Bills: HB4358, HB2398, HB3557, HB3129, HB3312, HB2210, HB1937, HB3021, HB4246, HB4230, HB3617, HB3657, HB2976, HB3391, HB4459, HB4128, HB3989, HB2989, HB4060, HB3145, HB2992, HB3464, HB3552, HB2984, HB4124, HB3934, HB3448, HB3131, HB4200, HB4201, HB3011, HB1912, HB3380, HB3881, HB3538, HB3851, HB3907, HB4430, HB4431, HB4457, HB2947, HB2951, HB2980, HB3082, HB3519, HB3644, HB3882, HB3661, HB3996, HB4335

Keywords: screen time, education, public schools, child development, digital learning, youth health, academic performance, credential of value, workforce development, labor market, government reporting, Oklahoma Agricultural Extension, local funding, financial institutions, county extension services, state funds, free expression, colleges, security fees, public forums

Summary: The House convened, took the roll, heard an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through a series of introductions and floor presentations recognizing visitors, students, local officials, and the Luther cheer team. The chamber also introduced the Doctor of the Day, Dr. Lydia Dennis, and several members made personal announcements later in the day. The House then considered and passed several bills, mostly by wide margins. Measures included HB 2947 on behavioral health, allowing Medicaid billing for supervised mental health interns; HB 2951 cleaning up Department of Corrections prison listings in statute; HB 2980 allowing DMVs to accept valid physical proof of insurance; HB 382 barring fire departments from employing people who must register as sex offenders; HB 3519 changing the abandoned medical marijuana grow cleanup process from a bond to a fee; HB 3644, the Blake Burgess Act, requiring clot and embolism training and reporting; HB 3882 creating a revolving fund for ODOT lake and industrial access grants; HB 3661 removing a sunset from the forestry equipment tax provision; and HB 3996 memorializing OIDS obligations in capital appeal cases. Several bills drew brief questions about fiscal impact or implementation, and title-striking motions were made on some measures. The most debated item was HB 4335 on pet shops and local regulation. Supporters said it created a framework for municipalities and counties to regulate pet shops without outright bans, while opponents argued it undermined local control and favored a commercial retailer. After debate from both sides, the bill passed 60-26. The House also adopted the emergency on HB 3882, and at the end of the day the chamber adjourned until March 5, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are right-sizing our budget and maintaining strong reserves to ensure Florida is well positioned for
• within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services include over $100 million for the Florida Forest
• within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services include over $100 million for the Florida Forest

Summary: The Senate took up the 2026-2027 budget package, beginning with an overview of the $115 billion General Appropriations Bill (SB 2500). Appropriations Chair Hooper said the budget reduces overall spending from the prior year, preserves reserves, and includes a 3% pay raise for state employees and 5% raises for law enforcement, firefighters, correctional officers, and park rangers. Committee chairs then highlighted major spending in their areas, including K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/economic development, and environmental/agricultural programs. Major items discussed included school funding increases, workforce and university investments, Medicaid and child welfare funding, corrections operating deficits, housing and hurricane recovery, Everglades and water quality projects, and state employee compensation. Members asked detailed questions about several budget items. In education, senators discussed teacher salaries, declining enrollment supplements, scholarship funding growth, and charter school capital outlay. In higher education, they asked about Bright Futures, New College funding, and the EASE grant program. In health and human services, senators focused on the iBudget waiver, Medicaid hospital rate reductions, the ADAP HIV drug program, and the use of opioid settlement funds. In criminal justice, questions centered on DOC deficits, inmate health care and food service costs, public defender and state attorney funding, and whether the budget would prevent the need for National Guard support. In environmental and state agency budgets, senators discussed Florida Forever land acquisition, conservation easements, cultural grants, the Emergency Management Trust Fund, and election security funding. After the budget presentations and questions, the Senate substituted House bills for the Senate budget bills and adopted amendments to place Senate language onto the House vehicles for conference. The chamber passed HB 5001, the appropriations bill, by a 36-0 vote and agreed to conference. It also passed the implementing bill, collective bargaining and state employee bills, retirement legislation, fuel tax and SLERS bills, the court trust fund bill, judicial certification bill, K-12 and higher education conforming bills, and other related measures, generally by unanimous votes. Several motions were adopted to request the House to pass the Senate versions or include them in budget conference.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's hard for people to leave when you have the houses that you have here, but we're surrounded by Forest
• Service, BLM, reservations, and mine property.
• We've been working with the Forest Service to try to be allowed to use some of their old mining pits

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• one of the three brigades of the Finnish Army doing a joint training exercise in snow-covered birch forests
• Reserving the right to object, I was told the resolution was adopted by the General Assembly.
• So we can't endlessly expand the forest. We have to sometimes make change, but you know.

Keywords: Steven Feinberg, Deputy Secretary of Defense, national security, budget cuts, military readiness, global threats, Department of Defense

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on the nomination of Steven Feinberg as Deputy Secretary of Defense. The committee emphasized the urgent need for strong leadership in response to a complex array of global threats posed by adversarial coalitions, including China, Russia, and Iran. The discussions highlighted concerns regarding budget cuts and personnel reductions within the Department of Defense, showcasing the challenges posed by the current economic context and the pressing need to maintain military readiness and capabilities. Various members expressed their apprehensions about how impending layoffs and budget reductions would impact the defense workforce and national security.

Transcript Highlights:

• I reserve. The gentleman reserves. back. I reserve. The gentleman reserves.
• I reserve. The tonight. I yield back. I reserve.
• I reserve.
• I reserve. The gentleman expired. I reserve.
• New Jersey reserves. I reserve. Madam New Jersey reserves. I reserve.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This iconic 70-mile trail showcases the natural beauty of Minnesota's forests, wetlands, rivers, and
• 48:45.160><c> beauty</c><00:48:45.600><c> of</c><00:48:45.720><c> Minnesota's</c><00:48:46.359><c> forests
• ,</c> natural beauty of Minnesota's forests, natural beauty of Minnesota's forests, wetlands,<00:48:47.280
• The Sturgeon Lake Road is the only reliable access road on and off our reservation.
• The Sturgeon Lake Road is the only reliable access road on and off our reservation.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• passage of Public Law 280 in 1953, the state essentially washed their hands of policing tribal reservations
• Are more efficient at capturing and storing atmospheric carbon than most terrestrial forests.
• This bill creates the Forest and Wildfire Prevention Fund to ensure California can sustainably use the
• forest biomass generated by wildfire mitigation efforts.
• of my colleagues you know my I grew up in rural California in Placer County a little town called Forest

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><05:37:34.920><c> by</c> availability of those fund reserves by availability of those fund reserves
• Well, out-of-state entity purchases in Coos County—they purchased 146,000 acres of forest in Coos County
• So they’ve taken the forest land up north, and it’s no longer available for timber use.
• So they’ve taken the forest land up north, and it’s no longer available for timber use.
• in Coos County my home my of Forest in Coos County my home my original<06:04:33.878><c> home</c><06:

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Forest Foundation and the Family Forest Forest Foundation and the Family Forest Carbon<00:08:46.839
• </c> forester, that could be a staff forester forester, that could be a staff forester or<00:18:24.800
• ><00:31:07.640><c> financial</c> forest as forest and the financial forest as forest and the financial
• </c> forest, again keeping those forests forest, again keeping those forests forests,<00:32:47.440><c
• </c><00:46:31.920><c> And</c><00:46:32.040><c> so</c> forest as forest. And so forest as forest.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with introductions and approval of the previous minutes, including a small amendment clarifying a note about “leakage” in a prior presentation. The committee then heard a presentation from Sarah Hall of the American Forest Foundation on the Family Forest Carbon Program, which she described as a voluntary carbon and forest management program for smaller landowners. She said the program provides annual payments and technical assistance, requires a forest management plan within two years, and is designed to support improved forest management while still allowing compatible uses such as recreation, hunting, and some harvesting. Hall emphasized that the program is intended as one tool among many and is not a fit for every property. She said most enrolled landowners did not previously have a forest management plan or work with a forester, and that the program helps bring “unengaged” landowners into active management. She also said the program is compatible with current use and other commitments on a case-by-case basis, and that landowners retain ownership of their land and timber rights while AFF holds the carbon rights for the contract term. She highlighted examples of landowners using the program to support taxes, family ownership, wildlife habitat, timber stand improvement, and continued recreational or business uses. Committee members asked about registry compliance in New Hampshire and the relationship between carbon markets and the program. Hall responded that AFF handles registry administration for landowners and would follow up on the specific registry count raised by a member. She explained that the program is funded through a mix of carbon market revenue, philanthropy, and grants, and that carbon credits are generated through landscape-level methodology and monitored using randomly selected plots compared with FIA data. She also noted that consulting foresters are key partners in the program and that AFF has paid more than $3 million to consultants nationwide.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those funds need to go back to the school districts where the revenue is generated, those forests that
• We do have a reserve meeting in case we have more bills that come forward and get processed to our committee

Summary: The committee first heard Substitute Senate Bill 5901, which would change the School Construction Assistance Program formula for school facilities on military bases. Staff explained that the bill would exclude instructional space on military bases from a district’s available inventory and add an extra 15% to the state funding assistance percentage for projects located on a military base. Senator Leonard Christian said the bill was intended to help districts such as Clover Park and Medical Lake, where base facilities reduce eligibility for off-base school construction funding. Testimony was strongly supportive from OSPI, Clover Park, and Medical Lake, while one citizen raised broader concerns about school funding and common school trust lands. The hearing on the bill was then closed. The committee then heard Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5061, which would require annual adjustments to prevailing wage rates in most public works contracts, with exemptions for small works, residential construction, and certain other projects. Staff described the bill’s delayed effective date of July 1, 2028 and reviewed fiscal impacts, including significant L&I operating costs and an indeterminate but potentially substantial capital cost impact. Senator Steve Conway said the bill was a technical fix to align contract wages with regularly updated prevailing wage rates and noted that the bill had been amended to exempt small works and low-income housing projects. Proponents from labor and mechanical contractors said annual updates would better reflect negotiated wage schedules and help retain skilled workers, while opponents from contractor groups warned of unpredictability, higher project costs, and the need for a change-order safeguard if wage increases exceed 5%. L&I testified that the fiscal note reflected the need to rework its IT system to track annual adjustments. The hearing was then closed. The committee also received a briefing on a proposed substitute to House Bill 2295, which would add funding for several new projects and make technical and language changes. Staff said the substitute would increase spending by $611,000 in bonds and $3 million from the Waste Tire Removal Account. The committee then moved into executive session and, by a vote of 18-0 with one excused, reported proposed substitute House Bill 2295 out of committee with a do-pass recommendation. The chair also announced plans for future executive sessions, including one on Substitute Senate Bill 5901, and adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have an example of a single mother working on, living on a reservation, who pawned her car for $5,000
• You know, Governor Lujan Grisham was fighting 126 forest fires at one time last year.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Forest Service issued a request.
• Removes the requirement to maintain a regular reserve account as it no longer is required by the federal

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> owner and a forester from Kowas County. owner and a forester from Kowas County.
• pro the forest framework for forest pro the forest products<00:15:29.839><c> industry</c><00:15:30.160
• </c> as their traditional forest role. as their traditional forest role.
• </c> off of, you know, the the forest makeup. off of, you know, the the forest makeup.
• It's a different forest.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The meeting opened with roll call and approval of the prior minutes, including a requested correction to Thomas Han’s statement about a Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters subcommittee studying the timber yield tax and current use forest land tax assessment formula. The correction was adopted, and the minutes were then approved as amended. The main agenda item was a hearing of landowners on forest taxation and carbon credits. Several scheduled speakers canceled, so the committee received a letter from Ross Karen, a Coos County landowner and forester, who opposed carbon credit sales because of “leakage” and argued that diverse local markets and productive forests are better than carbon sales. Aean Kelly of White Mountain Lumber and the Randolph Town Forest also testified, saying many Coos County landowners and forest managers have declined carbon credit offers because they do not fit New Hampshire’s working-forest tradition. He argued that carbon agreements should be treated on a level playing field with traditional harvesting and that, if they are to be encouraged, they should face a fiscal adjustment comparable to the timber tax. Kelly also gave a detailed history of the timber tax, explaining that it was created in 1948 to replace uneven local property taxation on standing timber, discourage clearcutting, and stabilize the tax base while preserving working forests. He said the tax was intended to be collected when timber is harvested, not to stop logging, and that a later commission found the 10% rate roughly matched the revenue towns lost. In response to questions, he said pre-1948 assessments varied widely by town and tax collector, and that carbon projects today are already being valued by sophisticated models, so he believes carbon should be included in the assessment system. He also said short-term carbon agreements may simply monetize existing forest value, while 100-year agreements raise enforceability concerns. No votes or other formal actions were taken beyond approving the amended minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> forester and a new G&amp;A contract forester forester and a new G&amp;A contract forester to<02:
• One of the GNA foresters GNA foresters.
• We're working through with our district foresters and our foresters with their one forester.
• We're working through with our district foresters and our foresters with their one forester.
• </c><03:16:41.840><c> their</c> foresters and our foresters with their foresters and our foresters with

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director of the Florida Forest Service, and the Forest Service is a...
• I'm the director of the Florida Forest Service, and the Forest Service is a division under the Department
• Another thing I did want to mention is on our forests, our 38 state forests, since January, we burned
• property forested as well.
• our 38 state forest since Another thing I did want to mention is on our forest, our 38 state forests

Summary: The Senate Committee on Agriculture received a presentation from Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan on the agency’s wildfire response, forest management, and emergency support roles. He described the service’s four regions and 14 districts, its year-round wildfire response, use of bulldozers, helicopters, and drones, and the current high fire danger due to drought conditions. Dolan also highlighted prescribed burning, fuels mitigation, state forest management, the pine seedling nursery, and the agency’s role in hurricane response and incident management. Members asked about equipment loans and whether more prescribed burning could reduce wildfire impacts; Dolan said Florida already leads the nation in prescribed fire and emphasized public education and fuels reduction. The committee then considered and unanimously reported favorably Senate Bill 386, which creates a farm-equipment consumer protection process similar to a lemon law, allowing purchasers to seek repair or replacement of defective major farm equipment at no cost. The committee also took up Senate Bill 290, the Agriculture and Consumer Services omnibus bill. The bill would modernize fair association rules, preempt local bans on gas- and diesel-powered farm and landscape equipment, allow surplus of certain state-owned lands for bona fide agricultural use while excluding parks, forests, and wildlife lands, create a veterinary loan repayment program, make Farmers Feeding Florida permanent, expand Forest Service training opportunities, criminalize signal-jamming devices, increase penalties for CDL and English-proficiency exam cheating, restrict certain door-to-door solicitation, protect food safety inspectors, clarify biosolids rules, and add criminal and vendor-list penalties for contractors who fail to pay subcontractors. The committee adopted three amendments to align dates and technical language and to authorize native seed research and marketing through the Florida Wildlife Foundation. Testimony on SB 290 included support from several industry groups, concerns from the Home Builders Association about the new contractor-payment criminal penalties, and opposition from a citizen worried about the new surplus-land process for conservation lands. Despite concerns, CS/SB 290 was reported favorably. Finally, the committee unanimously recommended confirmation of the appointees listed on tabs 4 and 5, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• behind me determined to run that red light, so they get into the left-turning lane that would be reserved
• Get into the left-hand, to the turning lane that would be reserved for taking a left-hand turn, whip
• Remember that these landowners—so we do have the Kisatchie forests here.
• We also have state forests here. But the majority of our timber land is privately owned.

Summary: The House Transportation Committee met on March 16 and first disposed of several local bills without controversy. House Bills 590, 679, and 873 were voluntarily deferred. HB 503, allowing certain utility terrain vehicles and golf carts in Golden Meadow, was amended and reported. HB 720, clarifying tacit dedication and public access to waterways and related access points, was reported favorably. HB 856, expanding indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracting authority for DOTD and the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, was amended and reported. HB 487, increasing penalties for drivers who run red lights by using shoulders or turn lanes to pass stopped traffic, was amended and reported. HB 846, prohibiting obscured or covered license plates, was reported favorably. HB 733 and HB 875, both dealing with OMV reinstatement fees and lapses of insurance, were reported with amendments after discussion of audit findings and fee timing. HB 707, moving liquefied petroleum gas commission functions to Agriculture, was amended and reported. HB 693, creating legislator district signs, was amended and then voluntarily deferred. HB 777, requiring a driver's license renewal knowledge exam, was amended and voluntarily deferred for further work with the department. HB 746, concerning oversized trucking permits issued by local governments, was introduced but not advanced, with the author signaling a desire to work on the issue further rather than force a vote. Several bills drew extended debate over safety, enforcement, and government overreach. HB 309, which would have penalized pedestrians for looking at cell phones while crossing crosswalks, was amended from a criminal offense to a $25 civil fine but then voluntarily deferred after members raised concerns about enforceability, tourism, free will, and whether the bill targeted the right party. HB 695, requiring permits and QR-code documentation for consensual non-commercial towing of multiple connected vehicles, was heavily questioned over how it would work in practice, whether it applied to single or multiple vehicles, and how out-of-state travelers would know about the requirement; the committee asked the author to work with OMV and State Police and voluntarily returned the bill to the calendar. HB 868, removing the farm exemption from trailer safety-chain and attachment requirements after a fatal accident involving a trailer separation, was amended and reported despite concerns from members and the Agriculture Commissioner about impacts on older farm equipment and the need to preserve flexibility for agricultural operations. The committee also heard testimony from law enforcement, the auditor’s office, the Department of Transportation and Development, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and industry groups. Chiefs of police supported the red-light and license-plate bills as common-sense public safety measures, while the Legislative Auditor explained that the OMV fee bills were intended to align Louisiana’s reinstatement fees and grace periods more closely with other states and with audit recommendations. DOTD and the secretary supported the procurement bill as a tool to speed construction and maintenance work. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain supported the propane commission bill and urged caution on the farm trailer safety bill so that older and specialized equipment would not be unintentionally burdened.

Transcript Highlights:

• this is speaking to, reaches those families and communities impacted by poor air quality from the forest
• It made me think of that old saying: if a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does
• We raid our savings, which, by the way, will make us the lowest reserves, if not the second lowest reserves

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met in executive session on a proposed substitute operating budget bill and worked through a long series of amendments before voting on the bill. Members discussed a wide range of budget items, including court funding for Thurston County civil filings, Attorney General funding for a domestic extremism task force, grants for Yakima aquatics access, North Mason mobile integrated health, mentoring programs, poverty reduction work, a proposed Department of Housing task force, federal grant inventory staffing, HEAL Act funding, assisted living rebasing, DCYF family resource centers and pediatric interim care, law enforcement training and equipment, shellfish and birthing center licensing fees, school bus depreciation, charter school accountability, transition to kindergarten priorities, and several Fish and Wildlife and OSPI grants. The committee also considered amendments related to the Columbia River Gorge Commission, shrub-steppe habitat mitigation, and a study on Lower Snake River reservoir drawdown impacts. Debate on many amendments centered on whether items were statewide priorities or local projects, and on the fiscal constraints of the budget. Supporters often argued that proposals would protect vulnerable populations, improve public safety, or leverage future savings and outside funding; opponents frequently cited budget pressure, the availability of existing funding, or the need to avoid singling out local projects. Some amendments were adopted, including Clark 343 on intent to fund up to 10,000 additional eCAP slots, Jones 419 on paint stewardship funding, and Stevens 070 limiting birthing center license fees. Many others failed, including amendments on Thurston County court funding, the domestic extremism task force, Yakima aquatics, North Mason mobile integrated health, mentoring, poverty reduction workgroup funding, the Department of Housing task force, federal grant staffing, HEAL Act funding, assisted living rebasing, the PIC Center contract, the Lacey regional training academy, and several Fish and Wildlife and OSPI-related proposals. The committee then moved to the underlying bill, Proposed Substitute House Bill 2289, and adopted a do pass motion after disposing of the amendments. The transcript indicates the committee ultimately reported the bill out of committee with a do pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• We manage our forests.
• > carbon</c> forest or significant Forest carbon forest or significant Forest carbon emitters<00:05:17.080
• We have nice and healthy forests.
• We, we're the forest—the young forest—takes a while to get back to that same amount of storage.
• forest the young Forest we we're the the forest the young Forest takes<00:22:44.480><c> a</c><00:22:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Supervisor, Carson National Forest; and Sean Sanchez, the Forest Supervisor of the Santa Fe National
• Forest.
• The goals are to promote, of course, the continued traditional uses of forests and forest products by
• for active forest management to improve the condition of those forests.
• Every forest puts together a 20-year plan that guides all management within that national forest.

Transcript Highlights:

• For Colorado forest health, this manifests as functioning forest ecosystems, resilient watersheds, landscapes
• For Colorado forest health, this manifests as functioning forest ecosystems, resilient watersheds, landscapes
• For Colorado forest health, this manifests as functioning forest ecosystems, resilient watersheds, landscapes
• ><c> created</c><00:46:07.599><c> by</c> forest health council was created by forest health council was
• </c> identified that make up Forest Health. identified that make up Forest Health.

Keywords: 981, all