Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:33:28.639><c> of</c> Health counselor here in the state of Health counselor here in the state
• It is all out of state.
• It is all out of state.
• It is all out of state.
• Also, the APA code of ethics for psychologists... ...the APA code of ethics for psychologists.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Children and Family Law Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 285, which would add language to the parental rights and responsibilities statute directing judges to consider known mental health or medical conditions that could affect parenting. Representative Ball, the bill’s sponsor, said the intent was not to require disclosure of private records, but to give judges a reminder to ask whether anything in a parent’s condition could interfere with parenting and to help ensure children’s safety and best interests, especially in high-conflict or pro se family court cases. He said the proposal was meant as a guardrail and not as a way to reduce parenting time or take children from parents. Committee members questioned whether the existing best-interest factors already cover parenting ability, whether the new language could invite stigma or weaponization in custody disputes, and whether judges already have authority to ask these questions. Ball responded that judges often do not ask, that family court can be difficult for unrepresented parties, and that the language would simply make the issue explicit. He also said he would be open to amendments, including language that more directly instructs judges to ask the question. One member raised concerns about whether the bill should say judges “shall” ask rather than “may,” and Ball said he was willing to work with the committee on wording. Sarah Horn, a NAMI New Hampshire board member and parent, testified in opposition. She described her own history with OCD, ADD, PTSD, hospitalization, and recovery, and said mental illness had not harmed her ability to parent; she warned the bill could increase stigma and discourage people from seeking treatment. In response, Ball said her testimony was part of why he had considered an amendment to include physical health as well, so the bill would not single out mental health. The hearing ended without a vote in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> these United States and the states of these United States and the states of New<00:12:16.160><c>
• State your motion. motion, Mr. Speaker? State your motion.
• The state council also provides local schools with artisan residents, state arts competitions, and art
• If this amendment to HB2 passes, New Hampshire would become the only state in the country without a council
• When the state abolishes the New Hampshire Council on the Arts and shrinks tourism marketing budgets,

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You realize code limits the height that a fence can be.
• We've been working with the state attorneys.
• to warehouse people if they did make it to state hospital, because current state... ...we have in the
• state to warehouse people if they did make it to state hospital.
• She is still in and out of the state hospital.

Bills: S0600 , S0760 , S1012 , S1326 , S1488 , S1536 , S1544 , S1750

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: bail bonds, pretrial release, forfeiture, criminal justice, Florida statutes, bond conditions, surety, violations of release conditions, violent crimes, victim safety, public safety, warrantless arrest, probable cause, pretrial detention, first appearance hearing, law enforcement immunity, domestic violence, stalking, battery, aggravated assault

Summary: The committee took up several criminal justice bills, beginning with SB 760 on violations of pretrial release conditions. A strike-all amendment narrowed the bill to make willful violation of a no-contact order a first-degree misdemeanor, authorize warrantless arrest on probable cause, and require detention until first appearance in certain cases. The amendment and the bill, as amended, were both adopted and reported favorably. The committee then heard SB 1536 on digital voyeurism, which would extend the expectation of privacy to backyards in the surveillance statute; it was reported favorably after brief questions and support from a Florida Smart Justice Alliance witness. Members next considered SB 1012 on inmate services. The bill would expand use of contractor-operated institutions inmate welfare trust funds for reintegration and facility upgrades, and would require reimbursement for inmate emergency and specialty medical services at Medicaid rates, with telehealth and autonomous APRNs included as options. Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida opposed the bill as written, warning that tying Medicaid participation to treatment of inmates could reduce reimbursement and discourage provider participation, while the Department of Corrections and Florida Smart Justice Alliance supported it. Senators discussed costs, aging inmates, and possible future changes, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee also passed CS for SB 600 on bail bond and pretrial release laws after adopting a strike-all that aligned it with the House companion and made technical changes to solicitation, training, and bond reinstatement rules. Public testimony raised concerns about who should receive returned bond money and how clerks would process payments, but the sponsor said the bill would continue to be refined. Later, the committee reconsidered and favorably reported SB 1750 on criminal sexual conduct, which increases penalties and mandatory minimums for serious sex crimes, especially those involving children. It also reconsidered and favorably reported SB 1544 on complaints against law enforcement and correctional officers, a bill requiring complainants to provide sworn complaints to officers before interrogation unless corroborating evidence is present; police chiefs and sexual violence advocates opposed parts of the bill, while supporters argued it would protect officers from unfounded complaints. Finally, SB 1488 on booking officer duties regarding minor children of arrested persons was reported favorably, and SB 1326 on prosecution of defamation was taken up for reconsideration with a delete-all amendment that narrowed the insanity defense, limited mitigation for severe mental illness in serious cases, and extended detention periods for incompetent defendants; opposition testimony from defense, public defender, and mental health advocates warned it would worsen treatment and increase costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• State Police also has executive security and state house security, and the peer unit.
• That is one thing that this state currently doesn't have that other states do have.
• Department of State.
• Department of State.
• the state.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Transportation Committee met for an opening/orientation session in which members introduced themselves and explained their interest in the committee. Several members noted backgrounds in trucking, piloting, boating, motorcycles, road safety, or constituent concerns about transportation issues. The chair also noted several absent members and said the committee would first hear agency presentations before covering committee procedures. The Department of Safety gave the main presentation, outlining its seven divisions and how they relate to transportation policy and the Highway Fund. The assistant commissioner emphasized that Highway Fund revenue supports both the Department of Transportation and the Department of Safety, with collections coming largely from the road toll/gas tax, DMV fees, and the new electric vehicle surcharge. He also noted that 12% of Highway Fund revenues go to local road repair through the DOT Betterment Fund, and warned that the fund has had a structural deficit for several biennia, requiring General Fund transfers that may be uncertain this session. He said the department aims to provide data and fiscal context on legislation and fiscal notes. State Police then provided a detailed overview of its structure and operations, including the Operations Bureau, Investigative Services Bureau, and Justice Information Bureau. Testimony highlighted Troop G’s role in vehicle inspections, commercial motor vehicle enforcement, fraud investigations, and consumer complaint handling, as well as statewide staffing shortages. The division reported rising calls for service, motor vehicle stops, DWI arrests, and other arrests despite a vacancy rate of about 17%. It also described aviation, K-9, bomb squad, special events response, SWAT, narcotics, major crime, forensic laboratory, and other specialized units, with statistics on drug seizures, investigations, and lab workload. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• , 23 states take full responsibility for enforcing the ACA and operating a state-based marketplace.
• state can possibly regulate.
• to their state employee program.
• THA and its members contend these codes already allow the state, employers, and health plans to access
• Other states are taking our lead.

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• /c> convinced that the state of the state is convinced that the state of the state is strong,<00:25:51.039
• State. State.
• </c> the state. the state.
• </c> this state. this state.
• </c> Granite State. Granite State.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And Missouri at that point was the seventh state to pass a uniform version of the trust code, albeit
• as we can for people to set up trusts in this state.
• as we can for people to set up trust in this state.
• It is operated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
• So that's a lot of expenditure that our state has.

Committee: House Financial Institutions

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 7031 is here. ...on state revenues.
• That's the way that it works in the state of Florida.
• And most of the newspapers in the state opposed us.
• He's traveled the entire state for that issue.
• No election in the United States, not presidential, congressional, state legislature, or municipal election

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects. The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Examples of how other states do it include the state of Washington.
• We all want nice and pretty buildings across the state.
• institutions one building at a time or five buildings at a time, but we're going to build them within
• That's against state protocol.'
• I think our point is not that the state shouldn't have nice things and we shouldn't have nice buildings

Transcript Highlights:

• the Traffic Safety Commission was directed to convene the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council
• The work of the council is intended to identify ways to improve the transportation system and identify
• Washington State Department of Transportation reports a base fiscal impact of $16,000 annually for 0.7
• Cities and the Washington State Association of Counties estimated that permitting costs between cities
• So a combination of state dollars and, of course, port and local dollars. Representative Paul.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on two transportation-related bills. For Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5374, staff explained that the bill would require tribal governments to be included in Growth Management Act transportation coordination and in preparation of county six-year transportation programs, and would create a tribal traffic safety coordinator grant program through the Traffic Safety Commission. Fiscal impacts were described as indeterminate and scalable, with estimates for staffing, grants, and local government coordination costs. The Association of Counties testified in support, saying the bill would better align existing tribal consultation processes with transportation planning and would not force counties to restart plans already near adoption. For Engrossed Senate Bill 5649, staff said the bill would create a Washington State Supply Chain Competitiveness Infrastructure Program to provide grants and loans for public and tribal ports with public operations, with DOT setting priorities and criteria in collaboration with supply chain stakeholders. Fiscal notes estimated significant staffing and program costs, but the amount would depend on appropriations; no funds were included in the current Senate Transportation budget. The Washington Public Ports Association and representatives from the Port of Everett and Port of Port Angeles supported the bill, arguing it would help ports address congestion, improve freight efficiency, and leverage federal matching funds for major infrastructure projects. The Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board director said many proposed projects would not qualify for FMSIB funding because they are not on strategic freight corridors, which is why a separate program may be needed. Members asked about timing, whether the tribal planning bill would require counties to start over on plans already near completion, and how the port bill would interact with existing funding sources and FMSIB eligibility. Staff and witnesses said the tribal bill was intended to work with existing coordination processes and not force counties to restart, while the port bill was meant to fill gaps where current programs do not apply. The chair then reviewed amendment deadlines for budget and committee bills, and the meeting adjourned for caucuses.

Transcript Highlights:

• She mentioned camp safety in her State of the State.
• They have 11 camps in the state. >> Um, we already had on the advisory council members from the camp
• ><c> state.
• ><02:56:20.720><c> with</c><02:56:21.040><c> similar</c> state to state to state with similar state to
• </c> state of Alabama? state of Alabama?

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the Traffic Safety Commission was directed to convene the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council
• The work of the council is intended to identify ways to improve the transportation system and identify
• The Association of Washington Cities and the Washington State Association of Counties estimated that
• So a combination of state dollars and, of course, port and local dollars. Representative Paul.
• What, so if a port was looking for that under the existing infrastructure in our state, we...

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Every record that the state acquires, they acquire for some purpose, and they can achieve their purpose
• Every record that the state acquires, they acquire for some purpose, and they can achieve their purpose
• that routes directly to a public safety answering point, and allow a victim to create a numerical code
• , and they will know where... ...code, put it in the phone, and be able to get help.
• But if they have that code, you know, for real, this person is really in dire trouble.

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Summary: The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met with a quorum present and took up several bills, beginning with SB 350 on public records for crime victims. Senator Graal explained that the bill clarifies victim privacy protections under the Florida Constitution and extends temporary confidentiality to the identity of an officer involved in a use-of-force incident for 72 hours, with a possible 60-day extension by written agency findings. Supporters including Marcy’s Law representatives and the Florida PBA said the measure protects victims and officers while preserving public access, and the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee then heard SB 296 and SB 298, both by Senator Berman. SB 296, as amended, directs a feasibility study for a secure web-based silent alert system for domestic violence victims and expands Florida’s address confidentiality program to dating violence victims. SB 298 similarly extends address confidentiality protections to dating violence victims. Both bills received supportive testimony from advocates, including survivors and organizations such as Florida NOW and the Alliance for Safety and Justice, and both were reported favorably. Members also approved SB 398, which replaces references to “child pornography” in Florida statutes with “child sexual abuse material,” and SB 168, which expands public nuisance law to include gambling houses and increases enforcement tools such as penalties, attorney fees, and foreclosure on unpaid fees. SB 54, as amended, was also reported favorably; the amendment broadened the bill’s scope from “mass shooter” to “violent offender,” clarified medical examiner duties, and added reporting requirements related to toxicology and psychotropic substances. The most debated measure was SB 156, the Jason Raynor Act, which would revise resistance-to-arrest provisions and add an automatic life sentence for manslaughter committed against a law enforcement officer. Law enforcement groups supported the bill, but the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and some senators raised concerns about removing judicial discretion and eliminating language about unlawful arrests. After debate, the committee reported SB 156 favorably, with Vice Chair Smith voting no. Several other members later asked to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on multiple bills before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• But our demographics mirror the state, so we are changing along with what you're seeing the state changes
• changes</c> what you're seeing the state changes what you're seeing the state changes look<00:03:09.920
• The REACT probably one of the... the state in October November and the state in October November and
• </c><00:18:54.559><c> uh</c><00:18:54.880><c> is</c> thriving and the state uh is thriving and the state
• The state budget was 52 billion; it's now 71 billion.

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Now we have to pay the state tax.
• That's mandated by the state of Massachusetts also. Some states do allow that, but we don't.
• and state-chartered credit unions.
• State legislation can change that.
• I think there's value in saying that there are states within the United States that do not collect state

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services heard testimony on several bills focused on financial security, banking regulation, and payment-card fees. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg supported the Massachusetts baby bonds proposal (H. 48) and also endorsed bills on matched savings (H. 1158/S. 737) and retirement planning/Secure Choice (H. 1143/S. 722), arguing these measures would help address wealth inequality, build assets, and improve retirement readiness. Supporters of baby bonds included policy experts and health advocates from Children’s Health Watch and Boston Medical Center, who said early-life asset building could improve long-term economic and health outcomes for children in low-income families. AARP also urged passage of the retirement planning bill, citing the large share of private-sector workers without access to an employer retirement plan. Representative Donato testified for H. 1143, describing it as a voluntary retirement-savings opportunity for workers at small employers. The committee also heard testimony on H. 3933, concerning the Massachusetts Credit Union Share Insurance Corporation, from former Bank Commissioner Mike Hanson, who defended the state’s full deposit insurance system for credit unions and savings institutions as a longstanding consumer-protection model. The Massachusetts Bankers Association raised concerns about the bill’s technical provisions and broader credit union/bank competitive issues, while the Cooperative Credit Union Association supported related legislation allowing modest compensation for credit union directors (S. 821/H. 1338) and flexibility for state financial institutions to grow through partnerships (S. 723). Bankers opposed those credit union bills, arguing they would upset a level playing field and blur long-standing distinctions between banks and credit unions. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 1259/S. 688, which would prohibit card interchange fees on the tax and gratuity portions of restaurant transactions. Restaurant owners and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association testified in favor, saying the fees are a significant and growing expense, especially as most customers now pay by card; they argued the bills would save restaurants money without affecting state revenue. Credit union, banking, and payments-industry representatives opposed the bills, saying interchange helps fund fraud protection and payment infrastructure, that the proposal would create compliance burdens and likely litigation, and that it would mainly affect Massachusetts-chartered institutions while national banks could be preempted. Committee members noted that a commission on payment-card fees is being established and said the issue would be studied further. The hearing also included support for a separate bill on virtual credit cards for dental providers, with dentists saying automatic virtual-card payments impose hidden processing fees and fraud risks.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> million in state bridge bonds. million in state bridge bonds.
• The goal of the council is really to help the state prepare for connected and automated technologies
• Uh so it's an independent allocation, but the council and the state are the tax that by law goes to the
• </c><01:16:09.040><c> the</c> The council and the state are the funders of these other entities. >> Uh
• I believe that was a grant of state funds through the council for that specific type of service.

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• lands, there's certainly questions about the applicability of town building codes, and so the need for
• Waste Management Council waste Council Waste Management Council which<02:55:47.120><c> is</c><02:55:
• out of state.
• out of state.
• out of state.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from the Department of Environmental Services on proposed changes in House Bill 2 and related technical changes in House Bill 1 tied to the governor’s permitting realignment initiative. The proposal would move environmental review staff from Fish and Game and DNCR to DES to create a more centralized “one-stop shop” for applicants needing DES permits, especially for wildlife and natural heritage reviews. DES said the goal is to speed permitting, support a 60-day review clock, and improve coordination among agencies while keeping the substantive review work in place. Members asked about staffing impacts, the scope of the transferred duties, and whether the change would create redundancy or weaken the other agencies. DES said most of the affected staff work primarily on these reviews, though Fish and Game staff also handle other state and federal reviews, which is why the proposal was adjusted to keep one of the four Fish and Game positions there and move three to DES, along with two positions from DNCR. DES also described a new supervisory position in HB 2 to manage the transferred staff within its land resources bureau. Officials said the reviews would still be done by specialists, but under DES supervision, and that the agencies would continue to coordinate recommendations on species impacts and mitigation. The committee also discussed fee increases intended to offset costs, including a 50% increase in wetlands fees and a 100% increase in alteration-of-terrain fees, with the department saying the changes would cover the new positions. Members raised concerns about impacts on private homeowners, possible incentives to work without permits, and whether fines should be used more as a revenue source or for mitigation. DES said wetlands permits are roughly split between homeowner-related and commercial projects, that permit-by-notification already creates a two-tier structure for smaller projects, and that enforcement relies partly on public complaints and online permitting systems. The department also said most fines currently go to the general fund and vary widely year to year, with about $75,000 budgeted, and that the proposal would also create permit-by-notification authority for alteration-of-terrain projects between 100,000 and 150,000 square feet, mirroring language in Senate Bill 110. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over 50% of the state budget does not go to operating our state government.
• We have a state health plan crisis.
• Instead, we force them to move out of state.
• We are losing small companies that want to grow in our state to find other states that are more receptive
• S-4066 by Senator Singleton requires the State to issue a biannual report of unutilized State-owned property

Keywords: 1146, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> patrols</c><00:13:19.320><c> without</c> building security and patrols without building security
• . state. state.
• </c><00:32:08.720><c> 46</c> of potential state program fraud. 46 of potential state program fraud. 46
• </c> the statewide safety council. the statewide safety council.
• </c> corner of our state. corner of our state.

Bills: HF4446 , HF4066 , HF1082

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: public safety officer, survivor benefits, line of duty death, occupational cancer, firefighter, police officer, paramedic, EMT, correctional officer, first responder, workers' compensation, death benefits, occupational exposure, carcinogen, cancer presumption, mesothelioma, leukemia, lung cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

Transcript Highlights:

• And really, what I think has happened here is the state, quote-unquote "the state".
• I also don't like the state...
• against my client, that because it's not a state agency, the state...
• You know, it's a state bill.
• Only the state can file it.

Bills: HB867 , HB1347 , HB1801 , HB1820 , HB2197 , HB2617 , HB3110 , HB3166 , HB3330 , HB4237 , HB4342 , HB4629 , HB4933 , HJR148

Committee: House Criminal Jurisprudence

Keywords: criminal case dismissal, attorney discretion, law enforcement misconduct, judicial approval, evidence, judicial consent, transparency, healthcare, Medicare, insurance, elderly, retired, benefits, access, cost, criminal justice, case dismissal, prosecutorial discretion, law enforcement oversight, criminal procedure