Transcript Highlights:

• services and the Bureau of Public Works under RSA 21-I, which sets out some very comprehensive state procurement
• services and the Bureau of Public Works under RSA 21-I, which sets out some very comprehensive state procurement
• services and the Bureau of Public Works under RSA 21-I, which sets out some very comprehensive state procurement

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The longer answer is we did a competitive procurement, and we are required per 2 CFR 200, Code of Federal
• Regulations, as well as portions of the Stafford Act, to do a competitive procurement at the federal
• So that procurement was done over the last six months.

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum present and heard several housing and disaster-recovery items. The committee heard SB 48 by Senator Gates, which would require local governments to allow voluntary accessory dwelling units, preserve homestead treatment for the owner-occupied portion of the property, limit undue parking restrictions, require 30-day minimum rentals, extend certain density bonuses for military families, and allow reusable tenant screening reports. The bill drew strong support from the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and several others, and it was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 34 by Senator Sharif, creating a historic cemeteries program to help preserve historic African-American cemeteries and allow sale of excess vacant land if proceeds are used for long-term maintenance; it was also reported favorably. The committee then considered and recommended confirmation of Fox Henderson to the Board of Directors of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Members also received a presentation from the Department of Commerce on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and Rebuild Florida. Deputy Secretary Justin Domer described the state’s administration of HUD disaster recovery funds, including more than $4.3 billion received since 2017, housing repair and replacement programs that have completed 5,271 homes, and infrastructure and mitigation projects such as sewer conversion in Alford, the new Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, and the Florida Keys desalination plant. Members asked about average project costs, contractor oversight, corrective actions for deficient work, and audit procedures; Domer said the department uses inspections, vendor oversight, and financial penalties, and noted stricter contract consequences in newer programs. The Division of Emergency Management also presented on Elevate Florida, a federal mitigation program that allows homeowners to apply directly for elevation, reconstruction, acquisition/demolition, or wind-mitigation projects, with a 75/25 federal-homeowner cost share and no state funds. Director Kevin Guthrie said the program is designed to reduce repetitive flood losses and keep homeowners in place, and that it has received more than 12,000 applications, with about 1,500 prioritized, 500 on a wait list, and 305 submitted to FEMA for final approval. Members asked about the 25% match for seniors, the wait list, contractor procurement, and how projects are classified; Guthrie said the program uses insurance proceeds where available, has competitively procured 27 contractors, and may shift projects from elevation to reconstruction depending on damage and flood rules. The committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• The longer answer is we did a competitive procurement, and we are required per 2 CFR 200, Code of Federal
• Regulations, as well as portions of the Stafford Act, to do a competitive procurement at the federal
• So that procurement was done over the last six months.

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum and heard two bills, a confirmation, and two agency presentations. SB 48 by Senator Gates would require local governments to allow voluntary accessory dwelling units, preserve homestead exemption for the owner-occupied portion, limit parking restrictions, require 30-day minimum leases, extend density bonuses for military-family housing, and allow reusable tenant screening reports. The bill drew strong support from the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and several others, and it was reported favorably on a unanimous roll call. SB 34 by Senator Sharief would expand the Historic Cemetery Program, particularly to help historic African-American cemeteries preserve and maintain themselves by allowing sale of excess vacant land only if proceeds are used for long-term upkeep; it also passed unanimously and was reported favorably. The committee also recommended confirmation of Fox Henderson to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors by unanimous vote. In addition, the Department of Commerce presented on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and Rebuild Florida, describing more than $4.3 billion in HUD disaster recovery funds since 2017, housing repair and replacement efforts that have completed more than 5,200 homes, and infrastructure and mitigation projects across the state. Members asked about average project costs, contractor oversight, corrective actions for deficient work, and clawbacks from a prior vendor; Commerce said it had ended the earlier vendor relationship, imposed about $3.6 million in financial consequences, and now uses stronger oversight and competitive procurement for contractors. The Division of Emergency Management then presented on Elevate Florida, a federal mitigation program that allows homeowners to apply directly for elevation, reconstruction, acquisition, or wind-mitigation projects, with a 75/25 federal-homeowner cost share and no state funds used. Director Kevin Guthrie said the program is intended to reduce repetitive flood losses, keep homeowners in their communities, and serve as a national model; he reported more than 12,000 applications, about 1,500 prioritized for review, 500 on a wait list, and 305 submitted to FEMA for final approval. Members asked about assistance for seniors who cannot meet the 25% match, the wait-list process, contractor selection, and the mix of project types, and Guthrie said contractors were selected through competitive procurement and that most projects are elevations, though some may become reconstructions or acquisitions depending on inspection results. The committee adjourned after the presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• The erosion of Congress's ability to procure documents from the executive branch... ...to hold wrongdoers
• Through our work, we have procured over 1 million pages of government documents on over 350 topics.
• We also procured documents from the FBI showing that agents that kneeled in solidarity with Black Lives

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida gift law, which applies to officials and employees who file Form 1 or Form 6 and state procurement
• Florida gift law, which applies to officials and employees who file Form 1 or Form 6 and state procurement
• specified public officers from lobbying for compensation on issues of policy, appropriation, and procurement

Summary: The Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections convened, established a quorum, and members introduced themselves and the committee staff. Chair Gaetz outlined the committee’s jurisdiction over election law, ethics law, executive appointments, and related confirmations, and described the committee’s process for handling gubernatorial nominations and member concerns about nominees. The committee then received a briefing from the Florida Commission on Ethics on its 2025 legislative priorities and on implementation of Senate Bill 7014 from the prior year. The commission recommended three changes: expanding the definition of “relative” in the gift law to include current and former foster parents and foster children; authorizing salary withholding to help collect civil penalties and restitution; and adding whistleblower-like protections for people who file ethics complaints. Commission staff also explained how SB 7014 changed complaint processing by requiring allegations to be based on personal knowledge or non-hearsay information and by imposing new deadlines for legal sufficiency review, investigations, and advocates’ recommendations. They said the commission has adapted its intake and review process and is currently meeting the new timelines, though the tighter deadlines may create staffing and scheduling challenges. Commission counsel also provided an update on two active lawsuits. One challenges the constitutional in-office lobbying ban, and the other challenges the requirement that elected municipal officers and mayors file Form 6 financial disclosure forms. The committee discussed the impact of the new complaint standards, the possibility of litigation if deadlines are missed, and whether local ethics boards are implementing SB 7014 similarly. Members expressed support for the commission’s work and asked for written legislative recommendations and proposed statutory language. No votes were taken, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• tools for the Metropolitan<00:08:38.640> Council<00:08:39.120> to<00:08:39.360> procure
• <00:08:39.839> goods Metropolitan Council to procure goods Metropolitan Council to procure
• <00:08:44.640> authority small business procurement authority small business procurement authority
• <00:08:59.040> for<00:08:59.279> small related to procurement for small related to
• procurement for small businesses,<00:09:00.640> targeted<00:09:01.120> small<00:09:01.440

Bills: HF3884, HF3881, HF3882, HF3883, HF3363, HF3362

Keywords: tribal governments, Metropolitan Council, grant programs, funding, local government, small business, contracting, veteran-owned businesses, compliance, government contracts, housing finance, reporting requirements, regional development, city programs, elected officials, campaign access, multiple unit dwellings, residential access, voter registration, 1183

Summary: The committee met on March 4, 2026, and first approved the minutes from March 2 by voice vote. It then took up several Metropolitan Council agency bills, with members repeatedly moving to lay them over for possible inclusion or, in one case, to re-refer a bill to another committee. The first three bills discussed were House File 3884, House File 3881, and House File 3882, all presented as administrative or programmatic changes intended to streamline Met Council processes. House File 3884 would allow tribal governments and tribal development entities to apply directly for Metropolitan Council Livable Communities Act grants and community tree planting grants, rather than applying through a city or other local government. Testimony from Met Council staff said the bill would simplify access and align the Met Council’s tree-planting program with existing DNR authority. House File 3881 would expand the Met Council’s contracting authority to include small businesses more broadly, require an annual report to the legislature on small-business contracting, and repeal a duplicative statute on certificates of compliance. House File 3882 would make a range of administrative cleanups, including removing an obsolete housing-bond review role, clarifying outdated statutory language, extending the review cycle for metropolitan significance rules from every two years to every 10 years, clarifying reporting and Livable Communities Act provisions, changing regional parks operations-and-maintenance reimbursements to rely on audited financial statements, and clarifying agricultural preserves procedures. The committee also considered House File 3883, which was amended with an A1 amendment before adoption. That bill updates appointments to the Metropolitan Area Water Supply Advisory Committee, known as MOSAC, including direct appointments for certain county representatives and adding a tribal representative appointed by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, while also cleaning up outdated language and eligibility provisions. A former MOSAC member spoke in support of the committee’s work, and the chair said the bill was common-sense and renewed the motion to lay it over as amended. Finally, the committee began House File 3363, a bill described by the author as a response to safety concerns after the June events, aimed at removing public access to legislators’ home addresses from Campaign Finance Board materials; discussion had just begun when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's so many folks in the procurement that are trying to get clear information on how they should
• are in procurement um, have reliable<01:11:13.000> information reliable information reliable
• And so I'll let Chad elaborate because he is the one who procures and purchases those monitoring tools
• <01:29:54.600> and<01:29:54.760> purchases is the one who procures and purchases is
• the one who procures and purchases those<01:29:55.840> monitoring<01:29:56.560> tools<

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It ensures coordination, accountability, and compliance with statewide procurement rules. if you are
• COG over the last couple of years, but now they seem to have the procurement process down.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The purpose of this amendment is to ensure the procurement process happens quickly and gives the agency
• There is no fiscal impact; there are up to three to five procurement contracts.

Summary: The IT Budget and Policy Subcommittee met with a quorum present and heard two bills. CS/HB 783 by Rep. Sapp would create a coordinated access model pilot program for behavioral health services in Duval, Clay, and St. Johns counties. The bill would contract with the Department of Children and Families and a university partner to provide centralized intake, screening, referral, appointment scheduling, follow-up, and data reporting on outcomes and service gaps. Rep. Young asked about avoiding bottlenecks and what “timely referral” means; Sapp said the proposal is based on an existing Pinellas model and is intended to triage cases by urgency. An amendment clarifying procurement guidelines was adopted without objection, and the bill was reported favorably by a 14-0 vote. The committee then heard HB 1031 by Rep. Rosenwald, which would establish a callback queue pilot program for select state agencies, including Florida Commerce and DCF, so callers can leave a number and receive a return call by the end of the next business day. Rosenwald said the goal is to improve customer service for issues such as reemployment assistance and benefits access, with no fiscal impact and a required report due by December 31, 2027. Rep. Cross spoke in support, noting callback systems reduce frustration for callers. The bill passed unanimously and was reported favorably by a 14-0 vote. At the end of the meeting, the chair noted that budget recommendations for fiscal year 2026-2027 had been submitted to Chair McClure. With no further business, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• powers authorities, including the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, creating parity with procurement
• Counties have already demonstrated the value of this procurement tool approach.
• Counties have already demonstrated the value of this procurement tool approach. A.B.
• Counties have already demonstrated the value of this procurement tool approach.
• same flexibility, ensuring parity across local governments and allowing agencies to choose the procurement

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• relates to the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, the small, women-owned business procurement
• The purpose of these executive orders was to improve procurement opportunities for small, women- and
• And they all reached the same conclusion: there are significant disparities in procurement for small
• House Bill 460 was a technical fix to better align the code on ESO procurement.
• It relates to the Virginia Public Procurement Act, additional public works contract requirements report

Keywords: April 22, 2026 - Reconvened Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First to testify on this measure, we have Bonnie Kahakoy, administrator for the State Procurement Office
• administrator<00:39:19.680> for<00:39:19.920> the<00:39:20.079> state<00:39:20.320> procurement
• administrator for the state procurement administrator for the state procurement office<00:39:21.200
• Bonnie Kahakoy, administrator, State Procurement Office, will stand on our written testimony providing

Bills: SB2119, SB3131, SB3069, SB3180, SB2137, SB2993, SB2778, SB2672, SB2014, SB2967

Keywords: reimbursement, public employees, travel costs, government travel policy, finance management, job title, administrative assistant, executive assistant, state personnel, civil service, modernization, employment standards, DAGS, Department of Accounting and General Services, comptroller, civil service exemption, collective bargaining exemption, public works special project branch, specialized public works, information technology modernization

Transcript Highlights:

• The Secretary of State could strengthen procurement, county oversight, and data collection processes.
• For instance, in New Mexico, elections use a centralized procurement system with the Secretary of State
• Um, first of all, I, I think there are some misguided assumptions on procurement.
• Procure services we have to by law certify those systems so we're undertaking that process this summer
• has always been fully involved. um, and, uh, the best and final offer was removed to streamline procurement

Transcript Highlights:

• That this act will have all of the contracts and agreements not subject to the procurement code.
• OK, so we are now subject to the procurement code. Is that accurate? Mr.
• President, Senator, why would we have any portion of these expenditures not subject to the procurement
• Expenditures not subject to the procurement code?
• I guess the concern would be that if we are not subject to the procurement code for even some of the

Transcript Highlights:

• I will draw your attention to, and that's the procurement.
• There's many things I'm proud of the work the team has done, but procurement operational improvements
• That's typically a sequencing issue when we are going through a procurement that somebody got out of
• Because we went through that NOFO process and the way we need to follow procurement, we need to keep
• Then we'd be working outside the procurement requirements for the notice of funding opportunity.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in the process of doing procurement and getting the equipment on hand, as well as hiring the staff
• I was going to ask you about You mentioned that the one in Taos, that you're waiting for the procurement
• They have expended whatever state funds they had on hand, but some of the major procurement actions will
• It's eight consecutive years, but the procurement code requires them to go to RFP after four.
• that in addition to having the rotation rule in the audit rule, it kind of aligns a little with procurement

Transcript Highlights:

• So our procurement process evolved such that the only interest we could get from medium and large firms
• was to go with statewide procurements, as opposed to procurements on a county-by-county basis.
• We're going to be looking at any potential trends in excessive travel or improper procurement.
• The reversions in the 300 and the 400 category are due to procurement; you have to have the item in-house
• Legal counsel, we need a procurement person in the budget and finance division.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is utilizing the new program that the Office of Procurement has done, where there are five vendors
• that can assist us in procurements and development of RFPs.

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee met to review and approve several Employee Benefits Division (EBD) and pharmacy formulary actions. Grant Wallace, director of EBD and the Office of Property Risk, presented a $280,000 Boston Consulting Group contract to help develop the third-party administration RFP, and the committee approved it. The committee also approved the December 2025, January 2026, and February 2026 pharmacy formulary recommendations, along with February 2026 medical drug recommendations. The formulary changes focused on removing prior authorization for injectable migraine CGRPs, replacing a discontinued capsule with a tablet, updating items for FDA guidance, and leaving some drugs not covered when lower-cost alternatives or insufficient efficacy data existed. For February 2026, EBD recommended removing Skyrizi and Renvoke in favor of lower-cost biosimilars and other alternatives, re-tiering several drugs to encourage generics, adding an anti-seizure medication developed by the Department of Defense, and adding a subcutaneous version of Keytruda for faster administration. The medical drug list similarly shifted toward biosimilars and aligned coverage for Skyrizi and Renvoke across pharmacy and medical settings. Members raised broader questions about the impact of new pharmaceutical discount programs such as Trump RX and Mark Cuban Cost Plus, as well as concerns about PBM compliance and whether Navitus might be violating state law or paying affiliate pharmacies more than independent pharmacies. Wallace said the new programs and their effects were still being studied, that EBD was working with Navitus to evaluate pricing opportunities, and that Navitus had said it was in compliance with Rule 118, though additional research and auditing were underway. All items were approved by voice vote, and the meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're in the procurement process for those right now that help with operational concerns at our districts
• And it's just an observation that in IT procurement, sometimes in software, if they know what the number
• Is it, does OMB procure their own product? Or does I, who's the lead on? Own product?
• Or does I, who's the lead, uh, lead on procuring a product like this when something like this happens
• this, you know, as a collaborative group, we decided that it would make sense for OMB to be the procuring

Summary: The Information Technology Committee approved the March 26 minutes and received a series of reports from NDIT on major IT projects, the annual report, mainframe modernization, and cybersecurity services. The project portfolio was reported at 116 major projects with a baseline cost of $546 million, overall under budget but modestly behind schedule. Several projects that had been in variance status last quarter were said to have closed, including HHS bed management, vital records modernization, and DOT roadway capital planning. New startup reports were mostly HHS efforts tied to refugee data management, technical debt cleanup, and legacy application decommissioning, while closeouts included HHS, OMB, DPI, and DOT projects with mixed budget and schedule results. In the annual report discussion, NDIT described its service-fund financials, peer-state rate comparisons, records management reporting, and customer satisfaction efforts. Members asked about how revenues and grants flow through the service fund, how NDIT charges agencies for services, and whether customer satisfaction or CSAT scores are tracked and could be reported more regularly. NDIT said it does track service-team CSAT and survey data, and committee members encouraged more regular reporting of those metrics. The committee also discussed application portfolio management, statewide IT planning, and whether agencies should slow new system replacements while the state pursues an ERP system. The mainframe update focused on the state’s ongoing effort to retire legacy systems by about 2030. NDIT and HHS said the work is being managed as a tech-debt program, but progress is slowed by data cleanup, integration complexity, staff retirements, vendor capacity, and federal requirements. Members asked whether there is a coordinated commitment and whether additional vendor support or consultants are needed; NDIT said it is working jointly with HHS and is seeking an RFP to help accelerate modernization. The cybersecurity presentation then shifted to statewide maturity assessments and services. NDIT said it provides endpoint protection, vulnerability scanning, security awareness training, threat briefings, and penetration testing, and that assessments are based on CIS controls. Members raised concerns about low participation in the self-assessment process, the lack of mandatory reporting or audit authority, and whether insurance incentives through Enderf or possible State Auditor involvement could improve compliance. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are responsible for approval, procurement, and oversight of the state's IT projects.
• We are responsible for approval, procurement, and oversight of the state's IT projects.
• And we went through a procurement process under the oversight of CDT, conducted by CDT, to procure a
• But unfortunately, that procurement process didn't result in a successful award of a contract.
• So we have to go back through the procurement process again to award a contract.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an informational update on the state’s generative AI implementation and related oversight. Administration officials said several proof-of-concept projects have moved into minimum viable product phases, including work at CDTFA and Caltrans, and that CDPH has a May Revision request for up to $8 million to scale up its healthcare facilities inspections project. The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged the administration to publish a report on lessons learned from each POC and recommended limiting the new generative AI approval process to a pilot through the first two rounds of projects, with continued monthly meetings and stronger legislative oversight. Members pressed for more transparency and questioned why the CDPH request was not included in January; the administration said the cost estimate was not available then and that only one project is seeking additional resources beyond existing departmental budgets. The committee then reviewed a proposed $400 million loan from the Labor and Workforce Development Fund to the General Fund. Finance and the Labor Agency said the fund has grown because civil penalty revenues have risen sharply, and the loan would be repaid in 2029-30 with provisional language allowing earlier repayment if needed. The LAO agreed the fund could support the loan but warned that recent PAGA reforms may reduce future revenues. Public commenters, including labor and community groups, argued the money should instead support labor-law enforcement and outreach programs such as CWOP, and urged rejection of the loan. Members also heard a Department of Industrial Relations request for $19.1 million for phase two of Public Works Information Technology System Enhancements, which officials said will support labor-law enforcement and apprenticeship registration. The department said the project was delayed because a prior procurement did not result in a contract award and that completion is now expected in October 2026. The committee then took up an EDD Next reappropriation technical adjustment to extend UI fund spending authority through June 30, 2026; the LAO said the request was fine but again raised concerns about oversight of the larger modernization effort, which EDD said now totals more than $660 million and is expected to continue through 2029. Finally, the committee discussed DGS’s request for new parking facilities near the May Lee Building and a trailer bill shifting statewide telework policy language from DGS to CalHR while also expanding NDI eligibility for certain CEA employees. The LAO said the telework trailer bill should likely go through the policy committee process instead of budget, and union and employee witnesses strongly opposed it, arguing it would undermine bargaining rights and could be used to narrow telework. In a separate item on the governor’s return-to-office order, administration officials said departments are being directed to move to a four-day in-office expectation starting July 1, 2025, but they had no statewide cost estimate yet because departments are still assessing vacancies, exemptions, and space needs. Members criticized the lack of analysis and said the state should have clearer numbers before moving forward.