Transcript Highlights:

• The response was that ferries tend to submit over the 2040 plan period rather than the 10-year plan that
• Plan going forward.
• do if they could plan it out.
• and then execute that plan.
• what WSDOT, what your plan would be to our state's plan to address this?

Summary: The committee received a detailed staff presentation on Washington State Ferries’ capital needs, current fleet status, and long-range funding outlook. Staff described the current service pattern, ridership recovery since the pandemic, the aging fleet, and the state’s plan to add three new hybrid-electric Olympic-class vessels under the 2025 budget, with delivery expected around 2030-2032. Members also heard that the fleet is operating with no reserve vessel, that preservation time is below the desired level, and that terminal electrification and vessel conversion plans face timing, cost, and procurement risks. Questions focused on ridership trends, biofuel supply, design-risk allocation in vessel contracts, sequencing of terminal electrification with new vessel delivery, and the cost and feasibility of restoring international Sidney service, which would require a SOLAS-certified vessel. Staff then outlined ferry capital funding, saying recent spending and programmed needs are far above regular ferry-specific revenues and that the system relies on a mix of dedicated accounts, transportation package money, federal grants, and transfers. They said the near-term budget is balanced through 2027-29, but the longer-term capital outlook shows a shortfall of roughly $250 million to $300 million per biennium, with broader unmet needs much higher. The presentation estimated costs for future vessels, life extensions, terminal electrification, and additional Jumbo Mark II conversions, and noted that the current enacted plan does not fully fund fleet replacement, full electrification, or life extension of older vessels. Members asked for follow-up information on terminal seismic/environmental issues, contract options for additional vessels, and the timing and cost of alternative vessel designs. The committee then shifted to WSDOT maintenance and preservation. Pascoe Focktich described maintenance operations, including winter response, guardrail repair, facilities, equipment, and the effects of underfunding and inflation. He said most of the maintenance budget is fixed cost and labor, that material prices have risen sharply, and that many facilities are in poor condition with asbestos issues and deferred upkeep. He also noted growing guardrail damage, increasing pavement claims, and the burden of maintaining aging bridges and facilities. Members asked about prior planning for these needs, the role of asbestos, and whether more proactive sequencing could help budget decisions. Troy Suing then presented the highway preservation program, saying WSDOT is in the early stages of critical failure and has stretched preservation dollars as far as possible. He explained the distinction between pavement, bridge, and other highway asset preservation, said the department is largely reactive, and estimated that delaying work can make it three to five times more expensive later. He said about 40% of roadways are currently due or overdue for preservation, bridge conditions are nearing the federal poor-bridge threshold, and the department’s 10-year preservation need is about $8 billion. Members asked about the cost of deferring work, whether the department could do more if funded, how priorities are set, and whether other states face similar problems. Finally, Evan Grimm and Mike Fay briefed the committee on bridge strikes by overheight vehicles. They described recent incidents on I-90 near Cle Elum and SR 410 near White River, the damage and closures caused, and possible countermeasures such as public outreach, improved trip-planning tools, and a pilot warning system with sensors and flashing beacons. Fay explained the state’s financial recovery process for third-party damage, saying WSDOT recovers roughly $20 million per biennium and about 78% to 80% of billed damages, with money going to the motor vehicle fund. Members asked about prevention, insurance recovery, and whether the state uses claim data to inform future design or safety changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• -year plan.
• . plan. plan.
• 10-year plan. 10-year plan.
• > plan.
• the 10ear plan. the 10ear plan.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think if everyone planned in a silo, you're not going to get the optimal plan.
• regional planning?
• planning.
• plan.
• The Texas Fair Plan. The Fair Plan is Texas' residual insurer for homeowners.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for the plan that you described.
• All plans have a continuity of care period of at least 90 days. Some plans are offering more.
• And within that 90-day continuity of care period, that allows a plan—or requires a plan—to pay a provider
• So plans routinely meet that mark.
• So plans routinely meet that mark.

Summary: The Health Care Budget Subcommittee held a panel discussion on Florida’s mental health and substance abuse system, with representatives from DCF, AHCA, two managing entities, and two providers describing how the state’s behavioral health network is funded and operated. Members focused on the implementation of prior legislative investments, especially the $50 million in recurring funding from Representative Maney’s bill and the earlier $126 million community behavioral health appropriation. Witnesses said the newer funds were used mainly for crisis beds, discharge planning, outpatient services, regional collaboratives, and a USF Marchman Act report, while the larger behavioral health appropriation supported CAT, FACT, FIT, forensic teams, residential and outpatient services, and crisis care, with most dollars going directly to services and only a small share to administration. A major theme was access to crisis care and the role of mobile response teams, 988, and central receiving facilities in diverting people from Baker Act admissions and reducing readmissions. DCF and providers said mobile response teams have expanded, are being used to de-escalate crises and connect people to care, and have shown strong diversion results and reductions in Baker Acts in some regions. Members also asked about waitlists, children in crisis, and how to handle people without housing or support; providers said discharge planning is individualized but often constrained by homelessness, transportation, and a lack of safe placements, and several witnesses identified housing as one of the biggest barriers to recovery and stability. The committee also examined provider sustainability, reimbursement, and funding gaps. Witnesses described delays caused by contract timing, cost allocation rules, and Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not always keep pace with labor and operating costs, especially for smaller providers and rural networks. DCF and AHCA said managing entities can provide advances, retroactive rate adjustments, and technical assistance, and that Medicaid managed care plans have network standards and complaint/dispute processes. Members raised concerns about a reported $7 million loss in federal non-sustainable funds, provider closures, and whether there is a formal ombudsman process for disputes; DCF said the federal reductions were known and tied to one-time funds, and that the department generally handles provider issues informally while working with managing entities to preserve continuity of care.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also finalized our Fair Plan modernization plan.
• The Fair Plan serves as the... ...is mandated by law.
• So the Fair Plan called for significant changes.
• So my question is related to the Fair Plan.
• The FAIR Plans are already performed.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 597, a bill to strengthen consumer protections for disaster survivors who use public adjusters. The author and the Department of Insurance said the measure would cap public adjuster fees at 15% for claims tied to declared disasters, require clearer contracts, prohibit solicitation during emergency conditions, and allow consumers to rescind contracts that were solicited during prohibited periods. Insurance industry groups supported the bill, while public adjuster representatives opposed it as written but said they were willing to work on revisions. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to Appropriations; the roll call was ultimately recorded as 16-0. The committee then held its fourth oversight hearing on the Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, with Commissioner Ricardo Lara giving an extensive update on wildfire-related market reforms and consumer protections. He said the recent Southern California wildfires had not derailed the strategy and described actions including advance claim payments, a one-year moratorium on residential non-renewals in affected areas, a new fraud strike team, smoke-damage claim guidance, additional living expense protections, and a consumer claims tracker. He reported more than $12.1 billion in claims paid, over 37,000 claims filed, and more than 7,000 survivors assisted directly. He also discussed related bills and reforms, including AB 597, SB 495, SB 547, SB 429, SB 616, AB 888, and AB 2026. Members questioned the commissioner about the Fair Plan’s growing exposure, the $1 billion assessment, rate increases, non-renewals, underinsurance, and whether the reforms would actually stabilize the market. Lara said the assessment was already approved, that policyholders would not be hit with one large bill because insurers have two years to recover costs, and that the department was pushing insurers to use catastrophe modeling and reinsurance tools in exchange for commitments to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. He said the department expects to see market stabilization by 2026, though he emphasized the timeline depends on insurer participation, implementation of the new regulations, and future disaster activity. Members generally expressed support for the goals of the strategy while pressing for clearer expectations for consumers and faster action on mitigation and market reform.

Transcript Highlights:

• Enough planning time.
• At least a five-year plan.
• And then the plan would tell us how they're going to work... the plan.
• The diabetic plan, will that person be identified on the plan as to who to contact if someone else came
• I love it when a plan comes together, especially a plan that is the right thing to do.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education Pre-K through 12 considered a series of education-related bills, many of them after adopting amendments. SB 1122 on Florida Virtual School was amended to remove virtual preschool provisions and then passed favorably, with the sponsor describing it as a clarifying bill about FLVS operations, revenue sources, reporting, and student access. SB 1374, on school district reporting requirements for educator arrests and misconduct, was also approved; it requires faster district action and reporting when instructional personnel are arrested for certain offenses and clarifies that self-reports are not admissions of guilt. SB 1402, on student enrollment and dropout retrieval programs, was amended and passed to broaden eligibility for dropout retrieval services and allow certain virtual providers to receive a school improvement rating instead of a school grade. SB 364, moving the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys from the Department of Education to Florida Memorial University, was amended and reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 772 on diabetes management in schools, which would allow districts to obtain and store glucagon for emergency use by trained school staff or nurses, with liability protections included. SB 1102 on school readiness programs for children with disabilities passed after testimony that it would expand identification of disabilities, require more training for providers, and direct special-needs funding toward better-supported classrooms. SB 1382, also on school readiness, was approved and would change the definition of economically disadvantaged families, adjust priority tiers, and update the waitlist and forecasting process for child care assistance. The most debated measure was SB 140, which was substantially rewritten by delete-all amendment to create “job engine charter schools,” allow municipalities to seek charter schools aimed at attracting industry, authorize parent votes for conversion of existing public schools, and set requirements for district five-year property plans and surplus property use, including affordable housing and charter school purposes. Supporters argued it could aid economic development and repurpose underused property, while opponents raised concerns about privatization, reduced stakeholder input, unclear voting procedures, and loss of district control over property. Despite extensive debate and multiple public speakers against it, the bill passed favorably. The committee also approved SB 430, a merged AED and cardiac emergency response bill requiring public schools to have a cardiac emergency plan, trained staff, and an operational AED in a publicized location, with reimbursement provisions and liability protections; it passed after supporters emphasized life-saving benefits and manageable training costs. The committee adjourned after recording additional members’ votes on selected bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sixth, the department is without a current strategic plan, as the prior strategic plan expired in 2024
• DTSC is currently developing a strategic plan, and a new forward-looking plan will be an important tool
• on top of planning, on top of planning, and outreach that's repetitive. by our planning on top of planning
• on top of planning, on top of planning, and outreach that's repetitive. by our planning on top of planning
• Of the plan? Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. To accelerate implementation of the plan? Yeah, absolutely.

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on DTSC’s implementation of SB 158 reforms, including enforcement, community engagement, fee stability, the hazardous waste management plan, permitting backlogs, and the Safer Consumer Products program. Senators and Assembly members emphasized protecting overburdened communities and asked how DTSC and the Board of Environmental Safety are using their authority to improve accountability, reduce delays, and address hazardous waste facilities and consumer product chemicals. The hearing also included discussion of extended producer responsibility programs and whether DTSC can support them more efficiently, including through coordination with CalRecycle. DTSC Director Katie Butler said the department is now more transparent, accountable, and fiscally stable, citing stronger enforcement actions, an interactive inspections map, expanded community outreach, and emergency response work on the Los Angeles wildfire cleanup. She said DTSC has made progress on fee reform, the hazardous waste management plan, cleanup grants, permit renewals, and safer consumer products rulemaking, including adding microplastics to the candidate chemical list. Board Chair Andrew Rakestraw said the board has held multiple public meetings and hearings, is working on fee rates and performance metrics, and is revising the hazardous waste management plan after public comment, including removing a proposal to send certain contaminated soil to municipal landfills. He also noted remaining concerns about fee structure, permit delays, and the pace of the safer consumer products program. Public witnesses offered sharply different views. A representative of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance said SB 158 reforms have improved permitting and transparency, but urged more attention to risk-based decision-making, reduced duplication, and possible General Fund support for plan implementation rather than relying only on fees. Earthjustice argued DTSC remains too slow and that communities continue to suffer from long-delayed permits and weak protections, urging the Legislature to take a more active role and to prioritize eliminating hazardous substances rather than minimizing costs. Committee members pressed the witnesses on permit renewals, community impacts, and the pace of the safer consumer products program, while DTSC defended its progress and said further legislative collaboration may be needed on hazardous waste management and emerging waste streams.

Transcript Highlights:

• . plans. plans.
• and the Fidelity Advisor 529 Plan.
• > plan.
• Those are the advisor 529 plan.
• > uh<00:27:26.480> in execute on that plan and then uh in execute on that plan and then

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met on February 20, 2026, first approving the minutes and then adopting the consent calendar as amended, with item 26045 removed for separate consideration. The committee then heard item 26045 from the Department of Health and Human Services on the Real Health Transformation Grant for Go North. HHS explained that the first-year award is $204 million, with most funds passed through to Go North and only limited administrative and audit costs retained by HHS. Members asked about staffing, procurement, the program’s spending plan, and whether future grant amounts would be fixed. HHS said Go North will administer the grants, staffing is expected to be about 20 positions, procurements will be competitive, and future awards will depend on federal review of performance and spending. The commissioner said the money is intended to create transformative changes that must be sustainable after the grant period. The committee then approved the item. The committee next took up regular calendar item 26041 from HHS and adopted it without discussion. It also approved two adjusted items on tab 11, FIS26028 and FIS26029. Item 26027 from the Department of Transportation was adopted as well. Item 26034 from the Department of Corrections was withdrawn, and members noted that any request for new overtime money would be closely scrutinized, especially given the tight budget and the need to explain how existing salary funds were being used. Committee staff said they would follow up with Corrections on vacancy rates, available funds, and other class lines and provide answers to the committee. The committee then received audit presentations on the state’s college savings plans, including the Unique College Investing Plan and the Fidelity Advisor 529 Plan. Auditors reported clean opinions, no material weaknesses, no audit adjustments, and no unadjusted items requiring reporting. The State Treasurer said the plans are performing well, now total more than $32 billion in assets under management, and are expected to generate about $20 million in revenue this year, with the proceeds supporting scholarship programs for low-income students. The committee placed the audits on file and released them in the usual manner. In other business, members set the next Fiscal Committee meeting for Friday, March 20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So under federal law, all plans are classified as either individual plans or group plans that are tied
• health care plan.
• So under federal law, all plans are classified as either individual plans or group plans that are tied
• So under federal law, all plans are classified as either individual plans or group plans that are tied
• insurance plan. insurance plan.

Bills: SB2141, SB2593, SB2824, SB2135, SB2115

Keywords: retirement, law enforcement, pension, public safety, employee contributions, Law Enforcement Standards Board, LESB, civil service exemption, collective bargaining exemption, law enforcement certification, police standards, law enforcement training, officer certification, training and curriculum coordinator, lead investigative agent, administrative manager, administrator, Hawaii HRS 76-16, Hawaii HRS 139-3, personnel exemption

Transcript Highlights:

• As part of our work building this plan, I reviewed other states' systems plans, and nobody has collaboration
• The plan reports each institution's performance on the metrics in our strategic plan, along with our
• strategic plan.
• We track the progress of our plan through our university accountability plans, which come to our board
• Our plan through our university accountability plans, which come to our board every June for approval

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education heard a presentation on the State University System’s new strategic plan, SUS 30, and its legislative budget request. University officials described the plan’s five priorities: One SUS collaboration, elevating student success, operational excellence, world-class talent, and innovative research and economic development. They highlighted Florida’s continued status as the top higher education system in the nation, low tuition, strong graduation outcomes, rising median wages for graduates, and expanded use of the My Florida Future website to help students and families compare degree outcomes and earnings. Members asked for follow-up information on programs of strategic emphasis, mental health and social work workforce needs, wage data over time, and how the system supports innovation moving toward commercialization. The committee also discussed campus safety, prompted in part by recent events at FSU. System officials said universities and the Florida College System recently held a safety summit to share best practices on building security, threat assessment, and coordination with law enforcement, and they agreed to provide a report back to the committee after the Board of Governors reviews recommendations in November. Senators also raised questions about Pell student support, first-generation student success, and whether liberal arts graduates’ earnings catch up over time. Officials said Pell students are tracked through performance-based funding metrics and that the system’s accountability plans will continue to emphasize access and completion. A separate update covered line funding for nursing and health care partnerships. Officials said the $6 million appropriation was fully subscribed through 24 proposals from all 10 nursing programs, supporting scholarships, faculty recruitment, internships, simulation, and licensure preparation. They reported over 1,900 new nursing graduates, more than 200 new student slots, over 300 scholarships, and a 92% NCLEX pass rate. Senators asked about expanding eligibility for the program, and staff said that issue would be revisited this year. The Board of Governors’ legislative budget request totaled $634.5 million and included $295 million for performance-based funding institutional investment, a request to restore and increase the state investment portion to $400 million, $125 million for preeminence funding, $100 million for faculty recruitment and retention, $6.4 million for UF/IFAS extension workload, and $3.1 million for State Fire Marshal inspections. The chair noted that resources are limited and that difficult budget decisions lie ahead. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• plans.
• You'll see a description of what the plan is, and then some strengths and challenges of the plan.
• What I can see in the plan is that they plan to mirror the McKinney-Vento requirements.
• And so, this plan is really our three-year guide.
• the plan.

Transcript Highlights:

• But as you know, the state water plan has decades of need, and so it's a 50-year planning horizon.
• It's difficult to do for specific projects because their configuration might change from plan to plan
• One thing that strikes me when I look at these plans is the inconsistencies across the plans.
• What strikes me when I look at these plans are the inconsistencies across the plans.
• So do y'all have a public relations plan? Do you have a community engagement plan?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have adopted site plan review locally as a process to outline requirements of a plan for development
• In my previous role as Planning Director and as a member of the American Planning Association Mass Chapter
• In my previous role as Planning Director and as a member of the American Planning Association Mass Chapter
• So yes, to the site plan review, please support.
• We also support YIMBY and site plan review.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Housing held a hybrid hearing on zoning, Chapter 40B, and related housing bills. Much of the testimony focused on the “Yes in My Backyard” bill (H. 1572/S. 962), which would expand by-right development of missing middle housing, reduce barriers such as minimum lot sizes and parking mandates, and support duplexes, triplexes, and other small-scale housing. Supporters included housing advocates, developers, local officials, and municipal leaders from places like Cambridge, Salem, and Braintree, who argued that state action is needed because local zoning often blocks needed housing and that the bill would help create more affordable, neighborhood-compatible homes. Several witnesses also backed a companion “Yes in God’s Backyard” bill (H. 2347), which would allow faith-based institutions to build housing on their property by right, with testimony emphasizing the potential for new units, added municipal tax revenue, and partnerships between religious organizations and housing developers. The committee also heard testimony on Senate Bill 1021 to modernize Chapter 40R incentives. Senator Pavel Payano and others said the program’s payments have not kept pace with inflation since 2004 and should be increased to better encourage smart-growth zoning near transit and town centers. Another major topic was H. 2298 on site plan review, which would codify and standardize the process in state law. Rep. Kristin Kassner and witnesses from MAPC and NAIOP said current site plan review practices vary widely across the state, creating confusion, delays, and litigation, while a uniform framework would give municipalities clearer tools to review by-right projects without undermining local oversight. The hearing also included testimony on Chapter 40B reform, including S. 1005 and H. 1537. One witness supported further review of 40B and stronger regional planning, while another backed a proposal to allow certain pre-2010 40B condominium owners to sell at market value under a framework that would recapture some of the subsidy benefits. Committee members asked several questions about local zoning changes, housing goals by county, and how the proposed bills would affect communities. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chairs indicated that written testimony would be welcomed for technical details and additional comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• formulary or the cost during the plan formulary or the cost during the plan year<00:29:39.240> is<
• switch people have chosen that plan switch people have chosen that plan because<00:29:42.960>
• Health plans are tasked with trying to Health plans are tasked with trying to manage these extremely
• eliminating the need for a health plan eliminating the need for a health plan to<00:34:08.040>
• , and self-insurance plans.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You spoke about free and short-term plans? Is that... ...and short-term plans?
• of their plan.
• to the plan sponsors.
• plan.
• plan.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . plan. plan.
• draft plan. draft plan.
• <04:08:24.479> for in the plan, but it's in the plan for in the plan, but it's in the plan
• Uh the plan the project was plan.
• Planning. Planning.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• recommended by the plan actuary. recommended by the plan actuary.
• because this plan provides a richer plan because this plan provides a richer benefit<00:15:39.519>
• added to the correctional plan. added to the correctional plan.
• plan they were with.
• This plan is the correctional plan COLA.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Written emergency plans posted in cabins.
• plan is needed.
• But a plan that existed only in Dick Eastland's head is not a plan that satisfied the state's rules for
• So the lack of an adequate plan...
• So the lack of an adequate plan.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• for plan year 2024.
• for plan year 2024.
• for plan year 2024.
• for plan year 2024.
• <00:52:59.079> that plan and the premium security plan that plan and the premium security

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard a reinsurance overview from Deputy Commissioner Julia Dryer of the Minnesota Department of Commerce on the Minnesota Premium Security Plan. She explained that reinsurance helps stabilize premiums in the individual market by reimbursing insurers for high-cost claims, and said Minnesota’s program has lowered premiums, preserved carrier participation, and helped maintain consumer choice. She warned that without continued funding, the program would be depleted and individual-market premiums could rise by about 25%, with potential losses in coverage and access to care. She also described the program’s structure under a federal 1332 waiver, the role of MCHA in administering the program, and the state’s receipt of more than $650 million in federal pass-through funds to date. Dryer said the current program is funded through the end of 2025, though the federal waiver authority runs through 2027. The governor’s proposal would create a new assessment on insurers, estimated at roughly 2% to 3%, to fund the state share of the program and avoid another full waiver submission. She noted that the proposal assumes MinnesotaCare funding would be held harmless and that the program would be reduced if federal basic health plan funding were negatively affected. She also said projected costs changed because individual-market enrollment has grown and enhanced federal subsidies were removed from the estimate. Members raised concerns about the proposal’s impact on premiums and the history of the fund. Senator Rasmusson argued the new assessment amounts to a large tax increase on health insurance and questioned who would be assessed and whether the surcharge would be capped. Dryer responded that the assessment would be based on annual claims experience and market conditions, with final amounts determined at the end of each year, not monthly. Senator Duckworth and Senator Frentz supported reinsurance as a way to keep premiums lower, while also questioning how the program should be financed. Senator Green asked about the mechanics of the assessment and the role of the department in setting it, and Senator H questioned why the fiscal note assumed 12% annual growth for program costs when general premium growth was lower. No vote or formal action was taken in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Restating some of the intent: reducing the extent to which the plans and the programs within the plans
• In approving the storm protection plans, the Commission determines whether the programs in the plans
• plans and implement those plans.
• You're not actually looking at the plan itself to determine whether the plan was prudent, whether the
• You're not actually looking at the plan itself to determine whether the plan was prudent, whether the

Summary: The committee met to hear invited presentations on storm recovery and storm protection from the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric, Chesapeake Utilities, and the Office of Public Counsel. The PSC reviewed the history of storm restoration financing and utility hardening efforts after major storms such as Hurricane Andrew, the 2004-05 hurricane seasons, Irma, and Michael, explaining storm reserve funds, storm recovery bonds, and the current three-year storm protection plan process. The commission’s role in approving plans and later reviewing prudence of actual costs was emphasized, along with the types of work included in the plans such as vegetation management, pole replacement, undergrounding, feeder hardening, and substation flood protection. The utilities described their own storm-hardening investments and recent storm performance. FPL said it has spent about $4.9 billion on storm protection and recovery-related efforts, highlighted improved restoration times during Helene and Milton, and said it is expanding undergrounding, feeder hardening, and smart-grid technology. Duke Energy reported more than 40,000 hardened poles and structures since 2021, major gains from self-healing grid technology, and faster restoration during recent storms. Tampa Electric described a roughly $200 million annual storm protection effort, including vegetation management, undergrounding, substation hardening, and new storm surge protections, and Chesapeake Utilities discussed its smaller-scale hardening program, vegetation work, pole replacement, and rapid restoration after Helene in Nassau County. Committee members asked about how utilities prioritize neighborhoods for lateral hardening, whether maps of planned projects could be shared, how much each utility has spent on undergrounding and hardening, and how reliability comparisons are normalized against the national average. Public Counsel Walt Trierweiler argued that storm recovery and hardening costs fall too heavily on investor-owned utility customers, said the current framework lacks a meaningful cost-benefit or prudence check at the planning stage, and urged broader sharing of storm costs because the benefits extend to the whole state. Senators also discussed whether the commission can review the reasonableness of approved programs and whether future reports or recommendations from Public Counsel would be helpful. No votes or formal actions were taken.