Transcript Highlights:

• It also changes the distance element from 300 feet.
• It also changes the distance element from 300 feet to 500 feet.
• I had to learn to pronounce it when I married my husband.
• It was interesting to learn and be exposed to different cultures. That's how you build tolerance.
• According to the Texas Supreme Court, after learning that a particular aircraft or painting sells for

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of retained bills and several new measures, with most receiving favorable reports after amendments. Major debate centered on CS/SB 706, which preempts airport naming to the state and designates Palm Beach International Airport as the Donald J. Trump International Airport subject to FAA and trademark-related conditions. Senator Jones offered amendments to avoid private royalty benefits, but both failed. Senators Berman, Osgood, Jones, and Pizzo spoke against the bill, raising concerns about naming an airport after a sitting president, lack of local input, and ethical issues; Senator Mayfield defended the bill as cost-free to the airport and noted the naming agreement. The committee ultimately voted the bill favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 546 on conservation land notice requirements and CS/SB 1014 on municipal utility service to properties outside city limits, both with amendments and some opposition from the Florida League of Cities on the utility bill. Several other bills were heard and reported favorably with little controversy. CS/SB 1500 would streamline uncontested probate proceedings; SB 962 would exclude farms and farm operations from certain zoning definitions tied to affordable housing preemption; CS/SB 820 would strengthen reporting for problem-solving courts; SB 840 would revise portions of last year’s hurricane-related land-use law to narrow its scope and sunset temporary restrictions; and SB 856 would require online property listings to show estimated ad valorem taxes, with an amendment excluding social media platforms and broadening liability protections. SB 110 would clarify homestead exemption eligibility for 98-year or longer residential leases. SB 394 would exempt certain underwriting managers handling limited facultative reinsurance from licensure requirements, and SB 434 would prevent wind-hardening improvements from increasing assessed value for residential property tax purposes. The committee also advanced several public-safety and transparency measures. CS/CS/SB 658 and 608, a combined water-safety bill, would require safety features for rental properties with pools or nearby water bodies and authorize DBPR enforcement; supporters framed it as a response to Florida’s high child-drowning rates, and Airbnb waived in support. SB 748 would place constitutional language on restoration of voting rights on sentencing score sheets, with broad support from voting-rights and civil-rights groups. CS/SB 824 would require annual reporting of unimproved school-district land inventories, and CS/SB 848 would create a framework for off-site stormwater treatment and related credits, with support from builders and mitigation bankers. The committee also heard CS/SB 1036 on school counselors, which clarifies certification requirements and performance criteria after a delete-all amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 936 defines the term artificial intelligence to mean a machine-based learning system that can, for
• This is one of the hallmark lessons learned since 9/11.
• Senator Rissan: Why was a 300-foot buffer chosen rather than a more moderate distance?
• And how was that distance determined to be necessary? Senator Martin: Thank you.
• I've now learned my directions, and I have my intern up in the West Gallery. No, it's West.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and heard several member introductions before taking up the special order calendar. The chamber first postponed CS/SB 80 on state land management, then moved through a series of bills, often substituting House companions when identical or nearly identical. Early actions included unanimous passage of HB 295 on a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan, which directs DEP to develop a recycling and waste-diversion roadmap, and passage of CS/CS/SB 492 on land development and mitigation banking after amendments addressing out-of-service credits and former phosphate mine lands; that bill passed 35-3 after debate over possible constitutional concerns. The Senate also passed HB 255 on aggravated animal cruelty, adding a sentencing multiplier and a searchable FDLE database of convicted animal abusers, and HB 711 establishing the Spectrum Alert for missing children with autism, with $190,000 in nonrecurring implementation funds and a July 1, 2026 implementation date. The chamber then approved HB 1089 to add Duchenne muscular dystrophy to newborn screening, and HB 393 revising the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to expand eligible mitigation projects, lower the approval threshold, and clarify ownership and reimbursement issues. Members discussed funding levels and whether insurance premium credits would be required, but the bill passed unanimously. The Senate also passed HB 1145 on workforce education, HB 827 on a statewide study of automation and workforce impact, and HB 181 on parole guidelines, all without recorded opposition. CS/CS/SB 976 on court-appointed psychologists also passed unanimously, as did HB 1451 on sexual cyber harassment, which broadened protections against non-consensual and digitally forged intimate images. Later, the Senate approved HB 1156 creating the Home Health Aid for Medically Fragile Children Program, after clarifying training requirements and hearing support that the measure would help families keep medically fragile children at home while compensating trained parents. The chamber also passed HB 1091 on substance abuse and mental health care, with an amendment allowing designated facilities to retain stabilized patients who still meet involuntary examination criteria. Throughout the day, senators used questions and debate to probe charter school governance in CS/CS/SB 822, which was substituted with HB 443 and amended to expand charter autonomy over conduct codes, enrollment, reporting, and facility use while maintaining sponsor oversight; that bill was placed on the calendar for third reading rather than voted on in the excerpt. Several other measures, including SB 716, SB 76, and the final SB 1252 item, were postponed or not reached before the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 936 defines the term artificial intelligence to mean a machine-based learning system that can, for
• This is one of the hallmark lessons learned since 9/11.
• Senator Rouson: Why was a 300-foot buffer chosen rather than a more moderate distance?
• And how was that distance determined to be necessary? Senator Martin: Thank you.
• I've now learned my directions, and I have my intern up in the West Gallery. No, it's West.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge, and heard several member introductions and recognitions. The Rules Chair moved CS/CS/SB 622 to the end of the special order calendar, which was adopted without objection. SB 80 on state land management was temporarily postponed, as were later bills SB 716 and CS/CS/CS/SB 1348. The chamber then took up a series of bills, often substituting House companions and adopting amendments before final passage. Measures approved included a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan (HB 295, 38-0), mitigation banking and land development changes with a phosphate mining lands amendment (CS/CS/SB 492, 35-3), aggravated animal cruelty with a searchable FDLE database and sentencing multiplier (HB 255, 37-0), the Spectrum Alert for missing children with autism and related training/funding (HB 711, 37-0), newborn screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (CS/CS/HB 1089, 36-0), and revisions to the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to expand eligible mitigation projects and adjust approval thresholds (CS/CS/HB 393, 37-0). The Senate also passed workforce education legislation allowing charter schools access to grant funding and expanding money-back guarantees (HB 1145, 37-0), a statewide study on automation and workforce impact (HB 827, 35-0), parole guideline revisions (HB 181, 37-0), court-appointed psychologist procedures in family law cases (HB 901, 37-0), sexual cyber harassment protections covering digitally forged intimate images (HB 1451, 37-0), a home health aide program for medically fragile children with training and reimbursement provisions (CS/CS/SB 1156, 37-0), substance abuse and mental health care changes including 988 oversight and involuntary examination procedures (HB 1091, 37-0), a feasibility study for a statewide pond data database (HB 1359, 37-0), and Department of Law Enforcement housekeeping changes and retired police dog reimbursements (HB 1053, 37-0). The most extensive debate centered on the charter schools bill (HB 443), which expanded charter autonomy, reporting parity, enrollment flexibility, and governance rules; after a delete-all amendment and a friendly amendment, it was placed on the third-reading calendar rather than immediately voted on. Several bills were briefly discussed with concerns about transparency, accountability, funding, and constitutional issues, but all bills brought to a vote during this segment passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• But think about the lesson learned there: we go heavy, and basically we're also going to shut down the
• Going back to what I'm learning about, you know, the revolution and doing this revolution idea, I mean
• And at 25 feet rules to the first responders and reasonable distance, ...to the first responders, and
• reasonable distance is to the emergency medical providers.
• But in just learning what these other cities are doing, you would think Washington, D.C., Boston, and

Keywords: 977, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program tweaks that we've made in this year's budget, they may seem
• I also want to highlight protecting funding for our public institutions of higher learning, the very
• Highlighting protecting funding for our public institutions of higher learning.
• Out of respect for those in line behind you who have traveled great distances to Sacramento, I would
• It's a safe place and a trusted space where children learn and feel safe.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the 2026 Budget Act, which leaders said was the negotiated compromise with the Senate and was expected to move to the floor that evening. Opening remarks emphasized that the plan balances the budget over two years, reduces the structural deficit, and builds reserves, while also protecting core services in the face of federal cuts. Jason Sisney outlined the legislative budget framework and the likely floor bills, including AB 109, SB 110, SB 122, and SB 125. Department of Finance representative Eric Khali said the administration appreciated the two-year balanced approach and supported the modification in SB 122, while noting the package uses additional revenues and new spending to soften or reject some proposed cuts. Most of the discussion focused on major spending areas. Members and subcommittee chairs highlighted protections and additions for health care and human services, including rejecting the proposed Medi-Cal asset limit change, delaying premium increases, restoring clinic and dental funding, supporting distressed hospitals and county indigent care, and expanding county eligibility staffing to handle H.R. 1-related workload. Education members described record or expanded support for TK-12 schools, child care, special education, community colleges, teacher recruitment, and higher education, including a change to extend Cal Grant eligibility to age 30 for some community college students. Housing and homelessness funding was increased for HAP, multifamily housing, and the low-income housing tax credit, while public safety members pointed to investments in victims’ services, restorative justice, and prison closure savings. Several members also raised concerns or priorities tied to the budget deal. Some praised the package as a moral document that protects vulnerable Californians, immigrant communities, LGBTQ residents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Others noted unresolved issues, including the MCO tax’s impact on districts, the need for more support for local journalism, arts, biotech R&D incentives, transit and GGRF-related concerns, and the need for continued work on Prop. 98 and long-term fiscal resilience. The vice chair cautioned that despite the current progress, the state remains vulnerable to revenue volatility and warned that the budget should build more resilience against a possible downturn. No formal vote was taken in the portion provided, but the committee was preparing the budget package for floor action and final negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• So through all this and through a bunch of volunteer work that I've done, I've learned a lot of, I've
• learned from everybody on the panel today.
• And building on that work, we're going to be showing structure separation distance, which is, as Nancy
• The best, safest communities have a 30-foot distance between homes.
• Well, good to learn from others.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Insurance held an informational hearing on how climate change, wildfire risk, and related catastrophes are affecting California’s insurance market, affordability, and availability. Chair and members framed the issue as a statewide challenge tied to resiliency, land use, utilities, legal liability, and the FAIR Plan. Senator Becker noted the hearing was connected to SB 254 and its recent report, while the Vice Chair emphasized that the state’s current regulatory framework limits flexibility and that industry testimony would also have been useful. Amy Bach of United Policyholders described worsening availability and affordability, driven by climate impacts, insurtech/risk scoring, inflation, and the growth of surplus lines coverage. She said the Sustainable Insurance Strategy is beginning to show progress, but the FAIR Plan remains too large and non-admitted carriers create concerns because they are less regulated and do not share FAIR Plan or guaranty fund obligations. She stressed that mitigation incentives, grants, and voluntary insurer rewards for wildfire-hardening are important, but that many households cannot afford the needed improvements. In response to questions, she said underinsurance remains a major problem, especially after recent fires, and suggested stronger insurer responsibility for replacement-cost estimates or broader replacement-cost endorsements. Actuary Nancy Watkins and Stanford’s Michael Wara argued that California must both reduce wildfire risk and allow actuarially sound pricing if it wants a healthier market. Watkins compared the market to a household with rising expenses and said the state needs a mitigation framework focused on the highest-risk communities, especially older neighborhoods and homes near the wildland-urban interface. Wara said premiums must roughly equal expected claims plus expenses, and that California is “burning down too many houses,” which drives both availability problems and higher rates. He highlighted the role of structure-to-structure spread, older housing stock, utility ignitions, and the need to focus on community hardening, not just vegetation management. Both speakers said mitigation should be targeted, science-based, and sustained rather than one-time or scattered. Frank Freebalt of Cal Poly and Michael Gullner of UC Berkeley continued the discussion on fire modeling and risk reduction. Freebalt said the problem is best understood as a structure ignition and urban conflagration problem, requiring integrated land-use, utility, and community mitigation, with evidence-based priorities and better analytics. He emphasized that the state should focus on the highest-risk intersections first and that targeted mitigation can multiply the effectiveness of suppression and evacuation resources. No votes or formal actions were taken; the hearing was informational and focused on testimony, questions, and policy discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• You'll not be shocked to learn that people are upset with their judges, and when they receive a decision
• Then, for actual learning, if you add in the judges that we had in attendance for training the judges
• I learned that as a lawyer in truth.
• So, and I know I have learned from dealing with our lawyer population.
• By virtue of the close distance we're not worried about that. We will house both together.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They misjudge the distance, you know, catastrophe.
• <00:59:25.240> to<00:59:25.559> operate can still learn to operate can still learn
• It's called a learning key or learning mode to limit the speed so they don't have full power as if I
• mode<01:07:30.200> to<01:07:30.440> limit a learning key or learning mode to limit
• a learning key or learning mode to limit the<01:07:30.920> speed<01:07:31.319> so<01:07

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed scheduling and notice for upcoming executive sessions on a larger slate of bills, including plans to take up eight bills in the morning and possibly the last three bills in the afternoon, with caucus time provided if needed. The chair emphasized advance notice, publication, and flexibility if more bills are added later. The hearing then opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and proceeded to HB 568, a bill allowing local planning boards to request water supply studies for subdivisions to ensure water adequacy as housing density increases. Representative Kat McGee, the prime sponsor, said HB 568 was developed after constituent concerns about private wells being affected by nearby development. She described the bill as narrowly tailored, non-mandatory, and intended to preserve local control while clarifying that planning boards may request studies under local regulations. She noted bipartisan support, an exclusion for community water systems and larger groundwater withdrawals regulated elsewhere, and said the bill would help prevent water shortages and related problems for new and existing homes. Questions from members focused on whether the bill should specify that it applies to subdivisions of four or more lots, since that language had been in an earlier version. Testimony on HB 568 was mixed. Bob Quinn of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors opposed the bill, arguing it lacked a definition of “water supply study,” could lead to expensive hydrology studies, and might raise housing costs; he suggested more work with DES or a study committee. DES administrator Brandon Kernin said the department had worked from a 2010 groundwater commission report, that such problems arise only intermittently in certain areas, and that the bill would make explicit local authority to adopt such ordinances. He also said DES data and homeowner surveys can help identify problem areas and that more robust wells could be considered in the long term. The committee noted 10 online submissions in favor and 3 opposed, plus blue-sheet testimony of 2 in favor and 1 neutral, and then closed the hearing on HB 568. The committee immediately opened HB 582, a bill on safety requirements for operation of personal watercraft. Representative Darby, the sponsor, said the bill responds to the speed and maneuverability of modern personal watercraft, which he described as more like motorcycles on water than traditional boats, and cited a fatal accident on Lake Monomonac as an example of the risks. He said the bill is not intended to restrict ordinary recreation or wake surfing, but to update safety standards for a newer class of larger, quieter three-person PWCs. The hearing began with Darby’s presentation, and no vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because when distance keeps us from opportunity, from a new job, from a doctor's appointment, or dinner
• A Texas where families don't have to choose between time and distance, a Texas where every region is

Transcript Highlights:

• It offers financing and technical assistance. distance we're eligible for projects assisting our southern
• It's hard to create those relationships over such a distance.

Bills: HB 1240, HB1353, HCR76, HCR90

Keywords: border region, infrastructure, economic development, government operations, education, international cooperation, infrastructure investment, bond issuance, state agencies, shrimp industry, federal regulations, foreign imports, economic impact, public health, Gulf Coast communities, Texas-Israel relations, Israel, Jerusalem, trade office, foreign relations

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it because of distance, or what is it? Why can't you use your rifle at the PSTC range there?
• Is it because of distance, or what is it? Why can't you use your rifle at the PSTC range there?
• Is it because of distance, or what is it? Why can't you use your rifle at the PSTC range there?
• updating the applied technology center, mostly for modernizing our equipment and renovating the learning
• spaces as well as some of the learning spaces as well as some of the equipment<00:38:52.000> needs

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on proposed improvements to the New Hampshire State Police gun range and training facility. Commissioner Robert Quinn and Major Brendan Davy said the range is used for realistic, scenario-based training that cannot be replicated at a standard static range, including movement, use of cover, vehicle-based drills, elevation, and training under elevated heart rates and stress. They said the facility is important not only for state troopers but also for local and federal partners, and that it is used regularly for qualifications, requalification, and special unit training. Members asked about specific limitations and costs. Major Davy said the PSTC range is handgun-caliber only because the backstop is not rifle-rated, and local law enforcement can use the State Police range for qualification. Representative Kazinski questioned the size and cost of the project, and Public Works Director Theodore Copper then explained the estimate: $1.5 million for building and site work, plus soft costs, utilities, design, and inflation, bringing the total to $2.3 million. He said the proposed facility would include office space, two classrooms, restrooms, and heating and air conditioning, and that the estimate was reasonable. The committee also heard from Milford School District Superintendent Christy Misho in support of CTE funding. She said Milford has been working for years to secure support for an applied technology center renovation, that prior local bond efforts fell short of the required threshold, and that the district now plans a CTE-only local bond of about $4 million while seeking $10 million from the state. She argued the investment is needed to modernize outdated equipment and support workforce training, and said the district remains committed to the project. In work session action, the committee corrected a prior vote on the Pease Development Authority warehouse removal and replacement project, increasing the amount by $353,300 to $1,973,300 and raising the agency subtotal to $4,155,300. The committee also approved adding two Community College System items: $500,000 for an energy management system and $1.3 million for critical maintenance, for a total addition of $1.8 million. No objections were raised to these motions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The distances residents travel to and from these areas for access to basic services compound the financial
• 11.520> and<00:02:12.200> transportation<00:02:13.200> the<00:02:13.360> distances
• housing and transportation the distances housing and transportation the distances residents<00:02

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of these condominium owners travel great distances from their home bases to join us in the White
• from their home bases to join distances from their home bases to join us<00:41:55.599> in<00:
• <00:42:13.200> for<00:42:13.440> what<00:42:13.680> are those long distances
• for what are those long distances for what are currently<00:42:14.400> mandatory<00:42:15.119
• a little bit more how we can us to learn a little bit more how we can get<04:27:31.279> some<

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are exploring lessons learned from not just California, but around the world.
• you feel the lessons are that have been learned.
• So if they're within Bluetooth distance of me or my car, it automatically connects.
• And we are an agency that likes to watch and listen from other departments and learn.
• But we are here to listen, learn, and basically do better as we try to do this.

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from WSDOT on balancing uncertainty in capital program estimates and cash flow management. WSDOT explained the differences between design-bid-build and design-build delivery, its tiered risk-assessment process by project size, and how it uses base estimates, inflation, and risk modeling to set budgets. Staff said design-bid-build estimates are generally accurate within about 1% across the program, while design-build projects carry much wider uncertainty and are better communicated as ranges; they cited a P85 budget approach and noted that large, complex projects can be affected by market competition and long procurement timelines. Members asked about the Columbia River Bridge cost growth and about value engineering, and WSDOT said it uses value engineering but has limited scope to cut costs because of project requirements and policy mandates. Troy Swing also discussed cash flow, noting that a few large projects can significantly affect biennial funding needs, and said a risk pool would not reduce overall program risk but could help manage timing if paired with appropriation and cash-flow controls. The committee then received the final presentation in the WSDOT Project Delivery and Innovative Practices study from HKA Global. The consultant said WSDOT’s estimating practices are generally robust and recommended improving transparency by presenting budget authorizations as ranges or estimate classes, better tracking estimate growth over time, and adjusting advertisement timing to avoid competing lettings. The report also discussed surety bonding, suggesting the legislature consider restoring authority for reduced bonding on select large design-build projects or using phased bonding and alternative securities. On indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracting, the consultant said current job order contract rules are restrictive and recommended legislative changes to make such tools more usable, especially for smaller tasks and to help use unspent funds more flexibly. The committee also heard a follow-up presentation on transit-oriented development policy recommendations tied to HB 1491. The Urban Institute’s Yona Freemark said Washington has been a national leader on TOD but that housing construction, especially in the Puget Sound, has slowed sharply since 2022. He said rising construction costs, high financing costs, and local tax and rent conditions are making many TOD projects infeasible, and recommended that the state fill infrastructure funding gaps around stations, revisit MFTE affordability requirements, consider minimum rather than average density requirements near transit, and create a statewide system to track TOD outcomes such as affordability, gentrification, and transit access. Members questioned the study’s developer interviews, the role of rent control and crime, property tax assumptions, and parking needs; the presenter said the study included five private developers, that rent control was not part of the study scope, and that parking was included in the model assumptions. Finally, the committee began a presentation on regulating emissions from ocean-going vessels at berth. Staff and consultants described California-style at-berth rules, which require shore power or equivalent emissions controls so ships can shut off diesel auxiliary engines while docked. The study is examining vessel traffic, emissions reductions, implementation costs, labor and operational needs, and possible effects on port competitiveness and cargo diversion. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 7 gives institutions of higher learning the option to... Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.
• The distance, costs, and logistical burdens associated with attending universities outside the region
• For the families that I represent, the distance, costs, and logistical burdens associated with attending
• The distance, costs, and logistical burdens associated with attending universities outside the region
• One thing that I've learned from, you know, a very urban place of California down in San Diego is that

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call and first dealt with a procedural dispute over four amendments to AB 1240. The Speaker ruled the amendments out of order as not germane, and the Assembly sustained that ruling on a 49-16 vote. Members then added co-authors to several consent-calendar resolutions, including measures on the National Conference of State Legislators, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, ALS Awareness Month, and Men’s Mental Health Month, before adopting the consent calendar. The chamber also heard guest introductions, including a welcome for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and took up a motion to bring AB 41 up out of file, which failed 19-48. The bulk of the meeting was floor action on a long series of bills and resolutions, many of which passed with broad bipartisan support. Measures approved included ACR 40 supporting immigrant students and FAFSA privacy; AB 917 on permanent status for certain school employees; AB 985 on anesthesia access; AB 7 and AB 42 on higher education and student services; AB 245 providing property tax relief for wildfire victims; AB 255 allowing funding for drug-free recovery housing; AB 279 updating K-12 library standards; AB 289 creating a pilot for automated speed enforcement in highway construction zones; AB 291 on an educator apprentice program; AB 327 addressing swatting; AB 340 on confidential union communications; AB 341 creating an oral health technical assistance center for people with disabilities; AB 356 on San Diego health care infrastructure; AB 410 on bot disclosure; AB 476 on copper theft enforcement; AB 477 on educator pay targets; AB 485 on stolen wages and business licensing; AB 487, the insurance committee’s technical omnibus bill; AB 573 on tobacco retail license fees; AB 598 on school mapping technology; AB 635 on mobile home law enforcement referrals; AB 651 on remote participation for incarcerated parents in dependency hearings; AB 654 on homelessness hotline assistance in Los Angeles County; AB 662 creating a South County higher education task force; AB 667 on language access in professional licensing; AB 669 limiting early denial of addiction treatment; AB 670 on naturally occurring affordable housing; AB 695 on online continuation of community college for deported students; AB 723 on disclosure for digitally altered real estate images; AB 727 placing Trevor Project information on student IDs; and AB 736, a $10 billion affordable housing bond for the June 2026 ballot, which passed on a 61-11 urgency vote after extensive debate. Debate on AB 736 was the most extensive of the day, with supporters arguing the bond would help address California’s housing crisis and give voters a chance to weigh in, while opponents criticized the state’s bond debt and past spending results. The Assembly then recessed for caucus meetings and later returned to continue the daily file, where additional measures were taken up, including AB 798 adding diapers and wipes to the emergency food bank reserve program, which passed 56-0, and AB 821 on career technical education, which was presented as bipartisan-supported as the transcript continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS BILL IS A COLLECTION OF LESSONS LEARNED.
• WE LEARN FROM EACH OF THE STORMS.
• EACH STORM IS UNIQUE IN THIS BILL PULLS IN A LOT OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2024 HURRICANE SEASON
• I KNOW A LOT OF YOU CAME FROM A FAIRLY GOOD DISTANCE AND WE WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THAT, HOWEVER, I

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How we're going learning curve, right?
• There are learning curves.
• There are learning curves. There are learning curves.
• Now, Boyd County is quite a distance from McCracken County. We know that.
• <01:41:32.239> from County is quite a distance from County is quite a distance from McCracken

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:03 Approve Minutes from July 10, 2025- 00:02:41 Statewide Emergency Responder Voice System Testimony- 00:03:38 Investment of State Funds- 00:46:13 Department of Juvenile Justice Update- 1:11:34 Adjournment- 1:54:08, 958, all

Summary: The committee opened with roll call, welcomed a new member, approved the July meeting minutes, and then took up testimony on the statewide emergency responder voice system, also described as the state police radio system replacement project. John Hicks, secretary of the governor’s executive cabinet and state budget director, testified that the project is unusually complex because it combines multiple IT replacements, land acquisition, and tower construction. He said the existing system dates to the early 1970s and that the administration is treating the project as a priority, with work proceeding in phases and weekly coordination among the Justice Cabinet, Kentucky State Police, and Finance and Administration Cabinet. Hicks said the project has already spent about $110 million, with nearly 1,900 portable radios acquired, microwave replacement completed at 56 sites and underway at 76 more, and routers, switches, and network upgrades addressed. He explained that because the State Police are not set up to handle real property work, the administration brought in outside real property consulting vendors through an RFP, and three vendors are now qualified to help identify and negotiate sites. He said the goal is to speed up land acquisition and tower construction while the State Police continue the technology work, and he emphasized that the project is intended to close coverage gaps for state police first and later benefit local governments and other first responders. Members of the committee expressed concern about the project’s cost and pace. Representative Petri noted that about $218.8 million has been authorized since 2018 and questioned whether the project could stretch into 2030 or later, asking what more the General Assembly could do to help. Representative Blandon also raised concerns about the long timeline and the risk of the project becoming another costly, delayed infrastructure effort, while asking when the vendor RFP was completed and whether any sites had been acquired since then. Representative Sharp asked whether there was a detailed plan and timeline, and Hicks responded that the technology side is well defined but the property acquisition side must proceed site by site because each location depends on ownership, access, power, and other factors. Hicks said the west-to-east phasing has been a smart approach and that the executive branch should improve performance to beat the current timeline expectations.

Transcript Highlights:

• What we learned through these meetings is that we are all facing challenges created by the explosive
• intent of the bill to improve planning and communication for excavation projects that span long distances

Bills: SB1128, SB1137, SB1144, SB1145, SB1186, SB1235, SB1238

Keywords: scrap metal theft, study committee, Arizona, regulated industries, public safety, underground utilities, utility locating, dig safe, call before you dig, 811, excavation safety, damage prevention, one-call center, locate request, white lining, large project coordination, buried infrastructure, subsurface utilities, utility marking, locator wire

Transcript Highlights:

• You can hear the call of a sandhill crane echoing in the distance.
• So if you've got anything in your pockets this year that you're thinking about where we can learn some

Summary: The Committee on Agriculture met to hear updates on land conservation and agricultural preservation programs. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services presented on the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, explaining that it protects active agricultural lands through conservation easements while keeping land in private ownership and on the tax rolls. The director said the program requires participants to use agricultural best management practices, noted strong demand with 428 ranked projects for 2025, and reported that consistent legislative funding and partnerships with USDA, DOD, local governments, land trusts, and water management districts have expanded acreage protected, much of it within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Committee members asked about eligibility, ranking, local government involvement, and how many projects are typically funded each year. Conservation Florida’s president and CEO testified that both Rural and Family Lands and Florida Forever are critical and complementary tools for preserving working lands, wildlife habitat, water resources, and public access to nature. She warned that uncertainty or cuts in state funding can stall projects, raise land prices, and reduce conservation momentum. In discussion with senators, she said public access is often negotiated case by case and is more common on lands acquired for parks, forests, and other public green space than on conservation easements. The Department of Environmental Protection then updated the committee on Florida Forever, describing it as the state’s premier conservation and recreation land acquisition program. DEP said Florida Forever uses both conservation easements and fee-simple purchases, with about half of acquisitions done through easements, and emphasized that steady funding is needed to keep projects moving. The deputy secretary reported 60 projects on the current work plan, more than $1.4 billion invested since 2019, and recent acquisitions including new state forest, park, and preserve expansions. Members also raised concerns about payment in lieu of taxes for fiscally constrained counties, local notification of acquisitions, and the need for continued support for agriculture, citrus, roads, and conservation funding. No formal votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after member comments and public testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• the collective training at level in scale at a great cost and loss of training time because of the distance
• I just learned this since I became the audit general, that you cease only focus on the Army, but Army

Keywords: 999, senate, all