Transcript Highlights:

• Commission would balance the financial benefits and risks to the utility associated with weather, disaster
• I would say risk has been mitigated.
• And I think the process is trying to mitigate those risks.
• That these companies experience, and I think the process is trying to mitigate those risks and recognize
• Increase certainty and mitigate risk?

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries met with a quorum and took up four bills. SB 288 on rural electric cooperatives was presented as a negotiated glitch bill to narrow statutory language so co-ops can choose generation and power purchases based on cost and reliability without exposure to special-interest litigation, while preserving consumer protections. A representative from the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association waived in support, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered SB 364 on public accountancy, which was described as a modernization and efficiency measure to expand CPA licensure pathways without lowering standards. An amendment correcting a drafting error and restoring automatic mobility language was adopted without objection. Jason Harrell of FICPA waived in support, while one speaker appeared to discuss a utility issue unrelated to the bill. CS for SB 364 was reported favorably. Chair Bradley’s SB 200 on utilities addressed utility-scale solar decommissioning and storm protection plans. The bill would authorize counties to adopt solar decommissioning ordinances, direct DEP to develop best practices, and require the PSC to consider whether storm protection plan benefits exceed costs. County and AARP representatives waived in support, and the Small County Coalition spoke favorably, saying the bill was a needed step that did not restrict solar development. SB 200 was considered favorably. The committee also heard SB 126 on the Florida Public Service Commission, a strike-all bill focused on PSC reform and utility affordability. The amendment would add CPA and financial analyst expertise, require stronger PSC order support, tighten intervention standards, set return-on-equity and review criteria, require consideration of executive compensation and affordability, and direct the PSC to weigh risk from storm and cost-recovery mechanisms. PSC staff answered extensive questions about utility hardening, storm recovery, and rate-setting. Supporters said the bill would improve accountability and affordability, while others urged stronger enforceable affordability standards and restoration of the return-on-equity cap. Despite concerns, the bill was reported favorably as CS for SB 126.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair: Natural Resource and Disaster Subcommittee come to order.
• Representative Gonzalez Pittman, you noted that this bill, these changes, and this additional method for mitigating
• Chair: We have Chris Lines of Florida Association of Mitigation waiving in support.

Transcript Highlights:

• million annually and 20 positions for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to support large-scale disaster
• 51:33.520><c> support</c><00:51:34.240><c> large</c><00:51:34.599><c> scale</c><00:51:35.000><c> Disaster
• </c> agency to support large scale Disaster agency to support large scale Disaster Response<00:51:36.040
• It includes $15 million in 2026 for statewide fire mitigation, identifying alternative routes to be activated
• Natural resources statewide, including watershed protection, rockfall mitigation, and health of drinking

Transcript Highlights:

• Medical disaster, 59,827,612.
• </c> CRS money in the medical disaster CRS money in the medical disaster insurance<03:13:49.359><c> fund
• Wildfire mitigation capacity fund.
• </c><04:32:44.159><c> capacity</c> fund a 7 wildfire mitigation capacity fund a 7 wildfire mitigation
• . 2.0 0 FTE 3 orphan well mitigation 2.0 0 FTE 3 orphan well mitigation 49,500,9500 49,500,9500 49,500,9500

Transcript Highlights:

• extreme heat and return to hot houses because they lack air conditioning or other mechanisms to mitigate
• It will also make projects more feasible and resilient to climate disasters.
• It will also make projects more feasible and resilient to climate disasters.
• naturally, just because of the incentive that you have as it relates to TOT, but also wanting to mitigate
• And we'll use something like this to then put improper mitigation impacts on the housing that stops the

Committee: House Housing and Community Development

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard several housing-related bills, with most of the discussion centered on SB 655, which would establish a state policy that residential units should be able to maintain a safe maximum indoor temperature. The author and supporters argued the bill responds to deadly extreme heat, especially in older and lower-income homes, while members raised concerns about grid impacts, regional differences, and the lack of a specific temperature threshold. The committee ultimately approved SB 655 on a vote of 8-0, and the consent calendar bills SB 484, SB 489, SB 686, and SB 724 also passed unanimously. The committee also heard SB 634, which would prohibit state and local governments from banning or penalizing organizations that provide basic survival services to unhoused people. Supporters described cases where service providers faced fines, arrests, or prosecution for offering food, water, blankets, or other aid, and argued criminalization worsens homelessness. Opponents from several cities and counties said local governments need flexibility to manage public spaces and homelessness responses. The bill passed 8-2. SB 772, which would revise the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program to better support walkable, climate-resilient infill housing, was presented as a way to expand infrastructure funding for housing and mixed-use development. Supporters said it would help make more housing feasible and add resilience features such as stormwater parks, levees, and wetland restoration. The committee approved the bill 8-2. Later, SB 838, which would exclude transient lodging from housing streamlining laws under the Housing Accountability Act, drew support from housing and labor advocates who said the laws should be used for homes, not hotels, and opposition from realtors and builders who warned it could limit mixed-use financing and local development options. The committee passed SB 838 8-2 and adjourned after taking up remaining votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was a disaster, and the Bechtel organization and their affiliate partners walked in here, and it must
• The disaster was almost predictable.
• specific risks, including personal relationships with proposers, financial interests, and how to mitigate
• And this could have been a disaster, a 35-year lease, as you said, Mr.
• So I think that, you know... ...mitigating measures. So I think that to some degree we can do that.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight

Summary: The committee met to review MassDOT’s failed service plaza procurement and the Inspector General’s findings. Chair Montigny opened with a broad critique of procurement culture, conflict-of-interest risks, and the need for stronger oversight, saying the committee’s role is bipartisan and investigative and that subpoenas would be used if necessary. Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro then summarized his investigatory letter, saying MassDOT had created procedures that could have supported a fair process but did not follow them. He identified eight major problems, including inadequate conflict-of-interest disclosures, undisclosed relationships and communications with Applegreen and Suffolk Construction, violations of contact rules, inconsistent weighting of evaluation subfactors, weak documentation of scoring, unclear information-sharing with subject matter experts, live roll-call scoring that increased perceived bias, and insufficient board/committee review before approval. He recommended clearer disclosure forms, stronger training, better documentation, sealed scoring, clearer rules for internal communications, and more public board involvement. Committee members pressed the Inspector General on whether the conduct violated law, how to define and police “appearance” of conflicts, whether employees should be held accountable, and whether prior evaluators should be excluded from the new process. Shapiro said his report did not conclude that laws were violated, but that the process was seriously flawed and that accountability should be handled within agencies. He also said he would provide additional written recommendations on broader procurement standards and noted that some oversight functions may need clearer definitions and better recordkeeping across agencies and quasi-public entities. The chair and members emphasized that the problems appeared systemic rather than limited to one administration or one contract. MassDOT Interim Secretary Phil Ting and Undersecretary Jonathan Gulliver then described the new procurement approach. They said the prior process had been a failure, but that the new effort is a complete reset with no one from the prior evaluation participating. MassDOT plans to split the plazas into three geographic packages, use a design-build/public-private partnership framework, and create a P3 Commission with appointments from the governor, legislative leaders, and treasurer, plus review by the Inspector General and Attorney General. They said the new scoring will be more objective, with financial scoring set at 60% and based on a guaranteed maximum price and other mathematical measures rather than projected revenues, and that technical and financial evaluations will be separated in a double-blind process. Members signaled cautious support for the changes but continued to question whether the new structure and oversight will be enough to prevent a repeat of the earlier procurement failures.

Transcript Highlights:

• preparedness, ecosystem restoration, and policies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions to limit further
• climate change and then also relates to climate change and then also emergency<00:42:04.760><c> disaster
• </c><00:42:05.400><c> preparedness</c> emergency disaster preparedness emergency disaster preparedness
• 42:08.040><c> to</c> ecosystem restoration and policies to ecosystem restoration and policies to mitigate
• greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions to limit<00:42:10.440><c> further</c><

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 1232, which would create a three-year wastewater technology testing pilot program at the University of Hawaiʻi Water Resources Research Center and coordinate testing with state and county agencies. The Department of Health, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and University of Hawaiʻi representatives supported the bill, saying it would help certify new wastewater technologies, lower costs for cesspool conversions, and provide data to the Department of Health. Testifiers said the prior testing effort ended after the departure of Dr. Roger Babcock, and that the new program would use National Sanitation Foundation standards, graduate students, and local wastewater facilities such as Wahiawa. Committee members asked about the $750,000 total cost, the scope of existing research, prior test sites, and whether the program would be tied to individuals or a permanent program. One member raised concerns about the fairness and data basis for sewer conversion decisions in local communities, and the University said it would follow national standards and share results openly. The committee then took up Senate Bill 686, relating to a short-term management initiative for coconut rhinoceros beetle response and related appropriations. The Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaiʻi testified in support, while a county representative and other advocates urged broader statewide coverage, including Kauaʻi, and asked that appropriated funds be usable on any island. Testimony emphasized the need for immediate action, outreach, tree-trimmer training, canopy treatments, K-9 inspections, container fumigation, and biocontrol research. A member summarized the bill’s funding components, including amounts for training, residential palm treatments, response teams, inspections, fumigation, and research, and noted the importance of directing money toward on-the-ground response. Committee questions focused on how much funding remained available, how the agencies would coordinate with DOA, whether the department was prepared to manage all the bill’s functions, and how infestations were being communicated to the public. Finally, the committee began hearing Senate Bill 657, which would appropriate funds for the University of Hawaiʻi School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology’s Center for Climate Resilient Development. The Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in strong support, and the Department of Health also supported the measure, noting that it relies on the center’s data to inform decisions and recommendations on projects. The discussion on this item was brief in the portion provided, with no vote or final action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• And is there a reason why the wetlands mitigation is not limited to the same county that the property
• under the requirement for the UMAM score in order to get the offsetting environmental wetlands or mitigation
• And mitigation doesn't help because that's somewhere else.
• And let me tell you, the beaches of Walton County right now since 2018 have become a disaster.
• So please, please, I'm in support, and please support this bill going on because it's a disaster.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The committee first took up CS for Senate Bill 304, which would address child protective investigations involving children with certain pre-existing genetic or medical conditions. Senator Sharif said the bill is intended to prevent children from being wrongly removed from their families when symptoms of conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, rickets, or vitamin deficiencies are mistaken for abuse. Several parents and advocates testified in support, describing long dependency cases and removals they said were caused by misdiagnosis. The committee adopted a substitute amendment that removed language requiring certain medical personnel to provide differential-diagnosis analysis, and the bill then passed favorably with unanimous support. The committee then heard SB 1430 on post-judgment execution proceedings relating to terrorism, sponsored by Senator Collins, who described the long effort by U.S. victims of the FARC to enforce a federal judgment and recover assets. The bill would clarify procedures for terrorism-related judgments, modernize intangible asset law, and help prevent terrorists from hiding assets or blocking wire transfers. After one supportive appearance form and no debate, the bill passed favorably. The committee also approved SB 96, a local claims bill for Jacob Rogers, and SB 382, an affordable housing rent bill that was amended to define base rent and apply to certain shorter-term rental agreements entered after July 1, 2026; SB 382 drew support from housing advocates and some opposition, but passed unanimously. Several claims bills were also approved: SB 4 for Patricia Armini, SB 6 for Jose Correa, SB 28 for Darlene Engerville and J.R., SB 30 for the estate of M.N., and SB 24 for Mandy Penny Lemon, each involving injuries or damages caused by local government or hospital district negligence and each reported favorably after brief testimony and roll calls. The committee also passed SB 658 on waiver or release of liens after discussion about form language and enforceability. SB 72, which would allow campaign funds to pay certain child care expenses incurred while a candidate is actively campaigning, prompted questions about definitions and safeguards; the sponsor said the bill would require the expense to exist only because of campaign activity, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee approved SB 1142 on release of conservation easements, which would create a statewide process for releasing certain small, low-value parcels from conservation easements if mitigation credits are secured elsewhere. The bill drew support from the sponsor and a property representative, but environmental advocates and President Passidomo raised concerns about flood control, wildlife corridors, and whether the bill was too property-specific; the sponsor said he would continue working on the language. The committee also heard extensive testimony on SB 1622, which would repeal the 2018 customary use law and restore local authority over public beach access. Supporters argued the current law has privatized beaches, hurt tourism, and led to harassment and conflict, while opponents defended private property rights and warned against taking away owners’ ability to exclude others. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 1622, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• though we’re not in a position to fully backfill those federal cuts, we have done a lot of work to mitigate
• for child care centers and family child care homes for infrastructure funding related to natural disasters
• It establishes the disaster rebuilding fund, which is aimed at supporting residential rebuilding in disaster-impacted
• We appreciate that the budget includes progressive revenue solutions, which delay and mitigate some of
• We look forward to engaging with you all on the continued work ahead to mitigate the coverage losses

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the final three-party agreement for the 2026-27 state budget and 19 implementing bills, including two budget bill juniors and 17 trailer bills. Committee leadership and administration officials described the budget as a balanced plan that reduces out-year structural deficits, maintains large reserves, and makes major investments in health care, education, housing, child care, public safety, and other core services while also responding to expected federal cuts and fiscal uncertainty. The Department of Finance outlined the package’s major components, including Medi-Cal adjustments, education funding increases, higher education changes, child care and human services updates, housing and homelessness funding, energy and transportation provisions, and tax and general government changes. Members asked questions about several provisions, including CSU enrollment targets and turnaround plans, the Prop. 98 settle-up mechanism, the plastics market development payment program, housing accountability measures, NextGen 9-1-1 implementation, and veteran services. Staff and administration witnesses explained that the higher education language is intended to improve campus-by-campus reporting and oversight, that Prop. 98 settle-up would be finalized later through the statutory certification process, and that NextGen 9-1-1 now includes one-time funding, quarterly reporting, an independent technical review, and a state audit. Members also discussed the HAP homelessness funding increase to $900 million and the balance between accountability and timely distribution of funds. The most extended exchange centered on comparisons between funding for veterans and Medi-Cal/immigrant health coverage. Republican members argued the budget spends far more on undocumented immigrant services than on veterans, while Democratic members and Finance staff responded that the comparison was misleading because many veterans’ services are federally funded and the state budget also includes dedicated veteran support. The chair and other members emphasized that the budget reflects difficult tradeoffs and that the package protects vulnerable populations, preserves health care access, and advances affordability. No final vote was described in the excerpt, but members indicated support for the overall package and said they would support it on the floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Consumers, with the goal of providing economic recovery to the consumer and mitigating the time
• my understanding is that we do our best to get everybody to work quickly, especially following a disaster
• I think there are certainly other times, particularly following a natural disaster.
• But I’ve, you know, sat through a hurricane tie-down wind mitigation for Miami classes that have nothing
• portion that in my legislation has to do with the contracts during state of emergencies or natural disasters

Summary: The subcommittee heard and approved four bills focused on reducing or modernizing professional regulation. HB 6015, by Rep. Oliver, repeals the word “reusable” from the wine keg statute to allow businesses more flexibility in container materials; members joked about the possibility of a Home Depot bucket, and the bill passed 16-0. HB 339, by Rep. Abbott, creates an alternative temporary licensure pathway for surveyors and mappers based on employer recommendation and exam passage, but members raised concerns about qualifications, liability, and oversight; Abbott said he was open to amendments, and the bill passed 14-1 with Rep. Overdorf dissenting. HB 139, by Rep. Lopez, allows pawnbrokers to use digital transaction forms instead of only printed forms; a technical amendment added readability and placement requirements for digital forms, and the bill passed unanimously. HB 195, by Rep. Chambliss, lets the Department of Corrections coordinate with DBPR boards so inmates who complete licensure-related classes can receive credit toward professional licensure; supporters framed it as a second-chance and workforce bill, an amendment clarified that DBPR handles professions without boards, and the bill passed favorably 15-0. The committee then received a presentation from DBPR Secretary Melanie Griffin on the department’s role overseeing more than 1.7 million businesses and professionals across over 30 fields. She highlighted enforcement and complaint data, including more than 24,000 inspections and complaints handled in the last fiscal year, a preference for education and voluntary compliance over formal discipline, and the department’s alternative dispute resolution program, which returned $2.7 million to consumers and saved $270,000 in costs. Griffin also reviewed recent deregulatory and efficiency efforts, including endorsement/reciprocity reforms, fee waivers, reduced processing times, and shorter call wait times, and said DBPR is continuing to look for ways to cut red tape while protecting public safety. Members questioned Griffin about permitting, continuing education, complaint processing, board vacancies, fraud in cosmetology and construction, coordination with other agencies, and whether schools can block students from taking state exams over unpaid tuition. DBPR staff said complaints are generally processed within 60 days, schools cannot bar graduates from taking the exam because of tuition debt, and the department works with other agencies when issues cross jurisdictional lines. The panel discussion that followed featured industry representatives from landscape architecture, building/code administration, pools, roofing, construction, HVAC/electrical, and hospitality, who generally supported reducing local permitting burdens, standardizing requirements, improving reciprocity and training pathways, and using technology and clearer scopes of work to make licensure and inspections more efficient.

Transcript Highlights:

• It provides that priority must be given to mitigation banks whose permitted service area fully includes
• banks for an accounting of available credits only after the amount of mitigation required for a project
• They provide natural flood mitigation, which is cheaper than engineered stormwater projects, keeping
• Regarding the credit release schedule, I have concerns with allowing mitigation banks to sell up to 60%
• The bill also allows for out-of-kind mitigation.

Bills: HB24 , HB45 , HB15 , HB35 , HB38 , HB47 , HB318 , HB349 , HB554 , HB1359 , HB1373 , HB1647 , HB2254 , HB2259 , HB2853 , HB3073 , HB3088 , HB353 , HB355 , HB786 , HB762 , HB705 , HB932 , HB849 , HB 1160 , HB 1119 , HB1612 , HB3041 , HB713 , HB3104 , HB3970 , HB3962 , HB5061 , HB4042 , HB4115 , HB4490 , HB1731 , HB1705 , HB2607 , HB3556 , HB138 , HB3689 , HB1788 , HB1887 , HB1914 , HB2402 , HB2306 , HB1809 , HB2350 , HB3000 , HB3237 , HB3326 , HB3211 , HB 1056 , HB2081 , HB2187 , HB3092 , HB3308 , HB3526 , HB3750 , HB3527 , HB4219 , HB4230 , HB4290 , HB5238 , HB4804 , HB4749 , HCR6 , HCR12 , HCR34 , HCR50 , HCR55 , HCR58 , HCR70 , HCR71 , HCR72 , HCR74 , HCR75 , HCR78 , HCR80 , HCR93 , HCR100 , HCR107 , HCR116 , HCR117 , HCR90 , SB1806 , SB783 , SB1271 , SB326 , SB1637 , SB769 , SB897 , SB1035 , SB1706 , SB1185 , SB1194 , SB384 , SB1426 , SB1468 , SB1215 , SB1066 , SB599 , SB1930 , SB2065 , SB767 , SB1619 , SB1738 , HB1500 , HB718 , HB23 , HB34 , HB 119 , HB 128 , HB 130 , HB132 , HB2756 , HB166 , HB406 , HB186 , HB331 , HB380 , HB1583 , HB1584 , HB621 , HB303 , HB552 , HB366 , HB463 , HB 1211 , HB1327 , HB1461 , HB923 , HB1760 , HB2467 , HB5333 , HB1592 , HB1576 , HB1552 , HB2018 , HB3511 , HB1781 , HB2013 , HB2340 , HB2508 , HB2970 , HB865 , HB2851 , HB3385 , HB3336 , HB3309 , HB 1127 , HB 1232 , HB1397 , HB4236 , HB4041 , HB1965 , HB2730 , HB3698 , HB3699 , HB163 , HB201 , HB272 , HB405 , HB519 , HB654 , HB694 , HB791 , HB 1136 , HB 1240 , HB 1266 , HB 1275 , HB1437 , HB1532 , HB1675 , HB1842 , HB1868 , HB1894 , HB1943 , HB1990 , HB2029 , HB2061 , HB2286 , HB2523 , HB2622 , HB2652 , HB2692 , HB2842 , HB2885 , HB3016 , HB3096 , HB3248 , HB3255 , HB3479 , HB3611 , HB3623 , HB3803 , HB3804 , HB3805 , HB3806 , HB3810 , HB3816 , HB4129 , HB4163 , HB4187 , HB4238 , HB4454 , HB4588 , HB4643 , HB4738 , HB4739 , HB4945 , HB5015 , HB5616 , HB1749 , HB1775 , HB 118 , HB1762 , HB2520 , HB24 , HB45 , HB15 , HB35 , HB38 , HB47 , HB318 , HB349 , HB554 , HB1359 , HB1373 , HB1647 , HB2254 , HB2259 , HB2853 , HB3073 , HB3088 , HB353 , HB355 , HB786 , HB762 , HB705 , HB932 , HB849 , HB 1160 , HB 1119 , HB1612 , HB3041 , HB713 , HB3104 , HB3970 , HB3962 , HB5061 , HB4042 , HB4115 , HB4490 , HB1731 , HB1705 , HB2607 , HB3556 , HB138 , HB3689 , HB1788 , HB1887 , HB1914 , HB2402 , HB2306 , HB1809 , HB2350 , HB3000 , HB3237 , HB3326 , HB3211 , HB 1056 , HB2081 , HB2187 , HB3092 , HB3308 , HB3526 , HB3750 , HB3527 , HB4219 , HB4230 , HB4290 , HB5238 , HB4804 , HB4749 , HCR6 , HCR12 , HCR34 , HCR50 , HCR55 , HCR58 , HCR70 , HCR71 , HCR72 , HCR74 , HCR75 , HCR78 , HCR80 , HCR93 , HCR100 , HCR107 , HCR116 , HCR117 , HCR90

Keywords: zoning, public notice, local government, residential development, protests, peer support, first responders, mental health, confidentiality, emergency services, information network, health services, client referral, data privacy, disaster preparedness, accreditation, community services, sexual assault, victim rights, forensic examination

Summary: The Florida House conducted legislative business including prayer, pledge, and voting on multiple bills. Key legislation included land development and wetlands mitigation (SB 492), renewable natural gas infrastructure investment (SB 1574), local government regulation (SB 1080), housing and accessory dwelling units (SB 184), recovery residences (SB 954), and various health, education, and criminal justice measures. The session also addressed returning messages from the Senate with amendments, transportation facility designations, and claims bills for wrongfully convicted individuals. Several bills passed unanimously while others faced structured debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, I anticipate the change from shall to may will entirely mitigate the fiscal note associated
• we can all create kinds of content where people look like people they're not with or, you know, disasters
• we can all create kinds of content where people look like people they're not with, or, you know, disasters

Committee: House Emerging Issues and Professional Registration

Summary: The committee met in executive session and first adopted a House committee substitute for House Bill 1611, then voted the bill do pass on a roll call vote. House Bill 2032 was also taken up in executive session; after adopting a substitute, members discussed concerns about liability, age verification, data retention, and the $100,000 per-case aggregate, and the committee voted the bill do pass by a 9-3 roll call. The committee then considered House Bills 3393 and 2392 together, adopted a committee substitute and a further amendment after a point of order challenge was rejected, and voted the combined substitute do pass by 12-1. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 1747, which would address AI-generated images, video, and audio by creating a cause of action for damages when realistic synthetic content causes harm, while also allowing optional labeling or watermarking to provide legal protection. The sponsor said he intended to change the labeling requirement from mandatory to permissive, partly due to First Amendment and cost concerns, and emphasized that the bill was aimed at photorealistic content that could be mistaken for reality. Members asked about standing, global enforcement, the definition of artificial intelligence, incidental sharing by users, and possible application to political content. Testifying in opposition, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it appreciated the sponsor’s willingness to work on the bill but argued that even a permissive watermarking approach would still create significant liability and uncertainty for businesses unless the cause of action was also narrowed or removed. The chamber also raised concerns about retroactive application and the burden of going back to watermark existing AI-generated content. After public testimony, the chair closed the hearing and adjourned the committee, noting there might be a quick hearing later in the week.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> provisions in a way that um mitigates provisions in a way that um mitigates impacts<01:02:49.680
• that um impact but we do to mitigate that um impact but we do anticipate<01:04:15.280><c> um</c><01:
• A person who lives in a county where there was an emergency or disaster declared by the president is
• </c> there was an emergency or disaster there was an emergency or disaster declared<01:08:09.039><c>
• And so this is a guiding principle for us to mitigate impacts to enrollees.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• But only if the owner offsets the loss by securing wetland mitigation credits to protect more valuable
• And is there a reason why the wetlands mitigation is not limited to the same county that the property
• And so and mitigation doesn't help because that's somewhere else.
• And let me tell you, the beaches of Walton County right now since 2018 have become a disaster.
• So please, please and support and please support this bill calling on because it's a disaster.

Transcript Highlights:

• With your help, we can prevent future disasters, protect our residents, and build a stronger and more
• Without valves to block water flow, the plant nearly avoided disaster.
• To mitigate immediate risk, the city installed concrete curbs, providing a buffer.
• </c> flow, the plant nearly avoided disaster. flow, the plant nearly avoided disaster.
• To me, to mitigate service for weeks.

Bills: HF604 , HF1972 , HF578 , HF1951 , HF629 , HF864 , HF874 , HF1155 , HF884 , HF2365 , HF643 , HF234 , HF2655 , HF2637 , HF2535 , HF2530 , HF2344 , HF584 , HF524

Committee: House Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:

• masking of confidential taxpayer information, and also faster restoration in the event there's a disaster
• So Franchise Tax Board's mainframe primary and disaster recovery servers have reached end of market.
• And the goal of looking at all these different factors is to try to mitigate that.
• So this mitigates a lot of the downside risk to the state of making these awards.
• There might be some middle ground if the Legislature wants to explore mitigating the effects of a large

Transcript Highlights:

• We've seen climate disasters devastate communities all around the globe, and California has and continues
• For example, a 2024 national report ranked California as the worst state for natural disasters fueled
• With expected annual losses, For natural disasters fueled by a changing climate, with expected annual
• It's an effective way to mitigate leakage risk.
• So we've got to balance those costs with the real benefits, the leakage mitigation benefits that free

Committee: House Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies

Summary: The Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policy heard an overview from CARB on proposed amendments to California’s Cap-and-Invest program, which was reauthorized through 2045 by AB 1207 and SB 840. CARB said the draft rules are intended to preserve affordability, market certainty, and progress toward the state’s 2030 and 2045 climate targets. The agency described the program’s main features, including the declining emissions cap, utility and industrial allowance allocations, offset changes, the allowance price containment reserve, and new reporting and oversight requirements. CARB also said the rulemaking is on a public comment timeline, with board consideration planned for late May and an effective date targeted for September 1, 2026. Committee members focused heavily on electricity affordability, the planned shift of free allowances from natural gas utilities to electric utilities, and whether the proposal would raise rates for investor-owned and publicly owned utilities. CARB said the proposal is meant to protect ratepayers from compliance costs and that the utility allocation is based on updated data showing utilities are greener than before, but members and utility representatives argued the transition should happen faster and that the current draft could reduce expected revenues and disrupt long-term planning. Members also pressed CARB on carbon capture and sequestration, asking that the regulations clearly recognize it as a compliance pathway, and on whether the SB 905 rulemaking for carbon capture should move forward on schedule. A second major topic was industrial allocations, especially for refiners and other sectors at risk of leakage. CARB said it is keeping all industries at high leakage risk through 2030, maintaining the current cap-adjustment approach, and leaving room for additional comments and data on whether refiners need more allowances to avoid economic leakage and preserve in-state refining. Members also questioned how imported gasoline is treated, and CARB explained that transportation fuel is regulated at the rack and through the low-carbon fuel standard, while cap-and-invest covers in-state tailpipe and smokestack emissions rather than full life-cycle emissions. CARB said it is open to using additional data, including SB 253 reporting, to improve fuel carbon-intensity estimates. The panel of outside experts largely agreed that the program must balance affordability, ambition, and leakage concerns, but they differed on how much allowance value should go to utilities, industry, and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Legislative Analyst’s Office emphasized that the Legislature should scrutinize CARB’s allocation choices now because they will be hard to change later. An IEMAC representative said the proposal appears to shift more allowance value to industry and utilities, which could reduce GGRF revenues, while EDF argued the cap could be tightened further in the near term without triggering price containment. SCAPA, representing publicly owned utilities, warned that the proposal would reduce utility allowances and could raise costs for ratepayers and undermine early decarbonization investments. No votes were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It puts mitigation obligations on the contractor.
• Fixing this problem now will help Texas avoid another disaster like Winter Storm Uri and avoid higher
• So again, as we mitigate these risks, we also have to consider that this device is not currently on the
• We are cautious about the things we attach to the grid because in mitigating one risk, we don't want
• going down for an extended period of time and the availability of fixes that could prevent this disaster

Bills: SB75 , SB715 , SB776 , SB1299 , SB1405 , SB1968 , SB2021 , SB2077 , SB2148 , SB2321 , SB2330 , SB2411

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• Um as we cyanobacteria mitigation fund.
• Um, and one of the areas of confusion is, for instance, a disaster.
• We would like for instance a disaster.
• </c> something to use our disaster rules. something to use our disaster rules.
• So, we recognize that disaster for them.

Committee: House Resources, Recreation and Development

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2015, the Refugio oil spill became one of California's most significant environmental disasters.
• efforts to mitigate the effects of this invasive species, and I've committed to be part of that process
• In addition, we have already implemented treatment and mitigation measures on our imported conveyance
• And so my district and our communities were not going to get money from a fund to be able to mitigate
• The other mussel was already... there was already a requirement to mitigate in order to import water.

Committee: Senate Natural Resources and Water