Transcript Highlights:

• graduate school were as a case manager, helping those with AIDS, and then working at a psychiatric program
• I served as a lead negotiator for the first two statewide Medicaid-managed care program contracts and
• I believe this place is Program, as well as our quality improvement strategy.
• We've enhanced activities that generate more revenue for the Medicaid program and doubled the amount
• Chair, is a very complicated program. Medicaid, as you stated, Mr.

Committee: Senate Ethics and Elections

Summary: The committee met to consider a large slate of appointments, with the main discussion centered on the confirmation of Chavon Harris as Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Harris testified about her background in state service and outlined agency priorities including Medicaid financial accountability, transparency, managed care oversight, behavioral health redesign, rural health access, workforce recruitment, and use of technology and AI. Senators questioned her extensively about the Hope Florida/Medicaid settlement controversy, opioid settlement-funded advertising campaigns tied to marijuana prevention and the 2024 Amendment 3 election, public records compliance, abortion reporting and enforcement under the Heartbeat Protection Act, managed care denials, value-based purchasing, and Medicaid funding pressures. After debate, the committee voted to recommend her confirmation, with Senator Polsky voting no. The committee then considered Anna Ortega and Robert Payne for the Florida Public Service Commission. Ortega, a current PSC commissioner and former staff advisor, discussed utility regulation, data center load issues, ratepayer protections, transparency in PSC decisions, and lessons from other states. Payne, a former legislator and longtime utility co-op employee, emphasized his technical background and the need to balance utility returns with consumer affordability. Both nominees were confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous votes and recommended favorably to the full Senate. Next, the committee heard from Jeffrey Aaron for reappointment to the Public Employees Relations Commission. Aaron described PERC’s role in public-sector labor disputes and said his work had been upheld in appellate courts without reversal. Senators questioned him about his law firm’s state contracts, his role as chairman of Attorney General James Uthmeier’s PAC, and his connection to the Hope Florida Foundation matter; he declined to discuss the pending investigation. Public testimony included opposition from Florida Voice for the Unborn. The committee nevertheless recommended his confirmation, with several no votes. Finally, the committee approved the remaining appointees on tabs 5 through 46 in a single vote, postponing Dr. John Littell and DCF Secretary Hatch, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Jasper County CASA is a CASA program in my district and is here today.
• School, and this is a very important program.
• They are leaders in the program, and as you've heard, this is the program we're in.
• And as you've heard, this is the program we're in.
• All slot machines are programmed to ensure that you don’t have a real shot of winning long term.

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the prior day’s journal by a 134-0 roll call vote, and then moved through a series of introductions recognizing guests and student groups at the Capitol, including Turning Point USA chapters, CASA volunteers and staff, JAG students, university groups, nursing students, and several legislative interns. The chamber also handled a point of order about an unauthorized prop in the room, which was removed. The first major bill taken up was House Bill 1766, dealing with personal property tax treatment and new construction calculations. Supporters argued it would treat personal property more like real estate under Hancock-style limits and provide fairness to taxpayers, while opponents warned it could reduce revenue for taxing districts. After debate, the House passed HB 1766 by a vote of 94-50. The House then considered House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2989, a major gaming measure that would criminalize illegal gaming machines, create a regulated framework for video lottery terminals, give local governments an opt-out, and expand enforcement authority for the Attorney General and prosecutors. Members debated whether the bill was a needed enforcement tool or an inappropriate expansion of gambling, with concerns raised about addiction, local control, revenue distribution, and whether the bill should have gone to Fiscal Review. A motion to refer the bill to Fiscal Review failed 69-44, and the bill itself passed 83-66 with one present. The chamber next took up House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2014, the supplemental appropriations bill. The sponsor said it provided just over $3 billion in additional authority, including tax refund authority, disaster relief, St. Louis tornado recovery funding, and major MoDOT funding, along with other smaller items. Members from both parties supported the bill, while also noting concerns about reliance on supplementals and the need to budget more accurately in the future. The House adopted an amendment reducing some general revenue authority, then adopted the bill and perfected and printed it. The meeting ended with announcements, including a notice that the Super Committee on Tourism would meet immediately in Hearing Room 6.

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe every state has some sort of program.
• Madam Chair and Senator, no, there is a loan repayment program.
• Madam Chair and Senator, no, there is a loan repayment program.
• I'm sure that $5 million was spent pretty easily. ...repayment program.
• What we do look at is individuals who apply for the particular program.

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 20, a prior-authorization and step-therapy measure, on a committee substitute that had already incorporated many stakeholder changes. The sponsor and agency witnesses described revisions to definitions of chronic health condition and serious mental illness, shorter prior-authorization periods, and limits on reporting requirements. Supporters, including a nurse practitioner and disability advocates, said the bill would reduce barriers to needed medications and urged broader protections for chronic and behavioral health conditions. Health insurance and pharmacy benefit management representatives remained opposed, arguing prior authorization is an important patient-safety tool and objecting to the bill’s limits on its use. Senator Hickey offered two amendments: one to conform electronic prior-authorization response times to existing law by changing seven days to three, and one to restore the prior-authorization period from 12 months to three years. The first amendment was accepted; the second passed on a 5-4 vote. The committee then approved the amended substitute 6-3. The committee next heard Senate Bill 111, which would expand the confidentiality of personal information held by the Motor Vehicle Division to include sex, gender identity, national origin, and immigration status. Tax and Revenue officials explained that the bill would not change what documents MVD collects, but would limit disclosure of sensitive information contained in scanned records unless a statutory exception applies. Members asked about what appears on licenses, what is stored in MVD’s system, and whether law enforcement access would change; officials said criminal law enforcement exceptions would remain in place and that the bill mainly affects public disclosure requests. The committee voted 8-1 to give the bill a do-pass recommendation. Senate Bill 218, funding a Los Alamos Emergency Operations Center, was presented as a regional disaster-response and training facility for northern New Mexico. Los Alamos County witnesses said the project would support emergency management training and coordination across the region and requested $5 million. Several senators questioned whether the county had explored bonding, intergovernmental agreements, or regional cost-sharing, and raised concerns about Los Alamos’s debt capacity and whether the project was truly regional. Supporters said the county has a long capital backlog and that the center would serve communities from Santa Fe north. The committee ultimately voted 9-1 to advance the bill. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 14, a major health professional loan-repayment proposal. Senator Hickey described it as an effort to recruit and retain physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals by increasing repayment amounts, prioritizing physicians and doctors of osteopathic medicine for 50% of the fund, and allowing service commitments with some flexibility, including part-time work. Supporters from medical, nursing, and behavioral health groups said the bill would help address workforce shortages and make New Mexico more competitive. Committee members asked about the inclusion of physician assistants, the 90-day start requirement, anti-donation concerns, tax treatment, tribal and IHS providers, and whether the 50% physician set-aside would leave enough for other professions. After discussion, the committee voted 10-0 to send the bill forward with a do-pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think this is a good program.
• This program move forward.
• The continuing reliance on that program is a failed paradigm.
• The continuing reliance on that program is a failed paradigm.
• The continuing reliance on that program is a failed paradigm.

Bills: HB2014 , HB2156 , HB2180 , HB2554 , HCR2047 , HR2002

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: air emissions, fuel blends, environmental quality, feasibility study, Arizona Department of Agriculture, livestock, compensation, funding, ranching, agriculture, appropriation, University of Arizona, education, state budget, biennial budget, state funding, appropriations, budget procedures, fiscal years, Judea

Transcript Highlights:

• And our Medicaid program is a microcosm of this.
• dominant model for most states to manage the program.
• It's in that $22 billion that we spend on the Medicaid program.
• </c> and it will be a five years um program and it will be a five years um program if<00:20:54.799><c
• If you have a school nurse program, that's your equity contribution.

Keywords: 26RS SB 38 Testimony 00:28 26RS SB 38 Roll Call Vote 06:54 26RS SCR 9 Testimony 11:06 26RS SCR 9 Roll Call Vote 32:00 Adjournment 32:49, 958, all

Summary: The committee first considered Senate Bill 38, sponsored by Sen. Richardson, which would require Medicaid to reimburse pharmacists for services already within their legal scope of practice. Richardson and Taylor Williams of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association argued the bill would improve access to care, especially in rural areas, reduce emergency room use, and lower Medicaid costs by using pharmacists as lower-cost providers. Members asked whether the bill’s language simply aligned Medicaid with an earlier commercial parity law, and Richardson confirmed that it did. He also cited prior study work, research articles, and examples such as strep/flu testing and medication therapy management as covered services. The bill passed unanimously, and several members commented in support, including concerns about pharmacy access and the need for pharmacists to remain available to patients. The committee then took up a concurrent resolution sponsored by Sen. Meredith calling for a feasibility study of a proposed new Medicaid delivery model. Meredith argued that Kentucky’s Medicaid spending is growing unsustainably and that current managed care arrangements are not improving outcomes enough. He proposed an accountable community health care organization, described as a locally owned, not-for-profit public-private partnership combining elements of accountable care models, with the goal of reducing bureaucracy, improving outcomes, and lowering costs. He said the study would examine a five-year program and ultimately test the model in five regions, with initial focus on the Lincoln Trail, Green River, and Barren River area development districts. Members asked about the study timeline, vendor costs, rural versus urban impacts, and provider recruitment; Meredith said the resolution would be studied by November and that no fiscal note had been prepared. The resolution passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• re-entry program.
• Coconino County is also building their Reach Out program.
• In concerning I sponsored the bill to fund the Reach Out program.
• We built a program and now we're spreading it out.
• Demonstrate this program. Did that end up happening? It has happened. Mr.

Bills: HB2043 , HB2044 , HB2108 , HB2131 , HB2132

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: felony murder, unborn child, homicide, Arizona Revised Statutes, life imprisonment, death penalty, abandonment, concealment, dead body, class 5 felony, criminal offense, unlawful flight, eluding police, fleeing law enforcement, police pursuit, vehicle pursuit, reckless endangerment, felony enhancement, class 4 felony, class 2 felony

Transcript Highlights:

• To get to the program two strangers removed me from my bedroom in the middle of the night and took me
• A member of an IEP, partial IEP funded program in strong support.
• When we passed SB 1266 in 2014, we led the nation creating a school-based program.
• However we're concerned with the eligibility of the program that is being created here.
• Department of Education, they support low-income students through the Title I funding program.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's a subsidized, affordable internet and wireless program.
• And surcharge authority of two existing programs, the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program, which
• Both programs are existing programs and this bill will not raise costs on consumers.
• Programs administered by the CPUC.
• There was for affordable broadband through programs like the affordable connectivity program the ACP

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , our homeless veteran program, our rural community and faith-based partnerships, provider training program
• , and our suicide prevention program.
• Uh, the cost for operating these programs has gone up.
• So we're really trying to grow this program.
• Hospital 1819, uh, the Texas Veterans and Family Alliance grant Program is an invaluable program that

Bills: HB101

Committee: House S/C on Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: voter approval, local tax, disaster declaration, tax rate increases, community funding

Transcript Highlights:

• work with you to make sure that we get the maximum benefit out of this program.
• I believe that this is the university and program that President Trump also attended.
• I'm not in the Ph.D. program, so I don't believe that President Trump attended Wharton's Ph.D. program
• Yes, I thought I heard you say program. Thank you for that clarification.
• The health care and education programs from families, which I think is a bad idea.

Committee: Senate Finance Committee

Keywords: nomination, Deputy Secretary of Treasury, economic policy, inflation, tariffs, tribal nations, government relations

Summary: The meeting convened to consider the nomination of Mike Falkender for the position of Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. During the session, multiple members voiced concerns regarding current economic policies under the Trump administration, particularly around inflation, tariffs, and the impact on small businesses. Discussions frequently centered on the administration's approach to tariffs and taxation, and how these factors contribute to the rising cost of living and potential job losses. Additionally, the importance of bolstering government-to-government relationships with tribal nations was emphasized, highlighting the need for specialized offices focused on tribal affairs within the Treasury Department.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will ask for programs to be turned on and a cost share, in this case 100%.
• But 522 of them have bought into this program.
• We run the leanest emergency management program in the entire U.S.
• People weren't familiar with the program. They didn't know what it meant.
• So. program. And we are providing training on that. We have developed courses.

Summary: The Economic Development Budget Subcommittee received a lengthy presentation from Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, on disaster costs, recovery operations, sheltering, and major capital projects. He reviewed the 2024 hurricane season impacts from Debby, Helene, and Milton, explaining how FEMA public assistance and state reimbursement work, how cost shares can shift from 75/25 to 90/10 after a federal threshold is reached, and how Florida uses prior storm data and inflation to estimate recovery costs. He also described the state’s faster reimbursement timelines, crediting legislative investments in technology and digital field documentation, and said the division is working to reduce disaster closeout timelines from decades to about seven years. Members asked about debris removal, FEMA de-obligations, local preparedness, and whether regional shelters or co-located emergency operations centers could be used more efficiently. Guthrie said debris assistance is complicated and should generally remain tied to local contracts and planning, though the state will help fiscally constrained communities when needed. He explained de-obligations as FEMA clawing back previously approved funds after later review, and said Florida’s FROC program is helping local governments reduce those risks through standardized documentation, procurement review, and training. He also urged more mandatory emergency-management training for local and state officials and cautioned against weakening the FEMA 50% rule for rebuilding damaged structures. Guthrie provided updates on the new central Florida warehouse in Auburndale and the new State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. He said the warehouse will improve logistics, include cold and ultra-cold storage, and be run by a private vendor with virtual inventory tracking, while the new EOC is designed for Category 5 conditions and expanded partner capacity. He acknowledged budget pressures that reduced the size of the EOC project and said an additional IT request was needed because those costs were not originally included. The meeting ended with praise for FDEM’s work and no votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, we encourage the continued look at supporting any statewide programs that benefit locals.
• They've done programs like WebEOC, which is a program that we use in most counties in their emergency
• So again, very Kathy Perkins: grateful for state and federal programs that are turned on.
• directly as opposed to having jurisdictions run their own programs.
• locally utilizing state and federal programs and funding to make our community more resilient.

Transcript Highlights:

• in here knows, that's the program, this long-term treatment.
• And that treatment program is usually done as, by...
• And that treatment program is usually done by a sentencing court.
• probation following completion of that program.
• And, like I said, we want persons... 120-day program.

Committee: House Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and first went into executive session, where it voted House Bill 1711 do pass with no opposition. HB 1711 concerns the Uniform Interstate Deposition and Discovery Act. The committee then took up HB 1713 on limited liability companies, adopted a House Committee amendment and then a House Committee substitute that incorporated Secretary of State language on series LLCs and certificates of good standing, and voted the substitute do pass 10-0. The committee next considered a combined judgeships measure. It adopted an amendment and House Committee substitute that merged language from several bills, including provisions for additional judges or associate judges in Jefferson, St. Charles, Franklin, Miller, and Clay counties, and voted the substitute for HB 2968, 2427, and 3086 do pass 10-0. It also adopted an amendment and substitute for HB 3072, a workers’ compensation bill, and voted that substitute do pass 9-0. In public hearing, Representatives Smith and Dolan presented HB 2574 and HB 2163 together, both aimed at expanding limited driving privileges for people in treatment programs. They explained the bills would allow limited driving privileges through adult drug/treatment courts and, in one version, let offenders petition the sentencing court after completing a 120-day treatment program. Members discussed public safety concerns, ignition interlock devices, and insurance requirements, and one member noted personal experience with a drunk-driving fatality while supporting the goal of helping people maintain employment. Eric Jennings testified in support for the Judicial Conference of Missouri, saying the change would extend an existing tool from DWI courts to adult treatment courts with the same safeguards. No opposition or informational witnesses appeared, and the hearing was closed.

Transcript Highlights:

• It modifies funding for the Passport to Careers program and eligibility for the Washington College Grant
• The Washington College Grant is the state's largest financial aid program, providing grants to low-income
• According to Project Education Impact, students in this population enroll in and complete degree programs
• This is exactly why the college grant was created and became an entitlement program, to help those in
• I just... ...and became an entitlement program, to help those in need and to allow people from across

Summary: The Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee held public hearings on two bills. Substitute Senate Bill 5931 would make administrative changes to the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board, including extending co-chair terms from one to two years, allowing more than four meetings per year, requiring consultation with the Student Achievement Council when evaluating outcomes, and removing the statutory public dashboard requirement. Staff and the bill sponsor, Senator Warnick, described it as a technical, no-fiscal-impact measure requested by the Student Achievement Council. Joel Anderson of WOSAC testified in support, explaining that the board’s role is advisory, that the bill would improve operations, and that WOSAC has spent significant staff time tracking Workforce Education Investment Account spending, especially carry-forward appropriations. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5963, which would modify Passport to Careers and Washington College Grant eligibility. The bill would automatically make Passport to Careers students income-eligible for the Washington College Grant beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, align the Passport financial-need formula with the federal student aid index, and direct Passport funds into the state financial aid account. Staff noted the bill was identical to the House companion. Testimony from WOSAC, the Washington Student Association, and a Western Washington University student representative all supported the bill, emphasizing the high barriers faced by former foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth and the value of guaranteed, earlier access to aid. Senator Nobles said the bill would fulfill the state’s promise to help these students access higher education and would not increase costs. At the close of the hearing, the chair announced amendment deadlines for possible Tuesday executive action: requests due Monday at 10 a.m. and approval by 6 p.m. The committee planned to caucus and did not meet on Friday.

Transcript Highlights:

• A key part of the legacy of the YMCA's Youth and Government Program empowers young people to learn how
• The bill strengthens the teacher workforce by expanding access to teacher apprenticeship programs to
• The bill strengthens the teacher workforce by expanding access to teacher apprenticeship programs to
• It clarifies Title I spending flexibility and ensures charter schools access to the available programs
• learning coalitions to school districts and allowing public school VPK programs to verify attendance

Summary: The Senate opened with a prayer, pledge, and recognitions of guests, including YMCA youth and government participants and the Doctor of the Day, Dr. Thomas Clem. Senators also made introductory remarks honoring the YMCA’s 175th anniversary and its community service, and the chamber noted the president’s birthday. The body then took up several bills on the special order calendar. Senate Bill 100 adopted the 2026 Florida Statutes and the 2025 regular session laws; Senate Bill 102 and Senate Bill 104 were reviser bills updating and cleaning up the Florida Statutes. Senate Bill 320, on administrative efficiency in public schools, would reduce district reporting and procedural requirements, expand teacher apprenticeship and certification options, adjust assessment and accountability rules, increase district flexibility in funding and facility planning, and shift some VPK oversight to school districts. Senate Bill 7010 would allow Roth post-tax contributions in state and local deferred compensation plans. Sponsors described each bill as improving efficiency, flexibility, or statutory clarity. All four bills passed unanimously, 36-0, after brief debate or no debate. The Senate also withdrew Senate Bill 1720 from further consideration. At the end of the session, the chamber adopted a motion to immediately certify all bills passed that day to the House and then adjourned until the next scheduled meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• for public school students, and the creation of a vision care allotment under the Foundation School program
• uh for students uh under this bill and we've changed that now to a grant, simply a grant program.
• It is not, uh, in the Foundation school program.
• For our low income students, the grant program will remove the financial barriers that often follow up
• These programs, they do provide free or low cost exams and classes to students who would otherwise go

Committee: House Public Education

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 3470 by Will Metcalf relates to the administration of the program.
• HB 3480 by Nate Schatzlein relates to the Rio Grande vegetative management program for the Committee
• bill also pertains to the participation of these restaurant owners in the oyster shell recycling program
• HB 3497 by initiative relating to certain positive outcomes in health programs.
• HB 3538 by Charlie Geren relating to the Managed Care Consumer Choice Program, referred to the Committee

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• H, establish programs and policies and provide appropriations and support thereof to allow local law
• We cut $32 million out of the budget the Governor did for the entire arts program for the entire state
• That's after-school programs, that's exposure to the arts.
• That's after-school programs, that's exposure to the arts.
• That's after-school programs, that's exposure to the arts.

Summary: The Senate convened in special session with an opening prayer focused on Holocaust remembrance and a warning against antisemitism, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the reading of the joint proclamation calling the session. The proclamation said the special session was convened to consider immigration-related legislation and appropriations to support coordination with federal immigration enforcement, including a chief immigration officer, restrictions on benefits for undocumented immigrants, voting-related offenses, penalties for removed aliens who re-enter, bail and detention considerations, ID requirements, and support for local law enforcement. Senate Bill 2B on immigration was filed and placed on the special order calendar for the next day, with an amendment deadline set after the Appropriations Committee meeting. The Senate then took up veto overrides on House Bill 5001 from the 2024 regular session, which is the General Appropriations Act. Members discussed the governor’s vetoes of legislative support and transparency-related funding, including IT systems, research, oversight, and Florida Channel services. Senator Pizzo objected to waiving Rules on one item and argued the chamber should also address broader cuts, including arts funding, while the Rules Chair said the items under consideration were limited to support services and that broader funding concerns could be addressed separately. The Senate voted to override line item 2802, funding legislative support services, by 35 yeas and 1 name, and line item 2803, also for legislative support services, by 36 yeas and 1 nay, both passing by the required two-thirds vote. The Senate then adjourned until the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• utilities to mitigate the cost burden of the program on data center customers. and transmission needs
• utilities to mitigate the cost burden of the program on data center customers.
• utilities to mitigate the cost burden of the program on data center customers.
• Jeremy Takala here with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation Science Program.
• We see this specific tax on data centers as a way to fund energy assistance programs.

Summary: The committee first met in executive session on Senate Bill 5941, which would exempt certain school districts from a Washington State Energy Code requirement for onsite renewable energy systems on large new commercial buildings or additions. The committee adopted Senator Short’s amendment narrowing the eligible school district definition from 1,000 or fewer students to 500 or fewer students, then approved the bill as amended and sent it to the Rules Committee with a do pass recommendation. The committee then held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6171, a proposed substitute addressing emerging large energy use facilities, primarily data centers. Staff explained that the bill would require utilities serving such facilities to adopt tariffs or policies to protect other ratepayers, require long-term contracts and full cost recovery, allow curtailment during emergencies, add reporting and sustainability requirements, create a fee to fund energy assistance, weatherization, and higher education programs, and impose new clean energy and labor-related requirements. The prime sponsor said the bill is intended to protect affordability, reliability, transparency, and the public interest as data center demand grows. Testimony was mixed. Supporters, including community action groups, environmental organizations, some utilities, Ecology, and student representatives, argued the bill would prevent cost shifting, improve transparency, support low-income energy assistance, and help manage grid and climate impacts. Opponents, including data center representatives, public utility district and business groups, and some local government and port officials, said the bill was too prescriptive, could raise costs, threaten competitiveness, duplicate existing utility practices, and interfere with existing CCA/CETA provisions and local flexibility. No vote was taken on SB 6171 during the hearing, and the meeting adjourned after public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• And with the expiration of the federal affordable connect... connectivity program, the ACP, almost 3
• This bill creates the Home Internet Lifeline Program for low-income families.
• The PUC would adopt rules to implement the program by July 1, 2027.
• An internet lifeline program to replace the federal.
• Today's lifeline program.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Keywords: 988, house, all