Transcript Highlights:

• you do because these laws matter, and I am so grieved over the definition. of anti-Semitism being based
• It's up to you, including termination, based on the grievance or the complaint.
• Is discrimination based on intent, where you must prove someone meant to discriminate?
• Or is it based on disparate impact, where policies and procedures unintentionally harm religious groups
• Thank you. and I'm against SB1069 based upon the testimonies that we've been hearing.

Bills: SB2972 , SB1909 , SB2815 , SB735 , SB2233 , SB800 , SB1069 , SB2683 , SB2986 , SB2058 , SB2310 , SB2055 , SB1032

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• Despite rising health... ...to their base pay.
• We increase the base student allocation by $85, or $1.58.
• It receives $10 million in the base budget.
• And my understanding is based on enrollment.
• I’m good with higher education now based on your responses.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then moved to the conference report on House Bill 501E, the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026-27. Budget chairs presented the major spending areas, describing a $114.5 billion overall budget that they said was fiscally responsible and below the prior year’s spending. Highlights included pay increases and retirement adjustments for public safety employees, education funding for K-12, higher education, health and human services, criminal justice, transportation, environmental programs, and agriculture/regulatory agencies. Members then questioned chairs on several items. In education, senators discussed K-12 declining enrollment funding, teacher salary set-asides, private school scholarship spending, mental health funding, preeminence funding for universities, the Hamilton Center at UF, and charter school PICO funding. In health and human services, questions focused on the iBudget waiver waitlist, provider rates, ADAP/HIV funding and the return of Biktarvy to the formulary, KidCare, rural health funding, SNAP-related IT and error reduction efforts, and the IDD managed care program. In criminal justice, senators asked about correctional officer pay, prison staffing and infrastructure, air conditioning in prisons, juvenile justice facilities, law enforcement recruitment, and court system funding. Environmental and transportation questions covered Florida Forever, water quality, state parks, water projects, housing, elections funding, and emergency management. Several specific actions and explanations were given during debate: the budget includes $8.8 million for state attorney competitive area differentials but no funding for public defender CAD requests; assistant state attorneys will start at $70,000 and assistant public defenders at $65,000; the battery disposal issue was described as a temporary study/preemption approach; and the Senate said the budget does not fund Medicaid expansion, preeminence funding, or the SunBucks Summer EBT state share. Senators also noted that some proposals discussed in committee did not make it into the final budget. The transcript ends with debate statements from members praising the budget process and Chair Hooper, while also expressing concerns about public schools, health care access, affordability, and the lack of funding for certain priorities.

Transcript Highlights:

• The logic is incorrect based on a new law. That passed.
• You can see based on the dollars requested and the dollars awarded that the requests far exceed what
• It's based in Houston, Minnesota, if you know where that is—way down in the southeast corner of the state
• Then the bottom photo is Festival de la Calaveras, based on the holiday of the Day of the Dead.
• So community-based arts activities, we do see that number increasing.

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• as</c><00:19:09.120><c> they</c><00:19:09.360><c> do</c><00:19:09.600><c> with</c><00:19:09.840><c> skill
• </c><00:19:10.880><c> um</c><00:19:11.039><c> and</c> working as they do with skill um and working as
• they do with skill um and diligence<00:19:11.760><c> to</c><00:19:12.080><c> process</c><00:19:12.400

Transcript Highlights:

• Whether due to affordability, outdated infrastructure, or the lack of digital skills, as of just a few
• goals of, you know, developing broadband, you know, when you start adding computer access and digital skills
• goals of, you know, developing broadband, you know, when you start adding computer access and digital skills

Transcript Highlights:

• It will not be based on anyone's income.
• It will not be based on anyone's income.
• It will not be based on anyone's income.
• It will not be based on anyone's income.
• It will not be based on tomorrow. It will not be based on anyone's<01:27:01.120><c> income.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><03:15:18.760><c> on</c> two but it's it's a formula based on two but it's it's a formula based on
• Maybe it's based on hours worked, maybe it's based on the types of services provided, whatever it might
• Maybe it's based on hours worked, maybe it's based on the types of services provided, whatever it might
• </c> and then lastly I'm going to touch base and then lastly I'm going to touch base on<03:49:47.120>
• <04:03:55.439><c> sourcing</c> market-based sourcing market-based sourcing yes<04:03:57.880><c> it</c

Summary: The meeting was an introductory Ways and Means Committee orientation led by Chair John Janigian. Members went around the room introducing themselves, with several returning legislators and several freshmen describing their backgrounds in business, education, public service, finance, transportation, journalism, military service, and nonprofit work. Janigian explained his own legislative history and professional background, and other members, including Bill Bolton, Fred Doucette, Mary Ford, Jim Tierney, Scott Brier, Thomas Oppel, Mary Murphy, Representative Spar, Susan Elberger, Dennis Malloy, Jordan Ulery, and Julius Soti, briefly described their prior experience and reasons for serving on the committee. The chair then outlined the committee’s role. He said Ways and Means is responsible for revenue estimates that Finance will use to determine how much the state can spend over the next biennium, and that the committee would spend the next five to six weeks developing its best revenue estimate, due around February 15. He also explained that the committee hears from state agencies and departments about how taxes are created, collected, and performing against expectations, and that it reviews bills affecting state revenue, including tax increases, tax decreases, tax removals, and fee-related measures. Janigian noted that the committee had five bills at the time of the meeting and expected more to be referred. He explained that most would be first-committee bills, though some second-committee bills could come over if they involved taxes or fees after passing policy committees. He used marijuana-related legislation as an example of a bill that might first go to another committee and later reach Ways and Means if it had fiscal implications. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational, and members were told how to participate in hearings and follow-up questions during regular committee work.

Transcript Highlights:

• have </font> <font color="aaaaaa">bikes on them and scares a </font> <font color="aaaaaa">license based
• past </font> <font color="aaaaaa">bikes on them and scares a </font> <font color="aaaaaa">license based
• But </font> <font color="aaaaaa">you're playing the game with </font> <font color="aaaaaa">is playing
• And you'll see </font> <font color="aaaaaa">kind of short trips based on </font> <font color="aaaaaa"
• And you'll see </font> <font color="aaaaaa">kind of short trips based on </font> <font color="aaaaaa"

Transcript Highlights:

• That's what we refer to as the taxable wage base.
• At the federal level, the taxable wage base is $7,000.
• Based on June 15 data, we project an annual fund balance factor of 50.9%.
• The base tax rates are much lower than other states as well.
• Federal UI administration funding is distributed based on a state's workload.

Transcript Highlights:

• on free and reduced lunch to one based on the federal poverty level because the free and reduced lunch
• language is inconsistent. ...based on free and reduced lunch to one based on the federal poverty level
• So I did some global research as well, based on your calculations.
• Air Force Base.
• So based on everyone's voting record on the previous bill, I think we can agree with that.

Bills: HB2210 , HB2398 , HB2959 , HB3006 , HB3026 , HB3151 , HB3315 , HB3372 , HB3467 , HB3590 , HB4268 , HB4359 , HB4427

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The Senate Education Committee considered a long agenda of education-related bills, including school calendar changes, scholarship and tax credit cleanup, charter school facilities, apprenticeship expansion, testing windows, and teacher staffing rules. Several measures were framed as technical or clarifying changes, while others drew more substantial debate over accountability, eligibility, and funding. The committee also heard a bill to extend the sunset of the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education and another to allow certain military dependents to start kindergarten based on their home-country age rules. Among the more debated bills, House Bill 3590 updated the Opportunity Scholarship Fund Act by changing reporting and income-verification language; senators questioned whether the bill effectively expanded eligibility or added accountability, but the author said it was a cleanup measure and the title was struck before passage. House Bill 3151 would raise the minimum school year from 166 to 173 days beginning in 2027-28, contingent on an additional $175 million in common education funding; supporters argued Oklahoma students need more time in front of teachers, while opponents questioned the evidence and fiscal impact. House Bill 4359 moved statewide assessments to the last four weeks of the school year, with an amendment changing the window from three to four weeks, and House Bill 4427, as amended, continued limits on adjunct teachers in early grades while clarifying qualifications and timelines for existing adjuncts. The committee also advanced House Bill 2398, which would create “credentials of value” to help students and families evaluate postsecondary programs based on workforce demand and economic return, and House Bill 3372, which would create a charter school facilities fund and loan/collateral mechanisms; the latter passed on a narrower vote after questions about asset disposition and state control. Other bills passed with little or no opposition, including a 24-hour reporting requirement for school abuse to outside law enforcement, an expansion of youth apprenticeship eligibility, adoption-related maternity leave, and a pilot for teacher growth metrics and NBCT funding. Most measures were reported out favorably, with several title-stricken amendments adopted along the way.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to be clear, the transportation formula is based on ridership.
• Based on our current analysis of that information, we...
• But based on the respondents to...
• The formula-based funding they receive is based on our formula, and then they make decisions at a local
• Based on what's been reported to us so far. OK. And Mr.

Committees: Senate Senate Finance , Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Why are you denying people licenses based upon previous theft? and things like that.
• I just wouldn't be supportive of you denying someone licensure based upon a drug offense. licensure based
• Why are you denying people licenses based upon previous theft?
• Why are you denying people licenses based upon previous theft? So, we're not.
• Okay, so the board can deny based on a number of different things.

Summary: The joint Assembly and Senate business committees held a sunset review hearing on the California State Board of Pharmacy, with board leadership describing the board’s consumer-protection role and its priorities around access, enforcement, and updating pharmacy law. The board emphasized a proposed shift toward a standard-of-care model for pharmacists, arguing it would reduce rigid protocol requirements and improve access to services such as HIV PrEP/PEP, contraception, and naloxone. Board representatives also discussed pharmacy deserts, possible fee waivers for pharmacies in underserved areas, concerns about payer practices contributing to closures, continuing education audits, and a request to restore more flexibility in licensure decisions and probationary monitoring for applicants with certain criminal histories. A major focus of the hearing was the board’s ongoing compounding regulations, especially the treatment of sterile versus nonsterile compounding and substances such as glutathione and methylcobalamin. The board said the proposal was not a ban on those substances and described the rulemaking as grounded in federal law, USP standards, and public comment, noting the process had gone through multiple modified texts and hearings. Testimony from stakeholders was sharply divided: pharmacists, veterinarians, firefighters, naturopathic doctors, and patient advocates warned the rules were restricting access to compounded medications and harming patients and first responders, while the California Medical Association, psychiatric physicians, and PhRMA raised concerns that the board’s proposals could expand pharmacist authority beyond training, affect physician practice, or create safety risks. Other public comments addressed pharmacy technician ratios, remote processing, flavoring medications, hospital-specific regulation, budget and enforcement transparency, and whether the board should add members with community compounding or pharmacy technician expertise. Committee members also asked about the board’s oversight priorities and the rationale for its standard-of-care proposal. Board staff explained that consumer protection includes education, licensing, policy, and enforcement, with the highest-priority enforcement cases being those posing imminent public harm. After public testimony concluded, the chairs thanked participants and adjourned the sunset review hearing, announcing an immediate transition to the joint informational hearing on the Department of Cannabis Control.

Transcript Highlights:

• In other states, based on some of your health care history, choices are being made that are not fair
• And based on your scope of practice, whatever profession you're speaking with, that information will
• AND, BASED ON YOUR SCOPE OF PRACTICE, WHATEVER PROFESSION YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH, THAT INFORMATION WILL
• It is game day. Go, New York, go. MAJORITY CONFERENCE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SESSION.
• IT IS GAME DAY. GO, NEW YORK, GO.

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and handled several motions to discharge and substitute identical Assembly or Senate bills, along with a number of amendments. The chamber also welcomed student visitors from the League of Women Voters’ Students of Albany program and a group of Staten Island titleholders, and later adopted previously approved resolutions honoring Dorothy E. Reid for her role in Brown v. Board of Education and recognizing Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on Delta Day, with multiple senators speaking in support of both recognitions. The bulk of the floor session was devoted to third-reading votes on a large number of bills, most of which passed with broad support. Measures addressed public health, workers’ compensation, education, environmental conservation, insurance, labor, criminal procedure, domestic relations, tax, municipal authority, and correction law. Several bills were explained by sponsors as advancing stormwater management authority, labor-law transparency, public health protections, and stronger penalties for trafficking-related offenses; one bill on immunization in summer camps drew a defense from Senator Skoufis as a child-protection measure, while another on correction law passed with some Republican opposition. The chamber also took up a controversial public health/electronic health records bill by Senator Fernandez. Senator Martin questioned the bill at length about redacting certain categories of information, emergency access, provider obligations, and the impact on doctors’ ability to see complete medical histories. Fernandez said the bill was intended to protect patients from discrimination and to limit access to a small list of sensitive services, while also noting emergency exceptions and support from more than 200 health care providers. The debate remained focused on balancing privacy protections with concerns about continuity of care and record integrity.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I think the little game about, like, let's exactly explain exactly what the process is when it comes
• So, I think the little game about, like, let's exactly explain exactly what the process is when it comes
• So, I think the little game about, like, let's exactly explain exactly what the process is when it comes
• So, I think the little game about, like, let's exactly explain exactly what the process is when it comes
• And it is not in fact silly<00:35:27.920><c> games</c> silly games silly games for<00:35:29.320><c> us

Transcript Highlights:

• should this go south in a direction that, um, like the removal of the perpetuity to me is the whole game
• c> the Imp perpetuity to me is is the the the Imp perpetuity to me is is the the whole whole whole game
• <00:21:09.559><c> uh</c> game uh game uh and<00:21:11.880><c> I</c><00:21:12.000><c> think</c><00:21:
• </c><01:08:30.000><c> on</c><01:08:30.600><c> I'm</c> allow it to go forward based on I'm allow it to
• go forward based on I'm going<01:08:30.920><c> to</c><01:08:31.040><c> be</c><01:08:31.239><c> curious

Summary: The committee first took up SB 534, a measure concerning development in Kakaʻako Makai involving the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The chairs explained that the hearing was decision-making only and no testimony would be accepted, though members could ask clarifying questions. The chair outlined amendments to clarify HCDA’s approval process, require an environmental impact statement before residential development proposals are submitted, require Department of Health documentation on hazardous substances, and specify that only OHA-owned parcels would be eligible for certain residential development with a 400-foot height limit and maximum floor area ratio of 10.0. The amendments also addressed affordability, owner-occupancy, association fees, and a special fund, while noting Attorney General concerns that the fee could be construed as a tax and suggesting further review by Judiciary and Ways and Means. Members discussed the affordability threshold, with one senator suggesting 160% AMI instead of 140% due to high housing costs and concern that essential workers could be priced out. Others raised concerns about Native Hawaiian affordability, the long-term effect of perpetuity restrictions, and whether the process would protect OHA’s interests. An HCDA representative said 140% AMI was used in existing reserve housing rules and that lower thresholds could make development economically infeasible. OHA and other supporters said the proposal was still early in planning and emphasized the need for public hearings, community input, and compliance with environmental and remediation standards. The committees voted to pass SB 534 with amendments: Water and Land approved it 4-1, and Hawaiian Affairs also adopted the chair’s recommendation, with one member excused and one voting no. The meeting then moved to SB 3, relating to water resource management. The bill would authorize the Commission on Water Resource Management to retain independent legal counsel, create an executive director position, allow challenges to emergency orders under certain conditions, establish fines for water use offenses, and revise emergency and shortage declaration procedures; Red Hill-related provisions were noted as removed from this version. Testimony was largely supportive, including from DLNR, the Board of Water Supply, OHA, and Sierra Club, with OHA stressing the measure’s importance to Native Hawaiian water rights and past litigation. A Department of Hawaiian Home Lands representative supported the bill with amendments and recommended explicit language directing the commission chair or designee to advocate for water rights and reservations for homelands. The chair indicated the committees would use the prior Senate-passed version as the basis for further action, and the discussion then moved on to SB 130, a search-and-rescue reimbursement bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• How would you describe the fan experience right now for those attending a USUG football game?
• </c><00:14:18.920><c> I</c><00:14:19.000><c> would</c> attending a usug football game I would attending
• a usug football game I would say<00:14:19.480><c> it's</c><00:14:19.920><c> um</c><00:14:20.199><c>
• I mean, we can make that decision based on where that interest lies. And the M?
• I mean, we can make that decision based on where that interest lies. And the M?

Committee: Senate Economic Development and Tourism

Summary: The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism and Higher Education heard HB 1494, relating to sports facilities. Testimony was largely in opposition to the bill as drafted from the Stadium Authority, the Department of Accounting and General Services, and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, with several other written comments also opposing; each asked that if the measure advances, Senate language from related stadium bills be incorporated instead. The University of Hawaiʻi testified in support of the Nāʻid project and said it wants the project delivered at Halawa so the university can have a football facility, though members pressed the university on whether it was effectively supporting both the project and the bill’s current approach. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on the stadium project’s financing, schedule, and oversight. DAGS and Public Works discussed a consultant contract that had grown to about $28 million and an audit that recovered $441,000 after improper travel and expense reimbursements, including first-class airfare and other personal expenses; officials said the audit exposed weak internal controls and led to revised reimbursement policies. Members questioned whether the problems would have been found without media reporting and whether stronger oversight should have been in place earlier. The committee also discussed the current Ching Field setup for UH football, with witnesses describing it as less than ideal and temporary until the new stadium is built. Stadium Authority representatives said the current preferred offeror is Aloha Halawa Development Partners, negotiations have recently accelerated, and the goal remains a contract this summer and a fall 2028 opening. They said the state is committed to $350 million in general obligation bonds, with the overall project expected to cost more, and that the developer is exploring other financing sources such as TIF or CFD while the state and city work to expedite permits and demolition. No vote or final action on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so currently, based on some information provided by another representative in the building, with
• Representative, is this now like a permanent home basing for these employees, or is it, I got to go out
• So the largest bank in Oklahoma, based on the last report I was able to find, is just under $50 billion
• So we've got a long way to go before any banks would be affected by it that are Oklahoma-based.
• But I think the idea was also to make sure that they realize they're playing in a very serious game and

Bills: HB1245 , HB2588 , HB3024 , HB3172 , HB3279 , HB3919 , HB3306 , HB3383 , HB3431 , HB3435 , HB4352 , HB3883 , HB3942 , HB4193 , HB4203 , HB4303 , HB4311 , HB4484

Committee: House Government Oversight

Summary: The Government Oversight Committee met with a quorum and heard a series of bills, beginning with HB 3942, which tightens the state’s incentive evaluation process; it passed 11-0. HB 4203, allowing the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission to explore guidelines for small multifamily housing of eight units or fewer and four stories or less, passed 10-1. HB 2588, which requires HOA board members to own and live in the HOA, passed 12-0, and HB 3024, limiting large agency pay raises/stipends to 10% unless reported through OMES, passed 12-0. HB 3383, limiting state employees to 14-hour shifts in a 24-hour period with emergency exceptions, passed 10-2, and HB 3279, a cleanup bill related to last year’s government corruption legislation, passed 12-0. The committee also advanced HB 3919, reducing county fair board size from nine to five members at county option to address quorum problems, and HB 3883, which imposes utility-system inspection, notice, and backflow-preventer-related requirements on governing bodies in exchange for reducing litigation exposure; both passed 12-0. HB 4193, as amended, would restrict state contracts and taxpayer funds from going to foreign adversaries or related entities, with exceptions and purchasing-director discretion; it passed 9-3. HB 3431 expanded foreign-adversary property restrictions to critical rare earth minerals and passed 13-0. HB 3435, a municipal bond single-subject bill, passed 12-0, and HB 4352, a Uniform Law Commission mortgage refinance update, passed 13-0. Later, HB 4484, allowing Corporation Commission employees to take state vehicles home for travel purposes under existing-style oversight, passed 13-0. Committee members then presented HB 1245, moving certain DHS Inspector General law enforcement officers into hazardous pay retirement coverage; it passed 13-0. HB 3172, the Fair Banking Act, would limit adverse banking actions against lawful economic activity at large banks and create a complaint/reason-request process; after extensive questions about thresholds, exceptions, and constitutional issues, it passed 11-3. HB 3306, increasing transparency requirements for campaign statement-of-organization reporting with a $400 threshold and a delayed effective date, passed 14-0. The committee laid over HB 4303 and HB 4311 until the next meeting and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, that is based on current estimates on what that might be.
• It's not based on any profitability, is it? It is not. It is not.
• It's not based on any profitability, is it? It is not. It is not.
• So based on, So in the end, we have 70, so based on some of the analysis we've done on the Bakken production
• So based on, So in the end, we have 70, so based on some of the analysis we've done on the Bakken production

Summary: The Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee met with a quorum, approved the March 17, 2026 minutes, and heard a lengthy update from Tax Commissioner Brian Croshys on property tax relief programs. He reviewed the Homestead Property Tax Credit, Disabled Veteran Credit, and Primary Residence Credit, noting increased relief after House Bill 1158 and House Bill 1176, but also discussing how some households “income adjust out” of eligibility over time. Members asked about indexing income thresholds, expanding eligibility by age alone, simplifying administration, county-level notices, and whether the county and state systems could be streamlined. Croshys said the programs are heavily used, largely administered at the county level, and that the department is still refining compliance and reporting; he also said there were no material findings or overarching concerns in the latest review. The committee agreed more detailed PRC information would likely come back in a September meeting, and the chair announced an afternoon recess for lunch before later reconvening. Shelly Myers then presented the statewide property tax increase report, the zero-growth report, and a statistical report on property values and tax levies by class. She explained how county auditors report levy and valuation data, how increases and decreases are counted, and identified counties and cities with the largest percentage changes in growth or decline. She also summarized recent trends: agricultural values remain relatively flat, while residential, commercial, and centrally assessed values have risen over the last five years; in 2025, residential property accounted for the largest share of statewide property tax levies, followed by commercial, agriculture, and centrally assessed property. Committee members asked about unusual zero-growth figures, the effect of annexation and land-use changes, and whether the 3% levy cap was forcing political subdivisions to use reserves or defer spending. Myers said many counties complied by using reserves, delaying capital projects, or limiting increases, and that some counties had not used their full cap. The committee then moved to the stripper oil extraction tax exemption. Commissioner Croshys reviewed the state’s oil tax structure and estimated the revenue impact of keeping stripper wells exempt from extraction tax while still paying production tax. He said the exemption saves operators hundreds of millions of dollars over a biennium, while the state still collects production tax on those wells. He also discussed projected impacts if the exemption were changed for future wells and noted that future outcomes depend on oil prices, production declines, and technology such as CO2 enhanced oil recovery. Nathan Anderson of the Department of Mineral Resources briefly explained the historical difference between the 35-barrel and 30-barrel thresholds for certain wells, citing differences in completion costs and lateral lengths. The committee then heard from EERC CEO Charles Gorecki, who presented an analysis of oil well life cycles and said most oil is produced before wells reach stripper status, but that refracturing or other reinvestment can significantly extend production and keep wells above the threshold for years.

Transcript Highlights:

• We increase the base student allocation by $85, or 1.58%.
• It receives $10 million in the base budget.
• And my understanding is based on enrollment.
• I'm good with higher education now based on your responses.
• The timing portion is based on the wholesale payment and collection process.

Summary: The Senate took up the conference report on House Bill 501E, the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026-27, with Chair Hooper and the appropriations chairs walking through the $114.5 billion budget. Major highlights included pay increases for state law enforcement, firefighters, park rangers, and correctional officers; funding for teacher salary increases and K-12 enrollment stabilization; workforce and university funding in higher education; major Medicaid, nursing home, waiver, and opioid-related investments in health and human services; corrections and prison-capacity funding; transportation, housing, and emergency management spending; and large environmental appropriations for Florida Forever, Everglades restoration, and water quality projects. Members then asked detailed questions about specific items. Senators pressed on the Hamilton Center at UF, the difference between assistant state attorney and public defender pay, declining student enrollment funding, private school scholarship vouchers, mental health funding in schools, the lack of preeminence funding, APD’s iBudget waiver wait list and provider rates, ADAP premium assistance and the return of Biktarvy to the formulary, prison staffing and air conditioning, Florida Forever land-buying versus easements, SNAP and Sun Bucks funding, Hope Florida, election audit funding, and the IDD managed care program. Chairs generally explained the negotiated compromises, noted where funding was flat or omitted, and in several cases said items would be revisited next year or depended on agency implementation. Several senators used debate to praise the budget while also criticizing major policy choices. Leader Berman argued the state should have expanded Medicaid, invested more in public schools instead of vouchers, and accepted federal summer EBT funds. Other senators highlighted local wins such as Biscayne Bay restoration, Tri-Rail, housing assistance, ADAP funding, and declining enrollment support. The transcript ends with debate remarks thanking Chair Hooper for his work on the budget; no final vote is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as people of faith, we get together, decide what we have in common based on our faith values, and
• And as people of faith, we get together, decide what we have in common based on our faith values, and
• And as people of faith, we get together, decide what we have in common based on our faith values, and
• And as people of faith, we get together, decide what we have in common based on our faith values, and
• Looking into areas of state statute where benefits change or reduce based on if you get married.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans