introduced and placed several House budget bills on third reading, including HB 4138 through HB 4153, continuing the budget process.

Transcript Highlights:

• > then</c> construction uh after construction then construction uh after construction then we<01:26:39.360
• I don't know if some of you remember our former program, Stop Flu at School, where we annually provided
• Actually, even the schools themselves are voluntarily participating in our programs.
• know if some of you remember our former program, Stop Flu at School, where we annually provided flu
• Actually, even the schools themselves are voluntarily participating in our programs.

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What would be allowed and not allowed within the Class VI program.
• It's part of LCA's program to try and...
• If the line runs by a church, playground, or school, it is Class 3.
• You know, cleaning programs for their pipelines.
• Those are approvals or permission to construct the well.

Summary: The committee took up public comment on a package of similar local-option bills related to carbon capture and sequestration, including House Bills 5, 6, 497, 498, 501, and 504. The bills would let parishes, or in some cases specific parishes such as Rapides and Livingston, decide by local vote whether Class VI wells, CO2 sequestration, and related pipeline infrastructure could be permitted. The chair grouped the bills together for testimony, adopted a three-minute public comment rule, and noted that the bills were not yet under consideration for a vote during the public-comment portion. Supporters, including Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson, parish officials, local activists, and residents, argued that communities affected by carbon capture projects should have a direct voice through local option elections. They said the bills were about self-determination, local control, and allowing residents to decide whether the risks are worth the benefits. Several speakers said their parishes had passed resolutions opposing carbon capture or asking for local choice, while others emphasized concerns about eminent domain, aquifer protection, lack of public understanding, and the need for more information about project impacts and financial benefits. Some supporters also said a local vote would force industry to engage more directly with communities and could improve transparency. Opponents, including representatives of the Department of Conservation and Energy, the Louisiana Chemistry Association, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, warned that the bills would create uncertainty, undermine Louisiana’s primacy over Class VI permitting, and invite litigation under federal preemption and the Supremacy Clause. They said the state already has a strict permitting process with public input and technical review, and that allowing parish-by-parish approval could delay or block billions of dollars in investment, jobs, and export-related projects. The department testified that if the state adopted a local-option referendum system, EPA could determine Louisiana was not implementing the program consistently and could move to remove primacy. No committee vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• But thanks for the assist there.
• Well, let's move on to the medical schools.
• I am an Orange County public school teacher.
• I am an Orange County public school teacher.
• , and higher-ed schools, so that if schools or higher-ed schools are allowing anti-Semitic conduct on

Committee: Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Summary: The committee first confirmed Heather L. Turnbull to the Florida Commission on Community Service, with the motion adopted and the confirmation recommended favorably. Members then took up SPB 7022, which sets Florida Retirement System employer contribution rates beginning July 1, 2025, updates rates to address unfunded actuarial liability, and allows certain elected officers to elect a DROP accumulation; a technical title amendment was adopted, the bill was submitted as a committee bill, and it was reported favorably as a committee bill. The committee then heard extensive debate and public testimony on SB 1710, which would restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion-related policies, trainings, and activities in state agencies, state-funded contractors and grantees, and medical institutions of higher education. Sponsor Senator DiCeglie said the bill is intended to prevent state agencies and contractors from using state funds for DEI programs and to limit state agencies from adopting DEI-related official positions; he also said the medical-school portion would likely be amended out later. Senator Polsky and others questioned the bill’s breadth and how it would affect health-related grants, public universities, historically Black institutions, recruitment, and contractor training. Public testimony was overwhelmingly opposed, with speakers arguing the bill would harm health care, education, access, and inclusion; a few supporters said DEI is ideological, can undermine merit, and should not be used by state agencies or publicly funded institutions. After debate, Senator Polsky argued the bill was confusing, overbroad, and harmful to serving diverse communities, while Senator Arrington said it was an overreach into private business and could have significant fiscal impacts. Chair Fine closed by saying DEI is political ideology and that the bill is meant to ensure government focuses on talent rather than identity. SB 1710 was then reported favorably on a roll call vote, with Senator Arrington voting no and the remaining members voting yes. The committee then began SB 1678, relating to entities that boycott Israel, and heard the sponsor’s explanation of a delete-all amendment that would expand and clarify state restrictions on dealings with entities engaged in boycotts of Israel, including certain nonprofits, foreign educational institutions, and grants; the amendment was adopted, and the sponsor and a witness began answering questions when the transcript cuts off.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have assistant superintendent of Innovation and school choice, Mr.
• We have almost half of the school districts in Florida and also private schools, charter schools, industry
• I'm the assistant superintendent renovation of school choice here in Miami-Dade County.
• What a user of such as a school system, a school, a family of schools with.
• These are programs in schools that if you try to type a website that has malicious content, it will not

Transcript Highlights:

• He is on the helitack that program.
• </c> program this year. program this year.
• So, we're starting to build some depth with our GNA program into our actual forestry program itself.
• </c> build some depth with our GNA program build some depth with our GNA program into<02:55:14.840><c
• </c> into our actual forestry program itself. into our actual forestry program itself.

Committee: Joint Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She has served as a substitute teacher, teacher assistant, and school bus driver.
• It has no programs funded. no website. It has no programs funded.
• programs are The commission's programs are duplicative<00:25:46.240><c> of</c><00:25:46.559><c> other
• programs.
• of federal student repayment programs of federal student loan<02:42:16.960><c> programs.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, September 4, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, you need to go to school.” So I did.
• Okay, you need to go to school.” So I did.
• They don't go to school to learn how to do dentures.
• I'm already a dental assistant.
• That's what I went to school for.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So LTA was formed to promote development, construction, improvement, expansion, and maintenance.
• So LTA was formed to promote development, construction, improvement, expansion, and maintenance of an
• The route is vital to these energy development programs, which supply the world with natural gas from
• The route is vital to these energy development programs, which supply the world with natural gas from
• Okay, so it would be a multi-year phase-in of the construction. Okay, that's it. Thank you, Mr.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The Louisiana Transportation Authority met on March 26 with a quorum present and approved the September 10, 2025 minutes. The main item was the Cameron Ferry privatization proposal from Labmar Ferry Services. Staff explained the ferry’s current operational problems, including reliability issues with the aging Cameron No. 2 vessel, limited backup capacity, and staffing challenges. They also reviewed the competitive solicitation process that followed Labmar’s unsolicited proposal, noting that Labmar was the only proposer and that local entities, including the Cameron Parish Police Jury and Cameron Port Harbor and Terminal District, had no objection to the concept. Staff and counsel outlined the statutory public-purpose factors the board had to consider and described the scope of a potential agreement, which would cover vessel operations, maintenance, facilities, communications, dry docking, and emergency response. Board members praised DOTD staff and the Cameron ferry workers for their long service and emphasized the need for more reliable service and better contingency planning. Senator Abraham asked procedural questions about the unsolicited proposal and the solicitation process. The board first voted that the privatization proposal would serve a public purpose, then voted to approve the proposal contingent on execution of a comprehensive agreement; both motions passed without objection. The meeting also covered next steps. DOTD said negotiations would continue through spring and early summer, with a possible transition to Labmar in late summer 2026 if an agreement and funding are secured. Staff reported that two new hybrid ferries, the Holly Beach and the Cameron, are expected in May and August 2026, and that temporary docking and site improvements are underway. A feasibility study for terminal expansion estimated costs between $30 million and $50 million, with permitting and design likely taking at least a year and a half to two years. Members discussed the need for a multi-year funding plan, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, Keith Dunn, here on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council.
• SB 661 recognizes that principle and takes a constructive step to ensure aviation-generated revenues
• To support critical public services, these airports require financial assistance and funding.
• SB 661 recognizes that principle and takes a constructive step to ensure aviation generated revenues
• public services, these airports require financial assistance and funding.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's move on to a bigger school. Let's move to St. Cloud schools."
• Let's move on to a bigger school. great. Let's move on to a bigger school.
• </c><01:05:54.720><c> Cloud</c><01:05:55.039><c> schools</c><01:05:55.359><c> and</c> program to all
• Cloud schools and program to all of St.
• ><c> family</c> programs, training programs whose family programs, training programs whose family don't

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is my son, and he's assisting me, and he's going to do—we're in charge for how long?
• Our children have benefited from our public schools, robust community programming, and a commuter rail
• driven our new neighbors to the laundromat, and made sure their kids were dressed and equipped for school
• Student Opportunity Program, Universal School Meals, that is a whole-child approach, an understanding
• school or stay in school hungry, saving families $1,200 per child per year.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate convened for the opening day of the 194th General Court, with ceremonial remarks, an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the formal canvass of election returns. A special committee reported that all senators had been duly elected, and a committee was then appointed to notify the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor’s Council that a quorum of senators-elect was assembled and ready to be sworn in. Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll addressed the chamber, praised public service, and administered the oaths of office to the senators. The main business of the day was the election of the Senate President. Senator Karen Spilka was nominated by Senator DiDomenico and seconded by Senator Edwards, while Senator Bruce Tarr was nominated by Senator Durant and seconded by Senator Dooner. After nominations were closed, the roll call resulted in 34 votes for Spilka and 5 for Tarr, and the Senate declared Spilka elected president. Senator Tarr then moved that the vote be considered unanimous, and the Senate agreed. President Spilka delivered an inaugural address focused on the chamber’s recent legislative record and priorities for the new session. In her remarks, Spilka highlighted prior accomplishments including education funding, free community college, early education reforms, mental health care reform, prescription drug cost reductions, tax relief, housing, transportation, climate, and veterans’ legislation. She also outlined priorities for the new session, including a statewide listening tour, more transparency in committee and joint committee proceedings, housing and transportation affordability, health care reform, career and technical education, early education, and juvenile justice reform. She emphasized continued bipartisan work and public engagement. The Senate also adopted temporary joint rules and temporary Senate rules, authorized printing of the daily journal, and scheduled the next meeting for the following day at 11:30 a.m. Michael D. Hurley was elected clerk of the Senate and sworn in, and James DiTulio was sworn in as Senate counsel. The chamber also adopted a memorial adjournment in memory of Mary J. Hurley of South Boston before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• He's an assistant professor of history at the College of Southern Idaho.
• Pages, please assist the members. All right, there you go. We're getting some.
• I'm not part of the program. Obviously. There you go. Here you go. Good. Thank you.
• And we wouldn't be doing this program today if it wasn't for Lyndon.
• later taught government and history at Bonneville High School for 34 years.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the years, programs such as the Healthy Soils Program, the Soil Program, the State Water Efficiency
• Program, the Dairy Methane Reduction Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program have delivered
• Habitat Program, our Organic Transition Program, and the Conservation Agriculture Planning Grant Program
• Critically, technical assistance has been embedded in all of these programs, recognizing that adoption
• So far, we've spent approximately $44 million on technical assistance through all of those programs.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , and then our river community assistance program.
• which is a program that the district works with our communities to try to support which is a program
• and then our river community assistance program as addressed by our ag cost share program and then our
• river community assistance program we have a number of water storage and enhancements relative to our
• So it's a very important program.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government heard budget presentations from all five water management districts for FY 2026-2027: Northwest Florida, Suwannee River, St. Johns River, Southwest Florida, and South Florida. Each district described its preliminary budget, major funding sources, staffing levels, and how most of its spending is tied to the four core missions of water supply, water quality, natural systems, and flood protection. Several directors noted budget reductions from the prior year largely because major projects were completed or because grant/appropriation funding is not yet fully reflected in preliminary budgets. Committee members repeatedly asked how districts project operations and maintenance costs, how projects are selected, and what share of staff and spending is devoted to core missions versus administration or regulatory work. Northwest Florida Water Management District said its preliminary budget is $93.4 million, down about 15%, with 97% of spending tied to core responsibilities and a request for additional regulatory services funding. Suwannee River Water Management District presented a $70.4 million budget, emphasized its rural/agricultural character and spring protection work, and highlighted the Water First North Florida reclaimed-water recharge project; members also discussed its need for an additional FTE to handle consumptive use permit reviews tied to a new lower Santa Fe rule. St. Johns River Water Management District presented a $181 million budget, highlighted major water supply, water quality, flood protection, and land management projects such as Taylor Creek Reservoir, Water First North Florida, Black Creek, Crane Creek, and Lake Jessup restoration, and said about 93% of its budget supports core missions. Southwest Florida Water Management District presented a $227.6 million budget, with major spending on alternative water supply, water control structure repairs, watershed projects, and land management; officials said 93.4% of the budget supports core missions and discussed rising construction costs for aging infrastructure. South Florida Water Management District presented the largest budget at $1.05 billion, focused on Everglades restoration, flood control, water supply, and ecosystem recovery; the director described major reservoirs and treatment projects, the EAA Reservoir, and ongoing efforts to improve water quality and restore flows to the Everglades and Florida Bay. The committee took no formal votes on the district budgets and adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> would in the school. would in the school.
• One, if they have a $400,000 or more construction project in their schools, which is really hard for
• project in their uh construction project in their schools,<00:36:40.640><c> which</c><00:36:40.880><c
• At this meeting within Anoka-Hennepin School District, the assistant superintendent, I think that's the
• > largely</c> to schools, but schools were largely to schools, but schools were largely unaware<02:08

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Programs.
• and construction dollars with lower requirements than some of those federal programs or even others.
• program.
• Again, it's also going to actual construction and technical assistance would be the other category of
• ...of our program areas.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation heard an informational hearing with Secretary Garcia and CalEPA-related departments on the administration’s budget proposals and related environmental programs. Secretary Garcia highlighted CalEPA’s work on methane reduction, community air protection, water infrastructure, Exide cleanup, safer pesticide alternatives, Prop 4 implementation, and Bay-Delta water quality, while emphasizing the impact of federal rollbacks and the need for flexible state response. Members raised broader policy concerns about the polluter-pays principle, special fund vacancies, and whether the state is maintaining sufficient staffing and enforcement capacity, especially after recent fee increases. A major portion of the hearing focused on landfill support, response, and enforcement, particularly subsurface elevated temperature events at Chiquita Canyon and El Sobrante. CalEPA requested $5.1 million and 12 positions to improve monitoring, technical response, coordination, and enforcement across CalRecycle, CARB, DTSC, the Water Board, and OEHHA. Assembly Member Schiavo described severe community impacts from Chiquita Canyon and pressed for stronger state action, more transparency, and accountability from landfill operators; Assembly Member Rogers emphasized that accountability must mean forcing operators to take preventive measures and bear the costs. Agency staff said the proposal would help augment current response efforts, support local enforcement agencies, and improve early detection, while acknowledging that the causes of set events are not fully understood and may involve factors such as lithium-ion batteries, oxygen intrusion, and gas extraction practices. The committee then heard an update on the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water program and the effects of the new cap-and-invest structure. State Water Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel reported that the program has reduced the number of Californians without safe drinking water from 1.6 million to about 600,000 since 2019, while also bringing 320 systems back into compliance and distributing $1.8 billion in drinking water grants. The Legislative Analyst’s Office explained that under SB 840, SAFER is now in a lower funding tier, which could reduce annual proceeds from the prior $130 million level to a projected $92 million in 2026-27 and delay funding until later in the year. Members expressed concern that this deprioritizes rural drinking water needs, while the board said it would continue using SAFER’s flexible funds for emergency water, technical assistance, and construction, and would keep pushing consolidations and other long-term solutions for the remaining failing systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• My kids were out of school by about March, April or so.
• And so not a lot of optimism, I think, in construction overall.
• And then the other one is health care and social assistance.
• And health care and social assistance is growing over 3% a year.
• And then the other one is health care and social assistance.

Summary: House Finance met in work session on January 13, 2026, beginning with the introduction of new member Rep. Janice Zahn and a reminder about short-session amendment deadlines. The committee then heard JLARC’s 2025 tax preference performance reviews, covering nine preferences. JLARC recommended continuing several preferences, including natural gas transportation fuel exemptions, reduced B&O rates for travel agents and tour operators, a property tax exemption for nonprofit low-income housing developers, a property tax exemption for multipurpose senior centers, a sales and use tax remittance for disabled veteran adapted housing, a trade convention attendance nexus exemption, a B&O exemption for agricultural fertilizer and seed sales, and a hazardous substance tax exemption for certain pesticides. JLARC also recommended allowing unused silicon smelter-related preferences to expire. Members asked about legislative intent, data limitations, and how performance metrics should be tied more clearly to policy objectives; committee leaders and JLARC staff discussed a new standardized rubric for future tax preference performance statements and fiscal note review. The committee also noted that bills related to some of the reviewed preferences were already introduced. For the low-income housing exemption, JLARC said nonprofit developers were building homes as intended but that the current spending-based metric did not fully reflect the policy goal, and it recommended the legislature decide whether to continue or modify the preference. For multipurpose senior centers, JLARC said the exemption met its inferred objective and recommended continuation, with possible consideration of making it permanent. For the disabled veteran adapted housing remittance, JLARC said few eligible veterans were claiming the benefit and recommended continuation with changes to improve access and consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs. On the trade convention attendance exemption, JLARC said use was unknown but the preference likely helped keep Washington competitive with other states and recommended continuation, though members questioned the lack of direct evidence and the administrative-burden rationale. The committee then received an update from the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. The forecast showed the U.S. economy slowing but still growing, with Washington expected to have modest growth, weak employment gains, continued personal income growth, and slow construction. ERFC said tariffs and trade policy remained the biggest risks, inflation was expected to stay elevated in the near term, and the Federal Reserve had cut rates three times in 2025 with two more cuts projected in 2026. State revenues were up $105 million in the current biennium compared with the November forecast, but down $185 million in the next biennium, with growth driven in part by recent legislative changes and improved estate tax collections. Members asked about sector-specific employment trends, the impact of high-income households on retail sales, and how state revenues compare with personal income over time. The meeting adjourned after the forecast presentation.