Transcript Highlights:

• But what I did see is that my staff endures trauma every day.
• So I'm in the midst of hiring a therapist to care for my staff. A third is we need beds.
• My top two priorities in the LBR are an increase per diem per day for each kid.
• And it was just three days ago, two days ago, that we discussed that in a meeting, coming together with
• Have a great day. Thank you very much for being here.

Committee: Senate Ethics and Elections

Summary: The Committee on Ethics and Elections met to consider several gubernatorial appointees, beginning with Matthew Walsh, Secretary of Juvenile Justice, for confirmation. Walsh outlined his law enforcement background, social work training, and priorities at DJJ, including staff wellness, seeking statutory recognition and training standards for juvenile detention and probation officers, and increasing bed capacity so adjudicated youth can move from detention into residential programming sooner. Members asked about the impact of detention “dead time” and the need for more beds; Walsh said DJJ is evaluating ways to let youth begin programming earlier while in detention. Public support was noted, and the committee voted unanimously to confirm Walsh and forward his nomination to the full Senate. The committee then heard from Tina Vidal-Duarte, nominee to the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees. She described her business background, service on multiple boards, and prior service on FAU’s board pending confirmation, emphasizing governance, accountability, and strategic planning. Senators questioned her about FAU’s handling of faculty social media controversies, the university’s relationship with its new president, student and faculty engagement, AI planning, diversity, and her role on the Hope Florida board and with CDR Health’s state contracts, including work related to the Everglades detention center. Public testimony included strong opposition from one speaker who criticized her ties to state contracts and Hope Florida, while another senator spoke in support, citing her community service and business experience. The committee voted 5-2 to confirm her, with Senators Polsky and Bernard voting no. Afterward, the committee considered the remaining nominees in Tabs 2 through 15, excluding Tab 10, en bloc. No separate votes were requested, and the committee approved the group of nominees by voice roll call to be forwarded to the full Senate. The meeting then concluded with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• He said he does not care how many miles you drove in a day; he is just looking for the total amount.
• if you drove 5 miles a day or 25 miles a day.<00:24:40.240><c> We</c><00:24:40.640><c> we</c><00:24:41.039
• And so I I think days that you did it.
• 00:25:01.919><c> unless</c> how many miles you drive in a day unless how many miles you drive in a day
• </c> You know, I think the days You know, I think the days of<00:49:19.359><c> we</c><00:49:19.680><c

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, I understand it is Hillsborough Day, Representative Valdes.
• So today, it would be an honor to pass this bill on Israel Day.
• This bill, HB 251, will have the state of Florida recognize this day, the day that Auschwitz was liberated
• And that impact till this day, I still continue.
• And he then thanked me for caring so much to pass this legislation.

Committee: House Education & Employment Committee

Summary: The Education and Employment Committee met with a quorum and heard four bills. CS/HB 1145 on workforce education clarified that public charter schools may receive CAP grant funds, expanded the number of college system money-back programs from three to six, and standardized eligibility rules while allowing institutions some flexibility. Supporters said it would help students access career training without adding new funding in the bill. The committee also heard CS/HB 1079, which expands dropout retrieval program eligibility to any individual who has withdrawn from high school and is not engaged in education, while resolving statutory conflicts about program structure; some members raised concerns about FERPA, student privacy, and third-party funding, but the bill was reported favorably despite one no vote from Rep. Valdes. The committee then considered HB 251, which would designate January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida. The sponsor and supporters described the bill as a response to rising antisemitism and emphasized education, remembrance, and opposition to hate. Testimony came from a Miami-Dade school board member, a student, and other supporters, and members spoke strongly in favor of the measure. The bill was reported favorably with no opposition. Finally, the committee heard CS/HB 261 on middle and high school start times. The bill revises the earlier mandated later-start-time law by allowing districts to comply through a report to DOE detailing start times, planning efforts, public input, and impacts, rather than requiring immediate uniform implementation. Supporters from small school districts, Miami-Dade, PTA, and other organizations said the change preserves the health goal while giving districts flexibility to address transportation, dual enrollment, athletics, and staffing constraints. Members debated the need for parental involvement and detailed reporting, but the bill was ultimately reported favorably on a unanimous vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• in and day out because of these polluters.
• One day, one day you can present a bill there. Hi, good morning. John Costantino.
• One day, one day you can present a bill there. Hi, good morning. John Costantino.
• And yet we gave just a 15-day, with a five-day extension, period for comments.
• Good day, Chairs and Members.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on CARB’s proposed April amendments to California’s cap-and-invest regulations, adopted under AB 1207 and SB 840. Committee members repeatedly framed the issue as a balance between climate ambition, affordability, leakage prevention, and the Legislature’s budget priorities. Several senators argued the proposal would weaken the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), reduce funding for transit, affordable housing, drinking water, wildfire prevention, and other programs, and potentially undermine the Legislature’s intent in last year’s reauthorization. Others emphasized that the program’s core purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that any changes should preserve the cap’s integrity and the state’s climate targets. CARB Chair Lauren Sanchez said the amendments were designed to implement legislative direction while responding to public comment and economic uncertainty. She described four main changes: increasing electric bill credits, expanding the manufacturing decarbonization incentive (MDI) to $4 billion, adding about $800 million in additional compliance support for industry, and removing post-2030 allowance allocations from the current rulemaking. CARB said the proposal would still maintain declining caps aligned with 2030 and 2045 targets, provide near-term affordability relief, and support businesses and jobs while reducing emissions. In response to questions, CARB said the MDI has guardrails, is limited to emissions-reducing projects, and would require reporting and repayment if projects do not materialize. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the amendments are significant and could affect several legislative priorities. LAO highlighted that the MDI would add allowances above the cap, creating uncertainty about environmental ambition and 2030 compliance, while also shifting more allowances to industry and fewer to the GGRF. LAO said the proposal could significantly reduce GGRF revenues and noted that, if revenues fall to CARB’s estimated level, some tiered programs could go unfunded. The Department of Finance explained that GGRF revenue estimates are updated three times a year and are difficult to predict because they depend on auction outcomes and market conditions. Senators pressed both agencies on whether the proposal would raise consumer costs, whether industry savings would be passed through, and whether the Legislature should receive updated revenue estimates before voting on the budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd love to work on that on the housing front, on the child care front, and on the health care front.
• Not to minimize that, but we're also looking at housing costs, child care costs, and health care costs
• The 90 days to model and 90 days to get the report up on the website—so about six months total—we think
• So for ADEQ, we have a 90-day timeline to do the modeling and a 90-day timeline to get the report up,
• They operate safely 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, to ensure that Arizonans have reliable

Committee: House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee took up several energy, transportation, and land-use bills. HB 2428, dealing with county and ADEQ authority to issue voluntary permits certifying emission reduction credits for mobile and non-road sources, received neutral testimony from ADEQ and support from Maricopa County; the committee adopted the Griffin amendment and passed the bill 10-0 with a due pass recommendation. HB 2145, which expands who may request certain gasoline fuel reformulation actions and is contingent on EPA approval, also passed on a 5-4 vote after brief staff explanation and no amendment. The committee then considered HB 2331, a strike-everything amendment requiring electric utilities to ensure 85% of generating capacity serving retail load comes from “reliable resources” by 2030. Supporters, including the sponsor and Arizona Free Enterprise Club, argued it would protect affordability and grid reliability by favoring dispatchable power; opponents, including the Sierra Club and Rural Arizona Action, said it would effectively favor fossil fuels, raise costs, and limit cleaner resources. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill 6-4. HB 2795, which would bar counties from using zoning to block small modular reactors once federal permitting conditions are met, drew strong support from the sponsor and industry advocates who framed it as pro-property-rights and pro-nuclear, and opposition from county, city, and environmental groups who raised preemption, local control, safety, waste, and siting concerns; it passed 6-4. The committee also passed HB 2340, which allows the Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee to evaluate proposed generating facilities along with transmission lines, on a 5-4 vote. HB 2400, an emergency measure to suspend the motor vehicle fuel tax in Areas A and C during part of the year and replace the lost revenue through state highway funding, drew opposition from cities and counties over transportation funding impacts but support from the sponsor and some members focused on gas affordability; the Griffin amendment was adopted and the bill passed 6-4. Finally, HB 2401 was introduced as a requirement for ADEQ to conduct a biennial review of available fuel formulations and their air-quality impacts in Areas A and C, but the transcript ends before testimony or action on that bill is completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, the day illness, Mr.
• </c><00:22:16.880><c> Important</c> and Tierney. the day. Important and Tierney. the day.
• care.
• They have a primary-care-based wellness health care system.
• We have some kids showing up to school that haven't been to a doctor in years. care. care.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> by a couple other people and to this day by a couple other people and to this day they're<00:15:
• To<00:17:27.800><c> this</c><00:17:28.079><c> day</c> To this day To this day um um um you<00:17:30.800
• I lived with training every day.
• I lived with training every day. day. day.
• of it across the the take care take care of it across the the state. state. state.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• To this day, that action members.
• Second. effect 60 days after passage. So um we effect 60 days after passage.
• </c><01:31:26.800><c> Thank</c><01:31:26.960><c> you,</c> care of. Thank you, care of.
• It's those who care to show up.
• </c> problems and they are working seven days problems and they are working seven days a<03:08:59.920

Summary: The Finance Committee met on October 30 to act on a series of bills that had been considered during the budget process, with many being recommended for inexpedient to legislate because their funding or policy language had already been handled in House Bill 2. Early actions were largely unanimous. House Bill 54, allowing alternate treatment centers to operate for profit, was recommended ought to pass and was approved 25-0, then placed on the consent calendar because it carried no appropriation. House Bill 97, a wastewater and infrastructure appropriation, was recommended inexpedient to legislate because its funding had been replaced in HB 2; Representative Rum opposed the motion and argued the grant funding helps local taxpayers and housing development, but the committee adopted ITL 14-11, with a minority report to follow. House Bill 111, dealing with the right-to-know ombudsman, was also unanimously recommended ITL because the budget had already made related reforms. The committee then took up House Bill 164, and adopted Amendment 225-2979H, which appropriates $150,000 in FY 2027 to the Secretary of State’s Division of Archives and Records Management for a local government records manager position. The amended bill was then recommended ought to pass as amended and approved 25-0. House Bill 197, the Property Tax Relief Act, drew the most extended debate. Supporters said it would restore a state contribution to retirement costs for local employers and provide property tax relief, while opponents argued the earlier change was largely offset by employee contribution increases and other retirement-system adjustments. The committee ultimately adopted ITL 14-11, and a minority report was requested. The committee also acted on House Bill 215, a landfill-related bill. Members explained that most of its language had been included in HB 2 but was removed in conference, so the bill was retained and amended to apply more narrowly to new landfills. Amendment 2025-2970H was adopted unanimously, and the bill was then recommended ought to pass as amended by a 25-0 vote. House Bill 216, which would change retirement eligibility rules for certain workers injured on the job, was recommended inexpedient to legislate after its sponsor said the fiscal impact was too uncertain to support. Finally, House Bill 219 received Amendment 2025-2988H to change its effective date to July 1, 2027, and discussion began on the bill’s broader purpose of returning about $5.7 million annually from RPS funds to ratepayers.

Transcript Highlights:

• how many days folks have spent outside.
• care about the<00:23:58.799><c> numbers.
• </c> responsibility for things like tree care responsibility for things like tree care and<00:48:04.960
• At the end of the day, it's about fairness.
• Uh 3% of the day, it's about fairness.

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:47:32.800><c> across</c><00:47:33.319><c> the</c> day across the day across the state<00:47:35.319
• </c> applying a mandatory minimum 30-day applying a mandatory minimum 30-day imprisonment<00:49:47.160
• </c><01:12:52.719><c> of</c> predatory offender within 30 days of predatory offender within 30 days of
• </c> is just um we want to be really careful is just um we want to be really careful about<01:23:26.320
• </c> this we have to be extremely careful this we have to be extremely careful that<01:45:27.920><c>

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, one day it was Maese who found it.
• The Las Vegas land grant in 1835 was my great-great-grandpa, and one day it was Maese.
• One day, my ancestor was 58 years old when Kearney came in.
• And one day it was my essay, you're an heir. You're part of the heir group.
• In our land grant, all I care about is if you're a Las Vegan, care about Las Vegas, and want to be there

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The Chair lays out SB462 by Senator Co-host relating to establishing a child care service waiting list
• priority for the children of certain... ...child care workers.
• In the 1990s, we had 50% of the domestic market, and now, present day, we have 4%.
• The chair calls Aaron Day.
• And it's getting worse by the day because of the AI.

Bills: HB1958 , HB2031 , HB2879 , HB3285 , HB3995 , HB4487 , HB4558 , HB4560 , HB4876 , HB4899 , HB5212 , HB5317 , HB5543 , HB5567 , SB1333

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: firearm possession, tenant rights, landlord regulations, civil penalties, property code, justified use of force, deadly force, property rights, home defense, smart devices, data privacy, personal data collection, user consent, mobile application, data transparency, HOA, property owners association, property owners' association, Texas Property Code, Chapter 202

Transcript Highlights:

• But the timing will be really key on this, and it's really day-to-day as we look at this.
• And so, uh, this is kind of a day-to-day piece. This is kind of a day-to-day, you know, piece.
• </c> and so uh this is kind of a day-to-day and so uh this is kind of a day-to-day you<00:35:06.160><
• Um, I really feel for you to have one day this and one day that.
• Growers Day on the Hill.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• money, CARE Act money towards that since going on.
• So a variety of reasons... ...the oyster farmers have to close down for 21 days.
• At Bemis, we care deeply about supporting both local communities and the environment.
• I'm Patrick care... I'm Patrick Aaron.
• More relevant to my testimony, for the past 26 years to the day... ...for the past 26 years to the day

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Summary: The committee hearing covered several bills related to environmental, natural resources, and maritime issues. Representative Markey testified in support of H. 1000, which would create a commission to study financing wastewater infrastructure, especially in southeastern Massachusetts and the South Shore, citing combined sewer overflows and impacts on aquaculture. Members agreed the core challenge is finding long-term financing for wastewater solutions. The committee also heard testimony on H. 902 to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation, with supporters describing its role in expanding access, supporting underrepresented communities, and helping grow the outdoor economy. Related testimony also supported H. 986, which would codify the Division of Ecological Restoration and the Office of Fishing and Boating Access within the Department of Fish and Game, with witnesses emphasizing habitat restoration, flood reduction, public access, and boating/fishing opportunities. A major portion of the hearing focused on H. 901/S. 597, “An Act Providing Nature for All,” which would dedicate existing sporting goods sales tax revenue to a new conservation fund. Supporters from Mass Audubon, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Appalachian Mountain Club, Trust for Public Land, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, and conservation groups argued the bill would provide a sustainable revenue stream for land conservation, parks, trails, wetlands, water protection, and climate resilience, while also advancing environmental justice and outdoor recreation. They said the state needs roughly $300 million more per year to meet land conservation goals and that the bill could generate about $100 million annually without raising taxes. Committee members asked about balancing conservation with housing and development, and witnesses said the goals are compatible and that the bill includes safeguards. Witnesses also noted similar funding models in other states. The hearing also included H. 1053, a bill to create a Merrimack River Collaborative. Regional planning and watershed advocates said the river faces bacterial contamination, heavy metals, combined sewer overflows, and other pollution, and that a formal collaborative would help coordinate municipalities, state agencies, and nonprofits across the watershed and possibly across state lines. Another bill, H. 4109, would relocate harbor lines in New Bedford Harbor to allow reconstruction of deteriorating bulkheads at a waterfront industrial site; the New Bedford Port Authority, engineers, and the property owner said the change is needed for permitting and would support port modernization and jobs. Finally, the committee heard extensive testimony on S. 641 regarding marine pilotage in New Bedford. Supporters argued the bill would remove a District 3 pilotage restriction and improve port flexibility and offshore wind operations, while opponents warned it would undermine the state’s compulsory pilotage system, weaken safety, and allow ship owners to shop for pilots. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as I say to everyone on our campus, I don't care about recruiting freshmen.
• I care about recruiting future graduates. And we don't measure inputs any longer.
• There's a dining facility included in it that will be open 24 hours a day, not necessarily with dining
• open</c><00:21:22.799><c> 24</c><00:21:23.280><c> hours</c><00:21:23.520><c> a</c><00:21:23.679><c> day
• be open 24 hours a day, not necessarily with<00:21:24.960><c> dining</c><00:21:25.280><c> available,

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met without a quorum, so no minutes were approved. The committee then heard a presentation from Western Kentucky University President Timothy Kabone, who highlighted WKU’s recent gains in graduation rate, retention, degree production, graduate enrollment, research activity, and financial stability. He said WKU’s FY 2026 budget is structurally balanced without one-time reserves, and he tied the university’s growth to its strategic plan and to Senate Bill 77, which created a pathway for WKU’s first PhD program. WKU’s initial PhD offering is planned in data sciences for fall 2027, and Kabone said the university continues to pursue R2 research status. Kabone also outlined WKU’s budget requests, including a 4.5% base appropriation increase for each year of the biennium, a $30 million increase in the performance funding pool, a $30 million trust fund for tuition waiver reimbursement, and $2 million per year for the Gatton Academy. He also requested continued funding for the Kentucky Mesonet, 8.9% of proposed asset preservation funding, and support for a $280 million new Potter College facility. He emphasized inflationary pressures, rising fixed costs, and the burden of mandated tuition waivers, and said the university supports performance funding but wants the model adjusted to better reward student success rather than enrollment growth. Members asked about WKU’s student housing situation and the transition away from the former student life foundation model. Kabone said the foundation structure had run its course, that the university had lacked adequate oversight under the old arrangement, and that WKU is moving to a public-private partnership with Gilbane and the College Housing Foundation. He said the new model would not increase the university’s debt load and would replace older residence halls with a roughly 1,000-bed complex, eliminate community-style bathrooms over time, and expand living-learning communities. Representatives McCool and Tipton praised WKU’s graduation and retention results and asked questions about the housing project and its timeline. The committee then heard from CareerVXR and KCTCS about a proposed career exploration pilot. Company representatives said the platform uses web-based and virtual reality experiences to show students real jobs and workplaces, with the goal of addressing an “awareness gap” in workforce participation. They proposed a $1.8 million, two-year pilot to reach 50,000 to 60,000 students in three regions, including Hazard Community and Technical College, Southeast Community and Technical College, and western Kentucky. Members asked about cost, funding source, and locations, and were told the request would come through the KCTCS budget. The meeting ended with notice that the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, February 26.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for the work you do, all of you, day in and day out. Thank you. Thank you.
• Sadly, every day, though, we're seeing farms in Washington close every single day.
• And so every day that we don't act, every day that we wait, if we don't do it this session, it's another
• 365 days.
• What does health care services?

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several local government bills, with most of the discussion focused on HB 2480, which would require cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act to allow residential uses in commercial and mixed-use zones and limit local requirements for ground-floor retail or mixed-use conditions. The bill sponsor and supporters, including the Lieutenant Governor, Governor’s Office, Commerce, builders, business groups, and housing advocates, argued it would unlock underused commercial land, reduce housing costs, and help address Washington’s housing shortage. Opponents and some cities said the bill could undermine local planning, walkable mixed-use centers, tax base, and neighborhood retail, and asked for more exemptions or narrower application. Several speakers supported the proposed substitute as a compromise, while others urged not to weaken the bill further. No vote was taken. The committee also heard HB 2223, which would create an exception to the conflict-of-interest rules for irrigation district directors whose spouses work for a district contract, modeled on an existing exception for public hospital district commissioners. The sponsor and the Washington State Water Resources Association said the change would help irrigation districts recruit and retain volunteer board members in rural areas while preserving disclosure and recusal requirements. The hearing was brief and no action was taken. HB 2530 would extend the deadline for forming a public facilities district for regional aquatics and sports facilities from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2028. Supporters from Olympia and Tumwater said the extension would give local governments more time to collaborate and pursue an aquatic center that has long been a community priority; one testifier said removing the deadline entirely would also be acceptable. The committee then heard HB 2459, which would expand authority to site certain schools outside urban growth areas and extend utilities to serve them. Supporters, especially representatives of the Tahoma School District and related groups, said the bill would let districts use land they already own to relieve overcrowding. Opponents, including Futurewise, argued it would weaken Growth Management Act planning and local multicounty policies and should remain a local process. Finally, HB 2129 on agritourism was briefly heard, with the sponsor describing it as a way to help farms stay viable and preserve rural character; the committee heard supportive comments about farm preservation and openness to a work group or amendments. No votes or final actions were taken on these bills during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• day.
• What is the cost of a one-day civic engagement day?
• , how they want this day to unfold.
• , how they want this day to unfold.
• Is it, ‘I just don’t care,’ right?

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly Education Committee hearing featured opening remarks from legislators welcoming students from the California Association of Student Councils and SABLE, with members emphasizing student voice and noting that several past student proposals had become law. The hearing then moved through multiple student panels presenting policy ideas, with members responding in a mix of support, technical questions, and cautions about cost, implementation, and tradeoffs in instructional time. The first panel proposed an annual civic engagement day for grades 7-12 to increase civic literacy and participation through flexible school-based activities. Members asked about costs, flexibility for sixth grade, voter registration, and how the proposal would fit within existing curriculum and standards. The second panel proposed amending Education Code Section 35012 to require at least one student board member in every unified and high school district, with added motioning rights and training on budgeting and LCAPs; members raised concerns about mandate costs, board size, and the scope of motioning authority. The third panel proposed middle school financial literacy instruction, potentially embedded in existing classes like math, with a 10-year phase-in for teacher training and curriculum updates; members questioned whether the state should wait for the already-approved high school financial literacy course to be implemented first. The fourth panel proposed expanding restorative justice by creating a CDE task force and authorizing PPS-certified staff to use restorative justice materials in discipline processes; members discussed prior legislation, confidentiality in expulsion hearings, and the likely cost of a state task force. The fifth panel proposed short, twice-a-semester mental health and life-skills sessions for grades 7-12, but members expressed skepticism that brief classroom sessions could meaningfully address mental health needs and suggested wellness centers or student-led awareness efforts instead. The hearing then began panel six on AI implementation in classrooms, with students arguing that districts need clearer guidance on AI use and that education must adapt rather than ignore the technology.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's $500 a day, every day. Is that accurate? It's $500 a day.
• Am I subject to $500 a day? $500 a day?
• I misspoke. 210 days. How many months is that? 210 days? I misspoke. 210 days.
• Right now, it is 60 days. The reason 210 days was selected is because the last day to file a...
• Yes, that's 60 days from primary, 210 days from the general. Okay.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:00:38.920><c> youth</c> services such as child care youth services such as child care youth programs
• day.
• day.
• </c> organize the first medical cannabis day organize the first medical cannabis day at<01:16:17.480>
• </c><01:26:18.600><c> that</c> uh get in can get the extra care that uh get in can get the extra care

Transcript Highlights:

• , fully restored in four days.
• were fully restored in six days.
• Almost 98% of our customers were restored after the second day, and as I mentioned before, four days
• full day of restoration.
• So we'll have our logistics team one day, we'll have our base camp team one day, operations one day,

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Summary: The committee met to hear invited presentations on storm recovery and storm protection from the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric, Chesapeake Utilities, and the Office of Public Counsel. The PSC reviewed the history of storm restoration financing and utility hardening efforts after major storms such as Hurricane Andrew, the 2004-05 hurricane seasons, Irma, and Michael, explaining storm reserve funds, storm recovery bonds, and the current three-year storm protection plan process. The commission’s role in approving plans and later reviewing prudence of actual costs was emphasized, along with the types of work included in the plans such as vegetation management, pole replacement, undergrounding, feeder hardening, and substation flood protection. The utilities described their own storm-hardening investments and recent storm performance. FPL said it has spent about $4.9 billion on storm protection and recovery-related efforts, highlighted improved restoration times during Helene and Milton, and said it is expanding undergrounding, feeder hardening, and smart-grid technology. Duke Energy reported more than 40,000 hardened poles and structures since 2021, major gains from self-healing grid technology, and faster restoration during recent storms. Tampa Electric described a roughly $200 million annual storm protection effort, including vegetation management, undergrounding, substation hardening, and new storm surge protections, and Chesapeake Utilities discussed its smaller-scale hardening program, vegetation work, pole replacement, and rapid restoration after Helene in Nassau County. Committee members asked about how utilities prioritize neighborhoods for lateral hardening, whether maps of planned projects could be shared, how much each utility has spent on undergrounding and hardening, and how reliability comparisons are normalized against the national average. Public Counsel Walt Trierweiler argued that storm recovery and hardening costs fall too heavily on investor-owned utility customers, said the current framework lacks a meaningful cost-benefit or prudence check at the planning stage, and urged broader sharing of storm costs because the benefits extend to the whole state. Senators also discussed whether the commission can review the reasonableness of approved programs and whether future reports or recommendations from Public Counsel would be helpful. No votes or formal actions were taken.