Transcript Highlights:

• For each of the measures being presented today, we will be allowing primary witnesses here in the room
• For each of the measures being presented today, we will be allowing primary witnesses here in the room
• I go from here to Judiciary and it will probably be an empty room also.
• And for these reasons, access supports the measure and urges your aye vote today. Thank you.
• I really just want to prevent tobacco access from kids at the end of the day.

Committee: House Business and Professions

Transcript Highlights:

• that this is being streamed all over the building, and every office, every legislative office has access
• providing their testimony and that we're not swayed by the demonstrations that are happening in the room
• Students fundamentally deserve access to opportunities that bring civic values to life.
• And I'm going to step out of the room for just a moment.
• We understand that everything needs to be accessible these days, especially online.

Transcript Highlights:

• that this is being streamed all over the building, and every office, every legislative office has access
• providing their testimony and that we're not swayed by the demonstrations that are happening in the room
• Students fundamentally deserve access to opportunities that bring civic values to life.
• I'm going to step out of the room for just a moment. I have constituents that are here to see me.
• We understand that everything needs to be accessible these days, especially online.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is the national her nursing exam that an individual takes when they finish the program.
• before you take the and clicks take an exit exam.
• well on in the program and also create a remediation program for students who do not pass the exit exam
• We do exit the ex examine a comprehensive exam. 2 successful at that and so for.
• But at the end of the day, we want nurses to pass the exam.

Transcript Highlights:

• My wife and I were in the exam room with my son Dan, trying to get him some relief and planning on the
• My wife and I were in the exam room with my son Dan, trying to get him some relief and planning on the
• So that’s what I’ve lived through and sort of experienced firsthand in an exam room that did not make
• So that’s what I’ve lived through and sort of experienced firsthand in an exam room that did not make
• </c><01:16:30.639><c> room</c> of experienced firsthand in an exam room of experienced firsthand in an

Bills: HF696 , HF1429 , HF1379

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• They consider waivers from some of the State Building Code for accessibility.
• In addition to the designated exam proctor who coordinates exams at the Department of Labor and Industry
• Paul office, this represents an exam staffing structure change from previous years when we had one exam
• In addition to the designated exam proctor who coordinates exams at the Department of Labor and Industry
• Paul office, this represents an exam staffing structure change from previous years when we had one exam

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Healy: I did not study the board makeup, but I’m sure somebody in this room could help
• I know we get a lot of questions from contractors to say, hey, I built this wall in this room, and now
• And in my opinion, adding any kind of wall that creates a room or takes a room and makes it not a room
• And many of us specialize in something like accessibility, sustainable design, interior design, community
• We both learn about accessibility code. We both learn about the impact of materials on a space.

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here today speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Alliance for Healthcare Access.
• This ensures patient access while maintaining appropriate safeguards. Members, this bill...
• This ensures patient access while maintaining appropriate safeguards.
• Like every parent in this room, I would do anything to keep my two kids safe.
• It appears first in families without access to private health care, paid sick leave.

Committee: Senate Health Policy

Summary: The committee took up several health-related bills. SB 1082, on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program, was presented as a way to let providers and insurers use the federal independent dispute resolution process for emergency out-of-network claims under state-regulated commercial plans. A late-filed amendment clarified access to the state program, and the bill was reported favorably as a committee substitute. SB 1168, on background screenings, would centralize clearinghouse screening functions at the Agency for Health Care Administration; an amendment clarified that sealed and expunged records may be reviewed for eligibility determinations, and the bill was reported favorably as a committee substitute. SB 1156, on ambulatory surgical centers, would move their regulation into a standalone section of law separate from the hospital-focused Chapter 395, and it was reported favorably. The committee also considered SB 1480 on temporary certificates for practice in areas of critical need. A strike-all amendment created a grandfathering process for current certificate holders with active primary care relationships if federal designation changes remove an area’s critical-need status. Supporters said it would protect patients and preserve access to care in underserved areas, and the bill was reported favorably. The most extensive debate was on SB 1756, the medical freedom bill. The sponsor said it would require vaccine educational materials and alternative schedules for parents, expand school immunization exemptions to include conscience-based objections, clarify that emergency treatment authority does not include mandatory vaccination, and allow pharmacists to provide ivermectin behind the counter with written warnings. The committee adopted one amendment to extend liability protections to physicians as well as pharmacists, but rejected a substitute amendment that would have required counseling for exemption requests. Public testimony was overwhelmingly opposed, with physicians, pediatricians, cancer advocates, parents of immunocompromised children, and public health groups warning that the bill would lower vaccination rates and increase risk to vulnerable Floridians. The bill remained pending after testimony, with no final vote taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you are in your rooms, please come to the House floor. We are under a quorum call.
• We fight and we argue, but we leave it in this room. And that's how our jobs should work.
• and the... what was the other room?
• AP exam.
• Are there school districts not allowing folks to take the exam?

Bills: HR1055 , SB2170 , SB1833 , SB1198 , HR1056 , SB1730 , SB563 , SB1379 , SB1645 , SB2155 , SB1280 , SB1455 , SB1456 , SB1461 , SB1457 , SB1463 , SB1465 , SB1466 , SB1344 , SB1309 , HR1054 , SB2159 , SB1948 , HB1371 , SB1365 , SB1976 , SB1975 , SB2026 , SB1565 , SB1621 , SB237 , SB933 , SB1427 , SB1642 , SB171 , SB1873 , SB2067 , SB1623 , SB1771 , SB1805 , SB1826 , SB2072 , SB444 , SB2184 , SB1966 , SB1812 , SB2117 , SB2135 , SB330 , SB1239 , SB1428 , SB1531 , SB1484 , SB1405 , SB3

Summary: The House convened under quorum call and began with several recognitions and presentations, including visits from Comanche County 4-H, the Muskogee Police Department officers who completed EMT training, the March of Dimes, and Ag Day honorees, including the Ag Hall of Fame recipient Ron Justice. The chamber also adopted House Resolution 1054 designating April 2026 as Library Month, with a special presentation honoring library leaders and advocates for their work on the first Library Day at the Capitol. The House then considered and passed a series of bills, mostly on broad bipartisan votes, covering state symbols, fireworks sales, oil and gas royalty protections, AP exam access, veteran records access for grandchildren, Medicaid support for a food-is-medicine grant, law library representation, controlled substances, public health, state security staffing, financial exploitation protections, credit union modernization, workforce data, staffing contracts, enterprise zone incentives, conveyance/title theft protections, hospice narcotics disposal, duplicate statute cleanup, and memorial highway/bridge designations. One major bill, SB 237 on eliminating the solar and battery storage manufacturing tax exemption, was laid over after discussion and questions about tax policy and local incentives. Several measures drew brief explanation and questions, including SB 2159 on state symbols and wheat, SB 1948 on fireworks sales, HB 1371 on oil and gas royalty payments and bankruptcy protections, SB 1975 on AP testing locations, SB 2026 on access to veterans’ discharge papers, SB 1565 on food-is-medicine Medicaid support, SB 1642 on splitting short opioid prescriptions, and SB 933 creating a right-to-try pathway for individualized treatment. Most of these bills passed with little or no debate, and several emergency clauses also passed by the required two-thirds vote. Not all measures advanced: SB 1771, expanding Workforce Commission data authority, failed on a 27-46 vote, and the House later gave notice of intent to reconsider. SB 1365 was reconsidered and then passed, but its emergency clause failed. The session also featured an extended personal privilege speech by Rep. Scott Fetgatter marking his departure, in which he thanked colleagues and staff and reflected on his tenure and legislative work.

Transcript Highlights:

• adoptive parents and biological mothers open adoption may provide adoptive parents with increase access
• Also, the bill require the department to establish a daily room and board rate Daily Room and board rate
• It's highly complicated, as I think everybody in the room can tell.
• And we immediately took him to the team committee room.
• Can there excuse me, their exam showed no external bruising or swelling, get the child abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's another committee that's right on our heels going to use this room.
• And this can happen to any family who walks into an emergency room with their child seeking help.
• After working on a CPT team for 6 months, they can apply to take the medical provider exam and obtain
• He passed all of his physical exams because of an old bleed caused by a vacuum-assisted birth.
• And it has to spread the code, access that device.

Transcript Highlights:

• is a committee room, and that has committee room drawers.
• and that's has uh committee room and that's has uh committee<00:36:54.760><c> room</c><00:36:55.079>
• </c> to shelter in place we would go to room to shelter in place we would go to room 307<00:39:08.680
• There's an exam standard; it's a written, closed-book exam. helpful for me to remember the division helpful
• requirement there is a written Clos exam requirement there is a written Clos book<03:01:07.160><c> exam

Summary: The Environment and Agriculture Committee held an introductory orientation for members, many of whom were new or newly assigned to the committee. Leadership emphasized that the committee is intended to operate in a nonpartisan, collaborative way, and members introduced themselves and described their backgrounds in farming, gardening, food service, environmental work, water and waste issues, veterinary work, and related fields. Several members noted personal ties to homesteading, livestock, orcharding, food security, landfill concerns, and animal welfare, while others said they were eager to learn the committee’s work. The chair then reviewed committee procedures and expectations. Members were told the committee would generally meet on Tuesdays, with hearings starting around 10 a.m. and often running until about 4:30 p.m., and that absences, substitutes for executive sessions, and email communications would be handled through House rules and the committee’s email system. The chair also covered decorum rules for live-streamed meetings, including professional dress, limiting food and drink at the table, and giving full attention to witnesses. Members were reminded that legislative emails are subject to public records laws and that the committee may soon transition to a new email domain. The chair also explained logistics such as bill folders, committee room storage, and emergency procedures for evacuation or shelter-in-place. No bills were debated or voted on in this meeting, but the chair noted that the committee already had roughly two dozen bills pending, including animal welfare, landfill, policy, and cat-and-dog related measures. Members were told to expect a broad mix of topics beyond agriculture, including solid waste and animal-related legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• of all applicants, including any law or rule exam associated with the profession.
• Their license, the professional exam? They do have to take the test.
• So this doesn't preclude them from taking the NCWS exam for... No, I don't believe so.
• Yeah, so I just want to clarify. ...exam for—no, I don't believe so.
• Maybe it’s extra exams. Maybe it’s additional experience.

Committee: House Professional Registration and Licensing

Summary: The Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing met in executive session and first approved House Bill 1963 by a 16-0 vote, then later revisited it and again voted do pass by consent, 19-0. The committee also approved a House Committee Substitute for House Bill 3129 by a 14-0 vote with two present, after discussion that the substitute clarified the use of the term “physician assistant” and required practice under Missouri statute. In public hearing, House Bill 2300 was presented as a workforce bill creating a temporary two-year Missouri licensing path for experienced out-of-state workers whose prior states did not license their occupation. Supporters said it would help workers in fields such as makeup artistry and interior design enter the Missouri workforce without starting over, while still requiring passage of Missouri exams and excluding applicants with disciplinary issues. Some members raised concerns about the bill’s broad reach into Chapter 324 professions and whether it should be narrowed to avoid affecting highly regulated fields. House Bill 1813 was then heard as a narrower “carve-out” for the Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Landscape Architects. The sponsor and the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers said it would correct unintended consequences of a 2020 reciprocity law that had allowed some applicants who did not meet Missouri’s education or experience standards to be licensed; they cited data showing a significant number of reciprocity licenses issued since 2020. Opponents argued the bill would create barriers to work and give the board too much discretion, while supporters said it was needed to protect public safety and restore Missouri’s standards. Finally, House Bill 2649 was heard to extend reciprocity to licenses from the United Kingdom. The sponsor said it was intended to strengthen Missouri’s relationship with the U.K. and help workers with U.K. credentials, but members and witnesses quickly noted that because the bill used Chapter 324 language, it could affect many professions, including medical fields. The Missouri State Medical Association opposed the bill unless health care professions were carved out, and committee members expressed confusion about the scope before the hearing concluded with no further action on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is language in there, however, that allows doctors and hospitals to have access to the information
• reviewing, but as far as the patient and anyone outside the medical community, they would not have access
• from insurance companies when a exams from insurance companies when a request<00:02:22.560><c> is</c
• </c> for doctors and hospitals to have access for doctors and hospitals to have access to<00:02:43.239
• </c><00:02:52.159><c> to</c><00:02:52.400><c> this</c> they would not have access to this they would

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up House Bill 662, relating to personally identifiable information. Representative John Blanton explained that the bill would let judges, including federal and state judges, request redaction of their personal and immediate family information from public records, but that the protection would end if they later made identifying information public themselves. He also said the bill would restrict access to certain medical examiner information tied to insurance-company examinations, while still allowing doctors and hospitals access to know who is reviewing the information. The chair noted a committee substitute with a small change on page 3, line 12, removing name and license number language. After discussion, the sponsor agreed to proceed with the substitute. Senator Nemes moved adoption of the committee substitute, seconded by Senator Carroll, and it was adopted without opposition. The committee then voted on the bill itself. Senator Nemes moved passage, Senator Carroll seconded, and the roll was called. House Bill 662 was reported favorably with the expression of opinion that it should pass.

Transcript Highlights:

• year, students see over 2,000 patients, have put in 10,000 hours, and they pass hands-on practical exams
• I know that a couple of my opposition cited the JAMA study on access.
• So, in summary, these are office-based procedures that do not require an operating room.
• Are you eligible to sit for the architecture exam?
• Access for investigators was inconsistent. Safety standards were not uniformly enforced.

Summary: The committee continued a public hearing on House Bill 2897, which would expand optometrists’ scope of practice. Supporters, including Dr. Kelly Deering, said optometrists are trained to perform the listed office-based procedures, that rural Missouri lacks access to ophthalmologists, and that the bill would reduce wait times, travel burdens, and costs while helping retain students and practitioners in the state. Opponents, including representatives of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, argued the bill does not guarantee rural access and said the procedures should remain within the medical/surgical training of physicians. Members also questioned training on live human eyes and how suspicious lesions would be handled. No vote was taken, and the hearing on HB 2897 was closed. The committee then heard House Bill 2353, which would create a licensing and sign-and-seal framework for interior designers and move oversight to the board that includes architects, engineers, land surveyors, and landscape architects. Sponsor Rep. Sherri Gallick and supporters said the bill modernizes regulation, recognizes accredited education and NCIDQ testing, and would let licensed interior designers take responsibility for non-structural interior design work without hiring an architect to stamp plans. Opponents from the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers and others said they were still negotiating but remained concerned about scope-of-practice language, especially phrases like “all interior design of buildings” and “publicly occupied buildings,” which they said could create overlap with architecture and engineering or unintended obligations for public entities. Testimony also focused on whether unlicensed interior designers would still be allowed to work under carve-outs. No final action was taken. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2241, which would create a separate framework for certain faith-based residential child care facilities to operate without a state license while registering with the state and meeting background-check, reporting, and oversight requirements. Sponsor Rep. Jamie Gregg and MACA representatives said the bill is intended to expand foster placement capacity for children in need while preserving the religious mission of Christian homes, and they cited federal and state initiatives encouraging partnerships with faith-based providers. Opponents argued the bill would create a two-tier system, weaken state licensing protections, and risk placing vulnerable children in facilities without the same direct oversight, inspections, and reunification safeguards as licensed foster homes. Members raised concerns about abuse history at some faith-based homes, the role of the proposed board, and whether religious practices or other mission-based rules would conflict with child welfare standards. The hearing continued with additional testimony; no vote was reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• around, uh, we spent a fair amount on farm to school and in creating a new program for local food access
• </c><00:02:13.760><c> to</c> program for local food access to program for local food access to supplement
• So it moves it to the other as uh the other list of things relating to exam fees and it clarifies the
• </c> capacity must be charged a 350 exam fee. capacity must be charged a 350 exam fee.
• </c> other list of things relating to exam other list of things relating to exam fees<00:37:53.359><c

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• But if you're a first-generation student or have limited access to resources, this is a problem.
• It's our shared goal that Washingtonians will have equitable access to postsecondary education as the
• Without addressing equity, affordability, and accessibility gaps, students can't become doctors when
• Courses are broken into units, each with its own exam, rather than one high-stakes test at the end.
• There's no more one-and-done panic over a single final exam.

Bills: SB6078 , SB6089 , SB5859 , SB5861 , SB6065 , SB5956 , SB5901

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Keywords: SB 6078, child care, childcare, daycare, licensed child care provider, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, DCYF, prelicensing, licensing support, resource guide, child care center, family home child care, family home provider, outdoor nature-based child care, school-age child care, early learning, provider application, local permit notice, city permit, county permit

Transcript Highlights:

• So to start off, I want to start with the elephant in the room.
• They'll have access to better internships, competitive internships, and they'll also have access to the
• They have practice exams that are AI generated.
• They have practice exams that are AI-generated.
• And a lot of these chatbots are accessible to students K through 12.

Committee: All ALC-HIGHER EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The meeting began with a report on institutions of higher education for annual certification/solvency, which required no action and was noted as coming later in the week. The main presentation featured students from Arkansas State University, Valley View High School, and the University of Central Arkansas discussing artificial intelligence in education and the workforce. They argued that AI should be taught responsibly in K-12 and higher education to prepare students for jobs, support Arkansas’s growing tech sector, and reduce misuse such as cybercrime, scams, plagiarism, and academic dishonesty. They also cited survey results from teachers showing broad support for responsible AI instruction, district-level management, and teacher training, while noting concerns about critical thinking, ethics, and unequal access. Examples were given of AI already being used at UCA and the University of the Ozarks, and the group suggested a statewide AI library and related training built on the Access Act framework. Committee members asked about student reactions, and the presenters said responses are mixed, especially in the arts, but that AI is already being used in real-world careers and should be integrated with clear standards. The committee then heard from a Pine Bluff community coalition led by Pastor Jesse Turner about school-based outreach and youth support programs. The group described long-running work in Pine Bluff schools and Watson Chapel, including Pass on Patrol, mentoring, anti-bullying and nonviolence efforts, drug and vaping education, gun-violence prevention, and leadership clubs for students. They emphasized that their approach is nonreligious in the schools, focused on encouragement, citizenship, scholarship, and keeping students engaged in class. They also highlighted the use of free curriculum resources on African American history and said they help students see themselves as having promise rather than being “at risk.” Members asked about whether the programs could be shared elsewhere and about impacts on behavior; the group said some materials are trademarked but can be adapted with support, and cited reported reductions in negative behavior and referrals in participating schools. The meeting ended after members praised both the AI presenters and the Pine Bluff outreach group, and the committee adjourned with no votes taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• All sorts of things to include another eye exam, another hearing exam.
• exam.
• And for all exam, another hearing exam.
• </c> knowledge and the ability and the access knowledge and the ability and the access to<00:59:45.920
• That will happen in the accessible.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our team has been working around the clock to help small business owners access the resources they need
• requirements for a Florida land survey certification except passing the Department of Agriculture exam
• If he or she does not pass the exam, then the first-step license is suspended.
• requirements for a Florida land survey certification except passing the Department of Agriculture exam
• And the time requirement in the bill is that you have to take the Department of Agriculture exam twice

Committee: Senate Commerce and Tourism

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Tourism convened with several members present and Senators DiCeglie and McClain excused. The committee first heard a presentation from Greg Britton, State Director of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, who described the network’s statewide small-business assistance, including startup support, export and contracting help, disaster recovery, and rural outreach. He highlighted reported 2023 impacts such as $3.9 billion in sales generated, $575.9 million in government contracts, $346.2 million in capital, and support for 2,009 new businesses, including 130 manufacturing firms over the past two years. Members asked about comparisons with SCORE and about measuring rural success, with the chair suggesting jobs and wages in rural areas would be useful metrics; Britton said he could provide job data but was unsure about wage information. The committee then took up SB 320 by Senator Gates, which creates a five-year demonstration project for an alternative licensure pathway for surveyors and mappers. The bill would allow a “first-step” probationary license based on industry certification, apprenticeship, recommendation from a licensed Florida surveyor, and passage of the Department of Agriculture exam within the five-year period, without requiring a four-year degree. Senators asked about the labor shortage, education requirements, foreign workers, and moral character standards. Gates said the shortage is chronic and worsening, the bill has no degree requirement, and anyone meeting the qualifications could proceed regardless of visa status. The committee voted to report SB 320 favorably. Next, the committee considered SB 316 by Senator Berman, which authorizes series limited liability companies in Florida and sets rules for how Florida and foreign series LLCs may operate and transact business in the state. Berman explained that the bill is intended to let businesses isolate liabilities across separate series while providing clearer rules for Florida citizens and businesses dealing with such entities. There were no substantive questions, one appearance form in support, and the committee voted to report SB 316 favorably before adjourning.