Transcript Highlights:

• c> uh</c> one of the presidential campaigns uh one of the presidential campaigns uh actively<00:39:13.760
• They could select their general election candidates the way they select their state party chairs.
• They could select their general election candidates the way they select their state party chairs.
• They could select their general election candidates the way they select their state party chairs.
• They could select their general election candidates the way they select their state party chairs.

Committee: House Election Law

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I applied to be on the board, and the governor selected me this year.
• And so I applied to be on the board and the governor selected me this year.
• I want to make the causal force. board and the governor selected me this year.
• I've also served on the USF Presidential Latin Community Advisory Council.
• I was honored to be selected to serve on the Presidential Search Committee for USF.

Bills: S1694

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education met with a quorum present and first took up CS for SB 1694, which would require technology-integrated postsecondary general education core courses to include digital literacy and competency instruction, including use of artificial intelligence tools, and encourage high school computer science courses with AI content to teach how AI systems use data, their benefits and limitations, and responsible use in academic and personal contexts. The bill drew support from several speakers who emphasized the need for students to understand AI’s capabilities, limitations, ethics, and risks, while one speaker raised concerns about overreliance on AI and the loss of skills. Senator Davis said the bill was a good step toward preparing the future workforce and suggested earlier instruction might be worth considering later. The bill was reported favorably, and Senator Leek asked to be recorded in the affirmative. The committee then heard a long series of confirmation presentations for trustees at multiple Florida colleges and universities, including Tallahassee State College, USF, UNF, Palm Beach State College, the College of the Florida Keys, Hillsborough College, Miami-Dade College, Florida A&M University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, New College of Florida, Florida Polytechnic University, and the University of Florida. The appointees generally emphasized student success, workforce alignment, fiscal responsibility, access and affordability, and institutional growth; several members and senators offered supportive comments, with some asking about specific issues such as Tallahassee State’s NCLEX passage rates and the need for continued improvement. One appointee’s attendance was delayed or skipped for later consideration, but the committee ultimately took a block vote and reported the confirmations favorably to the Ethics and Elections Committee. Finally, Chair Harrell gave a brief overview of the higher education budget, describing a total of $11.9 billion and highlighting increases for workforce education, Florida College System operating funds, workforce development capitalization, the Rural Incentive for Professional Educators program, the USF Center for Nursing, preeminent research universities, UCF’s community school grant program, UF’s Lassinger Center on Learning, the Florida Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, and campus security through a postsecondary guardian program. Senator Davis asked about a transfer related to the workforce development capitalization and incentive grant fund, and the chair explained it was a transfer of an existing program with new funds being added. There was no public comment on the budget, and the meeting adjourned after Senator Leek requested to be recorded in the affirmative on SB 1694.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 118, a bill to be entitled an act relating to regulation of presidential libraries.
• Florida to be the site of the presidential library.
• When the archivist that is in charge of the presidential library selects the site, it is possible that
• He deserves to have a presidential library in whichever state he likes.
• Senate Bill 118, a bill to be entitled an act relating to regulation of presidential libraries.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing FSU Day at the Capitol, the Red Mass, visiting students, school board members, veterans, and other guests. The chamber then moved to the special order calendar and took up a series of bills, with several measures temporarily postponed before and during the day’s proceedings. Committee and executive reports were largely absent, and the Senate proceeded directly to floor action on the listed bills. The Senate passed a number of mostly unanimous bills, including SB 36, SB 38, SB 40, and SB 42 on Florida Statutes revision; CS/SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience, amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub and related research; CS/SB 116 on veterans, expanding benefits coordination, mental health training, adult day health care, and other veterans services; SB 126 on mailing prescription hearing aids to adults; SB 150 on abandoning restrained dogs during natural disasters, amended to conform to the House; SB 294 limiting collaborative pharmacy practice for certain serious cardiac conditions; SB 322 creating a nonjudicial process for removing unauthorized persons from commercial property; SB 348 on ethics, including false military rank claims and collection of delinquent ethics fines; and CS/SB 7012 on child welfare workforce recruitment, treatment foster care pilots, and data collection for commercially sexually exploited children. Senate Memorial 314 urging Congress to increase Florida National Guard force structure was also adopted by voice vote. Two bills drew more extended debate. SB 118 on presidential libraries passed 36-3 after questions about local zoning, traffic, and whether the bill’s express preemption would limit county and municipal authority; supporters argued it would prevent local obstruction and help Florida attract a presidential library, while one senator said she would vote no because of concerns about local safety and planning issues. CS/SB 160 on public accountancy passed 39-0 after an amendment clarifying contracted services; supporters said it would broaden pathways into the CPA profession and address workforce shortages. CS/SB 108 on administrative procedures and CS/SB 110 on rural communities were temporarily postponed, then later taken up and passed after extensive debate, with SB 110 amended to prioritize certain rural transportation projects, expand housing, health care, broadband, and economic development support, and draw strong bipartisan praise for its focus on rural Florida. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify all bills passed that day to the House, observed a moment of silence for former Surfside Chief John Healy, and made several closing announcements and recognitions.

Transcript Highlights:

• ; adds Section 34-732, Idaho Code, to provide requirements for presidential primary candidates; adds
• ; adds Section 34-734, Idaho Code, to provide for presidential primary results; adds Section 34-735,
• Amending section 34-601 Idaho Code to provide a presidential primary date.
• In chapter 7, 34 731, Idaho Code, to establish provisions regarding presidential primaries.
• In chapter 7, title of a new section 34-7-335 Idaho Code provide for presidential primary results.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also removes the Board of Governors from university presidential search and selection processes entirely
• Transparency in presidential searches isn't merely procedural. It's essential for legitimacy.
• The consequences of opaque searches extend far beyond the selection itself.
• A president chosen through a secretive process the selection itself.
• Transparency and accountability in leadership selection aren't just administrative ideals.

Summary: The Education Administration Subcommittee heard and advanced a series of education bills focused on transparency, accountability, attendance, school start times, student well-being, and career planning. HB 1321, by Rep. Salsman, would remove public-records and public-meeting exemptions for university presidential searches, eliminate the Board of Governors from those searches, require Board of Governors members to file full financial disclosures and be Florida residents, and expand syllabus posting requirements; it passed 15-0. HB 1079, by Rep. Botana, as amended, broadened eligibility for dropout retrieval programs to include students who withdrew and did not reengage in education, and it also passed 15-0 after a strike-all amendment and supportive testimony from a program provider. The committee also approved PCS for HB 969, by Rep. Kassel, which shifts evaluation of school mental health services to the Department of Children and Families and requires more detailed outcome data, surveys, and reporting related to the Mental Health Assistance Allocation program; it passed 15-0. HB 1367, by Rep. Booth, creates a statewide attendance policy with uniform definitions and reporting requirements to address chronic absenteeism; it passed 15-1 after support from business and education groups and some concern about state control over district policy. PCS for HB 261, by Rep. Gerwig, revises the 2023 middle and high school start-time law by allowing districts to document compliance efforts and unintended consequences rather than fully meet the mandated later start times; it passed 16-0. The most debated bill was HB 1483, by Rep. Valdez, which would align Florida’s school grading scale with the familiar 90/80/70/60 letter-grade standard over a five-year transition and require school grades to appear on student report cards. Supporters argued the current scale is misleading and too lenient, while opponents warned it would sharply increase failing school labels, create costs and turnaround mandates, and confuse parents and students. Despite extensive testimony from school board members, teachers, students, and advocacy groups on both sides, the bill passed 12-4. The committee then quickly approved HB 1245, a one-year Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program for three universities with the highest share of Pell-eligible students, and HB 571, which expands career planning, paid work experience, and credit-transfer review for students; both passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• A president or vice president or presidential candidate before the Electoral College meets.
• I'm here to speak in support of SB 1141 regarding presidential electors and vacancies.
• The other time that this happened was in 1912 when a vice presidential candidate passed away.
• In short, basically, if you elect a candidate or party X to be the presidential nominee, that is who
• the party would select, and then the electoral votes would follow that candidate, that party that was

Committees: House Government , House House Government Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> you also have the PNP the presidential you also have the PNP the presidential nominating<00:10:55.000
• In a presidential year, ballots cannot be finalized until late August.
• In a presidential year, ballots cannot be finalized until late August.
• </c><00:38:00.520><c> election</c> wake of the 2016 presidential election wake of the 2016 presidential
• </c> gubernatorial cycle and one presidential gubernatorial cycle and one presidential cycle<00:59:38.039

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida to be the site of the presidential library.
• In anticipation of Florida's first presidential library, we should roll out the welcome mat and offer
• When the archivist that is in charge of the presidential library selects the site, it is possible that
• And so when I think about what this Trump presidential library might look like, I'm thinking about some
• Senate Bill 118, a bill to be entitled an act relating to regulation of presidential libraries.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions recognizing visiting groups, including FSU students and officials, Catholic lay leaders, Broward County school officials and students, and veterans-related guests. The chamber then took up a series of bills, with several routine reviser measures passing unanimously: SB 36 adopting the 2025 Florida Statutes, SB 38 changing a division name in the statutes, SB 40 deleting repealed provisions, and SB 42 cleaning up obsolete language and cross-references. SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience was amended to strengthen the Florida Flood Hub’s role and passed 39-0 after debate about mangroves, oyster reefs, living shorelines, and hybrid green-gray infrastructure. SB 116, a major veterans bill, passed 39-0 after extensive discussion of veteran benefits awareness, mental health training, coordination with federal agencies, adult day health care, and the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. SB 118 on presidential libraries passed 36-3 after questions and debate over state preemption of local zoning and related regulation, and SB 126 on mailing prescription hearing aids passed 39-0 to expand access for adults after licensed evaluation. The Senate also passed SB 150, as amended, to conform to the House by changing the bill’s wording from “animals” to “dogs” in the natural-disaster abandonment context. SB 294 passed 38-0 to limit collaborative pharmacy practice from being expanded to certain serious cardiac conditions. Senate Memorial 314 was adopted by voice vote, urging Congress to seek a larger Florida National Guard force structure. SB 322 passed 39-0 creating a nonjudicial process for commercial property owners to have unauthorized occupants removed by the sheriff. SB 348 passed 39-0, making it an ethics violation to falsely claim a military rank for material gain and allowing delinquent ethics fines to be withheld from public paychecks. SB 7012 on child welfare passed 39-0 and would recruit former public safety workers into CPI/case manager roles, create a treatment foster care pilot in two judicial circuits, and improve data collection and services for commercially sexually exploited children. Later, the Senate returned to SB 108 on administrative procedures, which passed 39-0 after debate over a five-year review cycle for agency rules, reporting requirements, and greater transparency in rulemaking. SB 160 on public accountancy passed 39-0 after an amendment clarifying contracted services and discussion of easing pathways into the CPA profession while maintaining standards. SB 110 on rural communities passed after an amendment package and extensive debate, with provisions described as creating an Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program, housing and road funding, school support, and health care investments for rural areas. At the end of the session, the Senate waived rules to immediately certify all passed bills to the House, observed a moment of silence for former Surfside Chief John Healy, and received additional announcements before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• This provision would grant the Secretary of State the authority to change the date of the presidential
• Currently, the presidential preference primary is set for the first Tuesday in February.
• I cannot secure vote centers without knowing a definite date of when the presidential preference primary
• is now suspected and may be occurring across swing states and perhaps other states within 2024 presidential
• And I would say even up to 25 years for comparison across multiple presidential elections.

Committee: Senate Legislative Operations and Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><04:24:33.199><c> So,</c> the presidential election. Right. So, the presidential election.
• </c> and and the year after the presidential and and the year after the presidential election?
• a presidential election.
• a presidential election.
• </c> year following a presidential election. year following a presidential election.

Committee: House Election Law

Transcript Highlights:

• This removes the section that designates the amount of the presidential candidate filing fee, the amount
• The House Committee substitute leaves the amount of the filing fee for the presidential election only
• It leaves the filing fee amount for the presidential election only to the state committees.
• This has been an ongoing discussion about the presidential primary since I've been trying to pass this
• Number two says that the party conducting a caucus, convention, or delegate selection process when the

Committees: House Elections , House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, I'm honored to have been selected by the current chair and of the United States.
• Finally, I'm honored to have been selected by the current chair of the USF board, former Speaker Will
• I was selected to join the Board of Trustees in 2020, primarily.
• From there, I led the presidential search for our eighth president, President Adam Hasner.
• I led the presidential search for our eighth president.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The committee heard and voted on two higher education bills before moving to a long series of university and college board appointment confirmations. CS/SB 742 would let charter schools directly access the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program for career and technical education programs tied to industry certifications, and would expand the money-back guarantee requirement from three to six programs at career centers and Florida College System institutions. A question was raised about whether the charter school access could reduce district funding or grant availability; the sponsor said it could, depending on available funds. The bill was supported by one appearance form and was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 892, which codifies the Florida State University Election Law Center so it can continue and receive recurring funding. The sponsor and FSU witnesses said the center is nonpartisan and focused on evidence-based research, especially on election administration issues related to natural disasters and public confidence in elections. After testimony and questions, including about the center’s scope and funding, the bill was reported favorably. The remainder of the meeting consisted of testimony from numerous appointees to boards of trustees for state colleges and universities, including Tallahassee State College, Valencia College, New College, Pensacola State College, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of North Florida, St. Johns River State College, Palm Beach State College, Santa Fe College, Daytona State College, and Florida Atlantic University. Most nominees emphasized their personal ties to the institutions, support for workforce education, student success, and local economic development. Several highlighted priorities such as keeping tuition affordable, expanding internships and career pathways, strengthening nursing and other workforce programs, and improving graduation and retention rates. Some appointees also described campus-specific goals, including research growth at FAU and Harbor Branch, community engagement at New College, and continued support for health care workforce partnerships at FGCU. The most notable exchange came during testimony from Dr. Joel Rudman for the Pensacola State College board, where Senator Leek questioned him extensively about prior public comments that appeared to reference threats and drug testing legislators. Rudman said his remarks were aimed at Florida House members and not the Senate, denied any knowledge of illicit drug use by current or former senators, and said he was speaking candidly as a private citizen. Public testimony on his nomination included both support and strong opposition, with one speaker praising his community service and another warning about his alleged disruptive behavior and social media posts. The committee also heard from several supporters and appointees who were not questioned further, and the meeting ended with plans to vote on the appointments after all testimony was completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I think it should be a complete set of the bingo selection process for lottery.
• And so I think it should be a complete set of the bingo selection process for lottery.
• And for some reason, I feel that that Selection process for lottery.
• I expect to see that again in future years, especially during the presidential cycles.
• early voting only at the absentee section at the County Election Authority two weeks before the presidential

Committees: House Elections , House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:41.680><c> nominating</c> the Statewide presidential nominating the Statewide presidential
• </c> the turnout for that presidential the turnout for that presidential primary<00:04:54.680><c> election
• </c><00:22:00.640><c> at</c> counties that are randomly selected at counties that are randomly selected
• </c> printing of ballots in a presidential printing of ballots in a presidential election<00:23:15.200
• </c><00:46:57.680><c> the</c> canvasing Board plays is selecting the canvasing Board plays is selecting

Committee: Senate Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the actual presidential youth fitness program.
• Namely, the presidential, quote-unquote, physical fitness tests.
• But we don't have a quote-unquote presidential physical fitness We don't have a quote-unquote presidential
• It had to be the presidential fitness test to get points on this.
• It says to the presidential fitness test, period, in alignment.

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 2401, which would require physicians to complete continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health as part of the state’s rural health transformation effort. HHS supported the bill, saying it would help physicians better address chronic disease and preserve federal grant points tied to the state’s application. A member of the public also testified in favor, arguing that better nutrition education could improve diabetes outcomes and reduce costs. The committee then adopted an amendment to add the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice to the background-check statute so the occupational therapy compact could proceed, and it passed the bill as amended on a roll call vote. The committee next heard House Bill 1621, which would require the Presidential Fitness Physical Fitness Test in elementary, middle, and high school physical education courses. HHS said the bill was part of the rural health transformation application and could help preserve federal funding, but members raised many questions about the test’s criteria, adaptive options for students with disabilities, equipment needs, and whether the bill should apply to non-public schools. Senator Clemens offered an amendment to limit the requirement to public schools, but it failed. Senator Hogan then offered an amendment to clarify exemptions and allow DPI to align implementation with federal guidance; that amendment passed. A further amendment adding language allowing DPI to establish criteria for and exceptions to the test also passed. The committee then approved the bill as amended on a roll call vote. The committee also considered House Bill 1622, which joins North Dakota to the physician assistant licensure compact. HHS said the compact would improve access to care, especially in rural areas, support military families, and help preserve rural health transformation funding. Members noted the compact had been discussed in a prior session and that many earlier concerns had been resolved. After brief discussion about the compact process and its consistency with other interstate compacts, the committee voted to do pass the bill. Finally, the committee began Senate Bill 2402, which expands pharmacists’ prescriptive authority and therapeutic substitution powers. HHS and the Board of Pharmacy supported the bill as a way to improve access to care and maintain rural health transformation funding. Senator Roers introduced a detailed amendment negotiated with the Board of Medicine and Board of Pharmacy to narrow and clarify the bill, including notification requirements, limits on certain drug categories, and patient-protection language for therapeutic substitution. The Board of Pharmacy then testified in support of the broader bill and explained the CLIA-waived testing provisions and the repeal of the older, narrower pharmacist-testing language. The hearing and amendment discussion were still underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and members, Senate Bill 1141 requires presidential electors to cast Electoral College votes for
• the... ...bill also deems a presidential elector's office as vacant if the elector is not present to
• We have conducted a state-by-state analysis of presidential elector provisions.
• It also clarifies that if a presidential elector is not present at the meeting of electors or refuses
• I'm here to speak in support of SB 1141 regarding presidential elections electors and vacancies.

Committee: Senate Senate Federalism Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard several bills and a memorial, with extensive testimony on each. SB 1018 would amend Arizona’s foreign-law statute to expressly include Sharia law. The sponsor and supporters argued the bill was needed to prevent foreign legal systems from being enforced in Arizona courts and said it would not restrict private religious practice. Opponents, including the ACLU of Arizona, said the measure singled out Islam, was based on fear rather than evidence, and was unconstitutional. After debate, the committee approved SB 1018 on a 4-3 vote. The committee then considered SB 1075, which restricts conveyance of Arizona land to foreign entities deemed hostile to the United States and adds disclosure and penalty provisions through an amendment. The sponsor said the bill was modeled on similar efforts in other states and was intended to prevent adversarial foreign ownership near sensitive sites. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill as amended on a 4-3 vote. SB 1141, dealing with presidential electors, would require electors to vote for a properly nominated successor if a winning presidential or vice presidential candidate dies or withdraws before the Electoral College meets, and would treat an elector’s office as vacant if the elector fails to appear. Supporters said the bill closes a gap in Arizona law and helps avoid a deadlock in an unlikely but possible contingency. The committee passed SB 1141 unanimously, 7-0. Finally, the committee heard SCM 1003, a memorial urging Congress to affirm state authority over election processes and campaign finance through a constitutional amendment. Supporters framed it as a federalism measure responding to concerns about outside money in politics, while some members questioned claims about money laundering and noted the memorial’s broad language. The committee approved SCM 1003 unanimously, 7-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• Should you select to waive your speaking time?
• I've also served on presidential search Advisory Committee Strategic Planning Committee a second term
• Finally, I'm honored to have been selected by the current chair of the USF board.
• Former speaker will Weatherford to serve on the presidential search Committee from USF.
• I lead the presidential search for our presidents.

Transcript Highlights:

• This removes the section that designates the amount of the presidential candidate filing fee.
• This removes the section that designates the amount of the presidential candidate filing fee.
• The House Committee substitute leaves the amount of the filing fee for the presidential election only
• It leaves the filing fee amount for the presidential election only to the state committees.
• But when we talk about a presidential preference, it's the party preference.

Committee: House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Summary: The Elections Committee met in executive session first and adopted a House Committee substitute for House Bill 2387, which combined HB 2387 and HB 2480. The substitute removed provisions on extending no-excuse in-person absentee voting and shortening the absentee voting window, shifted the presidential candidate filing fee to be set by state party committees, and added language to bind presidential delegates to primary results while allowing national party rules to control where required. Members discussed the legal basis for delegate binding, party input on the substitute, and the role of closed primaries, then the committee voted 10-2-1 to do pass HB 2387 as substituted. The committee also passed House Bill 1987 and House Concurrent Resolution 23 without opposition, and passed House Bill 1802 after members discussed election transparency and concerns about applying the measure uniformly across counties; the vote was 11-2. In public hearing, the committee heard House Bill 2605, which would update election notice requirements, especially for bond elections. Sponsor Rep. McGaugh and the State Auditor’s office said the bill would address technical publication errors that had jeopardized voter-approved bond issues by allowing notice defects to be cured if no election contest is filed within 30 days, while also allowing one newspaper publication and one direct mailing notice. Testimony from county clerks, school administrators, a fire district, the Missouri Press Association, and others generally supported the bill as a practical fix, though one witness urged broader website posting of notices. The hearing also covered House Bill 2301, a campaign finance cleanup bill that would clarify definitions and reporting rules in Chapter 130, especially for continuing committees and indirect political spending; the sponsor said it was intended to fix ambiguity from prior law, and the only testimony in favor called for additional restrictions on recurring donations and more transparency. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 1787, which would require schools used as polling places to treat election days as school holidays beginning in the 2026-27 school year. The sponsor said the bill was intended to improve child safety and could also help with staffing and voter participation, while members raised concerns about school calendars already being set and whether the mandate should instead be optional or delayed to a later school year. A witness in favor supported the safety goal but asked for local control and a later effective date. No opposition testimony was presented, and the committee adjourned after the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the party who at the top of their ticket in the last presidential election had a presidential
• </c><06:19:33.440><c> election</c> ticket in the last presidential election ticket in the last presidential
• :19:36.958><c> who</c><06:19:37.280><c> compared</c> had a presidential nominee who compared had a presidential
• </c> it continues the pattern of presidential it continues the pattern of presidential administrations
• </c><07:47:21.920><c> Committee</c><07:47:22.160><c> on</c> Permanent Select Committee on Permanent Select

Transcript Highlights:

• Presidential Scholar, Ariana Magerk.
• ><c> Ramirez,</c><00:19:07.640><c> the</c><00:19:07.720><c> 2024</c><00:19:08.440><c> Hawaii</c> Selected
• c><00:19:47.680><c> the</c><00:19:47.800><c> 2024</c><00:19:48.480><c> US</c><00:19:48.960><c> Presidential
• </c> my district, the 2024 US Presidential my district, the 2024 US Presidential Scholar,<00:19:50.640
• Selected from over 2500 Virginia. Selected from over 2500 nominees. nominees. nominees.

Bills: HB1576 , HB2490 , HB1546 , HB1588