Transcript Highlights:

• , and if a review falls within the scope of their license or certification.
• We don't require boating licenses.
• You can go out and buy a boat and drive around without any kind of license.
• It's for the life safety of those occupants that eventually are going to be in that building.
• Private riders are licensed exactly as public building officials.

Committee: Senate Community Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• professional associations hosting a professional rodeo event at rodeo venues or for the Committee on Licensing
• HB 3329 by Patterson relating to the fee waivers of certain hunting and licensing, fishing licensing
• Courses for the Committee of Licensing and Administrative Procedures.
• Con conversion of certain commercial buildings to mixed use and multi-family residential occupancy for
• HB 3426 by Capriglione relating to the issuance of digital driver's license, commercial driver's license

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:38:51.920><c> for</c> confused as um fully licensed for confused as um fully licensed for practicing
• </c><00:40:49.280><c> in</c> other traininey license especially in other traininey license especially
• </c> um shared some driver's license um shared some driver's license information<01:07:17.039><c> to<
• ><c> had</c><01:20:03.040><c> little</c> occupation or profession had little occupation or profession
• Um so that would be one occupation.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• It standardizes the licensing process and forms the other parts of this law to other sections of Section
• An act relating to professions and occupations.
• Facilities Licensing Act. Representative Schreiber, you're recognized to explain the bill.
• House Bill 4201 simply changes current law requiring master teachers Ratios in licensed childcares to
• be tied to enrollment versus license capacity.

Bills: HB2059 , HB3920 , HB2992 , HB3267 , HB4457 , HB3800 , HB3818 , HB4425 , HB4427 , HB4430 , HB4431 , HB4333 , HB4340 , HB4343 , HB4344 , HB4363 , HB4229 , HB4230 , HB4236 , HB4246 , HB1979 , HB3431 , HB3052 , HB3047 , HB3048 , HB4092 , HB4302 , HB3261 , HB3704 , HB3312 , HB3546 , HB3849 , HCR1021 , HB4105 , HB4159 , HB4304 , HB3835 , HB3619 , HB4490 , HB3710 , HB4201 , HB3907 , HB3748

Keywords: health care, medication, inmates, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, reimbursement, county jails, medical expenses, sales tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, procurement, transplant research, Oklahoma Tax Code, HB2992, Data Center Customer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, Corporation Commission, Oklahoma utilities, ratepayer protection, data centers, artificial intelligence computing, AI data centers

Transcript Highlights:

• HB 909, Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, by Representative Anderson.
• Members, occupational therapists play an important role in increasing the quality of health care and
• access to these valuable services by setting the parameters for Florida to join the interstate occupational
• First up, we have Anita Berry with the Florida Occupational Therapy Association.
• We have Anita Berry with the Florida Occupational Therapy Association. Thank you for being here.

Summary: The Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee heard and advanced several health care bills. HB 909, joining the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, was presented with a strike-all amendment and reported favorably as amended by a 13-0 vote. HB 911, the related public records exemption protecting certain biological information, was also adopted and reported favorably as amended by a 14-0 vote. CS for HB 597, allowing schools to procure and administer glucagon for students with diabetes under trained personnel, passed unanimously 14-0 after a technical amendment. HB 519, aligning state law with federal language on controlled substances administered by paramedics, passed as amended 14-0. The committee then took up HB 919 on nursing education programs. Sponsor Rep. Overdorf argued the bill would create accountability for underperforming nursing schools by requiring remediation, tuition refunds in the lowest-performing programs, and public reporting of passage rates. Supporters said it would improve quality and protect students from debt without licensure success, while opponents from private nursing schools warned it could close programs and reduce nurse supply. After extensive debate, the bill was reported favorably 15-0. HB 1553, which would require health care providers to submit identified uterine fibroid data so the Department of Health can implement the research database previously authorized by law, passed unanimously 15-0. The final bill, HB 883, would allow psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to practice autonomously; supporters said it would expand access to mental health care, especially in rural and underserved areas, while opponents raised concerns about quality and physician oversight. After lengthy testimony and debate, the bill was reported favorably 14-3.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee has met and reports Senate Bill
• House Bill 758, Representative Deetsz, an act relating to occupational license fees.
• To Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations, House Bill 657.
• ,</c><02:01:22.639><c> Occupations,</c><02:01:23.119><c> and</c> and 664 to Licensing, Occupations, and
• and 664 to Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative<02:01:24.000><c> Regulations,</c><02:01:24.880

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:44:13.839><c> therapists</c> War I when uh occupational therapists War I when uh occupational
• And the areas filled with the highest proportion of teachers holding a Tier 1 license or a Tier 2 license
• holding a tier one license or a tier<00:49:33.040><c> 2</c><00:49:33.280><c> license</c><00:49:33.680
• </c><00:52:50.000><c> This</c> earn their teaching le license. This earn their teaching le license.
• </c> occupational, and professional classes. occupational, and professional classes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, members of the licensing and occupation committee, for the opportunity to present on House Bill
• This holding a license to practice law.
• </c> property and pursue a lawful occupation property and pursue a lawful occupation while<00:02:26.640
• </c> for 20,000 lawyers that uh are licensed for 20,000 lawyers that uh are licensed to<00:09:01.600>
• </c> But what we know now is who is licensed But what we know now is who is licensed and<00:46:54.640

Committee: House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• board of the town of Arlington to place upon a town ballot a question to increase the number of licenses
• Feeney, relative to the establishment of board of overseas and occupancy repayments for manufactured
• Feeney, relative to the establishment of Board of Overseas and Occupancy repayments for manufactured
• board of the town of Arlington to place upon a town ballot a question to increase the number of licenses
• board of the town of Arlington to place upon a town ballot a question to increase the number of licenses

Transcript Highlights:

• bill that gave cause to the Director of Public Safety to deny an application for a peace officer license
• or entrance into a basic police academy if the applicant had had a license suspended or permanently
• This legislation ensures that government-owned or managed multi-occupancy spaces in these especially
• Multi-occupancy.
• Often the staff bathrooms are single occupancy and the spaces that I’ve experienced when it comes to

Transcript Highlights:

• It doesn't matter if you're pursuing a short-term commercial driver's license or a four-year degree in
• It specified these five high-demand occupational areas that you see on the screen and increased the maximum
• It specified these five high-demand occupational areas that you see on the screen and increased the maximum
• has occurred and that they've met those eligibility criteria and that they're in within the 120 occupations
• They would have to highlight that the occupation is part of the 120 occupations that are intended to

Summary: The committee approved the November 3 minutes and then received an extensive presentation from Arkansas education and workforce officials on how the LEARNS and ACCESS Acts are affecting career and technical education, concurrent enrollment, and postsecondary readiness. Officials said the state’s goal is for students to leave high school employed, enrolled, or enlisted, and reported increases in K-12 CTE enrollment from about 161,000 to 171,000 students and concurrent CTE enrollment from about 12,000 to 16,000. They also described the new success-ready pathways, merit and distinction designations, and how those measures tie into school accountability and graduation outcomes. The discussion then turned to scholarships and grants. Officials explained that ACCESS expanded concurrent credit support, increased funding per credit hour, and broadened eligibility for the Arkansas Academic Challenge and Governor’s Scholar programs by adding diploma-of-merit and diploma-of-distinction pathways. They said the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship itself did not change, but the non-distinguished Governor’s Scholar award now includes diploma of distinction as an additional eligibility route. Members raised concerns about how these requirements apply to private school and homeschool students, and officials said the intent is to ensure those students can qualify if they meet the same standards, though some implementation details are still being worked out. Questions also focused on whether students who explore multiple pathways could be penalized in school letter grades; officials said the system allows multiple ways to earn credit, including AP, IB, concurrent credit, technical certificates, and apprenticeships. Officials also reviewed workforce scholarships and short-term training funding. They said the state is developing policy for the Workforce Challenge and related professional skills training to set an 80-hour minimum and tiered funding, and they discussed the new federal Workforce Pell rules, which they said are very narrow and will likely apply to only a small number of Arkansas programs unless providers repackage training into stackable, credit-bearing pathways. Members asked for lists of eliminated programs, apprenticeships, and data on scholarship recipients, and staff said they could provide those. The committee also heard from Cody Waites on a $35.8 million U.S. Department of Labor cooperative agreement for the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund, which Arkansas will administer nationally. He said the grant will support advanced manufacturing apprenticeships, use a pay-for-performance model, and be distributed to sponsors after apprentices are employed for 90 days, with applications opening January 28 and the state expecting to keep administrative costs under 8-9%.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are clock hour programs that, again, train for a specific occupation.
• Again, training for a specific occupation.
• We've seen, I want to say, a 120% increase in apprenticesable occupations.
• We're seeing more apprenticesable occupations.
• There are so many occupations within the space industry that it's not just space.

Committee: Senate Education Postsecondary

Summary: The Education Postsecondary Committee met to hear an overview of Florida career and technical education (CTE) from Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell and presentations from Big Bend Technical College and Santa Fe College. O’Farrell described Florida’s CTE structure, including career clusters, postsecondary program types, enrollment and completion growth, apprenticeship expansion, and the state’s credentials review process. He said postsecondary CTE enrollment is near 480,000 students and completions reached a record 76,806, with strong growth in nursing, law enforcement, EMT, and other public-safety credentials. He also discussed the CTE audit, which uses retention/success, employment or continued education, and labor-market demand metrics; programs not meeting thresholds would eventually require phase-out plans beginning in 2026. He highlighted the workforce development capitalization grant as a major driver of program expansion and facility renovation, and answered questions about business outreach, construction trades, apprenticeships, and space-industry training. Shelby McCall of Big Bend Technical College described how the college responded to hurricanes, mill closures, and regional economic disruption by expanding rural workforce training. She highlighted aluminum welding, millwright, welding technology, health sciences, and a new advanced manufacturing facility funded by state grants and local partnerships, along with a new LPN-to-RN bridge program. She said the college has strong placement and certification results and is working with employers such as Lippert, NAMO, and others to align training with local demand. Senator Simon praised the college’s role in Taylor County’s recovery and workforce development. Dr. Paul Brody of Santa Fe College said state workforce grants have helped the college expand nursing, skilled trades, apprenticeship, automotive, diesel, and manufacturing programs, including partnerships with Bradford County Technical College, UF Health, Habitat for Humanity, and local employers. He reported growth in CTE enrollment, nursing credentials, apprenticeship enrollment, and job placement rates, and described new efforts in semiconductor training, CDL training, and a charter school model that combines high school, an AS degree, and industry credentials. The committee took no formal action beyond hearing the presentations and adjourned after Senator Berman moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, even our license plates, people understanding that they could have these license plates when
• But you have to places like my dad was, you know, a licensed contractor for probably 40 years or more
• As I discussed earlier, service members and veterans face unique occupational exposures to PFAS that
• Vice Chair, I think navigating the occupational exposure to PFAS and what individuals can do has got
• And we should try to provide resources so that those who are afflicted through occupation can better

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a licensed athletic trainer.
• They are licensed health care providers.
• And then here is the other licensed provider. X-ray and such.
• And then here is the other license provider.
• House Bill 1827 is the occupational therapy bill for disabled placards and license plates.

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Summary: The committee first heard House Bills 2365, 2490, and 2249, a bipartisan version of Elijah’s Law, which would require child care facilities to receive training and guidance on recognizing and responding to food allergies and anaphylaxis. Sponsors described the bill as a response to the death of Elijah, whose daycare did not administer epinephrine quickly enough after a food exposure. Witnesses in support, including a parent and food allergy advocate, said the measure would improve preparedness and save lives. Committee members asked about whether the bill should use broader epinephrine terminology, whether the requirements could also be handled through child care licensing rules, and whether the bill was already included in a larger measure. No opposition was presented, and the hearing on those bills was closed. The committee then heard House Bill 1965, which would require insurers to reimburse athletic trainers for covered services and add athletic trainers to the practitioner definition for billing purposes. The sponsor and athletic training witnesses said the bill would recognize athletic trainers as licensed health care providers, improve access in rural and underserved areas, and allow reimbursement when trainers work in clinics, hospitals, or other non-school settings. Committee members raised repeated questions about the difference between athletic trainers and physical therapists, whether school-based services were already paid through contracts, whether the bill would increase costs or create double payment, and how diagnosis and billing would work under the current scope of practice. Opponents from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Missouri Insurance Coalition argued the bill would create a mandate, increase costs, and expand billing before clarifying the underlying scope of practice. No vote was taken in public hearing. The committee then moved into executive session and voted several bills do pass. A substitute was adopted for House Bill 1826 and the committee substitute for House Bills 1826, 2560, 2349, and 2194 passed 17-0. House Bill 1783 also passed 17-0. House Bill 2372, which incorporated multiple related provisions including changes to epinephrine terminology and other committee items, passed 17-1 after a substitute and amendment were adopted. House Bill 1827, the occupational therapy bill related to disabled placards and license plates, passed 18-0. The committee then returned to public hearing and heard House Bills 1941 and 2279, which would prohibit copay accumulator programs for fully insured plans so that third-party assistance counts toward a patient’s deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. Sponsors and a rheumatologist testified that the bills would prevent patients with serious illnesses from being forced to pay the same deductible twice and said similar laws have been enacted in many other states. Opponents from America’s Health Insurance Plans argued the measure would affect only a minority of plans, raise costs in the individual and small-group market, and could worsen affordability for remaining enrollees. The hearing ended without a vote on those bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right, the occupancy swells in the summertime and over spring break in Galveston, but how can we bring
• occupancy up in areas in Galveston where we've had lower levels of occupancy, as we've done in other
• So, HB 1630 seeks to change that by including licensed social workers in this program.
• House Bill 1630 would add licensed social workers to the list of eligible professions in the Homes for
• professions already included in this program, such as teachers, counselors, and law enforcement, licensed

Bills: HB158 , HB714 , HB 1198 , HB1630 , HB1998 , HB3509 , HB3788 , HB3875 , HB3948 , HB3977 , HB4097 , HB4313 , HB4314 , HB4317 , HB158

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: housing, veterans, surplus government property, affordable housing, funding sources, housing assistance, homeless prevention, landlord incentives, rural housing, domestic violence, community development, tenant readiness, program participants, financial assistance, homelessness, rental support, Texas Tenant Readiness Program, tenant assistance, housing stability, Texas Department of Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• License Review Program.
• License Review Program. passed within the last couple of years the Occupation License Review Program
• So it sort of operates like a driver's license.
• So it sort of operates like a driver's license.
• So it sort of operates like a driver's license.

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs

Summary: The committee first deferred several bills, then took up House Bill 468 by Representative A-Bear, which would regulate wholesaling of residential real property by requiring disclosures, a right to cancel within 14 days, and other consumer protections. Representative A-Bear said the bill is meant to increase transparency without banning wholesaling, while committee members and witnesses debated whether the bill should instead focus on proof of funds or other safeguards. The committee adopted an amendment set that added disclosure of assignment fees, required a 1% earnest money deposit, and imposed a civil penalty for violations, then reported the bill favorably after hearing testimony from real estate professionals, title attorneys, and the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, many of whom supported transparency but urged changes to the rescission period and other provisions. Witnesses on HB 468 generally agreed there are bad actors in the wholesale market, especially in residential transactions involving distressed or unsophisticated sellers, but several argued the bill could interfere with legitimate local investors who close quickly and help move problem properties back into commerce. The Real Estate Commission explained that the bill creates a rebuttable presumption based on marketing activity and that the agency has enforcement tools even against unlicensed actors. Representative Jordan raised concerns about intent, assignability, and whether represented sellers need the same protections, and Representative A-Bear said he would continue working on the bill before floor debate. The committee then heard House Bill 548 by Representative Bowie, which changes CPA licensing by allowing either a master’s degree or an additional year of experience in place of the current extra undergraduate hours, while keeping the exam requirement the same. The bill also codifies board composition criteria and modernizes CPA mobility/practice privilege rules for out-of-state CPAs. After brief questions about enforcement and mobility, the committee heard support from the Louisiana Society of CPAs and others and reported the bill favorably. Finally, the committee took up House Bill 848 by Representative DeWitt on motor vehicle dealer licensing and repair facility requirements, adopted technical amendments, and then recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Licensing and Occupations to order.
• Uh, you know, we're licensing dentists and all that, but yeah, we're very much supportive of it, and
• :09:35.600><c> and</c><00:09:35.760><c> all</c> know we're licensing dentists and all know we're licensing
• We had House Bill 657, professional license background checks, also a yes.
• </c><00:20:49.919><c> to</c> to be looking at all these licensing to to be looking at all these licensing

Committee: House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• to know about is that the commission has no authority over Idaho law or its ability to impact the licensing
• The commission has no authority over Idaho law or its ability to impact the licensing standards of Idaho
• licenses in Idaho.
• So really, there's... ...professional and occupational licenses in Idaho.
• This would really just make it consistent in the licensing arena.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Human Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Sorry, I say D6, driver's license suspension of six months, and then subsequent penalties greater.
• This bill authorizes ambulance drivers of state-licensed medical facilities or of a volunteer ambulance
• licensing and increases access to modern processing tools.
• or not counting on the occupancy of the school.
• The state wildflower license tag has raised more than $4.2 million.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Transportation Committee heard and advanced several bills dealing with roadway safety, utility relocation, emergency vehicles, motor vehicle services, charter school siting, and specialty license plates. SB 1782 by Senator Pizzo, as amended, would expand reckless driving per se to include certain extreme speeding behaviors and retain mandatory court appearance while removing impound language; it was supported by AARP and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and reported favorably. SB 818 by Senator McLean would streamline utility relocation for road and rail projects and shift certain relocation costs to the authority in some cases; county groups opposed it as an unfunded mandate, while Charter Communications supported it, and the bill was reported favorably after amendment. SB 1644 by Senator Rodriguez, as amended, would expand warning-signal privileges for volunteer firefighters, medical staff, and related vehicles responding to emergencies; it was reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1348 by Senator Trumbull, which revises Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and tax collector processes for title/document delivery, driver licensing, disabled parking permits, and related services; a strike-all removed penalties and some CDL retesting provisions, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 636 by Senator Martin would restrict use of the far-left lane on high-speed roads except for passing, exiting, move-over compliance, or traffic/environmental conditions, with a civil fine and DOT signage requirements; it was reported favorably. SB 1152 by Senator Arrington would raise the cost of the Florida Wildflower specialty license plate from $15 to $25 to generate more funding for wildflower research, education, and habitat programs; it was reported favorably. SB 1188 by Senator McLean, which would limit local government authority over charter school siting and concurrency-related restrictions, drew the most debate. Supporters argued local ordinances were being used to block or delay charter schools, while opponents said the bill would tie the hands of local governments and could create traffic and public-safety concerns. After extensive discussion, the bill was reported favorably, with recorded no votes from Senators Arrington and Davis. The committee also unanimously recommended confirmation of multiple appointments to transportation-related boards and authorities, including the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Central Florida Expressway Authority, Jacksonville Port Authority, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, and Florida Transportation Commission.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nowadays, people want to keep their driver's license even though they don't have the skills anymore
• The bill also creates a preferential business and occupation tax rate for critical access pharmacies.
• The bill also creates a preferential business and occupational additional and reselling and precision
• The bill also creates a preferential business and occupational tax rate for critical access pharmacies
• The Department of Licensing determined that that would create a cost to the state of $2.1 million.

Bills: HB2720 , HB2073 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5831 , SB6244 , SB6044 , SB5109 , SB5877 , SB6258

Summary: The House first took up Substitute Senate Bill 6225, a transportation bond measure. Supporters said it was needed to fund preservation and maintenance of Washington’s transportation system, including road upkeep and emergency repairs, while opponents argued the state had already addressed current needs through a recent unanimous budget and existing bond authority. The bill passed final passage 59-38, meeting the required three-fifths vote. The House then considered Gross Substitute Senate Bill 6260, an education budget-related bill with many floor amendments focused on transition to kindergarten, alternative learning experience (ALE) funding, local effort assistance (LEA), educational service district reserves, superintendent pay, MSOC funding, and collective bargaining limits. Most proposed amendments were rejected, though Amendment 2654 on TK priorities was adopted. After the committee amendment as amended was adopted, the bill advanced to third reading and then passed 50-47. Supporters described it as a necessary budget reduction and risk-management measure; opponents argued it cut K-12 funding too deeply, especially in rural and property-poor districts, and would worsen inequities and invite litigation. The House also concurred in Senate amendments and passed several other bills. House Bill 1796, about school construction financing and capital levy use, passed 95-2. Second Substitute House Bill 2105, dealing with immigrant worker protections, passed 58-38. Engrossed House Bill 2211, on food sourcing for a health-related program, passed unanimously. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2225, regulating companion chatbots and child safety, passed 74-21. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2247, related to animal care, passed unanimously. Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2418, streamlining permitting timelines to support housing affordability, also passed unanimously. The House then moved on to additional Senate-concurred bills, beginning with Second Substitute House Bill 1906.